A Birthday Gift from Sephora

It's that time of year again (for me) where Sephora doles out a birthday gift to their beauty insiders around their birthdays. It happens to be a few weeks away from mine (June 2nd) so when I went in recently they stowed upon me their "Smokey Eye Kit." I honestly can not tell you what this kit had to do with smokey eyes. Enclosed was a white shimmery eyeshadow that I am guessing is their version of a highlight. Next came a tiny eyeliner in a color that can only be described as teal. Not a bad color, don't get me wrong, but what does it have to do with a smokey eye? Finally there was a mini mascara that was fine, but not noteworthy.

All I can say is...I'm glad it was free, happy future birthday to me!

Anastasia Brow Gel

Anastasia Brow Gel:

Obviously the color debacle detailed in my previous post does not apply to a clear brow gel, so I stayed true to the Anastasia brand for this gel that I purchased as part of my sister's 25th birthday gift. She's been looking for a good gel and Anastasia remains the best in the business for brows (despite their complete lack of color selections for the dark-haired).

I'll let you know if she adores it as much as I hope she does!

Anastasia Brow Pencil In Brunette

Anastasia Brow Pencil In Brunette:

Let me preface this post by saying that this is my very first brow pencil...and for good reason. I was born with crazy-big Brooke Shields-esq brows that I have slowly whittled down over the years to fit in nicely with the small features of my face. They are super dark and still a good size and shape. Getting a brow pencil never even occurred to me before the great brow crisis of May 22nd 2010.

I've always gone to the same brow waxer. For years I have entrusted her with my brows and she has not let me down. But at my last appointment I walked out with two very different brows. One fairly normal one, and one lopsided, very small, over-waxed, over-plucked eyebrow. I was horrified. There was no turning back. I had to just move forward and do the best I could. Of course this was really much more noticeable to me than anyone else (so says my very nice family and friends) but it bothers me none-the-less.

I have been hearing about Anastasia's brand and the wonders it works for brows so I went straight to Sephora to pick up a pencil. I have to say that the quality of the pencil and brow brush are excellent. However, I have very dark, almost black, eyebrows and the darkest color they had was dark brown or "Brunette" and to me this color was not only lighter than my actual brow shade, but it looked a bit orange to me as well. I am going to do the best that I can with it because for 22 dollars you bet I am not throwing this baby out! But I do recommend for the dark-haired readers to avoid Anastasia and move on to a brand with a better color selection.

For now, I just keep saying...brows grow back...brows grow back...brows grow back.

Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara

Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara:

I am finally a proud owner of this Benefit mascara. I've heard fabulous things about it for too long and I just needed to try it out for myself. When I was in line at Sephora this weekend and saw a cheap little mini version of the traditional tube I knew it was fate.

I have to admit, I think this mascara really does live up to the hype. It created long, full coats over my lashes without a single clump! I'm not sure how long this little tube will last, but I think it's safe to say that I'm a Bad Gal convert.

Lack of Posts this Week!

Lack of Posts this Week!

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. I graduated from college on Saturday and started a full time job on Monday! I suppose I will have slightly less time to blog working full time with a fairly long commute until I get an apartment, but I will do my best to keep up! Also, in my new position I will be around some fabulously fashionable ladies so I know I will be inspired to come up with new beauty topics and think of more products that I want...I mean NEED...in the near future.

Hopefully by this weekend I will be settled in and ready to continue posting regularly!

I'll leave you with this thought:

Have you ever tried a sunless tanner that you truly liked? I mean that did not turn you orange, leave streaks, produce uneven spots, or generally look fake? With summer around the corner I am preparing for a full-out sunless tanner escapade. I think I will try Clarins first because it is always recommended and then move on to St. Tropaz after that. Details to come!

MoroccanOil Restorative Hair Mask

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MoroccanOil Restorative Hair Mask:

New obsession alert!! This mask has the power to change hair. Literally. My super long hair is in dire need of a good cut, but I still have a few days until I am graduated from school and back near my stylist. I got this mask on the recommendation of a few friends and I cannot get enough! It turned my frizzy, semi-fried, split end mess of a head of hair into glossy/silky/shiny strands. It also has the classic MoroccanOil scent which I have described in depth in my MoroccanOil rave post. I love this product!! The only downside is that it is pretty expensive. I got the 8.5 oz tub for 40 dollars, but I am kicking myself because I see here that it is 26 dollars on Amazon! Get it there...that's a great deal!

Stores I LOVE

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Stores I LOVE:

Sephora (obviously!): I could spend hours in here. It's almost like I want everything so much that I usually walk out with nothing because I honestly can't choose between all of the pots, pencils, creams, powders and other wonderful concoctions!

Anthropologie: Cute dresses, cute accessories, and super cute home goods. What's not to love?

Bloomingdales: They have the absolute best selection of jeans plus great makeup counters. A combination of two of my obsessions! I could get lost in here all day. Added bonus? Forty Carrots! They have great food and amazing frozen yogurt! I like getting shredded coconut and fruit on the side. YUM!

Wink: Rather small, but filled with lots of treasures! I got ballet flats there that look just like ballet slippers that I get compliments on every single time I wear them. I also found my black leather bangle with the gold clasp here. Classic!

Madewell: The place to go for super skinny stove pipe jeans and hipster-esq tees. Also a great place for extra light scarves that work well for spring and summer.

A store that I am not a fan of...the MAC stores. I don't like how the stores are set up. All of the products are hidden away in drawers and cabinets so you have to get a sales person to help you every single time you need to pick up a new item. I am a pretty independent shopper and don't like that sort of forced sales person contact.

I Need Your Advice!

I Need Your Advice!

So I graduate college in a couple of days. WHAT?!?! Time flies!

I picked up my traditional black cap and gown and now I need to figure out how to wear my hair. What goes with a cap? Obviously I need to wear it down. I don't want to look like a boy up there with my hair hidden under my cap! But it is going to be pretty hot. Who thought up the idea of having black graduation gowns while everyone sits outside in the sun for hours?

I'm thinking of doing "the Lauren Conrad" aka my hair straight with some soft waves, parted slightly to the side, with a front french braid. I know the braid won't show with the cap, but it will keep the front pieces of my hair away from my face for pictures, right?

Does anyone have any better ideas or wants to share their graduation do? I'd love to hear it!

Mothers Day Gift Ideas

My sister, my mom, and me!

Mothers Day Gift Ideas:

As Mothers Day rapidly approaches I thought I'd share some gift ideas. Let me start by saying that my mom is a preschool teacher and teachers get more bath and body products than anyone on the planet. I guess they are the go-to gift for women teachers because they are easy to find and generally loved by all. This does, however, make for a tricky Mothers Day for my sister and I because we can never go the bath salt/body lotion/scented candle route.

I am a big believer in personalizing gifts, so it does depend a lot on the mother in question, but here are some things that I am brainstorming for my amazing mom:

MoroccanOil hair products: I think that got my frizzy hair gene from my mom so I may just have to introduce her to the hair care line that changed my locks forever.

CoverGirl Outlast Lip Stains: My mom has no time to re-apply lip colors when she's running after kiddies all day and these stains stay in place like no others! They come in tons of colors and I'm sure that their marker-like applicators would be very cool at the preschool (although we wouldn't want to give the kids any ideas!)

Narciso Rodriguez for Her: Honey flower plus tactile wood plus amber equals a musky floral fragrance that goes from day to night! My mom loves this scent and she may be due for a re-fill soon.

My beauty unrelated pick? BANANAGRAMS! My mom loves Scrabble and this is sort of like Scrabble meets dominoes. The banana-shaped pouch comes with letter tiles. Each person gets 21 tiles. You have to use all your letters to make words, but they all have to be connected to each other (like Scrabble without the board) and the first person to use all their tiles wins. You can put back a tile, but then have to take three more in its place. All the tiles are face-down which means its a surprise which letters you end up with; so (as my mom says in her preschool class) you get what you get and you don't get upset! I think she would love it and its something that we could do together.

Sweat Week Day 3

Sweat Week Day 3:

ONE more day until it will be cool enough to officially call an end to sweat week!

TWO things never to do when it is hot out: Laundry in a blazing hot laundromat and baking in an oven in a blazing hot kitchen. These are also two things that I had to do this week. Laundry so that I had clean clothes and baking as a thank you to my senior thesis advisory team.

THREE products that I am thankful for in the heat:

1) Queen Helene Mint Julep Mud Mask: Minty and refreshing! It feels like icicles on my face and sucks the greasy grime out of my pores.

2) Scope Outlast Mouth Wash: Again with the minty and refreshing! Can you see a theme to the products that I am using this week? At least my mouth can feel cool!

3) Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof Mascara: My face may be sweating, but my eye makeup is melt-proof! No runny black streaks here.

Sweat Week Continues!

My friend and I in an infinity pool in Santorini. Yay for going abroad to Greece! This is exactly where I want to be right now. I remember the water was so cold that it took us days to get our toes in. Speaking of toes....

It's still hot out, although not as hot as it has been (thank goodness!). I thought I'd share a fun-in-the-sun beauty idea. HOT PINK TOES!

My roommate had such an amazing hot pink color on her toes that I had to borrow it and try it out myself. It is Milani's Electric Pink and it looks amazing on just about everyone. It also dries in about two seconds which is a plus for toes on the go!

Heat Wave: Melting Makeup

Me and two friends laying on our guy-friend's roof. Don't worry; major sunscreen was involved!

Heat Wave- Melting Makeup:

I don't know about you, but I'm sweating. It was about 94 degrees today and my room on the second floor of our house was about 104 degrees. Going outside actually felt cool compared to my room. I have a fan going, but it just seems to be blowing around burning hot air.

Clearly in this heat I am not looking my best. My face is bright red, I am all sweaty, and I can almost feel my pores getting slowly clogged with excess oil. Attractive!

Here are some tips and tricks that I have gathered up to combat the blazing heat blues:

1) Wash your face with a tingly cleanser. My Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit face wash smells refreshing and feels super-tingly. My face can go from greasy to squeaky clean in no time; plus it has salicylic acid to unclog pores! Follow up with a toner (I love Neutrogena's Oil-Free Stress Control Triple Action Toner) for that extra clean feeling.

2) Try an oil-free moisturizer. I use Neutrogena (can you tell that I love this brand?) Oil-Free Moisturizer for Combination Skin.

Use a mattifying shine control product. Clinique's Pore Minimizer keeps my face dry even when it feels like I am melting into a puddle on my floor.

3) Use mattifying makeup. I love my Maybelline Dream Matte Powder for staying shine-free and keeping the heat-induced redness at bay.

4) Rock the ballerina bun. My hair can get seriously frizzy in heat like this so post-shower I put in a little leave-in conditioner and then brush my hair up as if I were going to put it into a ponytail. Once I have it gathered high on my head, I twist the hair and wrap it into a bun and secure it with an elastic. Any loose pieces can be tucked in with bobby pins. When I take my hair down tomorrow it is smooth and soft! In the mean time, I get to look like I actually know how to do a pirouette.

5) If all else fails, whip out the ice cream! I couldn't resist going out today and buying Neapolitan frozen yogurt plus my favorite toppings: walnuts and shredded coconut! There's nothing like a cone to cool me down!