Category Archives: Buying Stuff

Sep29

Birthday Haul: Part 3

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Dianna

I would tell you my 40th birthday celebration is over, seeing that it was about 30 days ago and all, but it’s not. Nope, I can stretch a birthday out for dayyyyyys, so it’s Vegas all next week to commemorate this milestone like a proper lady. May or may not involve male dancers.

Just kidding. But it will definitely involve shopping. And my husband’s credit card. Weeeee!

See below for the last bit of damage with said credit card:

I love all of that. That = happiness to me. Did I need all of it? Is the sky blue? Don’t ask stupid questions. Let’s begin!

Cashed in 100 Sephora points for the tiny Givenchy Le Rouge lipstick in the shade Rose Dressing. Even despite it’s miniature stature, it comes housed in a black box to make you feel like a fancy lady. I’ll be honest when I say I didn’t even care what color the lipstick was; I just needed that box. You know, so I could apply lipstick in public like a damn professional.

Lucky for me, the lipstick isn’t a horrendous pink. It’s not fuchsia or magenta or anything loud like that. It’s nice. The formula is very creamy, kind of matte but reflects a bit of light. I’d buy a full-size. Not because the full-size comes in a leather tube. But probably.

And of course I can’t sit around listening to every beauty guru on YouTube sing the praises of MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, and then somehow not go buy it. I bought mine in the same NW20 shade that is my foundation as I felt that makes the most sense. The coverage on it is really, really good. I’d say a healthy medium at the least. I don’t have massive dark circles, but I don’t have the undereye of a 14-year-old either (sadly). This concealer brightens me up and makes me look awake and fresh. A little goes a long way, however, so don’t overdo it. Unless you like cakey. Cakey, not cake, cuz that’s two different things and cakey is bad while cake is fantastic. And now I would like a piece of cake, so what was I saying?

Oh yes. I am happy I got this concealer.

Picked up a tube of the Lust for Lacquer lipgloss by Marc Jacobs. I chose the shade Shooting Stars because it seemed like a neutral but not a nude, which tends to wash me out. Also it is a full coverage gloss instead of a sheer, which is what I prefer. What is the point of sheer gloss I ask you? Anyone? Anyone? No, no one knows the point. Unless you are a 10 year old playing in your mommy’s makeup, no one knows the point.

But, back to the issue. I really like this lipgloss. It’s very shiny and the color is beautiful. The only issue is when the gloss starts to wear off, it leaves behind pieces of glitter on your lips. It’s not the worst thing could happen, but just wanted you to be aware. It doesn’t go away gracefully.

Another lipgloss found its way into my basket – this time in the form of the Hourglass Extreme Sheen in the color Siren. I didn’t even know if I wanted another lipgloss, but this vibrant red orange caught my eye. I swatched it and knew immediately I had to have it. It’s the color of fire, or a maple tree in the fall, or the sun as it nears the edge of the Earth. I’m not kidding you; it’s gorgeous. It goes on super metallic, but it does simmer down pretty quickly. It’s creamy, opaque and long lasting. I highly, highly recommend – this color or any color for that matter. It’s officially one of my favorites.

After talking myself out of purchasing an Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush, I managed talk myself in again. The price isn’t that desirable ($35), and despite your impression of me, I can stall a little bit when it comes to price. But since it was my birthday and since someone else was paying for it, I went ahead and picked one up. There are six colors, and I decided on Mood Exposure, which is a soft plum. Now, you may have heard about these blushes and the magical powers with which they have been infused; however, I didn’t notice anything spectacular happening upon my face that I couldn’t have achieved with my NARS Orgasm blush. But if you are the type that is influenced by fancy words such as Photoluminescent, then by all means. I do admit I like fancy words too.

Having said all that, though, I do like the blush. The color is pretty and it does impart a bit of a sheen, which is most likely the magic I was talking about. It lasts for a long time on my cheeks, and even looks better as the day goes on. I like the premise of these blushes, how they are mixed with the Hourglass ambient powders to create something unique. I see how you can get sucked in by something like that. Out of 681 Sephora reviews, 481 are 5 star. So see? I clearly have no idea what’s fabulous. I need another one to be sure.

Picked up the new Ole Henriksen Pure Truth Melting Cleanser because it’s an orange gel that looked fun to play with. That’s not a typo. (I am a child.) It starts out as a gel that melts into an oil as you massage it into your face. Then you add water to it and it turns milky. So of course after all that I had to throw it in the basket. I was about an inch away from finishing up a cleansing milk and absolutely couldn’t wait to be done with it. But then the cleansing milk kept replicating itself cuz it took about 2 more weeks to empty it. Urgh. Finally though – I started using the melting cleanser and lemme just say the idea of it is better than the reality. The gel part is fun if you’re big into texture like I am. It does melt nicely onto the skin, but once it turns to oil it loses that thick consistency and then I’m just over it. The milky bit is a non-event. However, most importantly, it breaks up the makeup like a champ so I suppose it you buy products based solely on whether they work or not, you’ll like this one. I, on the other hand, just like things that look pretty.

Treated myself to a bit of luxury as well. Passed the Chanel counter on the way out the door when the Les 4 Ombres quadra eyeshadows stopped me in my tracks. The one in the display was the Tissé Gabrielle, and it was absolutely stunning. Shades of grey and mauve. They look very sparkly in the pan, but when applied to the eyes they shimmer but not in an overly glittery way. Like I could wear it to work and not feel flashy. But that’s coming from the girl who wore a record in her hair in 7th grade, so you can’t always measure wearability by me.

I dunno, guys. I just really loved this quad. Out of all my luxury quads, it’s my favorite. Maybe because it goes well with my brown eyes. Maybe because the name Chanel makes me feel like a princess. Maybe because it’s the latest one I bought and therefore the most new and exciting. Whatever the case, I am happy I picked this up. They blended well, and the term ombre really suits the shadows as they are all (with the exception of the white gold) variations of taupe/grey.

The Chanel lady also tossed in a set of freebies in the form of a serum, foaming face wash, and eye cream. I’ve used them all but the serum, even though I’m most excited about the serum. It’s next, though, as soon as my current serum is empty. I’ve got about an inch left in the bottle, but we all know how long an inch can last. What I have tried – and still currently using – is the face wash, or face mousse as Chanel likes to call it, is wonderful. It’s a pearly white, moussey consistency (aptly) that smooths over the face nicely. The smell is pure luxury, like perfume but a clean, fresh version. But the best part is wiping it away. It comes off so perfectly and completely and leaves behind soft, moisturized skin. Like, I’ve never had a cleanser do this. I want to buy a full-size, but it’s $45 and I’m not sure cleansers should cost this much. I dunno, but I’m really really thinking about it.

The eye cream is okay. The tiny sample tube has lasted me a month so far because you need so little of it. I think there would be great value in your money here if you have a thing about eye creams. Unfortunately, I don’t, but of course I can never love anything that makes economical sense. So I am going to enjoy this while it lasts as I know I won’t repurchase. It is a pretty thin eye cream, but I prefer thicker. Although it does sink in super fast, and that’s important to me. However, I don’t have a love affair with eye cream, so I’m just gonna move on with my life now.

Here’s what I got with the gift card my sister gave me:

It’s the Guerlain Tenue de Perfection foundation and IT. IS. LOVELY. First of all, the packaging. Looked not-so appealing on the website, but in person – Ack! This speaks luxury at top volume. The bottle is super heavy glass and feels so substantial in your hand. The cap is black plastic, however, the top of the cap is inlaid with a gold Guerlain logo that’s so so so pretty. I chose this foundation because for one I didn’t have to pay full price ($61) due to the gift card, and two, there is a color match for me based on the Color IQ scan Sephora did for me last fall. I am in the shade 13 Rose Naturel, and it fits me perfectly. The finish is matte, and the coverage is almost full (on me). I love everything about this foundation. Everything. My face looked the most flawless it’s ever looked, and that’s saying something as I don’t ever look flawless. I prefer this foundation over every single one I own, even the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk, and that hurts me a little to say that. In fact, if something happened to this foundation due to theft, damage or natural disaster, I wouldn’t blink an eye to repurchase immediately. So now you know the depths of my love. It’s a pretty big deal.

Last bit of the birthday haul has arrived. It’s the free mascara Ulta gives you:

Yes, the quality of my photos surprise even me.

So if you’ve ever been curious about the CK One mascara, let me ease your mind. This is an average one. I’ve had worse and I’ve had better. Which is pretty much the definition of average. (Shhhhh, I know.) The wand on this one twists up and down to give you two styles of lashes: up for length and down for volume. I admit it did make a difference when I applied both wand versions. But how annoying is it to do all that? (Very.) Just give me a wand that does both, please and thank you. The result, like I said, was average. It didn’t make me wanna stare at myself in the mirror very long, let’s just put it that way. On the bright side, it’s free. The day I start complaining about free stuff is probably the day the Universe stops giving me free stuff, so we don’t wanna put all that negative energy out there no do we? No, we do not.

Okay, friends. You’ve made it through all three parts of my Birthday Haul (assuming you’ve read part one and two). Give yourself a little pat; you deserve it. I’m gonna go read a book, eat some Cheez-Its and zone out. Var var busy, as you can see.

Sep23

Birthday Haul: Part 2

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Dianna

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Someone take this dadgum packet of chipotle Gardetto’s away from me. The more I eat, the more I want, and the more the bag seems to replicate itself. It’s like a neverending supply. Sounds like a dream, but honestly, I’d rather spend my money on new makeup not new clothes. And at the rate I’m going, mama’s gonna need a different pair of pants. Of the stretchy variety.

In the meantime, here is more birthday goodies:

First of all, can we appreciate the quality and sheer artistry that is my photos? If you told me it looks like I sat these products on top of a Little Tikes plastic picnic table that’s missing its umbrella, I’d tell you you were WRONG. Clearly, that’s not what I did.

Anyway.

Cashed in an Ulta gift card and finally got my hot little hands on the Carol’s Daughter shampoo and conditioner. And then to make it an even better day, I got a 4oz size of the shampoo and conditioner for FREE. So I’m all set for the next 6 months probably and that makes me var var happy. The smell of this stuff is exactly like the hair mask that I’ve loved and adored for months, and I’ll be honest and say it’s the smell that sucked me in. I don’t know what Monoi is, but it’s a magic potion as far as I’m concerned.

Also at Ulta, I picked up the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk. Not for any eye makeup related reason, mind you, but because I might be the only person in the universe not owning this. And we CANNOT. HAVE. THAT. However, my curiosity got the best of me so I tried it on my eyeball anyway. It’s surprisingly creamy and blendable. Like it blended out so well it looked less like white eye makeup and more like a matte sheer wash. I figure I will use it when I want my paler eyeshadows to show up better. Because anytime I go for a light pink, I might as well not put anything on at all. Obviously, the struggle is real.

Not to leave Sephora out or anything, so I spread the love a bit and picked up the new YSL Fusion Ink foundation. I got color matched to B20 Ivory which is also an exact color match to Make Up Forever HD in 130, NARS Sheer Glow in Vallauris, and Estee Lauder Double Wear in Dusk 3C1 – for those curious. The applicator on this very liquidy foundation is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s a hard plastic wand that has a tip like a calligraphy pen. You dip the “pen” in the product and then rub it all over your face. Well that’s fine and all, but the pen goes back into the product where it lives all day long and hopefully doesn’t contaminate anything with vile face germs.

Now, aside from all that, I liked this foundation. It provided sheer coverage but was easy to build. I found it looked best on me when I used my fingers to blend it into my skin. It dried down to a nice powdery finish in a matter of probably less than a minute. Maybe even less than 30 seconds. Either way, it was very quick. So we have texture (check), setting time (check), and buildability (check). It’s YSL (check). Other than that, it’s just an average, decent foundation. I wasn’t speechless over it. I didn’t stare in mirrors incessantly. I didn’t get overly excited about the application process (trust me, I’ve been overly excited before). But I don’t wanna give it back. Mostly because it’s YSL and looks fancy on my bathroom counter. Is that shallow? Probably.

Got a tiny sample bottle of the Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation for free. I love free things. Granted you have to buy something in order to get the free something, and if you weren’t planning on buying something then I suppose technically the free something isn’t free. But I’m always planning to buy something, so this doesn’t apply to me. So, free then. Anyway, I chose the shade Honey (I’m So Money), and it was a big fat guess as I’ve never tried to match myself. Turns out, I’m pretty good at this guessing game cuz I picked out a pretty good match. Skills. Also, PROFESSIONAL.

This little bottle is going to last light years. I’ve used it at least four times already, and still looks almost full. The coverage is probably about a medium coverage, so that fact alone makes me like it. You know it’s hard to cover up splotches, freckles and scary bits with a sheer foundation. It says it’s a brightening formula, and that may be true although I found it hard to tell. I wasn’t glowing or anything. But I certainly wasn’t matte. Just natural looking and nice. I’d buy a full size bottle for sure.

One of my favorite things about Sephora is their rewards program. I cashed in 500 points and got this:

Ahhhhh, I’m in love. I’ve never felt the desire to spend my points on a kit until now. So here is the Caudalie Vinosource set that includes the moisurizing sorbet, S.O.S. serum and S.O.S. eye rescue cream plus a little travel size bottle of cleansing water. I’ve used the moisturizing sorbet before and really liked it. Partially cuz it has the word sorbet in it, but also cuz it’s a nice moisturizer. It goes without saying I expect the other items to be just as fab. I’m taking the cleansing water to Vegas next month, and then who knows when I’ll use the others. I have a few other kits stashed under my sink I need to use first. Like maybe six, seven. Possibly eight. You know, a few, like I said.

And then I got these two Korres products:

I got a free sample of the Korres Pomegranate Mattifying Face Primer because I was told it was one of the best in this genre. Always on the search for that perfect matte face that hides my pores and makes me flawless. May be on the journey for awhile, or at least until my old face gets replaced with a new face (via surgery, magic or any other kind of means). So the texture of this primer is kind of like a wet lotion. It’s a nude color, but blends out transparent. I used this maybe a handful of days and I didn’t notice any difference whatsoever in my face. No mattifying, no pore hiding. But what I did get was this horrendous smell that made me feel as if I had buried my face in wet dog fur. Not sure if this was a spoiled tube (which is why it was free), or if all of them smell that way. I read reviews on it and no one complained about the smell. Although no one raved about it either, and certainly no one mentioned pomegranate. So I don’t know. I gave this to my mom to try. Don’t worry, I already told her it stinks and could possibly be poison. She took it anyway.

Last product in the haul is the Korres Volcanic Mineral mascara. I got it from the sale page on Sephora’s website for $10. I was curious about it because volcanic minerals sound exotic, and I love anything that sounds exotic (or French, or Italian, or made out of snow from the Swiss Alps). However, this mascara didn’t do anything more special that a lot of my other mascaras. It fanned them out, lengthened somewhat, volumized a little. Other than that, it was pretty average. Sneaky trick though, that whole volcano thing. According to the Paula’s Choice website, it pretty much tells you you’re an idiot if you fall for the whole volcanic minerals spiel. Apparently, they are no more magical than regular minerals. Well, poo.

Birthday haul is not done. I have one more part to do so hopefully I’ll get to it by the end of the month. I also have like 4 boxes to review as well. And surprise, surprise – there’s only a week left in the month. I’m really good at blogging. I swear I am.

Sep14

Birthday Haul: Part 1

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Dianna

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Remember last month when it was my birthday? How I turned 40 and had to console myself with makeup? Yes, it was touch and go there for awhile. Luckily, I pulled through. Here’s why:

Pretttttttay! I’m not even kidding when I say you need this Tarte Rainforest After Dark palette, especially cuz it’s limited edition and could disappear for all eternity at any time. I’m not being dramatic. It could be happening right now as we speak for all I know.

This palette covers all your face needs. We have six beautiful purple and gold eyeshadows, a lovely champagne highlighter, their Park Avenue Princess bronzer, and a gorgeous dusty rose blush. I love everything about this palette. I will be packing it for my trip to Vegas next month since it’s a 4-in-1 and that’ll save me room in my suitcase. Cuz I have no plans to visit the Inglot store while on vacation and buy hoards and hoards of eyeshadow. That’s pretty specific, but yeah, no plans whatsoever …

The day of my actual birthday my husband and I were going out of town. Quick stop for him to get a haircut gave me about 15 minutes to run across the street to Sephora. Look how much I can accomplish in 15 minutes:

Well the Wet N Wild Comfort Zone palette wasn’t from Sephora but we stopped on the way out of town for that too. I had a dream about this palette and knew immediately I had to get it RIGHT NOW. I mean, when you start dreaming of specific eyeshadow palettes, that’s like the voice of God talking or something.

If you love earth tones, you will love this palette. They are gorgeous. I don’t know how I overlooked this before on my million other trips to Walgreens. So pretty. The only issue some may have is the shadows are all shimmery. No mattes. That doesn’t bode well for my old lady eyes, but I created a look with it that didn’t turn out bad at all. In fact, it looked quite stunning. It blended seamlessly, which is rather important. I highly recommend if you’re asking. For $5, I’m not even sure there’s a question.

But back to what I managed to toss in my Sephora basket in the span of 15 minutes. Make Up For Ever had a new display of these Artist Shadows and I was immediately drawn to it. There was this gorgeous orange right on top, and I couldn’t drag myself away. It looked almost like foil it was so shimmery and intense. I daydreamed a bit about what kind of eye look I could create with it, then picked up the box to toss it in my basket. And noticed –

It’s a blush. My most perfect tangerine eyeshadow is actually a blush. Heart = broken.

Well, drat. I still wanted it though and the clock was ticking. Who says you can’t use blush on your eyelids? My YouTube beauty gurus do it all the time. And I am nothing if not a beauty guru.

Ended up creating a 3-pan palette with the orange (ME734), a black purple (ME930) and a copper red (ME728). I wore all three shadows on my lids during our weekend getaway, proudly displaying my circus eyes while sipping a latte in a cafe on Sunday morning. My husband thought it was a little much for a coffee date, but what does he know? (Nothing.) Checked in the mirror to see what he was referring to and quickly declared his eyes as broken. I looked fab, end of story.

The other thing I picked up was the Too Faced Melted Lipstick in the shade Melted Fig. This is a beautifully saturated purple color. But it’s wearable too. Because it’s purple but not purple.

These lipsticks go on very smooth. They’re pigmented beyond comparison. A little glossy at first, but that fades away to an almost matte finish. Can feel a little dry on the lips after awhile, but the color does last and last and last. I don’t think I’ll buy any more of the colors, but I’m happy with what I got.

The last bit for today is this thing right here:

Stila has came out with four new Eyes Are The Window palettes. I went back and forth for awhile trying to decide which one I wanted. Finally settled on the Mind one which has all matte shadows. Not sure of my reasoning other than in the picture, the vibrant earthy colors spoke to me the loudest.

In person, these are some pretty shadows. They just look so perfect in the pan. But when applied, I felt like the blendability was slightly lacking. I could create a look with them yes, but was never fully satisfied with the final result unless I’d properly blended for 15 years. It literally takes that long. Or felt that way at least.

And so now I have a bad attitude about it and probably won’t pick it up very often. But the packaging is adorbs so if you can salvage anything, by all means spend $50 so you can display this beauty in the wicker basket on the back of your toilet. I mean, that’s what I’m doing with mine.

This is just part 1 of the birthday haul. There is much much more to come. You should probably go ahead and get excited. It’s coming people. And also, I am the boss of you.

Toodles!

Aug30

Buying Stuff: Foundation Edition

Posted on August 30, 2014 by Dianna

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Not too long ago, about a year to be accurate, I barely gave two blinks about my makeup. And foundation was only worn on special occasions. Fast forward to today and the following bullshit has happened:

I have no idea how this has came to pass. I didn’t even think I cared about foundation. But now I’m obsessed like a proper crazy person. Should I be worried?

The newest babies of the family are these below. Let’s discuss, shall we?

Awww, the beautiful star of the show. Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk. The Holy Grail of millions (an estimation, but probably). How could I not buy this? Literally, HOW. COULD. I. NOT. You try watching countless YouTube videos singing the praises of this foundation and then somehow not shell out $60 willingly and carefreeingly to own a bottle of your very own. Spoiler alert: it’s impossible.

My color is 5.5 which is a pretty good match for my NW20 cool-toned skin. I had the lady on the Armani phone do a cross reference with some of my other matching foundations in order to settle on a color for me. I was taking a chance as there is no local Armani counter nor have I ever swatched them much less seem them in person. Not that I couldn’t have exchanged it if it was the wrong color, but who has time for that? I much prefer doing it right the first time.

It took a couple tries to figure out I really liked this foundation. This has a beautiful luminous finish (aptly named), but when you use a mattifying primer underneath it, you kind of ruin it. So don’t do that unless you’re okay with being WRONG. I used just a normal primer and then most recently a brightening primer from NP Set and now our love affair is confirmed. Approved! Put it in your basket.

Next is the Rimmel Stay Matte mousse foundation:

My color is #200 Soft Beige. I say it’s my color but really there’s only like 8 shades to pick from. Soft Beige is the best I could do. As long as I don’t put too much on, it seems to do okay.

The texture of this foundation is very mousse-y. I like mousse. It makes me think of dessert, which I also happen to like. So things are starting out rather good at this point. It applies very smoothly, does not give you cake-face, and evens out the skin very well.

Throughout the day I kept checking my face in the mirror for signs of shine, and happily things looked good. Was matte but not a one-dimensional kind of matte. It reflected the tiniest bit of light but in a positive non-greasy sort of way.

This tube was on sale at Ulta when I bought it so I parted with a mere $4 of my money. And honestly I like this foundation just as much as my high end brands. I do recommend you give this a try especially if you have oily skin. I mean, for the investment you’ll have to make, it’s totally worth it.

Now here’s two cuties all snuggled up – the Ellis Faas Skin Veil and the new Laura Mercier Smooth Operator:

So presh. Let’s start with the Ellis Faas first. This is the most expensive foundation I’ve ever worn. If someone hadn’t given me a very large gift card I never would have bought it. Cuz $90 for foundation is insanity. Unless you perform magic tricks upon the face, I draw the line at $60. And even that hurts a bit. However, I was very curious and it was practically free so I went for it.

My shade according to the Sephora Color IQ system is S103L. It matches pretty good when I’m applying it. It’s rather thick, but not sticky. Like it’ll blend out easily. However, and maybe it’s my fault for having high expectations, or maybe it’s their fault for charging almost $100 for their foundation, but at that price I was hoping it would glide on like silk and I would look like myself but only a wax figurine (i.e., perfect) version. Maybe “wax” isn’t proper, but have you been to Madame Tussauds? Those “people” in there are flawless.

I did not really like the finish of this foundation. It did not have as much coverage as the others. When I got in the car to drive to work (where I do my most constructive critiquing), I did not enjoy what I saw. The hyperpigmentation on my cheek seemed pronounced instead of concealed and my skin looked flat. What a bummer. I mean a real big o boo. I figured $90 would replace my old face with a new one; instead, I just looked old.

Later on in the day, the color seemed to settle into my skin and the finish did transform a bit to the good. I don’t know if it needs time to set or if the lighting in the afternoon is just more flattering. Either way, I will not gravitate towards this foundation as much as the others. Mom said she’d buy it off me for $20. I laugh in a guffawing unladylike fashion. Just cuz I don’t like it doesn’t mean I don’t want it. Have we learned nothing about me during this process?

Now let’s discuss the Laura Mercier one. My shade is Ecru. And the second I applied this foundation, I knew I wanted the full size. I love it when that happens don’t you? Being on the fence is no place for a lady, lemme tell you.

This is an extremely liquidy foundation. You have to shake it up real good prior to using it. It’s similar to the new Bare Minerals serum foundation if you’ve tried that. Super watery consistency so be careful or it’ll roll right off your fingers.

I’ve applied this a few times and I’ve discovered you get the best finish by using your fingers. Also it’s nice and buildable if you don’t get enough coverage the first go round. I don’t know about you, but if sheer coverage foundations didn’t exist I’d be perfectly fine with that. Otherwise, you must have the skin of a 14-year-old and we don’t like you anyway.

I got a smooth, almost airbrushed look with one layer and I stayed that way all day. I most definitely will replace my sample when it runs out because I just loved it. It’s one of those foundations that makes a noticeable difference on your face. Like, BAM!, instant supermodel. I ain’t even gonna pretend otherwise.

Then we have the Chantecaille Future Skin:

I’ll admit I got this foundation cuz I enjoy saying the name Chantecaille. But on the other hand, the jar packaging just spoke luxury to me and I wanted a little luxury in my life. And also cuz it’s my month-long birthday extravaganza. If you can’t turn 40 in a proper manner, then what is the point of life? I ask you, WHAT. IS. THE. POINT.

I did a little research and prayed to the little baby Jesus that Vanilla would be my shade. Turns out, it’s a pretty good match. Even I am amazed at my own skills sometimes.

Opening the jar, your first thought is Pudding!, then you calm down and behave accordingly. It’s a wonderful consistency though. Just a very creamy foundation that blends out so beautifully. It’s about a medium coverage but on the lightest side of medium – at least on my face that is. I have a splotchy complexion so maybe it takes something industrial to make me look flawless.

The finish is pretty natural. Not too matte but certainly not dewy. I liked it very much. However I wasn’t blinded by my own beauty or anything so it doesn’t compare to my beloved Giorgio or even the matte gorgeousness of the Rimmel. But I don’t regret purchasing it even though it was pretty pricey.

Last newbie is this tube of L’Oreal Visible Lift blur foundation.

I got the shade Creamy Natural #204 which was determined by holding the tube up against another foundation I know matched me. It’s not a science or anything but it worked.

I freaking love this foundation. It’s stunning. I can’t even quite put my finger on it but it makes you take a second look at yourself like Oh, hi there. My complexion was even, pores barely noticeable, color was a great match. It spread over the face like it was made of satin. It was pure pleasure to apply and insanely beautiful to wear. And even after a sweaty walk after lunch one day, it held up perfectly.

What is even more ridiculous is the fact this cost like $15. It does what the Ellis Faas (at $90) should be doing. Is that not crazy? If you have to consider this question then you may want to consult your physician about your broken brain.

In short, I very highly recommend this one. Two thumbs up and all that jazz. It’s approved. Put it in your basket like yesterday.

Okay y’all … I’m outta here. Got some birthday plans this weekend and lots of makeup to buy. Obviously I’ll be var var busy. See ya in September!

Aug14

Buying Stuff: Episode 19

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Dianna

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Well I’m about ready for the weekend, aren’t you? I know if I didn’t work I couldn’t afford to buy stuff, so I should appreciate my Monday through Friday. But you guys … I just really love pajamas. What can I say?

Lookie, I bought stuff:

I fell in love with the mint green color of the Smashbox Always Sharp 3D liner. It’s just so springy, summery, warm weathery. I couldn’t walk away from this liner even if I wanted to. Plus, it sharpens itself every time you remove the cap. Genius! I have since bought the black liner as well, and while the color isn’t ultra black – I mean it is but it isn’t, kind of blurry black – okay, that’s not a color and makes no sense – but I’m not disappointed cuz it cuts down my eyeliner time by at least 10 minutes per eye. That’s not a typo. Me and eyeliner: we are not best friends.

Then I bought this Make Up For Ever Lab Shine lipgloss in the shade M10 Morello Cherry. I’ll just be honest – I did not really need this. I saw the color and was temporarily blinded by its brilliance. So I buy it and spend the next several hours in the throes of Buyer’s Remorse cuz I don’t know how to walk away from shiny things. I could’ve taken it back but that requires effort of which I have none to give. However, it is a really lovely color, it sparkles prettily, and I will use it probably more this fall when I wear darker clothing. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

One thing I did need – okay, want – is the Bite Beauty lipstick in the shade Cava. I was looking for a nude, but everything I’ve ever tried makes my lips disappear right into my face. So I spent about half an hour in Sephora trying on several shades and finally settled on Cava, which is a lilac beige. Just saying the word lilac beige is enough to make you wanna go out and buy it, amiright? Sounds so pretty. And while I wasn’t 100% sure in the store, now that I brought it home and have been wearing it, you might say I’m a wee bit in love. Plus the Bite formula is unbeatable. Serious, if you haven’t tried on a Bite lipstick yet, you may wanna consult your physician cuz there may be something wrong with your brain.

Got my hands on a tiny, free sample of the new Benefit They’re Real Push-Up liner. After all the hype swirling about this product, I had to try it out for myself. All its fancy claims of making it easier to apply liner and whatnot. Tempting me with miracles and such.

I followed the directions by only clicking twice so the product that is dispensed isn’t too much. Okay, so far so good. I applied it to my lash line just like normal and it seemed to do alright. I had to keep clicking up product to finish the entire eye, but it did work and it was easier. I think the trick is to not keep clicking because once the tip is gooped up, it does not apply well. Unless you are into a patchy mess, then by all means click away. However, a week or so later I went to use it again and it did not apply well. It skipped all over my lid and portions of it dried and crumbled right off. So I don’t know now. We might break up. I’m don’t think I’m feeling it anymore. Maybe one more date, and if there’s any misbehaving going on, I’m gonna have to see other people.

Here’s yet another successful shopping trip:

I decided I was going to make my morning routine even longer and start washing my face with a cleansing cloth every day. My mentality has always been I wash my face at night, why would it be dirty the next morning? I’m sure there’s some science in that statement somewhere, but who’s to know.

But my OCD gets to me every time, and I start obsessing over the fact there may be bacteria growing on my face while I sleep, so this is how the story of the Ole Henriksen pore refining cleansing cloths was born.

These cloths are great. They have a rough, exfoliating side and a smooth side and the scent is a cooling eucalyptus. If you aren’t awake when you’re using these, you will be shortly. They feel very nice on the face, fresh, cool, tingly. I like them a lot. Only problem is the price – $15 for 30. Soooo … not sure if I’ll repurchase. I would like to but if it comes down to expensive wipes or expensive makeup, makeup wins every time.

Cashed in 100 Sephora points and got a little sample of the Make Up For Ever HD foundation primer. I’ve been using this for a few days and it has a very light texture that absorbs very fast into the skin. I love it for that fact alone. But it is just a lotion, not a silky velvety finish that some may prefer. And don’t even ask me if it makes your makeup last longer cuz I have no idea.

I am nothing if not professional.

The other day I went into Sephora where they were celebrating Benefit Day and I got to spin the prize wheel. It was definitely exciting on that day. A prize wheel?! Oooohkay! Well I landed on the middle between a free sample or a free winged liner application. And because my husband was with me I chose the free sample cuz it was “quicker” and we had “errands to run”. Hmmmphf.

Well turns out, I wanted the free sample anyway. Because I already owned the push up liner, I grabbed the Stay Flawless foundation primer. It comes in stick form, and the Sephora lady said to not overdo it and to trust the product is doing its job. I immediately got scared, cuz what if I do overdo it? What happens to my face? Will there be a falling off scenario impending?

Please tell me others have used this successfully. I applied it on my face, but it’s very dry so I wasn’t even sure I had it on at all. The instructions say to immediately apply foundation and blend the two together right on your face. I did all that. Nothing bad happened, but nothing at all happened either. So, did I err too far on the side of caution and not apply enough? I dunno. I’m gonna have to fiddle with it I guess.

Bought two of the best eyeliners I’ve ever used. If you like black black black and super duper creamy deliciousness, then go ahead and put these L’oreal Silkissime liners in your basket. Go on. I’ll wait.

These simply glliiiiiide across your eyeball. No skipping. No tugging. They hold up pretty well in the waterline too. They don’t remain solid there, but perform better than the majority of my eyeliners do. In fact, I only have one other one (Sumita brand) that works as good. If there’s one drawback, I’d say it gets nubby awfully fast. Probably due to its creaminess. I’m not even gonna pretend that’s a big deal though, cuz honestly I love these liners.

Next product – well, you can just blame YouTube. Someone was washing their makeup brushes with the Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap and said it worked great. Luckily this is one of the cheaper products I’ve been influenced to buy. Got the lavender scent, and man is it smelly. I mean, like lavender, but very strong lavender. It does get the brushes squeaky clean; however, on my more denser brushes I had to rinse them three separate times in order to get all the soap out. So perhaps I need to tweak my method a little bit since it literally took 48 hours for my Sigma F86 brush to fully dry cuz I had to keep rinsing it over and over. Who got time for that? Nobody.

While shopping for the Dr. Bronner’s soap, there was a little Pacifica lip butter display provoking me with its jewel toned packaging, and well, as established earlier in this post, I can’t walk away from pretty packaging. Picked out the darkest shade they had, a deep burgundy called Blissed Out. Don’t be frightened though – it goes on very sheer. The smell is heavenly, the texture is very creamy and moisturizing, and the color has a nice subtlety to it for those days when you don’t want lipstick but still want color. I liked it a lot. Probably one of my better lip butter decisions.

Last item is a complete random afterthought. I went into Bath & Body Works to pick up one hand sanitizer and I walked out with 5 of them, plus two candles, a bath pouf, and this coconut smelling Cooling Gel Lotion. Did I need this? Is the sky blue? Don’t ask stupid questions.

The texture of this lotion is ultra light, cool, and creamy. The smell is not hardcore coconut, but a blend of citrus and coconut that is very refreshing. It’s nice to put on right before bed because you don’t get that heavy lotion feeling and the scent is not overpowering by any means. I know summer is (sadly) just about over, but I’m alright using this all year round. It’s good stuff.

I finally got off the Birchbox waitlist for this thing:

This Zoya nail polish remover purchase makes no sense for the girl who hates nail polish. I know. I am my own oxymoron. But haven’t you ever wanted to own something just cuz it seemed like it might be fun to play with? Like a barcode scanner or a shrink wrapper? Or in this case, a pump-top dispenser. You flip open the lid, take your cotton ball and press it up and down over the top of it and that’s it. You can do it one-handed even. How’s that for barely making an effort? Also, it doesn’t smell as bad as other removers AND it’s the best at tackling glitter polish. Plus, it’s award-winning. If you’re not convinced yet, you can’t read this blog.

Just kidding. But you’re wrong, that’s all I’m saying.

Then I got this other thing from Birchbox cuz I had credits and wanted to apply it towards something fancy:

It’s the Skin & Co Truffle Therapy serum. I bought this off of one person’s recommendation so hoping it’s wonderful. I love serums and want to try them all, and for whatever reason this one appealed to me. The truffle in here is mushroom not chocolate (just an FYI), but it doesn’t stink like that other mushroom cream I used last month (see previous Empties post). The scent is reminiscent of coconut, but I know it’s not coconut. The texture is also lotiony but very very light and absorbs almost immediately. This is a very good thing cuz I feel the benefits of this serum would best be appreciated in the a.m. than p.m. (antioxidants, etc), and I have about zero minutes to waste in the morning. The only issue so far is the $75 price tag. If I didn’t have Birchbox credits, I doubt I would’ve bought this.

Last bits below:

Gotta love the Beauty To Go bin at Sephora. They recently added a travel size of the Dr. Brandt Pores No More primer, and lawd knows how much I needed it. My pores are huge you guys. It was practically a medical necessity.

This stuff feels amazing going on. Powdery and silky soft. If you are a texture person, you need to go ahead and put it in your basket. It will bring you joy. But most importantly, does is mask your pores? Wellllll … if your pores are pinpricks, then probably. The echo-y caverns that I have, however, get blurred out but by no means disappear. It helps though, so at this point in my pore erasing journey, I’ll accept.

If you’re in the market for a new matte lip cream but don’t know what to buy, here’s where you need to start paying attention. The Sephora Luster Mattes are AH. MA. ZING. Ohmygod, I’m not even joking. They are luscious, creamy, pigmented and beautiful. They are matte, yes, but not a harsh, dry looking matte like you may have experienced before. And as you wear them, they stay pretty creamy for awhile before they start to dry, and even at that dry point, the color still looks pretty good. I bought the color Fig which is a very pretty mauve and I’m in complete and utter love. I want more of these, and I’m not even gonna feel guilty about it. Plus it’s my month long birthday celebration. Have I mentioned that? Wellll, it is.

Last item is the Benefit High Brow brow lifting pencil. Bought this on a whim cuz that’s how I buy most of the stuff I get from Sephora. But it seemed like it might be useful. The pencil is a pearly white color, and you draw it all along your brow (underneath) and blend in. This will highlight that area and make your eyes appear more vibrant, alert and lifted. Well what’s not to love there? I’ve used this several times and I think it gives a really pretty cleaned up look. I’ve incorporated it into my morning routine because the 17 other steps I’ve got going on isn’t quite long enough.

This was the longest haul post that ever lived. I’m so sorry to make you read all this, because certainly you’re still reading? Good night, friends. More tomorrow!

Aug1

Buying Stuff: Eyeshadow Edition

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Dianna

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Welcome to August! Otherwise known as My Month-Long Birthday Celebration! Therefore, everything below is immediately and forevermore JUSTIFIED. Because if you’re that person who can deny a girl her birthday treats, then how can we ever be friends? It’s nigh on impossible.

So here’s a bunch of eyeshadow stuffs for you to love:

That’s the Bare Minerals Ready Eyeshadow 2.0 in the shade The Vision. I have never tried Bare Minerals eyeshadows before, and can I just say how lovely they are? I probably shouldn’t have gotten started now because do you know how many colors they have? Like eons worth. This particular one has a mint blue/green on the left (you know, the one completely washed out by my camera), and a duo chrome teal blue/brown/green collab on the right. They go on very smooth, color shows up brilliantly, and they blend out like a dream. I heart them so much! Pretty sure I’ll be picking up a few more of these very very soon. Or else someone needs to be gifting these to me like stat. Have I mentioned this is my month-long birthday celebration? Wellll, it is.

And then comes this thing:

If you don’t know what palette this is, then you have been camping in the Siberian Wilderness for far too long. It’s the Too Faced Chocolate Bar, and I’m about 97.95746% certain I’m the last person in the world to own it. Well, except for the cavewomen and nomads. But after them, definitely the last.

I went back and forth for months deciding if I should or should not buy it. At first glance, other than the obvious few colors, it looks like a bunch of brown eyeshadows. And I didn’t need a palette full of brown eyeshadow. However, my sister got it, then my best friend got it, and then I started to feel like I was missing out. Fiiiiiiinnne. I bought you.

And now I love you. Dammit.

This palette is officially one of my most favorite ones. The colors are beautiful, and I can actually get quite a few looks out of it despite all the brown. And honestly, the browns are very different from one another anyway – much more different that I initially thought. There’s a mix of shimmers, mattes and glitters and every last one of them smells like chocolate. Not fake, artifically flavored chocolate, but real cocoa powder. I don’t know if that’s the green light to go on and eat the dang thing, but I guarantee someone’s dipped their finger in and took a lick. And don’t be looking at me like I’m guilty cuz I have too much hypochondria in my brain to be sticking my tongue in eyeshadow.

Here’s the result of some late night YouTubing:

Good lord. Did I need this?

(Yes. The answer to that question is always yes.)

This is the Tarina Tarantino Floriculture palette. First of all, your eyes are not deceiving you. The eyeshadow pans are ginormous. You get a lot of value for your money with this one. The shades are also very pretty, delicately shimmery, perfect for my old lady eye skin. The only complaint would be the absense of a matte crease or matte highlight; however, I’m not peeved enough to never use this palette again. Plus, the fuschia floral packaging is beautiful and looks ultra fancy sitting in the wicker basket on the back of my toilet.

It is limited edition, but I’ve been seeing it around for awhile so not sure how long it’ll still be available. I’d say play it safe and go ahead and put it in your shopping cart immediately, because although the palette may stick around for a little longer, the apocolypse could happen any day now. And you need this to help get you through.

Lookie, more Makeup Geek eyeshadows:

These are my absolute favorite eyeshadows in all the land. That’s not an exaggeration. I own about 25 single pans now (all expertly arranged in my Z-Palette), and every single one of them is amazing. I haven’t had fallout issues, blending issues, pigmentation issues. In fact, if these were people, they’d be your best friend, your partner, your lovahhh. Serious. That didn’t get weird there for a second, did it?

Anyway. I highly highly highly suggest a shopping trip to MakeupGeek.com and buy a few of these. I challenge you not to be impressed. Plus, for the mere price of $5.99, I can’t imagine you wouldn’t want a hundred of these. Well, wait, that’s $600. So maybe not a hundred – at least not all at once.

On a side note: math. Twenty-two years since graduation, and I. STILL. GOT. IT.

Last item is this thing:

I’m not sure when this debuted but I’m thinking it was just a few weeks ago. It’s the Amrezy palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills. Isn’t it lovely? Those jewel tones though. I die. I die! I haven’t used all the colors yet cuz it literally came in the mail two days ago. But so far everything works great. At first glance, I thought the Caramel shade would be too dark for my crease, but it actually went on very natural. I’m hoping the Morocco (orange) shade is just as good. I’m wearing the Topaz on my lid today with Deep Plum in the outer v, and I swear if Vogue isn’t calling soon, then something is wrong with Vogue.

Well, that’s it guys. Are you tired now, cuz I am. It’s pajama time! Have a great weekend.

Jul11

Buying Stuff: Episode 18

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Dianna

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Today is my husband’s birthday, and to celebrate, I bought myself some stuff. Because I have to go take him to see that dang Planet of the Apes show, and I tried to convince him it’s cool to go the the theater by yourself but he wouldn’t agree, so now I am forced to watch a boy movie for 11 hours straight. Give or take 9 hours or so.

In other words, all things below immediately and undeniably JUSTIFIED.

First up:

I was running out of cleansing milk – you know, what they call an emergency – so I thought I’d try something new. Picked up the Le Couvent des Minimes version. I haven’t used it yet because per usual, I think I’m about out of a product so I rush around to get my replacment ready, when suddenly my almost empty tube replicates itself and I get another two weeks of use out of it. I did smell it, and it’s a very delicate rose scent. I squeezed a little onto my fingers to discover the consistency is quite loose. Not sure how I feel about that, as I like a thicker cleansing milk, but we’ll see. I’m almost certain I have only 1 or 2 days left of my current product, as long as the planets are aligning properly as they should.

Then I got the Lorac Pro 2 eyeshadow palette. I already have the first one, and it’s amazing and beautiful, so naturally I had to grab the little sister. This time around, the shades are quite colorful versus the more neutral shadows of #1. And as expected, this palette is perfect. Using the same concept from before, there is a row of mattes and a row of shimmers. The shadows are pigmented, buttery, smooth, glorious. I am so happy I bought it. If you have just $42 and you’re wondering what to do with it, stop thinking and put this in your basket. No, I’m serious. Do it right now.

Fine, here’s a close up first:

I have been using Light Brown or Nectar in my crease, which are both great. And the shades Rose, Chrome and Jade are beautiful lid colors. Love Cocoa, Plum and Navy in the outer V. Honestly, you won’t regret getting this palette unless you hate perfection. I mean people are weird, sometimes. But if you are a normal human and do as I tell you, you’ll be sitting home on Saturday night playing with your makeup while all your cool (stupid) friends are out having “fun.” Such fools.

Perhaps one of the funnest (most fun?) lipglosses I’ve ever owned is Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie in the shade Hypnotist. It looks like the future, like something Judy Jetson would wear. That’s not even a joke. Look:

How pretty is that? Who doesn’t want an iridescent lipgloss? (Crazy people.) However, I will say that this lipgloss doesn’t do a whole lot on it’s own. It’s mostly clear with shine. It fares slightly better on top of lipstick. Gave my nude lipstick a bit of extra dimension although nothing crazy. In fact, it’s more of a novelty than anything else. I don’t mind it. It’s pretty to look at, smells like mint chocolate, and feels good on the lips. I will most likely repurchase cuz I enjoy spending money on pretty things that don’t work. You probably should too.

I know. I’m ridiculous. But my lipgloss is holographic so try arguing with that. (You can’t.)

Picked up this batch too:

I’ve never used any of the Body Shop body butters before, and Ulta had them on sale for 40% off. And naturally I can’t walk away from a good coupon, so I put the coconut one in my basket. This smells so good, like summer and the beach. Can’t wait to start using it, but as usual I’m constantly trying to finish up other products first. Hopefully I’ll get to it by the end of the month.

I’ve been feeling a little oily this summer so for the first time in my life I’m buying products to fix it. I have a few sheets of some Tatcha Japanese blotting linens left, and I really love them. Figured I’d try something different, especially cuz the Tatcha ones are kind of pricey. Decided on these little NYX matte ones. And guess what? Do not like. Of course I wouldn’t since they’re practically free compared to the other ones.

First of all, the packaging is awkward. It’s not easy to remove the papers. I have to unfold the whole packet and then put it all back together. It takes too much energy. If the choice is to remain oily or break a sweat fiddling with the dang packet thing, I suppose oily isn’t such a bad deal after all.

And second of all, I’m comparing them to the lovely texture of the Tatcha papers, and there’s just no comparison. Granted, the NYX ones are cheap, and Tatcha has made me spoiled.

Long story short, I bought some Boscia papers so I’m gonna try those instead.

I also picked up another NYX Butter Gloss. I own like 7 or 8 of these. That’s probably not a lot compared to some, but I carry them all in my purse so they take up a lot of space. However, I didn’t have a brown so what is there left to do but buy a brown? Got the color Praline and it’s so pretty on top of my nude lipstick.

Then of course at the check out counter they had these sample tubes of Peter Thomas Roth peeling gel. It says right there on the package that your dead skin will roll right off your face. I challenge anyone not to want to buy 15 tubes of this stuff. Seriously, dead skin. Rolling. Right off your face. I can’t even.

I used this the other night, and it really is quite amazing. After washing, apply this gel to your face in circular motions. Quickly, little balls of product and dead skin starts to ball up and fall into the sink. Then afterwards you literally feel as if you replaced your old face for a new one. It’s fantastic. I have a suspicion I’m about two seconds away from buying a full size.

Have you ever wanted a purple lipstick so bad that you ended up buying a purple lipstick? I did, and it was the Make Up For Ever one in #15. Now, the color is gorgeous. It’s true purple. There is a lovely pearl finish. However, the drawback is the formula. It’s so incredibly dry it practically drags across your lips. I have to do extra extra swipes just to cover all the surface area evenly. It was cumbersome and effortful. I had a lot of thinking to do.

Decided to go with it anyway cuz did I mention how bad I wanted a purple lipstick? Sometimes I do things against all practicality. However, it turned out alright in the end. Here is me wearing purple lips topped with the iridescent Hypnotist gloss mentioned earlier:

Ooooh, purty! Totally worth it. I don’t even care about the formula anymore. I will spend the rest of my life applying this lipstick if the end result looks like this every time.

Last haul is this one:

Another emergency – I was running out of eye makeup remover. So I thought I’d give this Mario Badescu one a try. It’s a gel, not a liquid, so it’s kind of weird. Also you have to really enjoy smearing black mascara all over your eye socket cuz that’s how you remove it with this stuff. But I will say it works really really well. And when you get it in your eye, it only stings for like 5 seconds. Success!

Then as a gift with purchase, I got this teeny sample of the Mario Badescu glycolic face wash. I had every intention of using it, but you know how I have like 7 or 8 tubes of cleansers in line already? One more might send me into an anxious fit. My daughter has it now. I have to bribe her for two-armed hugs you know.

Replacing my dried up pot of Maybelline gel eyeliner, I got the Napoleon Perdis China Doll one. I used it and it’s very creamy and easy to apply. I like it. Plus it was on sale at Ulta for $15. If I didn’t buy it at that point, I’d be accused of a mental imbalance, for sure.

Got a beautiful matte balm stain from Revlon called Sultry. One of my YouTube beauties raved about it so naturally it went on my wish list. And then about two seconds later I went ahead and bought the dang thing. This color is one of the prettiest I own, and I literally own a billion. Give or take. And this matte formula was not drying on my lips at any point, which was a nice surprise.

And finally, I bought a nail polish. No,
you did not misunderstand what I just said. I thought this Revlon color in Chameleon was so unique, I knew I had to have it. I love how the gold turned to green in different angles. I had never seen another color like it.

Well, sadly, it wasn’t quite as pretty on the nail. Mostly it was an antique gold/bronze and the green wasn’t that evident. A bit of a bummer really. I mean, I freaking bought nail polish; the least it could do was be amazing. Hmmmphf.

Well that’s it. You’re free to go about your weekend as you please. Bye!

Jul3

Buying Stuff: Episode 17

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Dianna

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You ever have those times where you think you are doing so good at shopping, not spending too much, then on the way out the store you see something you most desperately need and end up ruining all your good work? Except you technically didn’t ruin anything because now you have something amazing, therefore you go home feeling like you quite literally saved the world from a stock market crash. Well here is one of those times:

It’s a cute little mask set from Peter Thomas Roth and I am in love. Even if you don’t like masks, you could buy this cuz it has pretty colors, and who doesn’t love that? (Crazy people.) I’ve been wanting to try the two gel masks for awhile, so finding this kit made me var var happy. I didn’t know the pumpkin one existed, so that was a bonus. Although I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin smells. The last pumpkin thing I had was a mask from Michael Todd, and it had the consistency and appearance of baby food. Not necessarily a bad thing if you love pumpkin; however, I do not. But this Peter Thomas Roth thing is an exfoliator and the opposite of baby food, so I think it will be fine.

And remember how I saved the world from a stock market crash. So everything mentioned in this post, including the pumpkin scrub, is immediately justified.

Below is a small Sephora haul:

I love it when I run out of something cheap like body wash or makeup remover. I have a legitimate shopping excuse at that point, and anything else that happens to find their way into my little basket is just a hazard of the emergency. I mean, what can you do without body wash? You can’t take a bath, that’s for sure. So probably “emergency” is too mild a term to describe this situation, but “catastrophic misadventure” is much too long to type.

So I picked up a Philosophy body wash (that triples as a shampoo and bubble bath) in the scent Melon Daiquiri. It smells like summer in a bottle, and I really like it. They have tons of scents to choose from, and I spent an obnoxiously long time sniffing each and every one of them. I almost bought all of them at one point, but finally decided on the melon. But the Animal Cracker and Coconut scents are probably my next buy.

Wanted to try one of the Too Faced La Creme lipsticks because YouTube haunts me about 95% of my day. Lots of my gurus talk about how they like the formula of these lipsticks, and I am easily persuaded, so there ya go. I swatched a few of them in the store, decided on Pink Chocolate, and proceeded to walk around with it in my hand for about 45 minutes. Right before checkout, I had an attack of conscious and realized I didn’t need to buy another lipstick. I put it back, then stood in line at the register behind a lady taking an extraordinary amount of time signing up for the rewards program. Or just long enough for me to ignore my rudely interrupting conscious and grab the lipstick off the shelf again and put it in my basket.

Well. People need to be quicker in dealing with their transactions, that’s all I’m saying. Hardly my fault.

Also got suckered into buying the Sephora #55 airbrush foundation brush because I am helpless and need a psychiatric evaluation. Honestly, how many foundation brushes do I need? In my defense, none of them say the word “airbrush” in the title, and I don’t know about you, but that word sucks me in almost 97.90567% of the time. As evident by the fact I bought the dang thing.

I primarily wanted it because back in May when Sephora opened, the sales girl applied the Kat Von D foundation on me using this brush. The finish was spectacular, which prompted me to buy the foundation. Since that day I have not been able to duplicate the finish. In fact, I almost hate the Kat Von D foundation because it is so thick and dry that applying it is about zero fun.

So now that I have this brush, one of the first things I did was apply the Kat Von D. I read the directions of how to use the brush, and it says to dip it in the product, swirl it on the back of your hand, then apply to your face. I did all that, and I still didn’t get the finish I was looking for. Drat. Perhaps I am not the makeup artist I pretend to be? Perhaps my brush is broken? Whatever the case, I have yet to achieve the look of airbrush, but I’m still working on it.

And then for no reason whatsoever, I needed to buy the Becca Beach Tint Shimmering Souffle. For one, it’s a new product and there was a lot of excitement circling the Becca aisle because of it. And two, the texture of this is pure fun. It’s like the bubble wrap of makeup – you can’t stop touching it. Whoever decided to call it a souffle gets an award, because that’s the perfect name. It’s cushiony, airy, light. Here’s a better close up, complete with finger indention. Not a big one cuz I didn’t want to ruin it right off the bat:

This is the color Guava/Moonstone. It’s a cream blush – but the easiest application of a cream blush I’ve ever used. It’s no fail. If you get circus cheeks from applying this, then you need to sit down, as messing this up would be nigh on impossible. The color payoff is very sheer and subtle, which could be a good thing if that’s what you’re looking for. Beachy and glowy is what it is and var var beautiful. Now, this is the only color I’ve used. The others may be completely different. You may get circus cheeks out of them for all I know. But the Guava/Moonstone is golden and sunkissed – probably works best as a highlighter since the coral in it does not pop like you might expect. I also have medium light skin, so depending on how dark or light you are, this may or may not be your dream blush.

How’s that for a review? Maybe, maybe not, could be, could not be, yes, no … You might just need to swatch them for yourselves cuz I ain’t getting sued for misleading information. All I’m saying is I like it. Mostly because it’s squishy in its jar. I dare you not to want to stick your fingers all in this stuff. If you are somehow able to refrain yourself, you might need to take that show on the road, because that amount of willpower is downright inspirational.

Next up is this horrible picture below.

I can’t even pretend there’s not cat hair all over this blanket. I’m sorry. What can I say? They lay about as if they own the place. And I guess that’s somewhat correct since my girl cat poops wherever she feels like and we still let her live with us.

The only thing in the picture I bought was the Bobbi Brown blush – the rest I got for free. Perks of being VIB Rouge, y’all! Which did not cost me a small fortune to begin with or anything (you know, in case the husband is reading this). But back to that Bobbi Brown blush. I got the color Sand Pink, and it’s a really nice medium shade that looks good with my skintone. I’d say it’s pretty pigmented, but right now I’m distracted by how much cat hair is on that blanket and I can’t think of anything else. I need to page-down real quick or something.

So all that Fresh lip care stuff was a little sample set. It includes the lip polish, two lip balm treatments, and a sugar shine gloss. I am really enjoying these products. Aside from the weird brown sugar smell, that is. I don’t prefer it. But I believe the scrub is the best one I’ve ever used. It keep my lips exfoliated the longest. Which is quite a feat because I have the flakiest lip skin in all the land. I don’t even understand why. It couldn’t be because I sleep with a fan blowing in my face for 8 hours or anything.

The lip balms are nice as well. The Rose one has a slight pink tint, but it’s not super evident, so don’t expect a whole lot. I do like the way they feel on the lips; very moisturizing. The shine gloss is just a top coat. I probably won’t use this as much, but it’s not a bad product. I just don’t wear a lot of clear glosses.

Then I cashed in a couple hundred rewards points and got the next two things. First one is the Aqua Eyes eyeliner by Make Up Forever. I didn’t realize when I got it that it was a brown pencil, but I’m kind of happy it was. I have a lot of black liners, but very few brown ones. I was mostly interested in it cuz I needed a really good liner that stays put in my waterline. And even though this one is waterproof, my eyes somehow, miraculously, couldn’t give a shit. So this isn’t the one, needless to say. Still searching. Story of my life.

Last product is the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer. I know I’m the last person aside from nomads and cavewomen to own this bronzer. Better late than never. I can’t own all the things all at the same time ya know? Anyway, I thought this bronzer would be too dark for me cuz it kind of appears that way in the pan. But it’s PERFECT. Goes on lovely, blends fantastically, and smells like chocolate. Plus it’s matte so old people like me can wear it with confidence. Yayuuuuuus. In short, it’s my favorite bronzer now.

Congratulations, you’ve reached the end of this post. Your reward? Another post tomorrow.

You’re welcome.

Jun23

Buying Stuff: Episode 16

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Dianna

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I spent two hours at the Chuck E. Cheese with a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old so everything listed below is immediately justified. Don’t even try to argue with that.

Here’s my stuffs:

Finally got a chance to exchange the MAC Pro Longwear Foundation. A few months ago, I assumed incorrectly that I was an NW25. I wore this shade to work fully aware I had a slight line is demarcation on my jaw. Luckily I have sweet friends who lie to me and tell me it’s not that noticeable. Otherwise, I would’ve had to go home sick.

Anyway, tried the NW20 shade and it’s perfect. I really like the finish of this foundation. It looked very natural on me. I felt if I didn’t have a splotchy natural complexion, I would have looked flawless. Because this one came pretty close. Unfortunately I’m paying for my reckless youth. Not wearing sunscreen and picking at your face is bad bad bad, kids. If you ignore everything written in my blog, at least remember this one.

Well. Good deed = done. I have succeeded at life. I can get back in pajamas now.

I was in the makeup section at Dillard’s minding my own business, when the Dior counter started calling my name. And when Dior speaks, you listen. I didn’t even have an idea what I wanted; I was just “looking”. Except that’s not a real thing. Y’all know “just looking” is a made up term wives tell their husbands. Just looking is code for I’m about to buy a ton of shit; don’t judge me.

I was browsing the Fluid Stick lipgloss. The lady at the counter was swatching them for me, and I’m searching everywhere for a price tag. I know these things aren’t free, dammit; where do they keep the price tag? Hidden, that’s where. Or else you’d probably never buy this.

But lawd knows I ain’t asking. Not gonna find out ahead of time it’s $35 and then embarrass myself by not buying it. So I do, and it gets handed to me in a cute little logoed bag, which I parade around for all the eyes to see. I mean, if you’re gonna spend $35 on lipgloss, you might as well get some congratulatory stares out of it. I’m pretty sure that’s what those stares were for. Certainly not pity ones for the weirdo holding a Dior bag in your face.

And for those curious, the color I got was #869 Vie D’enfer, a brownish reddish thing. And it has a really lovely glossy shine. Worth the price tag though? Mmmmm, probably not. I don’t always make the best decisions while in the midst of a makeup seduction. I lose control of my brain.

Another lipgloss I didn’t really want or need was the Napoleon Perdis Luminous Lip Veil in the color Scarlet Fever. It is not my fault it was 50% off, and it was on my way out the door. Don’t put that stuff right in front of my eyeballs. Bad things happen.

However. It’s a beautiful red orange gold sparkly gloss that catches the light better than anything I own. I’m really happy I bought it. See, sometimes random purchases work out. I’m a smart person after all.

Last item in the pic is the Chanel le Volume de Chanel mascara. I had heard someone on YouTube say this is the mascara of life, so where’s the question? I walked up to the counter, and the salesgirl barely got her May I Help You out when I grabbed the mascara and handed it to her. I’m sure she was impressed by my determination. Now if only I could apply that to all areas, I’d be the President of the United States. At the very least.

The mascara is a very nice one. The texture is slightly thicker than a normal mascara, so it could get gloopy if you don’t take your time. But it does a great job for me in lengthening and fanning my lashes. Perhaps not the mascara of life, but a must have regardless.

And then Sephora happened. Oopsie:

At least it’s only this one thing this time. Saw this cute little skincare set from L’Occitane and knew I had to have it. I was not seduced by the royal blue packaging in any way whatsoever. Packaging doesn’t work on me.

Okay, that’s not a thing either. If you are adorable, I want you. If you look like you came from the Dollar Tree, you may have a seat.

This is their anti-aging Imortelle set, and I have no idea what that means, but each item is called Precious, and well, that’s me in a nutshell.

So you get the Precious Cleansing Foam, Precious Eye Balm, Precious Water and Precious Cream. That’s a lot of Precious in one place! I’m excited to use it. The reviews online are mostly positive (over 4 out of 5 stars), except several were saying the moisturizer had a funny smell. Now, I’ve applied salmon egg enzyme on my face for over a month, and am currently using a day cream made out of shiitake mushrooms – certainly I can handle a cream that just smells “funny”? We will see. I’ll be ready to use this set in about 15 years or so.

Stockpiling skincare backfires sometimes. Although if I ever find myself living on a deserted island somewhere, I’m already prepared. Succeeding at life once again. Seriously, why am I still wearing business casual when pajamas are all I need?

Payday is one day where I can honestly say I make the BEST decisions:

Your eyes are not deceiving you. This is the Burberry Complete Eye Palette in Sage Green. And it’s stunning. I love green, so naturally I have gravitated towards this one. It’s just a color that has the potential to emote feelings of spring AND fall. I have to have lots of green in my life.

As for the eyeshadows themselves, these go on very soft in terms of pigmentation. Even the darkest brown shade isn’t that dark. So it’s hard to have a super defined eye look unless you rim it with a heavy black winged liner or something. There isn’t much shimmer, so that’s good for me, but the colors just don’t POP enough. However, I will use it often, especially when fall rolls around, cuz I think the whole scheme is lovely. Cuz even when green is bad, it’s still pretty good. I love green. Did I tell you that?

Alrighty franz, I’m out of time for now. Back tomorrow with the best post that ever lived.

Jun12

Buying Stuff: Episode 15

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Dianna

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Beauty boxes are rolling in as we speak. I’m going to use more of the products before I do any reviews. Because I am a professional, and that is how I run this bloggin business.

To tide you over, I have a teeny haul to share. I went to Sephora under the guise of needing a free mask sample. And while I did get one (GlamGlow Supermud, to be exact), a few other products mysteriously, miraculously found their way into my basket. They are these:

I’ve been rather impressed with my tiny sample of the Urban Decay All-Nighter setting spray. And then I discovered they have an oily skin version called De-Slick. I’m been having some issues in the t-zone area, which I am not liking one bit. Using my setting powder, then spritzing the spray has been helping somewhat. Just imagine what a specified oily skin spray could do! I mean, I don’t know because I haven’t used it yet, but just IMAGINE.

I’m not saying I have a shopping problem or anything, I’m simply telling you I bought the Cover|FX Mattifying Primer on the Sephora website, then after work that day I went into the Sephora store and bought the Cover|FX Mattifying Primer. Somehow, in the short span between leaving work and arriving at the mall, I had forgotten what I’d purchased. No judging allowed. This is a friendly, safe environment.

But in my defense, I really wanted to try this primer. I’m desperate to rid my skin of an oily t-zone. I used it once last weekend and it did pretty good. I did not have to blot, where usually I will at least once if not twice during a workday. So that’s rather successful if you ask me. As soon as I finish the Napoleon Perdis primer I’m currently using, I will get back to the Cover|FX. And then of course, I will return my extra tube and apply that $16 towards something else. Because a refund is out of the question.

Shopping problem? No. Not at all.

Someone on YouTube said the Bite Beauty Lush Lip Tints were amazing. Hearing the word ‘amazing’ immediately makes my cat ears stand up straight. I love amazing things. I live for amazing. So naturally I had to have this, and rightnownotlater. Decided to go for the darkest shade they have, Blackcurrant, because tints are very sheer and I prefer color. And man, was that the best decision ever. It’s a purple-y plum, but very natural looking. It shows up on your lips, so it’s obvious you’re wearing a dark color, but it’s not dark. Do you get what I’m saying? It’s like going goth, but not making a full commitment.

Oh but wait, there’s more! The formula on these is TO. DIE. FOR. I can’t even explain it properly. It just feels good to wear them. Like a hug, but lips only. Comforting, soft, gentle, hydrating and lovely. And if that doesn’t get your attention, there is Resveratrol in the center, and that’s an antioxidant found in red wine. Red wine! I don’t even know what that means, but they said red wine and now nothing else matters.

Last item in the haul is a sample jar of the Perricone MD Photo Plasma day cream. I took a peek of the insides, and I’m not gonna lie when I say the primary reason for purchasing this was because it looked like a delicious strawberry mousse. Second primary reason is because it was in those Beauty-To-Go bins right by the register and I was in line for a minute too long. However, that’s all beside the point.

I used this on Sunday, and while it looks very light and airy in the jar, it doesn’t apply that way. It smooths out just fine, but it dries kind of sticky, and then it takes forever for it to absorb completely. Other reviews are back and forth on this product’s greatness. Some feel exactly like me (the RIGHT answer), and some feel this is the most brilliant thing they’ve ever used (clearly wrong). I dunno. Kind of wish I could take it back, but I threw out the box because I never expected not to like it. I mean, STRAWBERRY MOUSSE! It should have been just like strawberry mousse.

On a positive note, when my skin gets drier in the winter time, this product might actually work better. So since I’m forced to hold onto it, that’s the new plan. Then I will report back in an Empties post to keep you all informed. Again, I am a professional and this is how I do things.

As for that sample of the GlamGlow mask – you know, the reason for going into Sephora in the first place – let me tell you a story. I had one of those horrible under the skin pimples right on my chin, red, sore and angry. I was looking for something that would draw out the gunk, to try to heal the zit faster. Sephora lady directs me to the GlamGlow display and points out the SuperMud Clearing Treatment. Full size is $69, which I knew already, but she offered up a sample and I gratefully accepted. Fast forward two days, and my pimple is gone. As in, magically disappeared off my face. Normally this kind of pimple sticks around for at least a week, where I proceed to press around on it, play with it, squeeze and pick at it. But not this time. This time I got it, and I got it good. Needless to say, there’s a GlamGlow in my shopping cart in the very near future.

One more teeny haul:

More Makeup Geek eyeshadows! I have a 27-slot Z-Palette that only has 5 slots filled, so naturally I can’t go around looking like that. Adding these 5 makes my total 10, and that is math and now you’re officially prepared to live life.

Shades I got (from top to bottom) are Cosmopolitan (rose gold), Beaches and Cream (matte browbone shade), Pop Culture (iridescent lavender), Mermaid (teal with gold shimmer), and Rockstar (silver with purple iridescence). I really like the eyeshadows. They’re blendable, which is my #1 important eyeshadow factor. If you can’t blend out, then I don’t want you. Even if you are the perfect shade of Heaven. Unless that is sacrilegious, and in that case I’ll take a hundred.

Enough talky. More later.

Snacks On Rotation

surprisingly, not a food blog

Category Archives: Buying Stuff

Birthday Haul: Part 3

Birthday Haul: Part 2

Birthday Haul: Part 1

Buying Stuff: Foundation Edition

Buying Stuff: Episode 19

Buying Stuff: Eyeshadow Edition

Buying Stuff: Episode 18

Buying Stuff: Episode 17

Buying Stuff: Episode 16

Buying Stuff: Episode 15

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