May 2009 Favs

I thought I'd do a quick post of some of my current beauty favs.  Some of these are old favorites; some are new finds.

1.  L'Oreal Everpure shampoo, conditioner, and deep conditioning treatment/restorative mask.  This is a sulfate-free formulation.  So it's great for processed, color treated hair.  The deep conditioner is, IMO, comparable to the Fakkai deep conditioning treatment at about 1/3 of the cost.

2.  Revlon Colorstay liquid foundation.  I'm picky about foundation, and it's hard to find a shade that works for me--most are too yellow-ish.  But I love the Revlon Colorstay.  They have different formulations for normal / dry and oily skin.  And it really does last all day.  Lately, I switch it up with the MAC mineralize skin finish natural, which is a great mineral foundation, or sometimes I use a quick dusting of the MAC over the Revlon as a setting powder.

3.  The Coastal Scents contour pallette.  The brown contour shade in this pallette is really dark, and I'm really fair.  And yet, it so works for me.  I use just a tiny bit and really buff / blend it in.  Love it.  Gives the illusion of cheekbones.

4.  MAC's Stars N Rockets eyeshadow.  This is a pinky-purple shade with just the right amount of shimmer.   I know that bright eyeshadows are not for everyone, but I LOVE them.  This is one of my favorites.

5.  Neutrogena Build-a-Tan.  This is a lotion-type self tanner.  And you do kinda have to be careful not to miss any spots.  But the color is natural, not to orange-y, like some self tanners I've tried.

6.  Lush Rock Star soap.  I love, love, love the candy scent of this stuff.   

7.  MAC powder blush in Well Dressed.  I've used this product in Pink Swoon for years.  But recently, I've switched to Well Dressed, which is a more grown-up pink.  I like it--very natural.

8.  Crest Healthy Radiance teeth whitening system.  The set I have includes daily whitening paste and weekly deep cleaning strips.  I'm oddly obsessed with the shade of my teeth.  And this set works incredibly well for the low cost. I'm sold.

LT Creates Jewelry on Etsy

Ok, so I wanted to give a little "shout out" to LT Creates Jewelry on Etsy.  Etsy.com , as you may know, is a web site where individuals sell their hand made wares (or sometimes, just craft supplies).  I think it's such a fab web site, and I love looking at what people are making.  However, I've only ordered anything once or twice.  But there's this great vendor who makes and sells jewelry from vintage silver-plated flatware.  Her work is really, really nice in my opinion.  After C. got a spoon watch from LT, I was ready to go ahead an place my order.  I got a spoon watch and matching spoon bracelet.  You can see a pic of the watch above.  The bracelet I got is identical, except that instead of the watch face, it has a turquoise bead.  I love both pieces, but if I had to pick one, I'd probably say that I actually like the bracelet best.  The pictures here and on Etsy really don't do the pieces justice--they are much prettier in person.  You send LT your wrist measurement, and she custom sizes them.  And I just love, love, love that this is vintage 1940s silverware that's been repurposed; that idea really appeals to me.  I ordered online and had the pieces in hand in less than a week.  And I think the prices are quite reasonable.  The only drawback IMO is that they are both somewhat difficult to clasp.  The clasp is large, and I'm sure that the piece is secure while one is wearing it, but it's a bit difficult to negoiate.

I Recommend. . .

China Glaze nail polish.  For the last couple months, I've been really into my nails.  This is somewhat unusual for me.  And I think there are a couple of reasons that I'm really taken with doing my nails.  One of the reasons is the Sally Hanson quick dry oil drops that I've reviewed before.  This product allows you to do multiple coats and still have an entirely reasonable drying time.  But the other reason that I suddenly want to do my nails is China Glaze.

So my big gripe was always that I'd do my nails and even if I could manage to allow them to dry without some catastrophe, the look would only last, maybe, 36 hours.  But China Glaze has changed that.  Using their polish and their Fast Forward Top Coat, I can stretch my home made manicure out to nearly a week.  For me anyway, China Glaze really lasts.  I normally do my nails on a Sunday afternoon and wear the polish all week, applying a coat the Fast Forward every other day or so, until Saturday, when I remove the polish and give my nails 24 hours to "breathe" before my next manicure.  Here's what I've been doing lately:  I apply two coats of OPI's Nail Envy, allowing maybe 2 minutes between coats.  Next, I apply 2 (or maybe 3) coats of China Glaze color, again allowing a tiny bit of dry time between coats.  Then, I apply a single coat of the Fast Forward.  I wait 2 minutes, then use the Sally Hanson quick dry drops.  The package says nails will be totally, totally dry and hardened in 10 minutes; I generally read or watch TV for 20 minutes just to give extra dry time.  The next morning, I apply either another coat of the Fast Forward or of the Nail Envy (both are quick dry products) and an additional coat of Fast Forward every other day, or whenever I think of it.  With this method, I can go a full 6 days with very few chips.

China Glaze also has a super-duper selection of colors, whith many glittery and shimmery options--these are my favorite.  At Sally's Beauty Supply, the regular price is $5.99 for most shades, but if you are a member of their Beauty Club, they are only $3.29, which is a good deal.  (I should add that the Beauty Club membership costs $5 per year, but you get a $5 off coupon).  Through the month of April, Sally's is offering buy two (even at $3.29) and get one free on all nail polishes.  This is a pretty cost-effective way to go, especially considering what a manicure in the salon costs and what other higher-end (OPI, Orly) nail polishes can run.  I've also ordered China Glaze products from Eighty Eight Beauty Supply; their prices are good, but they only send you a total that includes shipping days AFTER you've placed the order.  I'm considering ordering from Trans Design Inc.; they have good prices and a better selection of colors than is carried in my local Sally's store.

Beauty Multi-Tasker: Olive Oil

I've been meaning to post this for a while, but am only just getting to it (obviously!).  My favorite top-secret-Ninja beauty item is (wait for it) OLIVE OIL!  Seriously.  When it comes to cooking, I'm on board with the whole Rachael Ray, dump-in-some-EVOO approach.  And I've discovered recently that the EVOO is the secret to the perfect calzone, but that's another post.  So olive oil (and I use the same grade that I use in the kitchen, although I've started buying a separate bottle for the bathroom) is a great beauty product as well.  Here a just a few ways I regularly use the EVOO:  My most favorite EVOO use is as a scalp / hair preshampoo moisturising treatment.  As I've said before, I have ongoing issues with dry skin, especially in the New England winter.  And my scalp gets so dry and tight and itchy.  So I massage a couple tablespoons of EVOO into my scalp, comb it through my hair, and wait anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours and shampoo normally.  This totally helps.  And for me anyway, it doesn't leave my hair all oily feeling, like one might expect.  I use pretty high quality shampoo and conditioner, and I've started using the Fekkai weekly protien hair mask.  And yet, all of this is sometimes not quite enough.  And I reach for the EVOO.  It's certainly less expensive than fancy hair treatments.  I've not done it, but I'd imagine that one could heat it a bit in the microwave for a more relaxing scalp massage, then wrap one's head in plastic wrap to hold in the heat.  This may allow the oil to penetrate even more--I'm not sure.  But it would be like the VO5 hot oil treatments I used to use in the early 90s.

Olive Oil is also a great cuticle treatment / mositurizer.  I have to say that I didn't think up this one by myself.  But I sometimes pour a little EVOO into a shallow dish and dip my finger in and massage a bit on the cuticles.  I'm not sure that it's necessarily better than other cuticle products (I'm partial to the Burt's Bees cuticle cream and also to the OPI Avoplex treatment), but it is, again, cost effective.  I guess that the big "con" is that it's not as portable as other products designed specifically for cuticles.

My new favorite use of EVOO is as an eye makeup remover.  I take a cotton ball (or cotton wool, when I'm Engllish) and dispense a small amount from the bottle right onto my cotton ball.  Then I gently massage it across the eye area.  For the most part, it works just as well as commercial eye makeup removers (and I do use the MAC eye makeup remover occasionally), but EVOO has the added benefit of really moisturizing the eye area.  I have dry skin anyway and could certainly use the extra moisturizing benefits.  Oddly, EVOO does not seem to dissolve mascara as well as some products designed specifically for makeup removal.  But I can live with that.  I mean, I'm going to cleanse my face as well, either before or after the EVOO, so the cleanser and water will take care of any remnants. 

So I know that EVOO is good for your insides in that it provides Omega-3s and is supposed to be an anti-oxidant and all that.  I'm not a scientist (although I am a doctor!  Hee hee), but I would speculate that EVOO may also be good or your outsides, your skin in some of the same ways--I mean, it seems reasonable that it might fight free radicals on the skin too.  Just a thought.

January Favourites

I meant to work on this post a couple of weeks ago.  It should have gone up at the end of January.  I guess better late than never.  Anyway, here's a round-up of products that I've been using and enjoying lately.

1.  Neutrogena Body Oil.  OK, so the winter has been exceptionally cold, although I suppose that Vermont winters are never pleasant.  If I'm not careful, my skin, especially on my legs, gets painfully dry.  Then, I tend to scratch in my sleep and wake up with little scabs all over my shins.  It's terrible.  But slapping on this stuff after the shower, combined with a moisturizing cream (see #2 below), makes all the difference.

2.  Neutrogena Deep Moisture Body Cream.  Plain, watery lotion just doesn't cut it.  I need a thick moisturizing cream.  I've been using this one in butter cream scent, although their lavender also smells divine.  This product helps make the winter bearable.

3.  OPI Nail Envy.  I've been meaning to post a review of this one.  It's a quick-drying, strengthening nail fortifier, strengthener thing.  And it really works.  My nails are longer than usual but still feel very strong, not at all like they'll break any time. 

4.  MAC lipstick in All's Fair.  This is a limited edition lipstick from MAC.  And let me say this:  I'm not real big on the nude lip trend.  Also, eventhough everyone seems to be going in for gloss these days, I still prefer an old-fashioned lipstick.  All's Fair is this beautiful pink, a blue-pink, nowhere close to coral.  It has this gorgeous lustre finish, and I love it.

5.  My other favorite MAC product right now is their natural mineralized skin finish--I use "fair."  This is a pressed, mineral make-up.  I've been using it as my foundation.  It's quick and easy to apply, and I feel like the finish is natural looking, but it's just enough to cover what I want covered.  For the last couple years, I'd been using the Bare Escentuals foundation, and I like it.  But I think I like this one better--certainly the MAC applies easier and is less messy to use.

6.  Loreal beauty tubes mascara.  I've reviewed that below--it's superfab.

7.  My other current favorite is the Coastal Scents 26 Shadow Blush Combo Palette.  First, let me say that Coastal Scents has wonderful stuff.  The quality of their eyeshadows and blushes is quite high, almost comparable to MAC.  But their prices are really, really reasonable.  In this palette, you get 21 eyeshadows and 5 blushes; the size of the pans is quite large.  And the entire thing is only $21.95.  That's quite a value, considering that MAC eyeshadows are over $14.00 for a single pan of shadow (maybe only like $11.00 if you buy just the pot with no extra packaging).  Still, I'm convinced that Coastal Scents offers the best bang for your buck in the world of cosmetics.  This particular palette is a nice variety of coral, plummy, and taupy shades--not boring old neutrals but nothing too crazy.  I really kind of love it lately.

8.  La Vanilla's Vanilla Grapefruit perfume.  This smells wonderful.  Not too sweet, not too floral.

House of Elliot

I've been watching the British TV series The House of Elliot, and it's quite wonderful.  There are many, many reasons why I like it, but I think that the thing I maybe like most is the period-piece-ness of the thing.  It's set in the 1920s, the "flapper" era, and the clothes and hair styles are just fabulous.  I'm dying for a 20s inspired hair cut.  And they wear the best hats and headpieces EVER.  I wish I could find better pics to share; there's not an abundance of info about the series on the net, apparently.  But I'm feeling so like I want 20s inpsired fashion. 

Why I Won't Use NARS Products

Ok, so apparently NARS makes the best blush ever.  It's supposed to be "universally flattering," and it's one of Sephora's best-selling products.  But the shade is called Orgasm.  I just can't do it; I can't use blush in a shade called Orgasm.  But NARS doesn't stop there; no indeed.  There's a sort of spin-off, a glittery form of Orgasm, called Super Orgasm.  Now these shades are kinda peachy-pink, and I don't really do the whole peachy thing, so I guess I wouldn't buy them anyway.  I'm more a pink blush kind of gal.  But by far the worst, IMO, is the shade called Deep Throat.  There's no way I could bring myself to use any of these shades; the names are just too icky.  Call me a prude, but I'll stick with MAC's Pink Swoon, a favourite of mine.

Vendor Review: 88 Beauty Supply

Recently, I ordered some nail products from 88 Beauty Supply.  I believe that they also have a brick and mortar store in NYC.  There are a few things I want to say about 88.  First and foremost, they have really, really good prices on higher end nail products.  I ordered several China Glaze polishes.  They were mostly $2.68 each; at Sally Beauty Supply, the same product starts at 5.99.  In fact, recently Sally's was having a Buy 2, Get 1 sale on China Glaze--88 still has the better price.  88 also sels OPI products.  OPI polishes are around 4.50--I think I saw them for 8.00 at K-Mart the other day.  Clearly, 88 has really good prices.  They also have a hugh selection of colors for both OPI and China Glaze.  I don't know that I've ever seen a better selection. 

88 also sells a number of other nail products.  I didn't really explore most of these, as they weren't of interest to me.

There are a few drawbacks to the site itself.  It's not particularly easy to find what you want.  I was looking for a particular OPI shade.  I typed the name of the shade in the search box and was directed to a page with a minimum of 75 different products.  It was impossible to find what I wanted.  Also, when you check out, they do not give you a total that includes shipping, just a total for the product.  You have to send a card number and they later e-mail an invoice that lists shipping charges.  I think there's an 800 number you can call if you want a shipping price, and their FAQ page explains the whole shipping thing.  Still, it's a pain and a little annoying.  I sorta don't understand why they can't just charge for shipping on checkout--everyone else seems to.

I ordred a couple of OPI nail treatments and several China Glaze colours.  Maybe I'll post swatches or a haul video later.  The best is this China Glaze polish called "For Audrey;"  of course they can't advertise it this way, but it's Tiffany Blue.  I LOVE that.  I've been using OPI's Avoplex oil; I'll post a review after I've used it for longer, but so far, it's really, really great.

Product Review: Loreal Double Extension Beauty Tubes Mascara

Ok, on Friday, I made a trek to Target, which is kinda a big deal, as it's about an hour away.  While I was there, I picked up this new macara.  And it's a wonderful product.  In fact, I'm not sure that it should even be called "mascara," because it's so different from anything else that I've ever used.  It's a two step thing:  first you apply the white side, which is a white lash conditioner, then the other side, which is black and a bit more like traditional mascara.  The package specifically says that you should apply the step immediately after the first; don't let the white side dry.

I have reall issues with my lashes.  Like my eyebrows, my lashes are sparse, short, and really blonde.  None of this works especially because I dye my hair much, much darker than my natural color.  This product didn't necessarily make my lashes look thicker, but it definitely made them look much, much longer.  Much.

But here's the best part:  this stuff really, truly does not smudge.  No lie.  I slept with it overnight, and it was still in place the next morning.  I got up and rubbed my eyes--nothing!  It stays and doesn't smudge at all.  I think this is amazing.  I mean, it lasts a full 24 hours with absolutely no mess.  But it also comes off easily with warm water.  I've never liked water proof mascara, because it always seems like a pain to remove.  But this stuff is great.

I picked this up at Target.  It was on sale for, I think, 7.99.  This may be the best makeup bargain out there.  I hope Loreal adds other colors, especially electric blue and purple.

UPDATE--Under Construction

Just a quick post:  This blog is still under construction.  I'd been having problems with enabling comments, although I think I've cleared that up.  I've also been having issues with the backgrounds and templates I've been trying.  I think it's all cleared up now, but please have patience.

Item of the Week: Sally Hansen INSTA-DRI Speed Dry Drops

I've decided that I want to kick off this blog with a weekly review--either of a product, a line, or even a website.  And lately, my favorite find has to be these speed dry drops from Sally Hansen.  Starting when I was a teenager, I have been looking for a quick dry nail product that actually works.  I've finally found it.  But let me back up for a second:  I like the look of nail polish.  I love that it comes in this huge array of colors and finishes.  And it's somehow more acceptable to be a little bit funky with nail color than maybe other cosmetics (not that I let that stop me from experimenting with eyeshadow or even hair color!)  But my big sticking point with doing my nails is that I could somehow never sit still long enough to dry without a least a little smudging.  Now that I actually write that, I feel silly.  But really, I'd just be frustrated that I'd take the time to do them, then allow them to dry for what I thought was long enough, but not have my nails look the way I wanted.  And then, of course, the polish chips pretty quickly, so I'd feel like I'd invested all this time and energy for only a small return.  Sally Hansen has changed this.  Here's how it works:  I put on a base coat, wait 30 seconds or so, put on a coat of color, another 30 seconds, a second coat of color, another 30 seconds, a top coat, wait a minute, then two drops of INSTA-DRI on each nail.  According to the package, nail color is "dry to the touch" in 30 seconds, "completely dry . . .to a smooth hard finish in just 5 minutes."  That I can actually live with.  And if the look only lasts three or four days before the chipping gets annoying, I'm fine with it because I've only invested maybe 10 minutes total.  This is the only speed dry product for nails that I've actually been happy with!

Another pro:  it actually seems to be good for the nails and cuticles.  It has some kind of oil in it--maybe almond oil, and it seems to condition the nail bed and cuticles. 

This product from Sally Hansen totally rocks.  It's reasonably priced--maybe $ 5.00 or 6.00 for a bottle, and i expect that bottle to last quite a long time.