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 ;-)

Have you tried Apothica?

I don't know about you, but I like my beautification supplies. From eye shadow to lipsticks to fingernail polish, all I can say, is ooh eye like it! Hence the blog name right, lol? So anyway, I recently received a gift card from Apothica.com and perused their site getting acquainted with the brands they offer...they offer a lot! So much in fact, I've gone over the site several times for a few hours at a time and have had the hardest time making up my mind on what to get. Sheseido, Bobbi Brown, Smashbox and many many more, the selection is incredible! Along with some of the aforementioned brands, Apothica also carries brands that I've never heard of like BECCA Cosmetics, It Cosmetics, Twist & Pout, Diane Brill and more. As I was going through the different brands I even noticed new brands being added as I browsed. I know things move quickly in the world of beauty, but Apothica seemed to really be on the ball, lol.

Image taken from the Apothica website.

At any rate, I must have spent 4 or more hours browsing (even enlisting help from my bestie Shan) before I finally decided on the Sheseido Pureness Matifying Moisturizer...

















I've been searching for what seems like eternity for the perfect moisturizer for my super oily skin. I'm hoping the Sheseido will be a good fit for me. I also selected the Stila Cosmetics Color Wheel Eye Shadow Palette...

Image taken from the Apothica website.

I'm really looking forward to playing around with the Stila Color Wheel because it comes with a pro artist lookbook that can be used to create different looks. This will be great for me because I'm still very much a novice when it comes to makeup application techniques. 




After making my choices, I checked out with my Apothica gift card (they also accept Paypal) and promptly received an order confirmation e-mail. I was really impressed by how swiftly the order was confirmed because I'd just hit the submit order button. Since it was late in the afternoon when I placed my order, I fully expected no more info until the next business day....but guess who received a shipping confirmation email a couple hours later? Yep, that's right! I've ordered lots of beauty supplies from lots of different beauty sites, but never have I experienced such a quick turnaround. I can't help but rub my greedy little fingers together in anticipation of my goodies :-)




Other things to note about Apothica:


All U.S. orders of $49 or more ship free via USPS Priority Mail and arrive in approximately 2-7 business days.


60 day, hassle free return policy.


Loyalty points - 5% back in rewards.


Guaranteed lowest price - 115% price matching.




If you haven't already been to the site, I suggest you check it out now. After all, you can never have too many sources for good beauty products ;-)


Let me know if/what you buy, I love hauls :-D


Later gators!






*This blog post is sponsored by Apothica.com. Though a sponsored post, my opinions of Apothica.com and my account of my experience with their website are honest and unbiased.*