Thursday Poll

image from kissandmakeup.tv

This week was a kind of slack one as far as posts go. Sorry about that. I have been struggling to find a good place to take pictures of my makeup to show you all and to write reviews. And on top of that I have had to cut back on various expenses so getting my eyebrows threaded on a regular basis is kinda hard...so any eye of the day photos are tricky because my brows tend to look like Groucho Marx after a few weeks, months, etc. of no maintenance. So I pledge to make a concerted effort to do better, tweeze more and write more reviews in the future. Getting Verizon FiOs will also helps as I'll save some money on TV/Internet/phone and will have a few more dollars to spend elsewhere. I mention the FiOs because we have an installer coming today to hook us up! I'm so excited. Finally HD picture for the Real Housewives of Orange County!...oh and the Superbowl.

On to the Poll:

1) Blush Of The Day? - Chanel JC in Rose Dust. I got this in a swap from a lovely woman in Canada. I have been holding off using it until she got my end of the swap and I am so excited that the US mail got her package to her in RECORD time. Mailed on a Friday received on a Wednesday. Whoo Hoo! The blush is awesome. I'm so glad I got it.

2) Do you watch trash TV? - Yes! As I mentioned above, I adore The Real Housewives of Orange County. Actually I adore all the various locations. NY, Atlanta. I wish they would have one for Washington, DC because then people could see what uptight stick in the mud people live here...and I would be able to stalk them when they shop at Neiman Marcus in Tysons II mall...Maybe make a cameo. I'll be the chubby one wearing $1,000 worth of makeup and $20 shoes.

3) Favorite beauty treat for dull winter skin? - My trusty Baking Soda and CeraVe scrub followed by Fresh Rose face mask. I scrub a dead layer of skin off, and hydrate what's revealed with aloe, cucumber and rose petals. Indulgent and rewarding.

4) Will you be watching the Superbowl this Sunday? - Hell YES! I love football. I didn't before I met my husband. I used to have "Stupid Bowl" parties in which I required guests to talk during the game and Shut The Hell Up during the commercials, before I met him. But he taught me the joys of football, I finally understand the rules and know the players so I'm converted. I secretly still like the commercials more than the game, no matter who is playing. GO STEELERS!

5) Latest beauty purchase? - Humm. It's been a while since I purchased anything. December 31st to be exact...but I guess my Kose Happy Bath Day Hand Essence that came in the mail after the 31st counts. I'll be writing a review of this lovely lightweight hand emulsion that has a subtle scent of rose and moisturizes with only a few drops.

The dog at my homework

Anyone that has access to my Facebook page has seen pictures of my dogs, Floyd & Artie. They are both English Bulldogs. Bulldogs like to chew. I was fortunate enough to get one, Artie, that likes to chew EVERYTHING.
Here is the number he did on a leather chair.

Bad dog!

So Apparently one of my Besame lip glosses fell out of my purse and Artie got his teeth on it.

And here is the result

Luckily the gloss was not damaged...just the top. I guess I can still use it but somehow I think I might retire this one. Something tells me that my anal retentive ways will not allow me to have a damaged gloss top next to my 4 other pristine ones. It's OK though. I didn't like the color all that much anyway. It's a creamy light pink. Almost milky looking. I only use a dab of it in the center of my bottom lip to create depth when wearing my ultra corpse nude lipstick (MAC Blankety).
If you haven't had an opportunity to sample Besame Lip gloss you might want to.
They are sticky and they last quite a long time on the lips. They are heavily scented with coconut and the color range is very limited. But despite all that. I still like them. Which is odd because I normally hate all those aspects when it comes to gloss. Go figure.

An aspirin a day keeps the doctor a away….or is that an apple a day? Never mind.

I’m sick again.
This is the lovely life of having an almost 2 year old in day care and having a job where I meet a lot of strangers and shake their hands.

Bleh.

I have YET ANOTHER cold. I’m miserable. My day off on Friday was supposed to be spent writing reviews for this blog but instead, I was taking cake of Mr. Sith, my dear husband, as he had some stomach bug. Then I got a cold on Saturday and Sunday I was completely out of it. So here I am Monday, with a head cold and miserable.

Since I don’t have any cool pictures of taupe eye shadows or new products I’ll give you a quick take on one of my favorite masks.

Right now my skin is acting crazy. I don’t know if it’s because of the back to back colds I have had, or stress, or what; but my skin looks terrible. Last night I managed to give myself a mask that made my skin look almost presentable for the next day. This mask cost me pennies. It’s my good old trusty Aspirin Mask.

I use generic aspirin. UNCOATED is the key. I don’t crush the aspirin because uncoated aspirin dissolve easily in liquid.

I take about 5 uncoated aspirin, put them in a shallow plastic bowl, add a few drops of water, or Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater, or non alcohol based toner and allow the aspirin to dissolve.

Once it forms a nice paste I spread over my face and let it sit until it dries. Usually about 5 to 10 minutes. Sure it's messy, but I only wear it for 5 to 10 minutes.

Once Dry I dampen my face and LIGHTLY massage the aspirin on my face while rinsing at the same time.

The result? Freshly exfoliated skin, a quickie Salicylic Acid treatment, unclogged pores and glowing skin.

You can add one or two squirts of honey to the dissolved aspirin and leave it on your face for a little longer. The honey really softens your skin. This is a good additive if you have fairly dry skin. The aspirin alone may be too drying for you.

All in all. A beauty steal at pennies per use.

As I am not a doctor please see yours first if you are pregnant, or have any sort of aspirin sensitivity or can’t take drugs that thin you blood.

Thursday Poll

image from kissandmakeup.tv

Ugh. Tardy again with my Thursday poll. Darn life keeps getting in the way of my blogging. I am not going to comment on Mrs Obama's dresses for the inauguration, but I am going to say that Joe Biden's wife (Dr. Jill Tracy Biden) had the most amazing pair of knee high boots on! Yowza! Move over Justin Timberlake. Dr. Biden is bringing Sexy Back! OK. I digress. but damn. I wish I wore skirts so I could wear boots like that. (I usually wear pants as this is all that my fat butt can look good in these days.) OK. Enough about Vice President's Wives. On to the Poll!

1) Lip of the Day? - Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Color in Berry Mauve. I love the color I just am not in love with the texture. It feels waxy and heavy. I got it when I got that Bobbi Brown Set for the Nordies Anniversary. A very nice set indeed. Most if not all of the products have been super useful.

2) Plans for the weekend? - The purgatory between the last NFL playoff and the Superbowl is painful. But not as painful as the day after the superbowl when the cold hard reality that there will be no more football for months stares you in the face. This is when I pick myself up and start watching Hockey. Thank god UFC is year round! So that being said. My plans are NOTHING. I need a hobby.

3) Current favorite makeup item that you discovered/rediscovered/acquired/etc? - My Guerlain Oriental Metal eye kohl. It's just the perfect taupe. After working with the new L'Oreal HIP kohls I have come to appreciate the finer texture of the ones from Guerlain. However, that's not to say I don't like the ones from L'Oreal.

4) Current Lemmings (desires) for makeup/skincare? - I am lemming Chanel Glossimer in Blizzard. I want this so bad and I have no idea why. I'm craving Frosty! lol

5) What hair product have you bought recently that you are really liking? - Sebastian Potion 9. Wow. They repackaged this and I swear to god they changed the formula or the pump now dispenses the perfect amount of product into my hair because it feels really soft and looks glossy. I don't blow dry my hair. I usually wash, condition, and then put gel on the ends. Ever since adding in Sebastian Potion 9 it seems so much happier. Love this stuff!

Purchase - Lancôme Erika F. Swoonworthy eyeshadow

I have been pining away over Lancôme Ombre Absolue Radiant Smoothing Eye-Shadow in Color # G40 (a.k.a Erika F) eye shadow for months. I heard a description and knew I had to have it. I wanted it, sight unseen. A grayish-silvery-sparkly-green. ::swoons:: that’s almost like a Greenish Taupe! Please note this shadow is in no way taupe buy traditional standards but still I keep thinking taupe when I use it. Maybe because I love taupe eye shadow so much and I have fallen in love with this shadow that I cannot separate the two. I don't know. That's something I'll have to talk to my shrink about. Regardless I was told it was a green so close to a silvery taupe that I could justify buying it! I can justify buying almost anything so this might not be a good example.


So I went about finding it. Apparently Lancôme does not carry this color in the US. It’s European/Asia only. Well boo hiss on Lancôme. I didn’t want to pay an arm and a leg for a shadow I never saw. Then people started to post pictures of it on Makeupalley.com. I knew then I HAD TO have it.


Last year I had a friend in Poland that offered to buy it for me. Oh but the exchange rate at the time was so terrible, the eye shadow would have cost me $45. Pass.

Six months ago, I had a friend in the US who “had connections” and could get it for me for around $30+. Things were a bit tight with money so I had to pass.

Then good old strawberrynet.com sent me one of those “we miss your money” e-mails. Buy from them and I save 7% and an additional 5% plus free shipping. Whoo Hoo! They got me again. I quickly went to the site and boo hiss. They didn’t have Erika F.

I bided my time. I waited and waited and looked and looked and they FINALLY got the color in again. $29.50 – 12% = $25.96! What a ridiculous price for an eye shadow! One eye shadow. And here I was forking over my hard earned money (OK. Not earned as it was a check from a family member for Christmas...but still) for ONE freakin eye shadow. I spent it begrudgingly. But note: I spent it none the less. I’m a bit crazy when it comes to “things I can’t have”. If I find an item I want, and then I find I can’t have it, I then MUST get it! Since it had been months…almost a year since I had pined away for gray-green perfection in powder form I spent the money. Oh well. Darthypie will just have to make do with only ONE Elmo toy for his birthday (just kidding)


It arrives. My expectations are high. I photograph the shadow before I actually use it because I’m crazy like that.

I swatch it.

Humm. It’s awfully sparkly.

I notice it’s a tad on the hard side.

Not as creamy as a Chanel or BECCA shadow

Humm. Is my interest waning?

I apply it to my eye. On the lower lid and blend it up to a soft finish.

Humm It blends fairly well actually.

It has a nice rich pigment and while it’s hard, I guess that’s a good thing because the glittery bits don’t fall out when I’m applying it. Of course I’m using a creamy eye shadow primer so that might help as well.

It’s not too glittery; however multiple applications could enhance the glitter.

I paired it recently with MAC Arctic Grey (From the recent Chill collection) and Arctic Grey is a glittery mess when compared to Erika F. Erika F is no where near as bad as Urban Decay Midnight Cowboy. I think it’s really not that glittery now that I think about it. It’s sparkly, but not glittery. Ugh. Enough about glitter!


The color.

Green. Silvery green. With a hint of olive but cool. Not warm. It has a grayish cast to it and hints of some very light tan/taupe…which makes this color a neutral green-grey versus a cool green-grey. It is unique. I have nothing quite like it in my arsenal of eye shadows. I truly have a lot of shadows and I have seen a lot of shadows and I must say that I have never seen anything quite like it. Perhaps it might be almost close to Urban Decay’s Shakedown which is a limited edition color only available in The Book of Shadows (as reviewed here by joeybunny) But honestly. Shakedown has gold flecks in it and Erika F has silver. Shakedown is a lot more opaque and a much warmer color than Erika F too. So draw your own conclusions. Some have said that Bare Essentuals Vine eye glimmer is similar but Vine is MUCH warmer and has no silver to it at all.


The verdict.

LOVE

Unique color

Easy smooth application

Holds up well (with a primer).

It’s a win.

Here is an eye of the day I did recently. I only used Erika F. I sheered it out to the brow bone and left it more concentrated on the lower lid.

In the past I have mixed it with a deep olive green in the crease and Arctic Grey as a highlight, but the pictures looked like crap and my eyebrows were beyond awful. I didn’t want to subject you all to the horror.

In this picture I have Lancôme Erika F, Koji Line Queen Real Black eye liner, Guerlain Oriental Metal Kohl on waterline, Shu Uemura The Basic Mascara and Maybelline Colossal Volume Mascara

Purchase - Sally Hansen Color Quick Craptacular Nail Color Pen

image from sallyhansen.com

Sally Hansen Color Quick Fast Dry Nail Color pen is a piece of crap. I’m not pulling any punches here. This nail polish pen is worthless.

I thought it would be cool to have an easy way to do touch ups at the office since I end up chipping my nail polish a lot at work. I figured I could do a quick touch up without much smell and with quick drying time. I picked up a Color Quick Fast Dry Nail Color pen in 06 Red Crème. A nice wine red that is safe for the office. It comes in a few other shades. I resisted buying the black shade because I have like 3 zillion black nail polishes….ANYWAY…

According to the Sally Hansen Website, the pen “seems” like a good idea. It boasts:
* New fast dry nail color formula packaged in an easy-to-use, take anywhere spill-proof pen!
* Just click to dispense color, brush on and go!
* Handy application makes it easy to use anytime, anywhere.
* Great for pedicures, too!
* Available in 8 beautiful shades.
* No DBP, Toluene or Free Formaldehyde.

What a great idea!

It was easy enough to get the color to run into the brush. The mechanics of the items are fairly good. But there are two main problems with this abomination…err. I mean Nail Color pen; the formula of the nail polish and the brush.

Let’s examine the brush shall we?

Look at it!

Do you think you can get even application with a brush the looks more damaged than the hair of a 1980’s head banger? No. I think not.

image from lazlow.com

And the proof is in the application.

Here is just one coat

Look at the streaks, look at the uneven edge along the cuticle. Look at just how awful it looks.

OK. Maybe with a second coat it will be better.

Nope. Look. The edge looks even worse and the streaks are STILL there. Yuk.


OK. Maybe three coats will do the trick. It’s fast drying so 3 coats won’t take too long right?

FAIL!

No only is it still streaky it has the WORSE edges I have ever seen. It looks like I was blindfolded when I applied this nail polish. Come to think of it. I think I could have done a better job if I were blind folded with a proper brush. Regardless, I felt totally ripped off by Sally Hansen. DO NOT BUY THIS. It’s crap.

Thursday Poll

image from kissandmakeup.tv.com

Hi everyone. I have a miserable head cold right now, so I apologize for the tardiness of the Thursday Poll. It's actually one of my favorite features because I like to see what you all have to say since I usually do most of the talking. This cold wouldn't feel so bad if I had NOT taken NyQuil last night. I have taken NyQuil one other time, it was back in 1994 before the reformulated the stuff and it had a lot more medicines in it than it does now. That was an awful experience but I figured that this time wouldn't be so bad. I was so wrong. For those of you that are not familiar with NyQuil it's the "The nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, aching, coughing, stuffy-head, fever, so you can rest medicine." NyQuil is 25 percent alcohol, which may explain why it knocks you the heck out (but let's face it. 25% alcohol ain't gonna knock me out...my tolerance is waaaaay higher than that right joeybunny?) What really is awful is how I sleep when I have taken NyQuil. I sleep walk, hit, talk, move, etc. I have a very fitful sleep is what I'm saying. So basically my dear husband became a punching bag last night as I had awful dreams and started hitting in my sleep. I pounded him good on his knee twice before he woke up and saw me hitting the bed where his knee once was before he moved it. Thank god it wasn't his face. I hurt my hand really bad too! WTF? What's worse, I don't remember the freakin' dream that caused me to lash out in the first place. It would be nice to at least be able to know why I was hitting him...or whoever it was in the dream. Lesson learned. No more NyQuil for me....ever. Burn me once. Shame on you. Burn me twice. Shame on me. No more NyQuil "The nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, beat the sh*t out of your husband while you sleep medicine." So let's get on to the poll.

1) Blush of the day? - Prisme Again! Blush Quartet in Glowing Rose- I can't tell you how cute this blush is. I never wrote a review of it because I was too lazy to take a picture before I used it. Now it's all marred by my blush brush and wouldn't make a very good picture so I doubt you would even be interested in seeing it, but I must say. It is loverly and smells like roses. I can't complain.

2) Age at which you got into/started using make up? - I think I was in elementary school when I got into it, but that's because I was in an acting troupe and had to wear makeup for musicals (Annie, The Sound of Music, etc.) But I distinctly remember getting a Makeover from Elizabeth Arden at 12. In my opinion that's Waaaaaaay too young to wear makeup but my mother allowed it. I didn't wear the makeup to school until I was in Junior High, however. I bet I was the only 12 year old with Guerlain Meteorites, Dior eye shadow and Elizabeth Arden blush. Ugh.

3) If you could get away with it, what "weird" name would you name your child? - (Thank you Bronx Mowgli Wentz - Son of Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz) - I think I would name a girl Tempest Raven. It sounds like a stripper name so maybe that's a career limiting name. For a boy; Damian Danger. Just so he could say his middle name was "Danger"

4) Current Beauty Obsession? - Right now: sheet masks. They are so awesome for me because I can lie in bed at the end of the day. (after I have cleansed my skin) put the mask on for 15-20 minutes, peel it off, toss in the trash and massage the remaining essence into my skin and not have to get out of bed. I'm so lazy in the winter. What can I say? Right now I think I like the Dermal sheet masks the best.

5) Are you going to watch the Presidential Inauguration? And for those of you that are not from the US. Is your country reporting on it? How big of a news story is it where you live? - I wish I could watch, but I do have to work. I'll probably be the only one at work, but hopefully I can find a live feed on CNN.com or something so I can watch it from my desk. I am personally very excited and very hopeful for the future of the country!

Purchase - Cle De Peau Concealer -Vs- Shiseido The Makeup Concealer Stick. A Quest for perfection unanswered.

Once upon a time there was a girl that had $70 burning a hole in her pocket and some red spots to cover up on her face.

She happened upon the Cle de Peau counter at her local Neiman Marcus and was wooed by the now infamous concealer. She fell in love quickly, and wrote a blog entry about it. The romance lasted through the New Year and she put it on her Favorites of 2008 list. Then something terrible happened. Her love did not fade. No it was much worse than that. The concealer was running low. It no longer swiveled up, there was no more product to swivel. She imagined that there must be a good 1/4 to 1/2 an inch left under the swivel stopping point and plans to dig down to use up the very last ruminants of her beloved CdP concealer, but what happenes when it's all gone? What then? Her ideal...dare she say... HOLY GRAIL concealer will be a distant memory. What will she do then?

This Crisis of Concealer occurred a month or so ago and she laid plans to acquire a new CdP concealer or find a duplicate. She didn't quite have the money for a new CdP concealer at retail prices. It was only on a whim and left over Birthday money that she purchased it in the first place. So what was she to do? She looked on evilbay, bid on several auctions (as she set a price no higher than $45 USD in which to acquire a CdP Concealer) but alas, she was out bit every time. There were many CdP concealers at an almost reasonable "Buy It Now" price but the packaging was different. She feared that the formulation would also be different from the fuddy duddy, ridged, matte, dusty blue packaging. So she thought "Go to the source” Yes. Cle de Peau is a Shiseido brand. SURELY they would have a stick type concealer that is very much like the CdP one she loves so dearly.

She happened to be on Strawberrynet and found a Shiseido The Makeup Concealer Stick that looked like it might be like her CdP and purchased it for a paltry $18 (with reward discounts of course) A week or so later the concealer arrives. She opens up the box and is a bit disappointed to see that the product is 1/2 the circumference of the CdP. Well, the Shiseido is only 1 oz (3g) versus the CdP 1.7 oz (5g). OK. She paid less and got less product, but it's OK. Shiseido and CdP are owned by the same company. How different could they be?

Swatch test.
Humm. The CdP is a perfect color match for her but it looks like the Shiseido is slightly pinker than she would like. It's just slightly though. She's just being picky she thinks. On to the ingredient comparison

Cle de Peau Concealer Ingredients:
Squalane, Cyclomethicone, Kaolin, Phenyl Trimethicone, Paraffin, Sodium Magnesium Silicate, Polyethylene, Sorbitan Sesquisostearate, Carnuba, Mictocrystalline Wax, Water, Dimethicone Copoyol, Cholesteryl Hydroxsterate, Glycerin, Boron Nitride, Polysilicone-5, Tocoppheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Fragrance, Aluminum Hydroxide, Aluminum Disterate, Simethicone, Methicone, Ascorbyl Dipalmiate, Soy Sterol, Sodium Acetylhaluronate, Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Iron Oxides

Shiseido The Makeup Concealer Stick Ingredients:
Hydrogrnated c6-14 Olefin Polymers, Cyclomethicone, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Kaolin, Paraffin, PolymethylSilsesquioxane, Polyethylene, Sorbitan Sesquisostearate, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnuba) wax, PEG/PPG-36/41 Dimethyl Ether, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalimitate, Microcrystalline Wax, Methicone, Barium Sulfate, Tocopherol, Tin Oxide, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Alumina, Fragrance, Titanium Dioxide, Mica, Iron Oxides

CdP has 29 ingredients and Shiseido has 23. Of those, there are about 13 matching ingredients (in bold and in purple above) and most of them are either waxes, preservatives, filler or silicone of some sort. The Girl sighed. Without one chemistry class under her belt (hey, she graduated high school and college but managed to avoid Chemistry 101 because she knew she would never remember the difference between Tocopheryl Acetate and Ascorbyl Tetraisopalimitate, let alone how to spell them.) she must test the old fashioned way: Actual application to red spots on her face.

5:45 am: The girl applies the thin Shiseido concealer stick to her under eyes and red spots using a synthetic brush. Humm. It does not seem to spread as nicely as the CdP she thinks to herself. She decides it is because of the cooler temperature (she likes to justify to keep herself in denial) so she uses her finger to warm up the concealer and applies her concealer covered finger pad directly to her face (a sin she can live with this one time. After all her hands are clean) Humm. Warming it up didn't doo much, she muses. Upon careful application she notices that she Shiseido, while not a perfect color match blended well enough but seems to get a bit cakey if applied too liberally, and didn't do an effective job of covering the extra dark spots she had on her face. Her under eyes looked like they were going to crease before mid day so she applied some Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder to set the concealer (something she never had to do with her CdP).

She went about her usual day at work. Hours of drudgery in front of a computer, dealing with cow-workers that wear too much perfume and eating lunch at her desk because she's trying to save money and also hoping to leave early enough to pick up her son from daycare. Humm. Now the clock begins. It's 10:45 am : The red area around her nose begins to show through. The concealer looks like it is separating from the oils on her face. OK. Blot, spot conceal with her emergency TheBomb TimeBomb concealer she keeps in her purse, powder. OK fixed. 1:30 pm: Her spots are beginning to show through on her cheeks and chin. Blot, spot conceal, powder. Gah, now the concealer that was there before is caking up over the new concealer. She looks as if she has smallish orange dots on her skin. Buff, Buff, Buff, with a powder brush. OK. That's better. 4:45 pm: Pick up son from daycare have an "Oh So Helpful" daycare worker suggest La Roche Posay Acne Treatment. Gee thanks! 5:30 pm: Dear Husband arrives home. She finally has a minute to change out of her work clothes and put up her hair. Gasp. It looks as if she has no concealer on at all! The girl now understands why the "Oh So Helpful" person made a recommendation. She looks terrible. The girl quickly washes her face and moisturizes and goes about the rest of her evening. The next day she uses The Shiseido Concealer again hoping for better results. She uses the concealer for 7 days. Each day it seems to "quit" on her by noon.

The evidence is clear. This is NOT the same concealer. It is not the same quality, it is not the same amount, it is not the same. Period!

She weeps....OK. She doesn't really weep. That would be stupid and unhealthy. It's just concealer. But it sounds romantically dramatic though! She starts saving her pennies, and nickels and dimes and hopes that she will have enough saved up to buy a new CdP Concealer at an increased evilbay bid or at retail before her beloved CdP runs out.

She wonders if the glossy black product packaging is the same formula as the blue matte packaging but does not want to spend $50 to find out. She tries to resist the urge to buy concealers to "test" to see if she can duplicate the CdP... she knows better.
She wonders if she should throw away the Shiseido concealer so she won’t be tempted to use it, should her CdP run out before she can acquire another one.

So many questions, quandaries and challenges when it comes to finding a new Holy Grail.

Sigh

Purchase - Mario Badescu Facial Spray With Aloe, Herbs And Rosewater

image from mariobadescu.com

At the risk of offending some of my readers, I bring you my review of Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater.

For those readers that are still using Mineral Makeup (MMU). Swirl, tap, buff, barf. Sorry. I’m not a fan of MMU. If you are reading this and getting pissed, please forgive me. I never mastered the application effectively nor did I appreciate my bathroom covered in MMU dust. I finally broke the MMU chains of bondage 5 years ago after 2 years of MMU slavery. But I did find something that actually did help reduce the powdery corpse look that MMU gave me. That 1 thing was Mario Badescu Facial Spray With Aloe, Herbs And Rosewater.

I used this spray to “set” my powder mask. It worked better than MAC Fix + because it didn’t contain Glycerin…which turned me into an oil slick by 10 am and worked better than plain old water…plus it just smelled good. Hellloooo Rose water! Not that fake rose scent either. It has a really fresh rose scent. It’s quite loverly. Once I finally wised up and stopped using MMU I kept this handy spray in my routine.

OK. So for all you readers out there that are like, "Yo! Pink, We don’t use MMU. We don’t care about a setting spray." Well my fair ladies, this is beyond a setting spray. It can be used to dampen your face prior to applying a scrub; you can use it with un-coated aspirin, make a paste and use it as a mask for your face. You can spray it on your nose prior to putting one of those pore strips (my personal favorite is Kose Softymo), and should you over indulge in the fine translucent setting powder you use; a few spritzes will soften the look and make you look less powdery pasty. It’s great for spraying on your day and night creams (after application) for extra hydration. I have even been known to spray it on my dry hair to bring some curl back to life.

What’s even better, it’s $12 for 8 oz. ($7 for 4 oz – do the math a savings of $2 for twice the product) So it’s not that expensive. Mario Badescu can be found for sale in Nordstrom (however they don’t always have the 8 oz bottle) or from The Mario Badescu website. If you find yourself interested in other products their customer service on the phone is excellent and can send you some great samples as well as make expert recommendations. I don’t work for them. Don’t worry, but if I am ever in NYC I plan to go to their spa and get a facial or something.
All in all Mario Badescu Facial Spray With Aloe, Herbs And Rosewater is a fab little pick me up and sweet indulgence for not too much moolah.

Please note that this spray does contain Propylene Glycol. While it is listed as a non irritant and non comedogenic, some people have reported a sensitivity to it. It is a common ingredient found in many products but I just wanted to put that out there just in case. In my experience, I have never had any acne eruptions as a result of using this spray.

Ingredients: Deionized Water, Aloe Extract, Bladderwrack Extract, Herbal Extract, Rose Extract, Gardenia Extract, Propylene Glycol.

Thursday Poll

image from kissandmakeup.tv

Sorry for my tardiness with the Thursday Poll. Little Darthypie woke up with a fever this morning. He’s fine now as the children’s Motrin has kicked in & his fever is gone. He’s happily watching Elmo while I type this. He has already had a busy morning of eating crackers, coloring, playing with his fire truck and watching the garbage men from the window. It may be a new year but we have the same old poll. I think I might change the graphic at some point but I like this one a whole awful lot so don’t expect it any time soon. On to the poll!!

1) Blush of the day? – Chanel Mocha. I really love this one for days when I’m wearing browns, tans, etc on my eyes.

2) Favorite Mascara (or combination) and your lash type? – Shu Uemura The basic and Maybelline Colossal Volume Express layered over it. My lash type is medium long but not as full as I would like.

3) Last Movie you watched (in theaters or not) – Cloverfield. (on DVD) It was so sad. But the film was really well done. Made me not want to go to NYC tho. Why does NYC always get screwed when it comes to monster attacks? You never see Lawrence, Kansas attacked by monsters. What's up with that? I'm sure Lawrence, Kansas has just as many tasty people to eat as NYC does. I think these monsters are elitist snobs. I'm going to boycott them!

4) Last Makeup/Skincare/Product purchase? – L’Oreal Double Extend Mascara. Bleh. Awful. Expect a not so nice review of that coming in the future! (Note my 2nd question this terrible mascara inspired it.)

5) What time do you wake up in the morning? – 5:10 am then 5:19 am then 5:28….stupid snooze alarm!

Purchase - Stila Diamond Lil Versus MAC Smoke & Diamonds. HOT Taupe on Taupe live action!

The question remains why I proceeded to swap for a Stila eye shadow that is supposedly the exact same color as my much beloved MAC Smoke & Diamonds. I guess it was because I wanted to see for myself the duplicity of the shadows gray taupey goodness. Or Perhaps I’m just insane about taupe eye shadow. My bet is on the latter.
So I did manage to swap for a NEW IN BOX Stila Diamond Lil eyeshadow and I must say that it is quite pretty. Spectacular to be exact. I actually had such a wonderful reaction upon seeing it and swatching, that it brought back memories to my first encounter with MAC Smoke & Diamonds from the Starflash collection.
Now I know why. It’s the exact same effing color!


My swatch shows you how incredibly close they are. The MAC swatched a tad more sheer but the color is the same.

I guess there are good & bad things with my discovery.
1) MAC Smoke & Diamonds was limited edition (bad)
2) Stila Diamond Lil is part of the regular line (good)
3) MAC Smoke & Diamonds has a creamy feel with very little fall out (good)
4) Stila Diamond Lil is very creamy, but there is a lot of powder fallout and it seems fragile (bad)
5) MAC Smoke & Diamonds is now going for $27-$29 usd on evilbay (bad)
6) Stila eye shadow pans do not fit in MAC palettes (bad)
Oh the list could go on and on…but you get my point.

The only reasons one would need to buy Stila Diamond Lil shadow are the following:
a) You had MAC Smoke & Diamonds and you have used it all up. (lol. Yeah right…maybe if it was the only shadow you ever wear)
b) You never got a chance to get MAC Smoke & Diamonds and don’t want to pay 2x the retail price for one off of evilbay (I don’t blame you for not wanting to spend $$ on MAC shadow)
c) You are a hopeless taupe addict that will buy almost any taupe just to say she owns almost every taupe (that’s my reason)
d) You don’t care if it doesn’t fit in a MAC palette and actually like the texture of Stila Shadows. (phffft. Whatever psycho!)

So there you go,
My expert analysis on Stila Diamond Lil eye shadow.
Check back for future reviews of Laura Mercier Topaz, Shu ME 945 (a.k.a. hot sex in eye shadow form) and Lancome Erika F (It’s not really taupe but I love it just the same)

A few of my favorite things Part 2 (Base Makeup)

On to part two of my favorite items. This time I’ll bring you a list of may favorite base makeup items. Foundation isn’t for everyone, but it is for me. I have a lot of scars form old acne and new so I feel better when they are covered up. Not to mention that my face is very red when compared to my neck so it’s nice to even out the color.
I have a few items that have truly become my favorites over this past year. It’s like I have come into my own and have finally settled down on a foundation, powder, and concealer that work for me. That’s not to say that I still won’t try new items in that arena. I’m a makeup addict and I like to try the newest gimmick. I’m a sucker that way…wait for my upcoming review of Fusion Color Adjusting foundation for an example of exactly what I’m talking g about. Anyway. I digress. Here are a few of my favorite items for base makeup.

Foundation
Liquid foundation
I have come to understand that the best foundation is a very subjective term. What might work for you won’t work for me and vice versa. So let me give you a bit of background on my skin type and you can decide if these items might work for you.
I have combination skin. It’s oily in the T-zone area. It’s normal on the cheeks but clog prone and sensitive to some silicones. It gets drier in the winter and much more oily in the hot & humid DC summers. I have red undertones and large pores on my nose & cheeks. I have acne scarring, that is slowly fading with use of microdermabrasion and some whitening products, but I still like to cover them.
OK. So now that you have a better understanding of my skin type let me tell you what I like.

Dianne Brill Fresh Water Pearl Foundation. I have already reviewed this “gem” of a foundation here but allow me to reiterate how lovely it is and how much I do like it. I have managed to find it twice on eBay for less than ½ the cost but I fear that some day soon I will have to pay full price and that’s going to be a killer. It’s $60!! But it is slowly becoming my “Holy Grail” of foundations. The jury is still out until this summer, and then we will see how well it performs in the heat.

Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy foundation.
In the dead of winter, when my skin is at it’s driest I have found this inexpensive foundation to be a godsend. It does not clog my pores, it is moisturizing, but not overly so and does not slide off my face by noon. The color match is a bit tricky since drugstores don’t have testers, but I have found that combining 2 shades give me the perfect color. It comes in a frosted glass bottle that has a hygienic pump dispenser. It’s small enough to fit in my train case or medicine cabinet and its no frills simple packaging make it a nice and inexpensive addition to my foundation stash.

Oh, foundation stash is not a typo. I used to be a foundation hoor! I would buy almost any new foundation out on the market. I think I have tried them all at one point or another. I did finally get my head on straight and decide to stop buying them and settle on just one. (Dianne Brill) but I used to have 8-12 different foundations at one time. It was a mess. Anyway. Enough of my foundation addition. I kicked it!

Powder foundation:

My favorite powder foundation has to be Guerlain Parure. It comes in the most elegant gold package and 02 Beige Equis is a perfect summer shade for me. This powder foundation does not get cakey and stays put for most of the day. I use my MAC 187 skunk brush to apply it and I get the loveliest diffused matte glow to my skin. The compact & powder will set you back $60. Refills are a measly $45. Yeah. That’s sarcasm. It’s not cheap. But it works so well on me, especially in the summer I pay the price. I go through a pan once every 4-5 months…depending on use.


Another powder foundation I am fond of is Dianne Brill Freshwater pearl powder foundation. Another Dianne Brill foundation. It works very well, but not well enough for the price. It’s a whopping $45 and the compact is not refillable so you have to throw away a huge plastic compact every 6 months. (It seems to last far longer than the Guerlain) but the finish isn’t as pretty but it does not cake up, so that's a plus. It’s still a nice alternative to my Guerlain and that’s why I listed it here.

Concealer:

I have already reviewed my favorite concealer here. It is my Cle de Peau concealer stick. It’s worlds beyond better than any other concealer I have tried. It’s expensive as hell, but it will last you a long while 7 months to a year…depending on usage.


Another nice and inexpensive alternative is Maybelline Age Rewind concealer. It’s a liquid concealer with a sponge tip applicator on one end and a liquid light pink highlighter with brush applicator on the other. I find the concealer is good at covering the under eye and does a decent job of covering some spots on the face, but you might need to layer it. It does not cake and seems to last a good 6 hours. That’s not bad considering it’s a drugstore concealer. The highlighter is OK. I’m not a fan of liquid ones but for what it does it works well.

Setting Powder
I have two favorites in this category.

One is La Mer loose translucent powder. At $65 a jar this powder is pricey, but I have found a little lasts a VERY VERY long time. Since powder hardly ever turns bad, if kept dry, I believe this price per use is very good. I was given an extremely generous sample from my friend Sophia and I’m still using it months later. I purchased a small sample size on eBay for about $20 and I haven’t even had an opportunity to use it because the original sample I have is still going strong. This ultra fine milled powder has some ever so slight shimmer to it, but when applied it melts into your skin leaving a fresh diffused poreless look. It is truly amazing. This stuff is wonderful! If you have been debating buying it, don’t wait any longer. Get it today. I know I could not live without this stuff!

My 2nd favorite if for days when I wear powder foundation. Make Up For Ever (MUFE) High Definition Powder is simply pure silica powder for $30. Sure you can get it for less money from various e-tailers, but since some of those e-tailers have questionable customer service or don’t ship overseas I wanted to give you all an option that is available to most of the world. MUFE HD powder, as I like to refer to it is a wonderfully finely milled powder that sets your makeup while giving a soft diffused look to your entire face. It is flash camera friendly within a few minutes of application (This means, no ghostly paleness from the camera flash – unless you are already ghostly pale). It is allegedly supposed to keep oilies at bay, but frankly I have not seen that at all. I apply it after I have put on all my makeup for the day, except for Mascara and Guerlain Meteorites, which I apply last.


So that’s it for base makeup. Not too exciting, but a good foundation is the key to a wonderful looking face.
What are some of your favorites in the categories above?

HAPPY 2009! Site Changes and The New Year brings the same old Sith

Wishing you a Healthy, Beautiful, Glamorous, Prosperous, and Lipgloss filled New Year!

To start the new year, I have updated the blog background and while I was doing that, I managed to delete my Beauty Blogs of Note list on the side. So while I slowly rebuild that, please feel free to e-mail me at heyelvira@gmail.com if your blog is missing from my list because I have an awful short term memory and my photographic memory has started to fade as I get older. I will be forever grateful and happy to add your blog back to the list and would be happy to entertain link exchanges for new blogs! Thanks also for your patience and understanding while I make some site improvements.

I never do resolutions. I usually fail at them by January 5th so don't expect for diatribes about weight loss, makeup no-buys, dollar store diamonds in the rough makeup finds and anything else thrifty, healthy or self sacrificing. After all, you all love me for the self centered, self important, gluttonous evil Sith that I am. Why change me when I'm already so wonderfully flawed?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!