Tag Archives: Urban Decay

Nov19

Buying Stuff: Episode 22

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Dianna

Current status: still freezing. But thanks for checking. I’ll just be over here wearing socks with my heels, sitting on a heating pad, holding my hand around my nose to keep it warm. Or, looking like an idiot, as it is commonly known.

Gratefully, the weather is supposed to get warmer in the next few days, so perhaps my pouting and whining will calm down a bit. Until the next polar vortex that makes it way through, that is. Me and Winter? We ARE. NOT. friends.

In brighter news, I bought stuff:

A little mini Inglot haul! I picked up a lip paint in shade 59 (in the purple family), a gel eyeliner in shade 82 (also in the purple family; kind of a dark periwinkle), and a pigment in shade 56 (a teal). I have decided that I love Inglot so much. The gel eyeliners are the creamiest and best I’ve ever used. They don’t set for 60 seconds, which works fantastically for me because I am never satisfied with my line on the first swipe. In fact, I need a good 20 minutes – but I’ll accept 60 seconds. I challenge you to buy one of these and then disagree with me. It’s impossible I tell you; they’re amazing. And if you think otherwise, well then you are WRONG. There’s no other way to put it.

I adore the pigments. I reviewed them in my Vegas haul if you’ll recall (and if you don’t, click here), and I still feel very much the same. They are stunning, vibrant, and beautiful. I now own four, and that’s a far cry from the zero amount I’ve owned in the past (i.e., my entire life) (i.e., forty years if you’re counting).

I’ve only purchased this one lip paint, and I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be a lipstick or a lip gloss. It’s a very pretty color, but it sheers out somewhat on the lips which makes me think it’s a gloss. But it’s not really sticky. It’s creamy, but not thick. Either way, though, I like it and I might end up buying some more.

More fun with purple. See below:

This is the Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow quad in Glamour Muse. I am so happy that Charlotte Tilbury is now being sold in the U.S. I don’t even know why, as I hadn’t even heard of her until someone on YouTube mentioned her one time. I’m gonna say it’s most likely cuz I wasn’t able to purchase her products that made me want to buy her products. Don’t tell me I can’t have something. That creates a panic in me so fierce that I could probably bend steel rods with sheer OCD force or something. Which I suppose is pretty genius marketing on their part. And also how I ended up with this quad.

Okay, I’m torn about it. At first glance, it’s super pretty. The sparkle is just right. But I bought this because I wanted something PURPLE not just purple. And the vibrant looking shade does not transfer that well onto your eyeball. How unfortunate, for me and for all of the world. Now, if you like a more subtle purple, by all means buy this quad with confidence. Do not be afraid. It will probably most likely be the perfect purple for you.

On a happier note, the longer I wore it (and the more often I stared at myself), the more I actually started to enjoy the eye look. So it turned out alright in the end. It just wasn’t what I was expecting in the beginning, that’s all.

And then! I bought this:

I love having a Color IQ number with Sephora because it tells me when new foundations come out that will match my skin tone. If you haven’t gotten your Color IQ done, I’m pretty sure you’ve stumbled upon this blog by accident, cuz anyone who’s everyone who loves makeup is (or should be) doing this. If you like taking out guesswork, making shopping easy, buying foundation from the comfort of your home without fear and while wearing pajamas, that is.

So here is the Dior Diorskin Star foundation in 32 Rosy Beige. For me, this is a really nice product. It’s pretty lightweight, probably about a medium coverage. Has a nice finish – not matte but not luminous – somewhere in between. It claims to be brightening, which I didn’t really catch, but that might have more to do with my horrid complexion to start with. That’s the problem with a lot of supposedly nice foundations. You can’t put them on top of skin like mine and expect fabulous – it just doesn’t happen very often. So, yeah, I wasn’t wowed or anything. It didn’t knock my socks off. It didn’t make me feel supermodelly (like the Guerlain Tenue de Perfection or Givenchy Photo’Perfexion does). So this foundation will be in my second tier – a high quality, better than average, no IT factor foundation.

I bought a brush:

A Wayne Goss #7 lip brush to be exact. I bought this to go with the Inglot lip paint, as I didn’t feel like going all hillbilly fingers into the pot. We use brushes like refined ladies in here, people. Or else.

What can I really say about a lip brush other than it applies lip stuff? Not much. But I will say the edges are very thin, so if you’re really good at using a lip brush I’d think this one would do a pretty good job for you. Other uses of this brush include gel or powder eyeliner application. I tried the gel version, and you know what? I really suck at gel eyeliner. But others who don’t suck might find this brush a dream. It has somewhat stiff bristles so they don’t go flopping all over the place and allows for some nice precision.

Look at this beauty:

This is the Marc Jacobs Sky-Liner Highliner gel eye crayons kit. Let me preface this by saying this kit is a limited edition. However, the eyeliners themselves are not, so even if it’s 17 months into the future and you are reading this blog, this review should still apply. Unless Marc Jacobs goes out of business, so in that case, kindly carry on.

I love these eyeliners. They are very creamy and easy to apply. The shimmer is beautiful. They last for a very long time on the upper eyelid or below the lower eyelashes. On my waterline, though, they did not last as long. Kind of went patchy in the afternoon. But I have very wet eyeballs so that’s probably the reason. I’ve yet to find an eyeliner with hardcore staying power – the Sumita Beauty one comes the closest, but I’m still on my mission. Regardless, though, these are some pretty, good quality liners and you should go ahead and throw them in your basket.

Whatever you do, do NOT buy the travel size of this item:

It’s the Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm, and if you try it once you will fall madly in love, then wrestle with your conscience regarding the $105 full-size price. Or you can ignore yourself like I usually do. It’s your risk to take. But I swear, I have no idea what this stuff is made of – okay I do; it’s made of thermal mud from the Hungarian Moors – but it’s truly magical. Has an odd little smell verging on licorice, but I’m most likely conjuring licorice due to its black color. Anyway, I use a very small amount and apply it all over my face. The texture is soothing, soft, velvety smooth. Wiping it off is even better cuz then you are left with the skin of a baby’s bottom. At this point, you’re under its spell and your shopping hand starts to get itchy. Also, it removes makeup very well, but that’s beside the point now isn’t it?

I have since bought an Omorovicza travel kit that includes another jar of this balm. I’m hoping by the time I’m done with both jars, my fascination will have been satisfied and I will no longer feel the pull of buying the full size. Because honestly, I don’t WANT to pay that much for a cleanser. Although, I suppose I will if I won’t leave myself alone about it. I can be soooo super annoying sometimes.

If you like colorful eyeshadows, you should buy this:

Ack! I die. This Urban Decay Vice 3 palette is just lovely. That gorgeous green on the top row is what caught my eye initially. And the golds and purples. There are hearts in my eyes right now. I had no issues with pigmentation or blendability. Fallout was pretty minimal if at all. And it comes in a cutesy little iPad case to help make your shopping decision even easier.

So many stunning looks can come out of this palette. My favorite (other than the green of course) is using Lucky – which is the color of a new penny – all over the lid, then adding Alchemy – a bold raspberry – in the outer v. Of course, I’m sure some makeup artist could do it even better, but I was pretty proud of my invention. Pretty sure Urban Decay is about to call me. Or Vogue.

Behold, look what else:

Is your mouth hanging open? Mine is. It’s the new Gucci makeup, specifically the eyeshadow duo in Fume. It’s shockingly beautiful, very luxurious, fancy schmancy, and ooh la la. Practically too pretty to even use, what with all those little Gs stamped into the shadow. However, I did use it – just once so far – and lemme just say that sometimes I question my own makeup skills. How could something this lovely not turn out even more lovely once applied? There was more pigmentation in the pan than on the eye. What did I do wrong? I suppose I could’ve wet my brush first to see if that made it better, but putting something wet into something dry gives me anxiety, like there’s a never-turning-back event about to happen, and it stops me from doing it. That’s most likely the #1 reason I hate washing my hair. Which has nothing to do with this eyeshadow, but still.

I’ll keep playing with it. I’m determined to not give up. I’ll do it for my people (that’s you), so you will continue reading (and loving) this blog.

We’re at the end. You’ve made it. Now wasn’t that fun? Be sure to come back again and again cuz I write updates all the time. You won’t want to miss out on anything. Trust me.

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.

Jun3

Buying Stuff: Episode 14

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Dianna

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So while I’ve been posting one box review after another, it may appear I have not been out shopping for new goodies. Hahahahahaha. Do you even read this blog? Lemme just put your mind at rest.

Birchbox had a little shipping delay and they were unable to get my box out on time with the rest of the world. They felt horribly guilty (as they should), so I was given $10 worth of Birchbox points to help make up for it. I will accept your apology, and buy myself this Cynthia Rowley eyeshadow with it:

These shadows were very powdery, but kind of in a good way. I thought they blended well and looked very nice on my eyelids. Perfect spring shades, even though we are now coming up on summer. But who follows tradition? Not me! I will wear my white pants in December if I feel like it. Even though they are a size too small now so probably shouldn’t do that. White pants are very unforgiving in a lumpy-thigh-skin sort of way. And if they cling to you like they are holding on for dear life – well, that’s not a look anyone should embrace. I mean, maybe supermodels, but then after that, NOBODY.

What am I going on about? I dunno.

Look at this little piece of artwork I made:

I have too much time on my hands.

I saw this beautiful purple and olive green NARS combo at Sephora and knew instantly I had to have it. If there are two colors more suited for each other than purple and green, please let me know. But also I have brown eyes, and if I’m not mistaken, purple and green are great complimentary colors for brown or hazel eyes.

Aside from all that, these are nice eyeshadows. Not extremely pigmented on me, but really, what do I know? Everyone else in the world disagrees, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I am very hard to please. We’ve established this already.

Speaking of pigmentation, or lack thereof, I present to you:

It’s Marc Jacobs blush. Should be amazing. Color in the pan looks to die for. Color on the cheek … not so much. I swear, I about got carpal tunnel swirling my blush brush over this thing, trying – desperately – to get it to release it’s beautiful lilac pinkness. I don’t even have dark skin. In fact, I’m on the lighter side of medium, and this barely showed up on me. No, I wasn’t expecting straight up purple cheeks, but come on! You are $30; now dadgum act like it.

If you’re curious, this color is called Outspoken. And I will say, once I sort of swirled enough of the ribbed impression off the top of the blush, the pigmentation increased a bit. Not gonna go out of my way to sing any praises or anything, but it did get better. Thank goodness, because y’all know I can’t be bothered to return anything back to the store.

Next up is this thing:

Now that I am a Sephora VIB Rouge, I get included on the secret emails that promote exclusive freebies with purchase. Never one to disregard an exclusive freebie, I got a sample of the Dior Dioraddict It-Lash mascara. I had it for about two seconds before I decided I needed a full tube. This stuff is awesome. It fans my lashes out like butterfly wings. I just love it. You can get your own tube now; it’s not just for VIB anymore. And I highly recommend that you should. Just do what I say. I am the boss of you.

Along with the Dior mascara, they had another VIB Rouge sample promo going on where I could pick three free deluxe trial sizes of an array of products. The next three photos is what I chose.

Why would I buy Urban Decay makeup setting spray? Cuz I don’t own any and I was curious if it actually worked. So I used it and honestly I can’t tell much because I don’t ever feel as if my makeup has fallen off. I don’t even know what that would look like. My face always has makeup on, and it always looks the same all day long. Do people actually have issues with their makeup just melting away as if nothing ever happened? Am I being naive? Am I being a butthole? Probably both.

I will say, however, that if I use a matte setting powder (currently It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores) then spray this on, my t-zone oil is less apparent. Like right now I just came in from outside where it is 90 degrees and hideous, and my forehead, nose and chin feel very dry. The good kind of dry. So perhaps there is something to this setting spray thing. I am going to do a scientific experiment tomorrow and use my setting powder and NO spray and see what happens. Because before I spent $30 on a full size bottle of this stuff, I need to know if it actually works and it’s not just the psychological brain trickery that seems to haunt me at every turn.

Another sample is this cutie pie:

It’s Benefit Fake Up Concealer. I got the shade medium and it seems to be a good choice for me. I have been using it for the past few days, and I may consider buying the full size. I like the way it blends out with my concealer brush. I probably already have a concealer that does this, but you don’t end up with hoards of makeup with that kind of logic. So we’re just gonna push that thought out of our heads immediately. And also, please disregard the fleshy hand. Who knew you could gain weight there?

You can never have too many cleansers. Here’s proof:

At one point, I owned the Boscia black illuminating mask, which was a super fun peel-off kind. Thought I’d give the matching cleanser a whirl. I haven’t used it yet as it’s in line behind 3 other cleansers, but hopefully I will use it before the end of the month. One thing to note about this cleanser, and perhaps its most endearing quality, is that it warms up as soon as you put it on your skin. I used to have a mask like that a long time ago, and I loooooved it. The warming sensation feels way better than a cooling sensation, so I’m really excited to give this a try.

Big nerd alert. Sorry.

Okay, this next item is the must luxury of all the items I’ve ever purchased:

Ummmmm, Tom Ford. That’s almost all I need to say about this, and you’d be nodding your head saying, Yes, girl, I know. Cuz that’s why you’re reading this blog: you understand. But for those that need explicit instruction, I will oblige.

Glossybox had $25 gift cards to Bergdorf Goodman in their May boxes, which I told you about (if you’ve been reading this blog like a proper human being). Well, I could have gone on their site and found something for $25 and end up getting it for free, but like a true makeup addict, I lose all sensibility and decide to buy something horrendously expensive so I could get a $25 discount instead. I mean, honestly, when would there be another chance to get a Tom Ford eyeshadow quad for $25 off? Never. These things don’t end up in the reject bin. It was my only chance.

So now I’m feeling pretty good about myself. I used it once (Silvered Topaz is the name) and it was very pretty as expected. It now rests inside it’s little brown velvet pouch inside my makeup drawer next to the Dolce & Gabbana and Dior eyeshadow compacts. Will I use it again? Probably. But more importantly, I own it. And that’s all that matters.

Below is a little Sephora haul:

Do not even ask why I bought that super dark burgundy metallic OCC Lip Tar. You already know the answer. In an effort to own all the things I had to get it as I didn’t have any OCC in the stash. But this color is gorgeous. I tried it on in the store, and wowza! If it was October and I had a big ol sweater on, this dark lip would’ve put the entire world in its place. It’s stunning. Plus, you only have to use a pin drop in order to get a full application. That’s not even an exaggeration. I will own this tube for at least 15 years. Talk about value for your money.

And if you’re of the curious kind, the color is Black Metal Dahlia.

Next item is the Buxom lip polish in the color Gabby. I love these things. I own three now. They have an addictive cool tingle that feels awesome on your lips in the summer. It literally makes you stop sweating. They don’t advertise that, but they should.

Ran out of makeup remover, so thought I’d give the Sephora brand a try. I always get the waterproof version because I feel it gets my mascara off way better than the regular kind. I’ve been using this for a couple weeks now, and I really like it. Does a great job. I think I will most likely repurchase this if I’m already in Sephora and I need some. However, for about $4 less, Ulta carries the Lumene brand and it works just as good. Never mind that Ulta and Sephora are in the same mall and I could easily go to either one to pick up eye makeup remover. I make up my own rules and exceptions to those rules, so just let it go. It’s a puzzle only I can figure out.

Last item in the Sephora haul is the new Bare Minerals Bareskin serum foundation with brush. I got a little sample of this and no sooner did I get it on my face was I out the door and standing in front of Sephora about 15 minutes before they actually opened. This is the most beautiful foundation I own, better than the Chanel (I’m sorry!) or the Shiseido (am I actually saying this?). I don’t even know if I can explain it properly, but here is my best effort:

If you have normal or dry skin, cancel all your plans today and get to Sephora or Ulta immediately. If you have slightly oily skin, get a sample first to see how it wears for you. The formula of this foundation is very liquidy and has a slight slick texture that may seem oily although it’s oil free. I have an oily t-zone, and I still love it, but I do set it pretty good with my transluscent powder. If you have oily skin all over, you may not like this. Again, try a sample and give it a shot.

The finish is just unreal. My skintone has never looked so even, and I have a very splotchy naked face. It’s not matte, and it’s not dewy, just somewhere in between. It’s lovely. Just lovely. I don’t even know why you are still reading this and not in your car on the way to the store. What are you waiting for?!

It does have an accompanying brush that I bought because it is quite unique. Looks like a flat top kabuki, but instead of it being completely flat top there is a little divot in the center, or a “well”, to drop the liquid into. I’m not sure of it’s purpose, honestly, so I think you could probably use any brush and get a great application. I will say that every time I’ve used this brush, it’s shed on me. Boo.

See below:

It’s a Z-Palette. At the time I bought this, I had nothing to put in it. I was just preparing to put stuff in it. I wanted some Makeup Geek eyeshadows, and all the beauty gurus put them in a Z-Palette. What’s good enough for them is guaranteed good enough for me. I’m easily influenced.

So I got my first batch of Makeup Geek shadows:

Picked out these colors cuz I felt they were very summery and fun. The green is called Appletini, then there is Yellow Brick Road, Last Dance is the purple-y shade, Frappe is a matte brown, and Mango Tango is the coral. These babies blend like a dream and I heart them sooo much! And now I’ve addicted myself. I have 5 more shadows on their way to me as we speak. In my defense, my Z-Palette holds 27 shadows and hell if I’m having a half empty Z-Palette. How tacky and gauche that would be. Pffft.

Last thing in the haul is more eyeshadow palettes because I can’t control my shoppin’ hand:

These are both from Sleek Makeup and they come straight from jolly ole England via the Royal Mail. Next up: lunch with the Queen. I know; so fancy! Anyway.

These i-Divine palettes are very inexpensive, about $12. There are several to choose from, and I feel I got the most varied of them all. The first one is called Snapshot and the second one is apparently limited edition (did not know!) called Lagoon. I used a few of the colors today, and they seems to be alright. I did feel like I was blending longer than necessary, but perhaps I was off my game this morning. But also I was trying to mix a yellow with a teal and a black, so maybe those need extra TLC anyway. Can’t wait to play around more and try out some very fun looks. If I go to work looking like a clown, it’s all in the name of research.

That’s it guys. Ginormous haul. But I got paid today so don’t worry, more is already on its way. I waste no time. In fact, if I’d treat every aspect of my life in the same way I treat my makeup addiction, I’d probably be President by now.

Toodles!

Mar24

Buying Stuff: Episode 8

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Dianna

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Huge haul alert. Just a warning, in case you have something important to do within the next 15 hours. Otherwise, get comfy; we gonna be here for a bit. I’ll try to make it short and sassy, but sometimes (i.e., every time) my eyes sort of glass over when talking about makeup and skin care. I’m so addicted, I can’t focus on anything else anymore. Seriously, my husband could be standing in the middle of Ulta completely naked and I’d never notice.

So let’s get started. You know how I am about wanting to own all the things. Pretty sure that will never end, although I’m giving my best effort. Every time I am on YouTube, one of my gurus starts talking about some brand I don’t own, and that gives me the hives like no other. I need to have something, anything, from every brand or I can’t function properly. OCD sucks so bad sometimes. It manifests in many different ways, one-track-mindedness being one of them.

Here is an eyeshadow palette from Lime Crime:

I chose the Alchemy palette because it is new and all the shadows are duochrome. They are absolutely gorgeous shadows, and surprisingly wearable, especially the purple in the middle. Very very pigmented as well, which is nice. I think my favorite of the five colors is the green. It’s vibrant and bold, looks beautiful on the outer V and lower lash line. Reminds me of spring, not Easter spring, but green grass spring. It evokes a feeling of warmth and sunshine in me, and effectively cures my Seasonal Affective Disorder. In other words, this palette is a medical necessity and therefore justified.

Next!

I used the Carol’s Daughter Monoi Repairing Hair Mask yesterday, and I’m so in love. This is some amazing stuff. But in order to get a bigger picture, let me describe my hair to you. Naturally wavy. Dries frizzy and poufy (the bad poufy, not volumized poufy). Fine texture. Oily scalp but dry ends (I know; I told you I was my own oxymoron). In simpler terms, I just don’t like. I wish I could let my hair dry naturally and love the results. But no, that would be too simple, and my life is all about the complicated. Wavy hair is not the same as curly; it’s can’t-commit hair, the worst kind. Be curly if you wanna be curly. Don’t look as if you thought about it and changed your mind in the middle. Cuz what I’m left with is straight and fine in the scalp region, lumpy in the middle section, and frizzed out at the ends.

I use a hair dryer and a flat iron or curling iron, so there’s heat damage to add to all that other mess. It’s not color-treated, or at least not since 2011. But it does break easily, and even after I get a haircut or trim, my ends still look like they’re split. As if my hair is not committed to being curly or straight, but dadgummit it has no problem being broken. And you should just see how much hair swirls around in my bath water. I spend more time picking errant strands off my body or untwining them from around my fingers. What am I supposed to be doing in the tub? Nothing. What am I really doing? Trying to save myself from being attacked by my own hair. No. Bueno.

Enter the Carol’s Daughter mask. First off, this stuff smells like the Garden of Eden. Use this mask for that sake alone; it’s heavenly. In fact, I’m sitting here typing this blog with a swatch of hair strewn across my upper lip like a makeshift mustache. You literally can’t stop smelling it. It’s made with monoi oil, which is apparently derived from 15 gardenias and coconut oil combined over a 15 day sacred ritual. That’s quite specific, and I wish I could tell you I was kidding, but I’m not. And it comes from Tahiti. Tahiti. Are you convinced yet?

The result? Glorious. My hair was less poufy and so extremely smooth and silky. The silkiest it’s ever, never been. And my ends look very healthy, even though it’s been 3 months since my last haircut. I will never be without this mask now. I’m so happy I could cry.

As for the tiny jar of Tarte eye treatment, I haven’t used it yet. But of course I needed it right this second. Bought a sample off eBay because I didn’t want to commit to a $38 full-size. I’ve heard great things about it, so I’m excited to use it. After I finish this horrendously large tube of Glytone that seems to replicate itself after every use. I’ll never be done.

More good stuff. See below:

Cutie pies! All of it, just adorable little cutie pies. I work as a buyer, and one of the departments I buy for is a spa. This is a relatively new job responsibility, and it’s proving to be quite dangerous because now I know exactly what products they’re ordering and I need to own every last one of them. These three things are from the Farmhouse Fresh line, and I barely walked away with the small shopping bag as opposed to the industrial sized platform truck I really wanted. Everything was simply precious. I swear, if there’s an idiot CEO out there that claims packaging isn’t that big of a deal, I will karate chop them in the throat. Because honestly, it gets me lured in every single time.

What I bought was a jar of Honeysuckle Orange Custard body cream, a tube of Front Porch Punch hand cream, and a Sundae Best chocolate face mask. All food scents, so delicious and summery. I’ve mentioned before how boring body lotion or hand lotion is, how I never ever buy it, unless it is in cute packing or it smells like fruit. This stuff’s got both.

I’ve brought the hand cream to work, so now I’m using it all day long. It’s a mixture of strawberry, mango, melon and grapefruit. So good. If my hair isn’t stuck up underneath my nose, it’s my fingers. Yummy and delicious. I haven’t used the body cream, as I’m trying to finish my Ahava sample, and then I have the Josie Maran sweet citrus body butter next in line. In other words, it’s gonna be a while. But just having it in my bathroom, owning it and claiming it as mine, satisfies me to no end. Plus it has a wooden spoon applicator. A wooden spoon applicator! You need this in your life, at the very least so you can own your own tiny wooden spoon. As for the face mask, it smells and looks like chocolate pudding. It’s divine. I may eat it if I don’t use it soon.

Last bit of goodies is this small haul from Ulta:

I actually finished my Urban Decay pressed powder, so thought I’d give the loose powder a try. Someone on YouTube said it gave them flawless skin, and well, you don’t have to tell me twice. Flawless is a magic, evil little word, isn’t it? You tell me something is going to make me flawless, and I’m buying it about 2.5 seconds later.

The tube of Too Faced LashGasm mascara is a really good one. I actually owned this not too long ago, and it made my lashes look amazing – or as amazing as my lashes have the capability to be. Then one day I dropped the tube on my tile floor, and ruined my life just like that. The tube cracked at the top, and all the mascara oozed out of it. I tried to salvage it for a few days, but it was just too messy, and then I started having OCD panic attacks about all the poo germs getting into it because it’s stored on the counter right next to the toilet. Needless to say, I had to give it a sad little goodbye. But now that I’ve replaced it, my heart has healed.

I own a lot of the NYX butter glosses. They are some of the best lip glosses that ever lived. Not sticky one bit, smells amazing, colors actually show up even though they are sheer. Thought I’d try the purple because I live on the edge, and also the name of it is Raspberry Tart, which makes me think of pie. I love pie. And cake. Cake and pie. With whipped cream on top. And chocolate shavings.

What are we talking about? I dunno.

I actually have a Sephora order delivering to my house today, and I was thisclose to calling in sick so I could sit home and wait for it. You know how it is. The excitement becomes almost too much to bear sometimes. I’ll do another haul on that later this week. Still got 6 beauty boxes to review and only 7 days left in the month. Pressure’s on, people. It’s hard being a blogger sometimes. So. Hard.

Toodles!

Snacks On Rotation

surprisingly, not a food blog

Tag Archives: Urban Decay

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