Make Up Bag Monday: Brit The Roommate

Its the first Monday of the month so that means it's not just Make Up Monday, but it's Make Up Bag Monday. You can't be have the Monday blues today, everyone should be well rested with an extra hour of sleep!

This month I enlisted the help of my room mate and made her dig out her make up bag, spill the contents and tell me about what's inside. She was less than enthusiastic but, as you can tell from her make up bag there isn't much in there.

She likes the True Match foundation from Loreal, rarely wears eyeliner (that's a NYC brow pencil) or eyeshadow (she says she only uses white sometimes, pictured is the Hard Candy eyeshadow duo).
When she wears mascara she switches between covergirl (shown here) or Maybelline's Plush Gel Mascara. One thing she does wears often besides foundation is lipstick.  Here she has Softlips, here favorite chap stick. There is also Love & Beauty from Forever 21 lip gloss, a generic red lipstick that is often her staple and a dark lipstick from MaryKay (she works as a P.A park time for a MaryKay Representative).
She always keeps a hair tie, hair clip and tweezers in her make up bag because she's a waitress and she never knows when she is going to need to pull her hair up.

That's it for this week's Make Up Bag Monday. Next week I'll be back with a regular Make Up Monday. It promises to be a fun one too since it's a tutorial! Can't tell you what I'll be teaching you because that would give it away. *bats eyelashes* ;)

What did you think of Brittany's Make Up?
Would you like to be featured as next months Make Up Bag Monday guest blogger?
Send me an e-mail saarrraaaaivy [at] gmail.com [dot] com

Make Up Monday: Yes To Cucumbers Make Up Remover

So last week I raved about Kat Von D's True Romance Pigments and this week I'm going to rave about the make up remover I have been using. It's called Yes To Cucumbers and it is part of a series of natural make up and skin products. They have Yes to Tomatoes for acne prone skin, Yes to Blueberries for anti-aging, Yes to Carrots for dry skin and then what I have been using Yes to Cucumbers for sensitive skin.

Unfortunately I have a combinations of all of these issues however I am solely reviewing the Hypoallergenic Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Facial Toweletts and boy do they remove make-up beautifully.
See below:

"Wipe that smile ON your face!" How cute.

Make Up Free Sara and it didn't make my eyes sting or water and
left my skin feeling refreshed, not dry and screaming for nightly moisturizer!

I tried these on a whim when I was shopping at Target and ever since I have been using them rather than the knock off exfoliating make up remover towelettes that I got from Walmart. I even turned Brittany on to them. She barely wears make up but every now and then she'll ask to borrow my mascara or ask if I have make up remover. Usually I tell her to spritz some of my brush cleaner onto a paper towel and apply conservatively but I had these and then a few weeks later I went  to get something out of her closet and saw these on the floor! I consider her converted and credit myself for the victory.

I especially love that these are natural products that are relatively inexpensive and contain ZERO parabens. That's huge for me because of my sensitive skin. Parabens are not bad parse but for most people they aren't good. There's a lot of debate on whether this preservative causes cancer or leads to hormonal imbalance (because it is said to mimic estrogen) and I already have the whole hormonal imbalance problem and I'm not trying to exacerbate it. So because of those two issues I try to stay away from them as much as possible. I'm moving towards more nature based products but as you've been able to gleam from week to week I'm not strict about it. I'm willing to try almost anything and see if it works. If it does then I'll keep using it but if it causes a problem I am upfront about it.

So, what have you been using as a make up remover lately?
Have you tried any new products that you love?
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Make Up Monday: Kat Von D Eye Pigment

This week's Make up Monday is a little late, sorry. I had a rough morning probably due to a rough weekend at Halloween Horror Nights, but I'll have more about that tomorrow. This week I want to share with you my new favorite eye product.

This is Kat Von D's True Romance Pigment in Meditation - Copper Rose Shimmer. I love it. It is a light pink that could be used as an every day eye shadow. I work in an office where my make up has to be very conservative and this is replacing the beige I usually use.

Here are some creepy eye close ups and you should be proud of me, I went and got my eyebrows waxed just for you. I hate my eyebrows, if I had the skill I'd draw them on & look like Jeffree Star all the time but I'm lazy with my brows so I'd be more Whoopi Goldberg:

Ick, nothing worse than seeing all your flaws in photoshop in super close up right? I suffer for my art -
C'est la vie.

 I think that my favorite thing about Kat Von D's True Romance Pigments is that unlike MAC pigments you do not need any primer or eyeshadow base to make them pop. I used my Smashbox Primer on my left eye and not on the right. When my eyes are close you can see a very subtle different but when my eyes are open you can't. So essentially you can go without using a primer and it makes your eyes feel lighter. I hate having to cake on layers of primer, foundation, eyeshadow, eye liner, mascara and I hate that it weighs them down so my eyes feel heavy. What's worse is taking all that make up off. Such a pain before bed. I just wanna sleep man!


Whats your favorite eye product? 

Make Up Monday: Violent Lips

Happy Monday everyone, hope that your weekend was exciting. Did any of you watch the Space Jump? That was so boring but exciting at the same time. Anyways, I wanted to share with you a special announcement on this Make Up Monday. I am officially an affiliate for Violent Lips!

Photo Credit: Violent Lips

Some Info About Violent Lips:

The ultimate form of self-expression, the Violent Lips Collection offers a statement-making line of Lip patterns that range from bold animal prints and fun polka dots, to sexy fishnets and picture-perfect Glitteratti sparkle.
This innovative line of Temporary Lip Appliqués will keep the print and color on your lips for up to 8 hours. Vitamin enhanced with a smooth feel and glossy finish, the appliqués are easy to apply to lips of all sizes.
Violent Lips was created by entertainment industry veteran Jeff Haddad and his daughters Isabella and Sophia. Violent Lips is a line of natural and vitamin enhanced temporary lip tattoos that stay put from the stage to the after-party. These FDA approved, vegan lip tattoos, are tested on supermodels, not animals and made in America. Learn More About Lip Tattoos From Violent Lips

I love products made in America, you know, being American and all but I also love that they are vegan products. Being a vegetarian that is huge for me. I don't need or want any product that is made by harming animals, especially animal testing. Since these are not lipstick you don't have to worry about them coming off on your cup or your date's cheek and they won't dry out your lips.

I love the different styles they have like cheetah, zebra, stripes, or cute little words. They have polka dots (obviously I got that one) and if you are feeling patriotic, maybe they have your countries flag? Check out their cute little dressing room app where you can try before you buy (see above). They don't have every applique available to try out but they have quite a few of the must haves.

HALLOWEEN– 20% OFF ANY ORDER WITH CODE HW2012 

Now they even have these available as eyeshadow. Can't figure out how to get the perfect Amy Winehouse like cat eye? No problem, just apply some Violent Eye's and you are good to go! They fit all eye types, are smudge proof, they last 16 hours and you get 8 in one pack so you spend $10 to wear them 4 times.

I am so thankful that Violent Lips and I are affiliates and am excited to see where this goes.

Which ones are you going to get?

Make Up Monday: Sephora's Eye Primer Pot

Happy Monday Ya'll! Ok, so maybe not Happy Monday. I had a rough night sleeping last night and I actually went to bed early instead of making soap like I wanted to although I worked a bit on packaging. Sue me.

(Photo: http://confessionsofahairstylist2009.blogspot.com/)

Anyways, have you ever gone out partying and woke up looking like a hot mess? Ok, of course not. How about an outdoor...whatever and found your really awesome eyeshadow turned out to be not so awesome a few hours later? Geez, am I the only one with beauty blunders around here? When my eyeshadow started creasing on me like in the above picture, which is not me as I do not have blonde hair or that fair of skin, someone recommended that I get an eyeshadow primer. So I did.

 

I went and bought some eye primer from my trusty Sephora and in the pot it was only $8. I had tried Tarina Tarantino's pearly primer and did not like it at all. It made my face feel super oily. So I tried it. The lovely salesperson that helped me never warned me about usage. If you have oily skin, it's not wise to use an eyeshadow primer on top of everything else. Layering increases your chance of creasing.

Instead you want to use a base. But no one warned me of this, so I ended up creasing for days and days.So I went out and got one of those this weekend and I will review that next week. Horray!

But if you want to use a primer there are tons to choose from. Urban Decay's eye primer get rave reviews but I didn't want to spend $18 on something I wasn't sure I'd like (yet that's what I spent on the product I ended up keeping). I've also heard Smashbox's Liquid Eye Primer is good and I know their foundation primer is good since I use that. Also, I was instructed not to put foundation on my eyes if I plan to layer up eye shadows as it also increases the chances of creasing. How awful.

That's it for this week's Make Up Monday. Come back next week for a review of MAC's Paint Pot.

What tips or tricks have you learned to avoid looking a hot mess?

Make Up Bag Monday: What's in Sara Ivy's Make Up Bag?

Hi guys, happy Monday to you all. Us 9-5er's are all grumpy because we have 4 more days until the weekend but that means that today is Make Up Monday! I'm starting a new series of Make Up Monday posts called "Make Up Bag Monday" where on the first of the month, I will share with you what's in my make up bag, or perhaps one of you would like to do a guest blog and share what's in your make up bag?

Since today is October 1st (yay halloween!) I'll be sharing what's in my make up bag:

Tons of stuff! This is what I carry around in my purse and it's surprisingly not that heavy. The bag itself is part of a 3 piece toiletry set from Chinese Laundry that I got at Marshall's for $10 when I was headed to California.

1. There are the usual supplies: travel perfume (Daisy by Marc Jacobs), foundation (by Sephora), Primer (Smashbox), Eyeshadow brush (NYX), Eyelash curler, Mascara (Maybeline's Mega Plush), Eyebrow powder (Maybeline), Blush (Love & Beauty by Forever 21).
2. Make Up Remover: While on the go I use MAC make-up remove q-tips. They are heavenly. They have one end shaped like your normal q-tip and then the other end has a pointy tip for getting into hard to reach places or for helping to erase small or fine errors. I typically need that for when I blink while applying liquid eyeliner. I love them but have an extremely hard time finding them now. They were given to me as a gift along with some other products and I have been hoarding them and using them only in extreme cases. At home I just quirt make up brush cleaner onto a q-tip. LOL.
3. Eyeliner - I have two.
   • GOSH - This stuff is ridiculous and I love it. A dutch company makes it and it is not available in the U.S to my knowledge. My friend Lor who lives in Canada had some in one of her 6 make up bags (she's a make up artist at a department store in Canada) and said it was so waterproof that sometimes make up remove can't get it off. We were going to a concert so that was perfect. I loved it so much she let me keep hers and sends me new ones for Christmas/Birthdays. I highly recommend it but as it is liquid and extremely hard to get off (I once wore it for 3 days) I only recommend this for people who know how to apply liquid eyeliner and feel very comfortable in applying it. I don't even recommend using the applicator it comes with. Use an eyeliner brush and apply liberally. I usually put on some kohl liner and trace the kohl liner with this stuff.
   • MAC - My staple waterproof eyeliner. I wear this stuff almost every day. If I'm not wearing my contacts I'll sometimes use my Sephora brand but that's rare. I love this stuff and only switched to it when my eyeliner pot from MAC ran out and they discontinued the color I was using.
4. Eyeshadow - I have three.
   
   • Brown from Victoria Secret. I love the glitter shimmer in it that is hypoallergenic. I'm not allergic but I typically hate glitter but this stuff is very nice, goes on well and when I take it off there is never any leftover glitter.
   • White Aspen  from Sephora. White Aspen I got as a birthday gift from Sephora forever ago and use as a highlighter.
   • Beige from Sephora The beige I bought and I wear almost every single day.
5. Lipgloss - I now have two, some you may recognize from my Lipstick's Article.
   
   • Smashbox Lipgloss in Protege that I love. It was given to me as a gift and is a discontinued color but I wear it daily. When it runs out I'm going to be bummed. There are a few shades similar available at Sephora but I haven't tried them yet.
   • Kat Von D's lipstain in Backstage Bambi. Hot pink lipstain that won't come off? Yes please! I wear this when I'm feeling bold. Or if it goes with my outfit.

What's in your Make Up Bag?

Make Up Monday: Make Up From Forever 21

GOOD MORNING GUYS. Happy Monday! This week for make up Monday I have a nice little treat for you... pictures of me!

Today I will be reviewing some make up from Forever 21. I was only slightly aware that they had make up for sale now but was not particularly interested in it. Well, until last week when I was in line buying a steal of a dress for $10 that fit me perfectly. As I was waiting in the ridiculously long line (because the store had just reopened after a remodel and was HUMONGOUS!) I looked down and saw the cute eyeshadow. I don't typically like to wear dark eyeshadow on the regular for fear of looking like Taylor Momsen and being mistaken for a raccoon. Then I saw the price and then the blush (because I *gasp* didn't own any blush) and then I couldn't help myself with the lipstick.

Make Up Monday: Marc Jacobs Dot Perfume

Hi guys, happy Make Up Monday! Hope you had a good weekend, mine was full of panic and crafting. Panic because my paycheck was not deposited on time so 3 of my bills were late (that does not make my happy) and crafting because of the panic. I like crafting. Gives me something to spend on my lonely days. I will be the crazy crafting cat lady. Like that alliteration? But I won't be smelling gross because of this lovely perfume that I will be adding to my collection.

Introducing Dot. Isn't that bottle cute? I'm pretty sure Mr. Jacobs designs the bottle before he designs the perfume. Each bottle always looks cuter than the last (see Daisy or Lola).
Now we all know I love two things; polka dots and skulls so if Mr. Jacobs ever makes a perfume with a skull on the bottle I will be a goner.

I love Marc Jacobs perfumes because they are light and airy. This one is a little bit more on the fruity side of things and I love that. I am more of a fruit than a floral or a musk and this actually has a full combo of those.
The notes cite that it contains red berries, dragon fruit, honeysuckle, jasmine, orange blossom, coconut water, vanilla, musk and driftwood. The vanilla, musk and driftwood (uh, what?) are for the more musk that settles after the initial spray and you cannot smell the coconut, vanilla or driftwood. At least I couldn't.

Dot also comes in a larger variety of sizes offering a teeny tiny 30ml bottle along with 50ml and 100ml bottles. The consensus seems to be that the tiniest bottle is the cutest and that the design of this bottle isn't a good as Daisy. Honestly, if the flowers on the bottles them self were missing that would even the playing field. I like the design but call me crazy, but I'm more interested in what comes in the bottle than the bottle itself. *shrugs*

I am excited to announce that a few more things have popped up in the way of Make Up Monday. Elf has released some Disney villain make up sets similar to the ones MAC did and they made one for my favorite of the Disney Villains - Maleficent (maybe to go with the movie?). They are at select Walgreens and I am on the hunt for all three (I posted the preview on Facebook) so if you spot them and want to send them to me - PLEASE DO!

I also picked up some make up from Forever 21 and am interested to see how these inexpensive eye shadows, lip sticks and blush hold up to some of its more pricey counterparts.

Anything in particular you'd like me to review? I'm very interested in your ideas and opinions!

Make Up Monday: Murad Oil-Control Mattifier with SPF 15

Good Morning everyone, for once I am actually straight to publish blogging today. I have been busy all weekend trying to perfect this DIY I am working on and ugh it is just not going well. :( So I had no time to do my make up Monday post this weekend but trying out my product was easy enough. Let's get to it shall we?

Last month on my birthday post, I showed you what I got from sephora. I was given some samples in my bag and have fallen in love with the Murad Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15. It works wonders for my skin. It feels like Ivory's. That's right kids, it feels like a god damn baby's bottom and that NEVER has been the case with my skin. You want your moisturizer to have some kind of SPF because those UV rays are killer.


Here's some product info from Murad's website:

Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15 reduces shine on contact and keeps skin free of excess oil for up to for 8 hours.* Oil-Control Complex helps regulate oil production while preserving moisture to provide a long-lasting matte finish.
 
Additional features and ingredients:

• •Willow Bark Extract helps manage breakouts and clears skin of impurities
• •Argan Extract reveals smoother, softer skin
• •Provides UVA/UVB protection

*Individual results will vary. Study results on file.

Now a lot of people may think that just because your skin is oily that you shouldn't put so much product on. This is true but let me assure you that I don't pile on the product. I barely wear foundation most days and if I do plan to wear foundation then I don't use this. I have put this in as my daily moisturizer. If I plan to wear foundation then I use my Smashbox foundation primer because it has an oil control and SPF in it.

Whenever you clean your face you are riding it of ALL oil, including the good oils needed to moisturize your skin. You need to put those back on otherwise your skin will go into over drive to produce more oils than it needs (which if you're like me with oily skin, then that's already happening) and that's going to promote more acne and bad skin. So the moisturizer puts in all the things you skin needs to be healthy that your cleanser took away. Cleaning your face is about finding a balance and everyone's is different. Which is why Murad has a multitude of products for every skin type. Whether you need a little anti-aging (I'm almost there) or sun protection for all our athletes who are out in the sun all day to the ones who don't want a lot of fuss and would rather their products do their work at night. Murad has it all.

My only concern is the price tag. When  I consulted the skin-care specialist at my local Sephora about this product because I wanted more (Yes please!) she let me know that it would last me at least 3 months if I did not over use it. So for as much product as you get 1.7 oz for $40? If it lasts the three months then that's about $13 a month on moisturizer and that's not a bad deal at all. Besides, look at the review, it was given 4.7 stars out of 5 for a reason!

Make Up Monday: Urban Decay De Slick

Urban Decay's De Slick oil-control make up setting spray is one of the many things you can receive in a trial size as a 100 point item from your Beauty Insider rewards program at Sephora.

I used this to help prevent my make up from becoming disgusting with my oily skin and also to keep my make up from running when I was at my grandpa's funeral. I knew I was going to cry but I didn't want to look like it. On top of everything I wore being water proof I sprayed this just before I put on my foundation and then you spray it again after you've finished everything.

You don't have to lay it on this and you want to hold it as far away from your face as possible. In fact, I sprayed it up in the air and then walked under it while I tilted my face up. Make sure your eyes are closed. Just like hair spray or any other spray (unless your spray bottle contains pure water) you do not want to get it into your eyes. If this happens you will have to flush your eyes and it will ruin all of your hard work.

This worked like a charm because I was streak-free the whole day. No Benji Tears* for me. In fact I kind of wish that I had it for this day:

Really cool picture but I'm pretty sure this was from my last break up. I have no idea why I took a picture of myself like this. I look back on it now and I'm wondering what the hell I was thinking.

Anyways, Urban Decay makes one for every skin type: Normal, Oily and Dry. There is also another that is a moisturizer with SPF:

I am pretty excited these came out. I have used MAC's setting spray and loved it but it was just too expensive. Since these are available in a travel size it is a lot easier to take around with you and far more affordable.

Do you use a setting spray? What kind do you use? Do you like it?

Make Up Monday: Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light

Today's Make Up Monday comes from part of my birthday haul. I have been using Smashbox's Photo Finish foundation primer (in Light) because my foundation kept going on extremely clumpy and powdery no matter what I did.

I tried using liquid first then powder and I hated how it felt heavy. I don't like to wear a lot of product. I actually very rarely put foundation on but for special occasions I will. So I have been wanting to try the photo finish primer for some time. The associate at Sephora named Jennifer recommended for oily skin that I get the photo finish in light rather than the regular photo finish or the one with SPF in it because this one is oil free and would not clog my pores. So I tried it.

At first I was not too impressed. My skin felt oily at first and then at the end of the day my make up didn't look as fresh as I would have liked it but you couldn't tell I was wearing foundation! So I tried it again but used less. Two teeny dobs that I spread around rather than one on my chin, nose, cheeks and forehead. LESS IS MORE! I also didn't put it on on top of my moisturizer like I had the day before and that helped tremendously. 

They have several different types of the foundation primer to coordinate with your skin and with your purpose but I have definitely noticed a difference and will be adding this to my "reorder" shopping list. I also tried Tarina Tarantino all over primer and did not like it. It had a pearl tint to it that I didn't like and it was super oily and make my make up clump into lines.


What type of foundation primer do you use? Or do you even use primer?

Make Up Monday: Sephora Birthday Haul

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! 

Yes, today is my actual birthday. As of 06:34 AM CST (that's what time I was born & I was born in Omaha Neb) I'm a lovely 24 years old. Not quite an antique and can still say I'm in my early 20's. This also means the birthday week madness is coming to a close. :(

I still wanted to keep a whole make up scheme for today so this is what I bought myself for my birthday. This photo is entitled What $150 will get you at Sephora. Keep in mind that everything to the right of the pink lip gloss was free. You can see my lovely Sephora Beauty Insider Birthday gift at the top. So what I got from left to right:

• Daisy by Marc Jacobs
• Sephora foundation
• Brush Cleaner
• Smashbox Photo finish primer (so eager to review this)
• Kat Von D in Backstage Barbie
• Fresh mini lip treatment duo
• Urban Decay De Slick make up setting spray (so eager to review this too)
• Murad Oil Mattifer with SPF 15 - In love with this stuff.
• The Body Shop Tea Tree Facial Wash - Brit stole this from me.

No review this Monday, just a cute little overview of my birthday goodies.

Make Up Monday: Sugar Lip Treatment by Fresh

So for today's Make Up Monday I figured since it's the beginning of my birthday week why not get started with what Sephora gave me for my birthday? Their gift for 2012 are these adorable Mini Lip duo by Fresh.

 

The one on the left is their plain Mini Sugar Lip treatment with SPF 15. It goes on clear but is not sticky or heavy. A lot of people put their facial moisturizer on their lips but if you don't and you are not a big fan of color then these are the way to go.

The one on the right is the Mini Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment with SPF 15.  The rose is a very light pink tint that is barely noticeable in color but it is more glossy than the clear version. It too is not sticky or heavy like most lip gloss tend to be.

There are a few bonuses to these mini's in addition to being free gifts.

• They have the SPF protection that will help with sun damage to your beautiful pout
• They moisturize your lips and help keep them hydrated. That helps keep chapped lips at bay.
• The tint is very subtle so if you are not a big fan of color then this is an excellent way to introduce color to your palate. People won't be so shell-shocked when you stroll in wearing bright pink lipstick!
• Natural ingredients! The ingredients list is free from parabens, synthetic dyes, petroleum, etc. For anyone who is very strict about what they put on or into their body, this is better than regular old chap stick.

The one drawback for this product is that the full size is $22.50 and you only get 0.15oz.

I'm not too impressed with this product but when I get two .08oz products for free and the full size is $22.50 I can't complain. It's not something I've fallen in love with and have to have unlike another free sample I was given that I'll be reviewing next week after I've had more opportunities to use it!

P.S: I am testing out some photoshop actions and I thought these looked nice. You like?

Make-Up Monday: Maybelline’s Mega Plush Volum' Mascara

This Monday I'm moving back to my eyeballs because I love them so and because I've been dying to try this mascara since I first saw the commercials and every time I remembered to pick it up it was SOLD OUT. Well, one time they had it in brown but who wears brown mascara anyways?

So I have my Lash Plumper Mascara By Sephora that I love and raved about a few weeks ago. But I also said I sometimes switch to Maybelline's Colossal Volum' Mascara (the yellow one) for shits and giggles. It is true, I'm not 100% sold on everything in the Sephora brand. I have a few things of theirs I don't like (eye primer in the pot or the kohl pencil liners) but for the most part I'm heavily stocked in their brand. Plus, Maybelline's  mascara's are waterproof and my Sephora mascara isn't. If you wear contacts you need waterproof make up. Otherwise it will get in your eye, under your contacts and cause a bunch of problems such as conjunctivitis, red watery eyes and if you wear your contacts while your eyes are irritated you risk damaging your eyes and losing your eyesight (extremely serious & negligent cases). I used to work for an optometrist, can't you tell? Enough lectures on proper eye care and back to the make up. Now I've seen the commercial for this product and I wanted to try it. So I did and look at the result:

On first use I was impressed. It feels feathery light on my lashes and the wand itself isn't very heavy. The mascara was not clumped onto the brush itself nor the tip, which for most mascaras I have to scrape off excess product back into the barrel.  It then clumps around the edges and I have to use a q-tip to clean it all out. Not that I will gripe about it but that was a hidden little gem I added to my "Pros" column. There was an adjustment period however, because I tend to be a little harsh with my application. The wand is flexible and bends, so I had to be a little bit more harsh with my application and I was actually terrified I'd poke my eye out or end up stabbing myself in the brow.

Now, others have complained about oil. I have terrible skin, I really should take better care of it but that complex and I like things simple. Whatever. But my skin is extremely oily and some of my friends who have bought this have said that when they wore it, it smudged after a few hours. I put it on at about 9:30-10 AM and after an hour there was no smudging evident. I don't do much outdoors as a receptionist and the office stays at a lovely 73 degrees, so most days I'm wearing a jacket. However, I wore it all day, went shopping and it did not smudge until I used make up remover to take it off.

Before and After:

Minus the super creepy pictures and my horribly uneven skin tone I think the mascara looks lovely and I can't wait to play around a little more with it. This was just my "Daily Grind Look" a.k.a what I wear to work. I have not tried it out with any extreme make up use or under any extreme conditions (such as indoor concert or outdoor festivals). If anything changes I will edit my review to reflect that.

Have you tried any make up lately that you love? Anything that you've hated?

Make-Up Monday: Maybelline's 14 Hour Lipstick

So I don't usually buy lipstick and not without a heavy recommendation from a trusted friend but I actually did. I spent about $7 and bought Maybelline's 14 Hour Lipstick because I want something as good as the Kat Von D lipstain I have that I raved about in last week's Make Up Monday but in a bright pink - Kat Von D must be allergic to pink because I couldn't find one in her brand.

Maybelline's 14 hour lipstick however? I will not be purchasing it again. I bought the lipstick in the shade "Eternal Rose" and after my inital blot, which didn't take off a whole lot, I thought I would be in good shape. I put it on at 10 am Saturday and set an alarm in my phone to check my lipstick at 11 AM, 4PM and then I figured I'd check it out before bed. I kissed my hand at 11 am and there was a giant kiss imprint on my hand! Normally I'd be like "aww cute" but not this time. A lipstick that is supposed to last 14 hours can't even go one?

So I waited a little bit longer and then at 4 pm ended up reapplying the lipstick because even though it held great to my bottom lip, it was almost completely gone from my top lip. I kept checking and even though it came off on my food it actually held up great after that. I decided to wear it again yesterday but did not have much luck with it staying on still. I love the vibrancy of the color at first but am not impressed with its staying power. I suppose I'll just protest Kat to come up with a pink I like.

[EDIT] I went back to Sephora and guess what I found? That's right, Kat Von D does have a bright pink. Two of them in fact. One called Jeffree and another called Manic Barbie. I bought the Barbie and can't wait to review it.

Make Up Monday: Lips

There are two things that I love about my face and that is it. Those two things are my lips and my eyes. Last week's "Make Up Monday" I talked about what Mascara I wear so I have talked about my eyes. Now I want to move onto my lips. I pretty much rock a steady stream of chapstick but for special occasions I have a few lip products that I love.

Red: My go to red is  "Kat Von D Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick" in Outlaw ($19). Pictured above on the far right. I went in and asked for a red lipstick that would not come off. Now this is more of a stain than a gloss or a lipstick. True to form it stays extremely well. There is, as with all lip color, some excess that comes off but the color is extremely vibrant and did last through a night of intoxication.

Now I also have a gloss from Kat Von D called Rocker, which is next to my red. I got it at Sephora on clearance because it was discontinued. I think it was $9 a piece and I bought 3 tubes of it. When I want just a tinge of color in a gloss I use that. It's fabulous. It doesn't have the staying power of the stain but it will do what I like.

When I am feeling a nice vibrant shade of eye shadow and need to tone down on my lips I use my Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Protege, a shade they unfortunately no longer make (Pictured horizontal above all my other lipsticks). I received this as a gift when I worked at Buzznet along with some other products but on Sephora.com it is $18. I absolutely love this. I was never a lip person until I received this. Sure, I'd wear lipstick to take pictures in but it was rare. This I wear almost daily because it goes with everything, isn't dramatic and gives a nice gloss that doesn't make you smack your lips every five seconds. It's not gooey and if you lick your lips it doesn't taste like caca either. Always a good thing. I actually applied some of this while writing this out because it was sitting in front of me and like I said, I love it.

Once upon a birthday (according to my purchase history) I bought a pink lipstick from the Sephora Collection called Lip Attitude in  Glamour for $5. Obviously it was on clearance or discontinued or something. Their lipsticks are usually$12. Anyways it's very creamy and if I didn't know the name of the shade I'd call it Barbie Jeep Pink because that's what it looks like. I enjoy wearing this with just black eyeliner and nothing fancy. It doesn't stay well and has to be reapplied constantly but for picture's it is nice right?

Now the last thing in my arsenal of lip adornments was an impulse buy that I was talked into by the associate at the make up counter in Macy's. I was looking into getting some eye primer and ended up leaving with lip stain? I have no idea. I remember the girl was wearing it in red and I wanted something hot pink to go with the steal of a dress I found in the clearance section. She recommended me Urban Decay's  Lip Envy Lip Stain ($17). The shade I have is called Envious & they only make it in two shades. The one I purchased and another called Greedy that is more of a red. I knew I needed something long lasting and the girl said this would last and look good with another color over it. I have actually used this under my Kat Von D lip gloss in Rocker and made an interesting shade. I have tried wearing it solo and the results are not good but that was because I wore chapstick under it, so it wasn't able to grab my lips completely. I also put it on in multiple coats and that made things messy. I'm not a big fan of it but I wear it occasionally.

I have a few other products that sit in my make up bin that are for my lips but nothing noteworthy like these products. I'm actually very excited after taking a trip to sephora last week. I have some awesome reviews lined up for products I always wanted to buy but couldn't or didn't for whatever reason.

Make-Up Monday: Lash Plumper Mascara by Sephora

So every once in a while I want to do a product review. Last year I wrote  "Product Review: Lash Plumper Mascara By Sephora" for a website I worked for called Buzznet.com. I want to repost that on here to kick off part of my new series of blog posts; Make Up Monday. I'm a big fan of alliterations and there used to be this little event I partook in call "no make up monday" and that was basically about natural beauty and not needing make up to feel good about yourself. Well, I like make up. Yes, I do feel more comfortable with a layer of eyeliner and mascara on but I feel just as well without it.



Speaking of mascara, let's get back to the topic at hand shall we? The pretty package on the left hand side is what I received for my birthday from Sephora. See, if you sign up as a beauty insider and give them your birthday you'll get an e-mail and for the entire month of your birth (mine is coming up next month) you will get a free gift. The one pictured is the one I got in 2010. Last year I got birthday cake scented shampoo/body wash. I wasn't a big fan. This year it is the Fresh Sugar Kisses Mini Lip Duo, and is supposed to be really good. I'll review it when I get mine next month and let you know.

I still have the eyeshadow in shade Aspen Summit and the mini eye liner in shade Silver Green. The eye shadow I keep in my travel bag to use as a highlight because it is so tiny. I didn't like the eyeliner and rarely use it. I'm not even sure if I have it anymore. What I loved was the mascara.

As I stated in my original article I love the mascara and have tried many different ones. I keep coming back to this though. It isn't waterproof and as a contact wearer I need waterproof make up. While browsing around on my Sephora beauty insider account it shows what you've purchased and where. I've purchased this mascara three times since I received it as a sample in 2010. I just keep going back to it. I go onto something else, for example I tried the "Stila: Forever your Curl Curl Mascara" and hated it. It smelt like chemicals and didn't actually make me feel like my eyelashes curled anymore than usual.

From my previous article last year:

I have tried several other kinds of mascaras such as Maybelline "The Colossal Volum' Express"  & "The Falsies" Mascara (both $8 drugstores), NYC brand mascara ($3 newyorkcolor.com & drugstores), Hard Candy Curl Up and Dye Mascara ($6 Walmart.com& Walmart stores) and then I tried what my mom wears Maybelline "Great Eye Lash" ($6 drugstores).

All of them were lacking or clumped. The Falsies is actually supposed to come on really thick but it felt like I was wearing dumbbells on my eyelashes and physically hurt to take off with my make up remover. The Volum' Express wasn't bad and is what I was using for the last month or so but if you put too much on (which was easy to do) you would need to use a lash comb.

So as you can see I've kind of run the gauntlet of mascaras. My friend needed a recommendation for mascara awhile ago and I recommended this to her. I believe she went with a Dior brand of mascara and I'm actually going to buy some different types of mascara to see if there is anything new out there that might steal me away but it is doubtful.