Finally!

I feel like I have been waiting forever for these items:

I had a feeling that shipping would be delayed since I placed the order late Sunday night on the last of the 20% offer online. And it was free 2-day shipping.

It took about a week to get to me - they also had a problem with my mailing address. I was also hoping for a sample of something but no such luck.

I know, beggars can't be choosers.

Review will come soon. 



MISS Beauty Tip of the Week: Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour

Here's the latest review I did for missomnimedia:

MISS Beauty Tip of the Week: Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour

I am eagerly awaiting for a package from NARS....free 2-Day shipping my ASS! It's taking about a week to get to me. But once I get the goods, expect a review coming!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. I am anticipating a 3rd cup of coffee to help me pick up the pace from an otherwise hectic weekend!

It'll be one SMOOTH Friday night in Oakland, CA for an Otherwise Boring Pair!

I know I have been somewhat M.I.A since Tuesday. I think I temporarily lost my urge to ramble on and on about my latest cosmetic obsession.

You can only read so much, right?

So I will ramble on and on about tonight's date night. I convinced Mr. Lex to turn off his table saw and dress up for this event.  I am so excited because we will be checking out a super sexy concert tonight involving these folks at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA:

and the always FLAWLESS:

So my dilemma isn't What am I going to Wear but more like....HOW AM I GOING TO DO MY MAKEUP??

I usually build my look off of what makeup look I go with so I'm thinking either in the style of Zoe Saldana:

(image courteousy of technorti.com)

She's looking very Sade like, no?
Or my other go-to look - EVA:



(image courteousy of tvrage.com)

 Is it wrong that this is the hardest choice I have right now? I'm just glad I'm having a good hair day.

Smog

Apparently, the marketing group at Urban Decay has a different concept of what smog looks like.

vs.



Image courteousy of U.S. EPA


Hmm...I'll have to rethink my argument.

Urban Decay's smog color is definitely a sexier version of what I recall from spending summers in Southern California with my relatives as a little girl. UD's Smog is a deep brown with a golden shimmer and irridescent sparkle, a very sensual looking bronze and one of my all time favorite UD eye shadows so you know I was super excited to find this shade as a liquid liner.

Lately, I've been eye lining obsessed and as a fan of the UD 24/7 collection, you know I couldn't wait to get my hands on a bottle of this stuff. Especially since I got over my fear of liquid liners. Okay so this may not be the first time I've used one but I usually favor pencils. Liquid sometimes accentuates any dry flaky parts of my eye - making any eczema outbreaks in this area look that much worse. Also, I'll forget I'm wearing it and rub my eye. It's usually not a pretty look after I realize I just ruined a perfectly black lined eye.

As you can see - no irritated looking eye here:

Other products used:
MAC Espresso e/s with #266 brush - eye brow
TFSI primer
NARS Biarritz - lid to browbone
NARS Cyprus - lid to crease only
Chanel Inimitable Noir Mascara

The brush tip is pretty flexible and since I like a more firm, felt tip I was a bit worried. Would I be able to have any control of this brush?

I have been using this for the past week and I now feel pretty confident using this but if you are a pro with type of liquid liner than this will be a cake walk. Just do remember to shake the bottle well before using. This is an easy color to wear. It's subtle, therefore low maintenance. I love this shade best with nothing more than MAC Indianwood Paint Pot on my lids and lots of layers of black mascara.

Other colors used:
NARS - Larger than Life Lip Gloss - Place Vendome
Chanel Joues Contraste - Rose Tourbillon (cheeks)
It is long wearing after it sets (takes about 55 seconds) and it will stay put. Glad to report that it doesn't irritate my eyes and I've been having bad bouts of allergies lately. It took some gentle rubbing with my Neutrogena oil-free eye makeup remover to get it all off. And once the color lifts, it flakes off.

Final assessment: I am thinking about which color to try next.

You can find this at Sephora, participating Macy's and online/$18 USD.

Signature Blue

In attempt to resurrect the love for my current (massive) stash of product I found this neglected liquid liner:

MAC's Superslick Liquid Liner in Signature Blue.

I love wearing this with a very nude eye so the blue pops and brightens my very dark brown eyes. It's a dark navy with soft pearl - I love that it still looks wet after it dries. It doesn't go on as opaque as I like in the first swatch but because it's a liquid liner, I try to overlook that. I wait for it to dry (under a minute, if drawing a fine line) and reline until I get desired intensity. I love the felt tip applicator - it's flexible and pretty easy to draw fine lines. Once it sets, it does not budge. But when it's time to remove your makeup, it is easy to remove - makeup remover or even with soap and water. It will flake off when you dry your face with a towel.

So subtle and effective.



Don't you just love efficient beauty products?

This is a permanent item  (YAY!) and retails for $17.50 USD

Larger Than Life: The Lip Gloss

I apologize now if this turns out to be a half-assed assessment. I want to just give my initial thoughts about this Sephora exclusive gloss from NARS.

The color I went with is Place Vendome, named after a square in the 1st arrondissement in Paris; I am also proud to say that I did visit this area when I went to Paris for the first time four years ago. This gloss is a bright raspberry color that will carry you from late Summer into Fall. 

I do like that the packaging is more transparent and has a smooth feel (aside from traditional, rubbery top) - you can see the color of the gloss better vs. the original (almost) rubbery tube. Sometimes, I wish that the original tube wasn't as opaque and milky, as it can distort the true color in the tube. However, it's not the biggest issue for me because I own many NARS glosses, this is just me trying to nitpick anything I can about the packaging.

Here's a swatch on my (NC42) arm:

And with flash:

(Sorry if color is a bit off - you will see below that it leans on the bluish, cool side on my lips)

The one thing that concerned me was the lilliputian brush tip. I prefer the doe foot applicator instead but I'm willing to give this a fair shot. 

I like that the brush is a bit stiff. I feel like I'm lining my lips rather than just slopping gloss on them. You get a more precise application. I'm a bit concerned though that because of the small brush, I'll need to dip the wand back into the tube for more product. Will this cause me to go through my gloss quicker than the regular NARS glosses that have the doe foot applicator? 

The gloss is just a touch lighter in feel than the regular NARS glosses but if I were to compare this to the sheer pink Easy Lover gloss, it is way lighter. I still don't understand why that gloss along with Babe and Ophelia feel so thick on my lips (but even those feel lighter in comparison to the MAC Lipglasses). Larger Than Life gloss feels comfortable on my lips like a Dolce and Gabanna gloss but I still feel that the D&G gloss is superior in terms of pigment. Then again, as reviews are subjective, it all depends on the color you choose and how naturally pigmented your lips are. Mine have a natural brownish-pink tint. Place Vendome gives me a nice red-raspberry stain once the color settles. The gloss is also unscented, which is not a deal breaker for me. If anything, I get suspicious of scents - I will experience mini-hysteria fearing that the heavy scent is going to make my skin react in a very negative way.

I can't exactly comment on wear time for now but I can give you a sneak preview of how it looks on my lips:

(someone needs to exfoliate!)

It's a pretty color. It leans on the cool side for me, which isn't bad at all. It definitely brightens my face. I feel like I could wear this with a semi-smoky eye and still be daytime, work appropriate. 

My Final Assessment - I will report back after wearing for a full day. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they do not make my lips freak out. Also, not sure why this is $2 more than the regular glosses when it contains less than the original (.0.19 oz vs. 0.28oz) I have high hopes that it can live up to it's claim of long lasting power - it shoulders a large responsibility since I now consider the Larger Than Life Eye Liner my NOW go-to black eye liner.

Okay maybe I am placing too much responsibility on this product. After all, it's only lip gloss, right?

Bought by yours truly - Sephora online, $26USD/.019oz.

Mail Call!

I love receiving packages at work, especially when it has nothing to do with my job!

It's like Christmas:

I took advantage of the Sephora V.I.B. Members special hat box. I get to play with new goodies. I will be reviewing the items you see on the bottom - UD 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Liner - Smog, Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour - Khaki and NARS Larger than Life Lip Gloss - Place Vendome.

A Not So New Find...

Sometimes it's hard (on the wallet) to keep up with all the current collections and colors. Or sometimes the new, limited edition colors just don't move you in person like they did on other beauty blogs. While perusing the new collection you may wander into the permanent collection just to take a quick once around. If you slow down a bit to really look at the colors and the variety of products offered you may discover something that just may surprise you.

This is how I felt when I gave into the NARS Velvet Matte Pencil.

I normally walk away anything with the word MATTE attached to it favoring the glossy (lips) and dewy (foundation, skin). It wasn't that long ago that I opted for nothing short of unmovable products on my face, MATTE products. I screamed running from lip glosses. I didn't want my lipstick to go anywhere while drinking my third or fourth gin and tonic (I was only 23 at the time). It wasn't till I discovered the original Stila Lip Polishes that came in tiny metallic squeeze tubes that were reminiscent of 9th grade art class and you had to carry an accompanying brush that I began to fall into the abyss of lip gloss.

Plus, I have SUPER sensitive lips that dry up and itch with just the thought of wearing any lip products without any moisture.

I was reunited with a matte lip product at the last NARS makeover event at Saks a few months back. My Makeup Artist superstar applied the very nude Belle Du Jour with a generous (almost gloppy) layer of Moon Fleet on top. This look fantastic when paired with my super smoky eyes but I didn't see myself wearing Belle Du Jour more than once a month - on Date Night.

(Saks NARS Event Makeover)

Pretty yes, but the lips are a little too nude even for my standards.

So I turned to this perfect brown/pink shade that compliments my skin tone very nicely. It goes on smooth and with a surprising amount of slip. It then takes a moment to dry down and when it does, it is surprisingly comfortable. I should also note that I ALWAYS start with a layer of Kiehl's Lip Balm #1.

I like that I can wear this with both a smoky eye or with just a clean slash of liquid liner on my top lash line followed with many layers of black mascara. I love paring this with both a rose and/or peach blush and bronzer of course!

Here it is with my favorite pink grapefruit gloss, NARS Sweet Revenge layered on top.

My Final Assessment - How many more can I obtain before my lips reject them?

Bought by yours truly at my local Nordstrom - $24USD/sharper is NOT included.

PS. You can receive 20% off plus free 2-day shipping online with the code, NEWNARS - good till August 21st.

Beautiful on a Friday Afternoon (8/12/11)

I know that my blog is based on the material things that help me feel beautiful on the outside but what is it that truly makes me feel beautiful?

The love from my husband and daughter.

I came across this video and I haven't watched it in a long time. I am always almost close to tears by the end of it. It makes me think about the things my husband and I compromised to be with one another and I know we wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

And yes, "the pimp in me" died in him HA!

Plus, how gorgeous is Mary's peach gloss lips and blush? Ha, sorry I can't help but notice makeup where ever I go. Common, is always nice to look at, too!

Happy Friday to all and I hope you are going to do something pleasant this weekend!

Hocus Pocus

Hocus Pocus is the second shade I bought from MAC's Bloggers Obsession collection. This was created by Lianne Farbes, author of The Makeup Girl Blog. Lianne's mission was to create a dark sooty, grey shadow that would suit all and make for a killer smoky eye. I'd say she did a job well done! I am new to her blog - a fun and very informative blog.

You know I love a Smoky Eye so it should come to no surprise that I would own this shadow:

Here's a swatch on my NC42 arm:

It is described on the site as a dark, sooty grey with silver pearl. It actually looks more like a charcoal, brown with a golden sheen. This is a satin finish which worried me a bit - I don't have the best luck with the Satin finish but the color is so lovely that I figured it'd be worth a shot.

I tried it out just on top of my TFSI:

It looks a bit patchy, I know. I did pat this on with my MAC #239 shadow brush and I did add about three layers. I guess I need to blend it out better next time. This is usually what happens when I use MAC Satin finishes. I added MAC Soba to the crease and MAC Arena on my brow bone. I used MAC Fluidline liner in Blacktrack. I added Hocus Pocus to the bottom lash line and smudged it with my MAC #219 pencil brush.

Not too bad as a final look if I don't walk around with my lids half way open.


Then I decided to try it again but on top of Benefit's Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow/Liner Shadow in Birthday Suit (brushed chrome):

Pretty clean and simple in comparison to the first look. It does look a bit lighter and the cream shadow base does seem to help for an even application. I still had to pat a few layers of Hocus Pocus with my dense shadow brush.

I figured that if it looked great layered on top of Benefit's Birthday Suit cream shadow, what else could I layer it with?

NARS Soft Touch Shadow Pencil, Aigle Noir - Black infused with gold shimmer, MAC Hocus Pocus and then the third swatch is a mix of both products. I like the result - a dark charcoal with gold shimmer perfect for dancing with the girls or making googely eyes at my husband on DATE NIGHT! The next swatch is Benefit's Birthday Suit  and then a swatch of Hocus Pocus layered on top of - giving me a warmer taupey charcoal.

I think I like Hocus Pocus best when layered on top of cream shadows/shadow sticks than by itself.
Final Assessment - I will need to experiment more with this shadow. I am determined to get this to work. The color is just too lovely to keep on the shelf untouched!

Bought by yours truly online.
$14.50/USD

Larger Than Life: Long-Wear Eyeliner

First, it was about the Orgasms, this past summer we were yearned for Laguna and now we want to be LARGER THAN LIFE!

Sitting alongside the Larger Than Life Mascaras are the new Larger Than Life Eyeliners. They come in nine fabulous colors. I thought I purchase the black pencil, Via Veneto because it's usually a staple in everyone's makeup bag. I feel that if the black liner doesn't deliver then I become dubious of the rest of colors offered.

I am glad to report that I'm in love with this new eyeliner and I cannot wait to try the other colors. My current go-to black pencil was MAC's Power Kohl Liner in Feline. It's pitch dark black but it also smudges like a MoFo so I am constantly reapplying this to my lash lines and water lines.

I applied this look - MAC Woodwinked on my lid, Soba in the crease and Arena on my browbone (on top of TFSI) - around 6:15AM. This looked stayed in tact past my treadmill running session at 1:00PM. This new NARS liner glides on easy without any tugging or resistance. It goes on pretty opaque and does not budge once it sets. I was most impressed that even my waterline still looked pretty good - I just touched that area up a bit.

Another added bonus that I love about this pencil is that it swivels and it also comes with an attached sharpener (on the end of the pencil) so you can restore the original sharp tip. It's not as delicate as the Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof pencil. I think I broke most of the tip off than I actually used when I tried to sharpen it. It pisses me off thinking about it considering how much they cost - $29! I even like this better than my old favorite, MAC's Technakohl liner in Graphblack. Yes it's inexpensive, it swivels and doesn't require a sharpener but if you like having a fine tip to your  eye liner then this pencil would frustrate you. Also, Via Veneto goes on a whole lot darker in just one swipe. I would have to trace at least 2-3 times to get MAC Technakohl in Graphblack to look as dark (see arm swatch below).

Here's Via Veneto right between MAC Technakohl Liner in Graphblack and UD 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Oil Slick. It looks like a strip of black leather between these two liners.

I got geeky and timed all three pencils to see which one set the quickest. Via Veneto did win with a drying time of a minute and ten seconds. Next was Graphblack -one minute and thirty-four seconds and surprisingly, the UD pencil took almost two minutes to set.

My Final Assessment - I'm trying to decide which color I will buy next! There is also the Larger Than Life Lip Gloss, a Sephora exclusive. I am eagerly waiting for my next mail haul to test that baby out!

This was purchased by yours truly at Sephora in JCPenny's, $23USD. Also available online.

Jealousy Wakes

I was so happy to receive an email from the MAC site (who isn't?) letting me know that they now had more stock of the eye shadows in their recent Bloggers Obsession exclusive online collection. This was my chance to pick up two that I had my eye on - Jealousy Wakes and Hocus Pocus.

Today, I will just feature an eye look I did with Jealousy Wakes.

This awesome emerald green shadow was created by the lovely Christine at Temptalia. I learned about her blog the same time I discovered the always adorable, Karen at Makeup and Beauty Blog. Christine describes it as an emerald with teal and gold pearl. She also introduced me to a world of color and helped me break my neutral palette uniform. I now have a love for teal eye pencils and colorful shadows because of her!

Her shadow has a veluxe pearl finish, which is my favorite finish (as far as MAC shadows are concerned) because it goes on buttery smooth and it's easy to blend.

Here it is on my arm (NC42/LM Tinted Moisturizer - Caramel)

and with flash:

It leans more on the teal side on my skin. I like this shade as it is a very unique green shadow in my collection. I'm more of an olive or khaki green gal. I don't own too many bright greens because I was never really drawn to it but Christine has made me appreciate it's beauty over the years of seeing her use this shade fearlessly!

And here's a look I did with it:

Unfortunately, I felt like it went on a bit patchy on top of my TFSI so I dampened my shadow brush (MAC #239) and packed on a bit more to even out any patchy areas. I added a neutral taupe brown, Coquette in my crease for a bit of warmth and I used a light, champagne gold shimmer - Femme Fi. I kept the liner simple - MAC's Fluid liner in Blacktrack.

I got compliments from my husband and my coworkers.

I am planning to experiment with this color and perhaps see how it would work as a liner if I added a mixing medium to it.

In all honesty, I bought this shadow in respect to Christine and for all the hard work she has put into her blog. She is one of the bloggers in the Beauty Blogging world that pushes me to try harder and really experiment with products I would have otherwise walked away from.  Lucky for me, this is a color that stands out in my collection - it also helps that I only have two other green shades in my existing stash!

To check out the Blogger Obsessions collection, please click here. This is an exclusive online collection only.

Working girl

I've been one busy bee lately here at work so I'm behind chatting with you guys!

I will give you a sneak peek at my mini haul that arrived in my (work) mail box:

From the Bloggers Obsession, the exclusive online collection - MAC

L to R:
Hocus Pocus
Jealousy Wakes

On my NC 42 forearm

I am wearing Jealousy Wakes today and I do love it. I got compliments from my husband and co-workers. I'll give more details later as well as photographic proof!

For more info about the exclusive, online collection please click HERE.

July Discoveries

Hi there! I stayed home today - I lost the battle to the nasty cold bug. With a toddler in pre-school, I'm surprised that my family is not sick every other week. The cold kicked my ass over the weekend and I figure that I'd actually use a sick day because I'm actually sick!

I just quickly wanted to share my favorite items I discovered in July:

NARS single in Outremer/NARS Bright Lights, Big City Palette
Chanel Glossimer, Braise, #158, Chanel Illusion D'Ombre, Emervielle, Chanel Jouer Contrastes, Rose Tourbillon

The one stand out product for me has been the Chanel Illusion D'Ombre shadow - reviewed here. I find myself just using my finger instead of the enclosed brush. I think I just like the ease of using my fingers, especially if I take this with me to the gym on the weekends.

Another item that has become stirred up some buzz in editorials and the beauty blog world is NARS' single shadow from the FALL 2011 collection, Outremer. On the NARS site it is described as a bright, true blue.

Here it is on my arm (for reference, I'm a NC42):

I really like this color. This is not your typical Fall shade but NARS being NARS this color choice really doesn't surprise me. This is the only item from the collection that really wowed me. I've been wearing this solely as a liner as I did in this picture (sorry, to have to repeat this photo again).

It does come out darker on my eyes than it does on my arm as a swatch. That's fine with me - it just makes this bright shade wearable.

Another item I have featured that I haven't properly reviewed is the Chanel Glossimer - Braise, #158.

This has been reviewed many times in the Beauty Blog world so I won't go into too much detail. It's a lovely gloss if you aren't familiar with the Chanel Glossimers - on the thicker side, unscented and if it does have any shimmer it is finely milled that you do not feel any grittiness when the color wears off. This is one of my favorite brand of glosses, next to my beloved NARS glosses.

Braise is a lovely copper rose with fine golden glitter. I have been wearing this on it's own but once Autumn arrives I plan on using this on top of a darker lipstick or lip pencil. I have tried this on top of my deluxe sample sized Chanel Rouge Allure in Attitude, reviewed here. It's a lovely duo. Ugh, I knew I should have snapped a photo of that look. Sorry, folks....

And I just have to mention really quickly that I am still wondering why it took me this long to buy a Chanel blush. I think it may be due to the high price tag - $43/USD when I'm use to paying $27/USD for a NARS blush. However, if I don't have problems buying a lip gloss for $30 then what was my problem? Honestly, I still have a bit of reservation buying more Chanel blushes because of the price tag, so I'm holding out for colors that are really grabbing me like this.

I don't have to say too much about the NARS Nordstrom Anniversary palette, Bright Lights, Big City that hasn't already been said. I bought it because they consisted of NARS single shadows from the permanent collection and I didn't own any of these. I wasn't getting tired of the palettes that consisted of shadows that are originally sold as part of a duo and I had a few repeating shadows - black shade from the Pandora duo, for example. This is a very easy palette to use and it's something I can easily toss into my gym bag along with my Chanel cream shadow.

Because I was sick, doesn't mean I don't put any effort into looking nice. I did a very basic makeup look today. Nothing complicated and it didn't take any longer than 10mns to do.

Another plus to staying home sick - watching morning television. I caught Bobbi Brown on the Today show this morning and she gave makeup tips to ladies that wear glasses. She stressed a frame that doesn't cover your brows and wearing light shadows and eyeliner. I was hoping she was going to do a full on makeover on the real woman model but the woman was introduced already made over and she didn't go into much detail about the colors used, other than the shadow she used to darken the woman's brows, Mahogany. I'm still a sucker for morning makeovers and I love watching Bobbi give interviews.

Don't let this photo fool you - I am still wearing a hoodie and I just put on a pair of jeans so I can leave the house to pick up my daughter. I will put my sweat pants back on the moment I get back into the house!

I already have a few things planned out for August - going to order new liners from NARS and Urban Decay. Also, my Chanel counter connection, Ms. M, gave me the word that there'll be a new line of foundation later this month that will offer a bigger range of colors - FINALLY!!

Any new product launches you are eagerly awaiting for?