Better than good Friday!

This Friday is a great Friday because #1, I'm feeling better! My antibiotics must have decided to kick in because I can breathe through my nose and the solid block of congestion that took up residence in my chest almost three weeks ago is dissipating. I'm so relieved I don't even have the words to articulate it...I'll settle for a nice deep breath *breathing deep*

Thanks Apothica!

#2, I got my Apothica order today! I am really really impressed with how quickly this order arrived...I mean, I just placed the order late Wednesday afternoon. I can't wait to test the Sheseido moisturizer and play with the Stila Color Wheel tomorrow. I'll make sure I do a FOTD post tomorrow using the Stila palette.





The two products actually arrived separately; the Sheseido moisturizer came via UPS (from Cosmetic Mall) and the Stila Color Wheel came via USPS Priority (direct from Apothica). That was kind of disconcerting because had I not been home, the Sheseido product would have been sent back to the UPS sort facility for redelivery. I'm assuming that Apothica may outsource for products they don't have in their warehouse at the time. Though I understand things happen, I'm hoping next time I place an order my products will be shipped via USPS Priority as stated on the Apothica website. Other than that, I have no beef! Both packages were securely shrouded in bubble wrap, arrived undamaged and sooner than I expected.  

In other news....

Two coats of Foxy Lady by Milani

My third Milani of the month didn't turn out so well. I applied it last night and today it looks like this...













The other hand looks even worse. Though I love the colors, the brushes and the smoothness of the formulas, I just can't deal with how long it takes for these polishes to dry. Perhaps this is why they have sat for so long unused on my nail polish rack. I'll either have to learn to be completely still for an hour or two after I do my nails or stop buying Milani polishes. Does anyone else have an issue with Milani polishes?




My other issue is with NYX eye shadows.


*Begin rant*


I haaaaaaaate NYX eye shadows sooooooo much! They are chalky, way too soft and too many of them have horrible color pay off. I have tried with NYX, I really have, but they just can't have anymore of my money (for eye shadows anyway). I bought 43 of their single shadows during a sale they had back in 2008 ($43) and bought their box of shadows a few weeks ago ($35). I wound up giving the singles to my daughter in 2009 because I couldn't do anything with them. She in turn gave them to her cousin because she said the colors didn't look good and barely showed up on her dark skin. I'm not sure what I'll do with the box of shadows because my daughter has enough of my cast off makeup, lol.


You may wonder why I gave NYX more of my money in the first place....well, I thought perhaps my first experience was a fluke. Perhaps those single shadows were sold off cheap because they were part of a bad batch. No dice. They're just crap shadows. Sorry NYX, no bueno. I love NYXblushes and glosses, but their shadows are worse than Coastal Scents if you ask me. 




Despite the poor quality of the shadows, I still created an okay FOTD...

I used three different shades of purple eye shadow for this look. I lined my waterline with Sephora's Flashy Liner in Deep Black and smoked out my lower lashline with the same shade of purple that I lined my upper lashline with. My cheeks were treated with Milani's Mineral Blush in Sunset Beach and my lips were covered with Mabelline ColorSensational Lipstain in Plum Flushed (topped by a Revlon gloss called Bronze Sensation). Even with my Sigma brushes, this was a chore to pull off. Not bad looking though if I do say so myself :-)

That's my Friday thus far....how was yours? Any big plans for the weekend? 

I'll holla ;-)

The Oily Skin Chronicles: Tales from L'Bri

Here's a video review I did on L'Bri Pure n' Natural Cosmetics oily skin trio.

Snowy lazy Sunday

 

Yeah, despite the blizzard here in Chicago, I had an easy Sunday. Per my usual, I slept as late as possible, took a long leisurely shower, pampered myself and did laundry. Dinner consisted of leftover spaghetti and the evening saw me curled up on the couch with a cup of herbal tea watching Sense and Sensibility. It was a very nice Sunday :-)

I tried a sample of Boscia's Luminizing Black Mask after my normal face cleanser and I was very impressed. I'm not sure I'll drop $34 at Sephora to buy the full size bottle, but the sample was nice. Here's what the product description on Sephora says about the mask:

What it is:
A groundbreaking, mineral-rich mask that peels off to deliver powerful detoxifying, purifying, and brightening effects.

What it is formulated to do:
This jet-black, mineral-rich mask creates a unique peel-off effect that delivers powerful detoxifying, purifying, and brightening results. Made with a premier-quality clay, its deep-cleansing properties draw out dirt and oil. Other natural ingredients go to work exfoliating skin and refining pores. Powerful antioxidants shrink pores, firm skin, and reduce inflammation. Once dried, the mask strips away dead skin, impurities and excess oil to reveal immediate and visible results.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petrochemicals
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

What else you need to know:
Apply an even layer to clean, dry skin. Avoid eyebrows, hairline and lips. Avoid eye area by applying below orbital bone. Leave on 15-20 minutes or until completely dry. Gently peel off mask from outer edges. Rinse off any residue with warm water. Follow with moisturizer. Use once or twice a week.

 

 

Did it deliver? For me, yes. My skin felt smooth, soft and matte and my pores were noticeably smaller. I perused the reviews for this mask before using it and noticed some folks saying it was next to impossible to remove and that it caused them to break out afterward. I will agree that removal was quite cumbersome but it wasn't next to impossible. If I wake up with a pimple or two tomorrow I won't be surprised or angry because the mask states that it detoxifies and removes impurities. What that means my dears is that nasty little yuckies lurking in the innermost depths of your lower dermal layers will be brought to the surface. Hence, pimples. Don't be mad, be glad, that's the mask doing its job. Again, I liked the mask but I'm not sure I'll be dropping $34 at Sephora for it anytime soon. But if you're interested, here it is...

More Boscia...

 

Though I hid out in the house today, I also did eye makeup and my nails...

Close up on the eyes

Panned out so you can see the nude lip...and ashy looking skin, lol

I primed my lids with Two Faced Shadow Insurance and dusted a sparkly lavender shadow from the ELF Beauty Encyclopedia (Sparkle Edition) on my lid. On my outer corner, I used a sparkly dark purple from the aforementioned ELF BESE. For my highlight/browbone I used Lancome's Pink Veil from the Pretty Pretty Quad. I lined my lid with L'Oreal's Extra-Intense Liquid Pencil Liner in Black, dusted Pink Veil on the inner corner and first 1/3rd of my waterline and smudged the last  2/3rds of my waterline with Mabelline's Unstoppable Eyeliner in Onyx. On my uncurled lashes I'm wearing two coats of L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes in Very black. I primed my lips with Carmex Moisture Plus and went nude with Mabelline's Crazy for Coffee.

All in all, I think I did pretty good. My eyeshadow technique is getting a little better since I apply every day and I feel good about that. Next I'm going to rectify that ashiness and my dark under eye circles and acne scars. No foundation though, I hate that stuff. I think some of that ashy look is due to the new moisturizer I'm trying out. More on that later though.

On to my nails...

 

Per usual, my application is kinda sloppy but the color? The color is GORGEOUS! Two colors actually. I did an every other finger comparison with Barry M's Dusky Mauve and Revlon's Perplex. You know what? They're both great dupes for Chanel's Limited edition Paradoxal (click to see pictures). Do you know folks are selling Paradoxal for $40? Insanity. You'll have a difficult time finding Revlon's Perplex too since everyone knows it's a dupe for Paradoxal. I bought mine off of Ebay (two bottles for $16 and some change. Click to buy, she only has two bottles left). Or you can order Dusky Mauve from Barry M's website. Barry M is a UK brand so be prepared to pay about $5 per bottle of polish and whatever they charge for shipping. I bought mine a while back before I realized it was a dupe for Paradoxal. Also be warned that once the word gets out about BM's DM it may sell out.

That's pretty much it for my Sunday, how was yours? Feel free to do some shopping for the products I used via the hyperlinks above or the Shopstyle links below. Cheers!

 

More Too Faced...

 

More Lancôme...

More L'Oreal...

More Maybelline...

More Maybelline...

More L'Oreal...

Product Review: L'occitane Red Rice Skincare Line

And we're off on another manic Monday! I don't know about anyone else, but I don't much mind Mondays...never really have either. Except for when I was in high school...but that was loooooong ago, lol. You'd never know by looking at my skin though. My oily skin. Don't get me wrong, I don't totally hate my oily skin...anymore, lol. I appreciate my natural oils for what they do. One of the benefits of having oily skin is that it ages less rapidly than other skin types. It's the main reason why folks can't guess my true age. Not that I'm ancient or anything, but I'm told quite often that on good days I still look like I'm in my late teens *batting lashes*


I love that, lol! On my bad days I look like I'm in my 20's, which is still a complement. I owe it all to oodles of MELANIN, good genes and oily skin ;-)

The disadvantages of having overly oily skin are having your foundation turn into an ooey gooey oil slick oozing down your face (I stopped wearing foundation because my skin no likey), shiny/greasy T Zones and finding skin care products to treat/tame it all. *Sigh*


I have been searching for the longest time *cue Billy Joel* and I *cue U2's Joshua Tree* still haven't found what I'm looking for. Though, at times, I've come rather close. This brings me to L'occitane's Red Rice Line. I watched a youtube video a while back about rice water toners and how good they were supposed to be for those with oily skin and decided that I would try it ASAP. Although the vid showcased a tutorial for homemade rice toners, I also needed a cleanser and moisturizer so, as usual, I Googled. To my surprise and joy I found this Red Rice Foaming Cleanser by L'occitane (pronounced lox-e-tahn)...

More L'Occitane...

Pros:
It comes in a nifty $8 trial size (now $4 but I'm not sure how long)
It cleansed my skin without stripping it comepletely of its natural oils
It made my skin soft and supple and appear less oily
It seemed to reduce my breakouts
Has a nice smell
Soap free
Contains some natural/organic ingredients (they use sustainable/renewable organic ingredients whenever possible)
L'occitane does not test on furry (or non-furry) critters
They are ecologically responsible (recycled/recyclable packaging)

Cons:
Contains Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Contains more chemicals/compounds than natural ingredients


Overall, the cleanser gets a 4 out of 5 Qtips on my beauty prods scale.

Next up we have the Red Rice Purifying Toner...

More L'Occitane...

Pros:
It comes in a nifty $8 trial size
Has a slight tint that adds a nice glow
Made my skin look/feel matte
Has a nice smell
It seemed to reduce my breakouts
Has a nice smell
Same last three pros as the foaming cleanser

Cons:
Feels gritty
Made my skin feel too dry and tight

Contains Methylparaben
Contains Salicylic Acid
Overall, the toner gets a 2.5 out of 5 Qtips on my beauty prods scale.

Finally we have the Red Rice Ultra-Matte Face Fluid...

More L'Occitane...

 Pros:
Comes in a nifty $8 trial size
Has a nice smell
Same last three pros as the cleanser and toner

Cons:
Feels gritty
Made my skin feel overly dry and tight
Contains Salicylic Acid

Overall, the face fluid gets a 1 out of 5 Qtips on my beauty prods scale.

Though I like the philosophy of the company and I like the way the products smell, I will not buy the full size system nor will I purchase the trial sizes again. Based on my needs and concerns, the Red Rice Skincare line just isn't a good fit for me. Back to the drawing board *shrugs*

That's it for now guys and gals...

XOXO



*The aforementioned L'occitane products were purchased with my own money. My review is unpaid and impartial.*

Just Call Me Easy

For me Sunday is bum day. That means I dress in sweats and do housework, read, watch tv, etc. I also tried to cleaned up a really wack nail job from the other day. Lately I've not much been into my tips, but for lack of anything better to do, I painted my nails. This was the result...

In my mind this looked all kinds of awesome but it came out really less than spectacular. I had no intention of taking it off and starting over however, so I just left it as is. This was done late Saturday night. By today, I was still less than thrilled with the look so I edited it. This was the result...

 

I'm still not all that thrilled with how it looks but it looks less wack than it originally did...I guess, lol.

Products used:

Orly Nail Armor (1 coat)

Sally Hansen Wet Cement (2 coats)

Sally Hansen Lightning (2 coats)

Sally Hansen Blue Me Away (2 coats)

Seche Vite Fast Drying Top Coat (1 coat)

Barry M. Instant Nail Effects Black Magic (1 coat)

I love the way Wet Cement and Blue Me Away go on, both of these polishes are smooth and dry pretty quickly. Though I didn't have to, I used two coats of BMA. It was opaque in one coat but I went with two. WC needed two coats because it was thinner and lighter colored. Neither of those colors streaked nor was there drag. Love them! Lightning is an Insta Dri color and thus, has a harder to work with brush. It went on a little streaky with a tiny bit of drag and required two coats (three would be better, but I refused). Though I'm no longer a fan of the Insta Dri's, I love Lightning, it's a very nice yellow. The Barry M. nail effects crackle polish was a tad bit difficult to work with for me. It's kind of thick, dries very quickly and doesn't spread well. If you go over the same spot twice you get streaks and drag. This will also affect how the crackle looks (shape and size of the crackle). I more than likely will not but the Barry M. again. I'm waiting for the OPI crackle polish to come out. Cannot wait! And that my dears, was a mini review for you ;-)

Sadly, this was the highlight of my weekend. I did little else other than housework, read books and watch shows I recorded on my DVR. What'd you do this weekend? Are you ready for Monday? I hope you remembered to set your clocks back an hour!

XOXO

Oldie but Goodie :-)

Dearest fair maidens, dashing divas and glamorous gals, how are you? Feeling fab I hope :-)


In lieu of brand new material (for now) I'm going to post a product review vid I did a while back on the Aveeno Positively Radiant Line. With summer around the corner, I know many of you ladies are looking to get your skin on point and thus, need to know what products work...and which won't. Soooo, take a look-see. Aveeno didn't really work for me but perhaps you'll have better luck. Ciao for now bellas!