Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Did you hear...

Exciting news!  Urban Decay is coming out with the Naked Palette 2 for us cool tones chicks and gents.  Just in time for winter! 



I like the metal palette too.

I love the original but I will admit, most of the colors look great on me in the summer, but now as my skin begins to fade into it's ghostly pale, these colors will work much better.  It comes with a deluxe Lip Junkie sample and a dual sided brush. 

Super psyched for this one! 

Pinch of Pretty has all the pictures here...

The colors that will be included are Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper, Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol, Verve, YDK, Busted, Blackout. 

Urban Decay has been tweeting teaser pictures all day about the December 1st release.  So make sure you sign up at Urban Decay to receive the latest news!




This looks like Foxy (could be Bootycall), Verve and Blackout.




And this is Snakebite:


Good thing we only have to wait 2 more days :)

Study Break!

This morning I layered Cult Nails Clairvoyant over Power Thief.  Of course it was nothing short of amazingness!





Seriously.  I love how the blue base of Clairvoyant and the mocha of Power Thief made purple!

Love, love, love!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Power Thief

Another lovely installment of Cult Nails brought to you by chocolate shimmery brown that is Power Thief.


This first picture is outside.  No sun today :(


This is upstairs from my "office" window.  It's really a spare bedroom where all my nail polish and slowly my makeup is taking up residence.  Girl needs space to grow!


And this is with a flash so you can see all that nice shimmery goodness. 

Cult Nails really makes a good polish with a great brush.  It's not too thin where it is streaky, it's not too thick.  You can do one coat or two depending on your preference and how much time you have.  I have 2 coats on my left hand, which I used to take the picture but I didn't have time for a second coat on my right hand (my son took a quick nap today!) and they both look equally good. 

And the piece of mind knowing that I am not being exposed to DBP, Formaldehyde, Toluene and the 4th, Camphor makes me love the polish and company even more.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Get your Freak on! 15 Weird Facts...

about moi!

I was reading Jen's blogpost from Frm Head to Toe and decided to TAG myself!  So here goes...

Questions

#1. What's a nickname only your family calls you?

"Air" or E (my name is Erin)

#2. What's a weird habit of yours?

I tend to sing and dance a lot, especially when I am in the kitchen preapring meals.  Oh and I clap my hands at random times.  It drives my husband crazy.  lol

#3. Do you have any weird phobias?

I can't do salad bars at buffets.  Or maybe just buffets in general.  I'm afraid of E. coli and other bacteria that cause food borne illnesses.

#4. What's a song you secretly LOVE to blast & belt out when you're alone?

Anything from Beyonce but especially Crazy in Love.

#5. What's one of your biggest pet peeves?

Asking me the same question over and over and over again.  Yes it happens...  Unless you are a child under the age of 10 of course.

#6. What's one of your nervous habits?

I bite my cuticles. 

#7. What side of the bed do you sleep on?

Right now I'm on the left side of the bed because it is closer to the door so I can quickly jump out of the bed to get one of my crying children in the middle of the night.  But I can do either.

#8. What was your first stuffed animal & it's name?

I had a Cabbage Patch Kid doll named Ashley.  I didn't really attach myself to stuffed animals though.

#9. What's the drink you ALWAYS order at starbucks?

Grande Chai Latte but I am more of a Dunkin Donuts girl.  Before an exam in nursing school I would always get a Pepperment Mocha latte.

#10. What's the beauty rule you preach.. but never ACTUALLY practice?

I try not to preach but I should clean my brushes more often.

#11. Which way do you face in the shower?

I usually let the water run on my back for a while, especially in the winter when I am cold.

#12. Do you have any 'weird' body 'skills'?

I can curl my tongue into a tube.

#13. What's your favorite 'comfort food'/food thats 'bad' but you love to eat it anyways?

White rice with any kind of gravy or butter and salt and pepper oh and cheese grits.  Had some this morning!

#14. What's a phrase or exclamation you always say?

"Crikey!"  "Here's we goes."  "Really, no really?"

#15. Time to sleep- what are you ACTUALLY wearing?

Some form of pajama pants and a t-shirt or tank top.  Nothing fancy!




Alright time to TAG yourself!

Friday, November 25, 2011

My Black Friday Madness

I have gone shopping consistently on Black Friday for the last 5 years.  Before that it was hit or miss, maybe in the afternoon.  I couldn't be bothered to wake up that early! 

Kids or domestication definitely took hold and soon I was up at 2 to get to Kohl's by 3.  There would be a line of about 50 people tops at quarter of and the doors would open, no one would run or elbow you or sneak in line in front of you.  There were plenty of items for everyone.  Yes the line did wrap around the store if you didn't grab your items and go.  But I would have a plan, grab those items, and be at the checkout to get to JCPenny's by 4, or Macy's or Filenes when they were around or what have you...

The craziness seemed to happen overnight.  The "deals" got better, people have always camped out, but more so out of fun than a real "need."  Maybe they felt compelled, slightly OCD, but we've never camped out and still were able to get the deal on that season's "IT" items.

I've lived in a small town in Massachusetts, in the much larger DC Metro area and a mid-size once booming city in Upstate, NY and now in North Carolina.   I've had experiences with crazy rough crowds and quite the opposite, shoppers helping out fellow shoppers with coupons and extra ads and pointing out sales.  Whatever the experience, it is a thrill to be out there with your coffee, standing in the cold, waiting for the pearly gates of the retail establishment to open.

After last year, I thought it was time to step away from the madness.  There was a little bit of shoving and some angry exchanges...  As more and more people go out to shop, there are less and less product to go around.  And I will never camp out.  But as a whole, we just all seem just a little more stressed out than a few years ago... 

My husband caught the Black Friday bug just a couple of years ago and I went along for the ride.  You know, to keep him focused on the "list."  lol  Our night started out at Walmart.  We arrived about 20 of 11, armed with our list of goods picked out by other family members who came for a visit for the holiday as well as our own.  Walmart is one store that I avoid like the plague.  But surprisingly it wasn't too crazy.  They staggered the deals at 10pm and midnight.  We did miss a few items, well a lot, but I can't remember what they were so no big deal right?  But we were right there when the crates were cut of their plastic.  No pushing, elbowing or shoving.  Walmart Associates swiftly handed to us the items we wanted.  40 minutes later, we were off to our next destination.

Target.  This will be, I repeat, the will be the last year I go to Target.  I did get 2 items that I went there for, well 3, one wasn't a Black Friday sale item.  But all the others.  GONE!  And that happened last year before and the year before that, etc...  So after you realize everything you came in there for is gone, you then find yourself picking up other items, that you didnt come in there for or that you don't necessarily need but you are putting them in your cart because you feel so compelled.  We did wait 20 minutes in line, they moved the line in shifts, staggering the shoppers.  Worked out very nicely as it was quite chilly.  But since we waited in line to get in line for 20 minutes outside the red doors and the line for the check out is snaked around the store, there is no way you are leaving with 2 items.  Not me, not anyone...  That is by design...

But I am happy to report that I had a $5 off $50 purchase coupon, we found a Play Station 3 remote, last one in pink, and a Cars 2 DVD for the kids, and one other gift.  45 minutes in the checkout line only to find out our bank was overwhelmed with all the transactions that were being processed, and luckily we had anough cash to cover everything.

Which brings me to my next though.  BRING CASH.  Yes, you heard me right.  If you are charging something because you can't afford to buy it out right, do not do it.  It's a slippery slope and I am not one to preach but it is a good policy ot adopt.  Starting tomorrow, save your pennies for an entire year and you can spend your heart's desire.  Unless you are buying thousands of dollars worth of electronics, because it is not safe to carry that kind of cash of course...

Next stop Walgreens!  Well it was going to be Rite Aid but our Rite Aid decided not to open at midnight.  At Walgreens I found almost everything, Culturelle, $9.50 with $9.50 back in RR, Scrunchi's 2/$3 with $3 back in RR, WnW Ice Baby Collection.  Only 3 colors were left, 2 of which I wanted, along with the baked eyeshadows and matte eyeshadows.  I skipped the baked eyeshadows.  Oh and Seche Vite on clearance!  Yay!

Next on to the Exchange!  We live on a military installation.  That line was the craziest!  We stayed in the car for a good hour before they opened the doors at 4 and then we walked to meet up with the end of the line.  The difference between Target and the Exchange?  Tons of product to go around.  We were out of there 5 minutes before 5am.  Mission Accomplished.  Went home for a 2 hour nap and back out did I go!

I had made a hair appointment at Fantastic Sams for their Black Friday deal.  Highlights, haircut and style, a bottle of shampoo and conditioner for $75.  The stylist who is also the manager actually gave me more than 7 foils as specified on the flier and did a color block!  Fantastic.  Oh and a deep conditioning treatment.  I'm very happy with the results.  My John Frieda blonde looked okay, a bit brassy, I hadn't had anything done to my hair since April! 

So the question is...  Will I go out next year?  I didn't think I would go this year, but I know it is time to drop Target from my list of store to visit.  They have plenty of other shoppers that they certainly won't notice!  lol  Too soon to tell for sure.

Do you have a crazy Black Friday story?  Did you get everything on your list?

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Cult Nails

Yeah, I'm apart of the cult. 

I pre-ordered the Super Powers collection a couple of weeks ago and here they are in all their glory!


From left to right:  Power Thief, Time Traveler, Clairvoyant (oh who are we kidding?!  It's Unicorn Puke with a fancy name!) and Mind Control.

I love the packaging.  Cult Nails is 4 free and Cruelty Free and Eco-Friendly.  This company is amazing and others should and need to take notice.


Each polish is carefully and loving wrapped in it's own paper sack and gently placed on balls of cotton.  Just spectacular presentation.  You can really tell when an owner loves her product and what she does.


On to the polish!

Clairvoyant.

Obligatory bottle shot!


The exact same formula as the infamous Unicorn Puke. Did it really see on eBay for $275?   It's a lovely and gorgeous flakie, sporting gree, pink, red, blue, purple flakes in a blue base. I couldn't wait and threw it on over Models Own Purple Blue which I have had on for 3 days (gasp!) now and is super chipped. So I will only show you my thumb!


It is best for layering so I am going to have a lot of fun with this polish.  I am going to have to order another bottle for sure.

Oh and then the other 3...

Just kidding!  They are all gorgeous. 

First up Mind Control.  Deep dark purple or is it black base with a lighter purple micro glitter shimmer.  I love all purples.  This is just gravy.


Next is Power Thief.  It's taupey shimmery goodness in a bottle is what it is.  I see a light purple, blue or silver micro glitter shimmer.  Another beauty.


Last but not least is Time Traveler.  A deep royal/Navy blue cream but jelly?  Totally opaque in one swipe.  It's nice and dark but still looks blue.  Love...


So there you have it!  Cult Nails Super Powers.  I'm already in the process of taking off nail polish to start a new with Clairvoyant.  But what to layer it over?  Time Traveler or a black cream or OPI Lincoln Park After Dark Matte.  Decisions, decisions...

Friday, November 18, 2011

Shopping at Rite Aid!

So this week at RA, Almay is BOGO 50% off with $4 +up reward for each Almay product purchased.  WnW is 40% off with spend $10 get $3 +up reward and Culturelle Probiotic is $15 with $15 +up reward.  So with no coupons and 3 transactions, I did this...


I grabbed 2 Almay oil-free eye makeup remover pads (80 cts) for $5.99 and then 50% off for the second one.  I've read that these pads can be as low as $4.99 depending on how they are priced at your store.  So roughly $9 OOP, get back $8 in +up rewards.  I used those rewards to buy some WnW. 

I lost my WnW Nutty and didn't have Penny.  For some reason I grabbed Lagoon which I already have but I meant to grab a back up for Brulee.  Oops!  I will try to make it back to RA to make the switch.  I also grabbed some Mega Eyes Cream liner in black and egglant.  My L'OREAL HiP liner is drying out on me and dragging.  No bueno.  So for that transaction I paid $4 OOP and got back $3 in +up rewards.

With those rewards from the WnW, I used them to pay for the probiotics.  If there is ever a time to boost your immune system it's now!  Everyone is getting sick around me and we have family coming in to town next week bringing with them new germs.  I mean that in the nicest way possible.  I swear :)  I'm getting ready, and it was a $3 MM!  lol  I paid $12 plus tax and got back $15 in +up rewards.

My total OOP was $25 and I have $15+ up rewards for my next purchase, so what I "paid" for all the products above was $10.  I saved $22.60 with all the sales and my Wellness + savings.

My latest Wellness + Point total is 598, but after these latest transactions, it will be over 600.  I'm trying to get up to 1000 before December 31st.  I kind of took a Rite Aid break over the summer so now I am back on it.  I want to get 20% off all my purchases in 2012!

Wish me luck!

Makeup from the carpool line

After dropping off my daughter to school, I drop my son off at Preschool. I don't stop home in between for the 10-15 minute wait, so I get to the Preschool early and sit in the carpool line before the school doors open. It's a quite organized system of dropping off. So much easier than parking my car, getting my son and my younger son out. Walking into the school, saying goodbyes and then struggling to get my younger son back into the car for the trip home. He wants to stay with his big bro so sometimes there are tears. Love the carpool line!

So this morning I brought my new AVON Expert Mega Palette and went to work with the 7 minutes that I had.   Before I left I moisturized my face with AVON Platinum Day Cream and put on my custom blended mix of Missha #21 and #23 BB cream, set that with Rimmel Stay Matte Tranlucent powder and Benefit Erase Paste under my eyes. I forgot about the blushes in the palette so before I left I swept on some Milani Luminous.   I also primed my lids with Missha perfecting eye base. I forget what exactly it is called.   lol

Here's what I came up with!


Everyone I'm sure was wondering why I was taking pictures of myself in my car at 8:43 in the morning.  My son sure was.  "Oh, you are taking more pictures of your eyes mommy?"  

The sun is really bright this morning too.  It's about 40 degrees and everyone is walking around in huge winter jackets with hoods up and scarves.  I'm sure that will be me next winter when my blood thins out...  40 degrees is sweater weather for me coming from NY/Massachusetts.  lol


So the colors that I used...


I used the first color (dark shimmery taupe) on the left in the second row as my lid color.  The next color (medium reddish brown) as my crease and outer v color.  I used the 5th color (chocolate brown)in the same row to blend out the crease.  I used the last color in the first row for my brow lighlight and the color to the left of that (5th color in first row) as my inner corner highlight and swept it across the inner 1/3 of my eyelid.

I used the 5th color in the second row along with the 1st color to line my lower lash line.  To finish off the look I used my Christan Siriano for Victoria Secret Makeup Kohl liner to line my upper and lower lash line as well as my lower waterline. 

7 minutes, boom, done.  I wasn't racing to get my eyes done in a certain time frame, well it needed to be done before the carpool line started but since everything was there so neatly contained for me, it took no time at all. 

Oh and I used only 2 brushes.  Advance Techniques deluxe crease brush to blend and a Sonia Kashuk shader brush.

Maybe I will make this a series on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays!  What do you think???

More crackle please!

I just loved my mani of Golden Green Beetle Juice and Orly It's Not Rocket Science so I decided to add a little Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat in Antiqued Gold.


Thursday, November 17, 2011

AVON Expert Mega Palette

I just keep saying wow, wow, wow over and over again.  Not that I think AVON shadows/products are cheap or inferior.  Some products are super inexpensive, and others I think are way overpriced.  Some products are hit or miss. 

Well this palette is right on the mark.  It's sleek, compact, chic and the shadows and blushes are pigmented, not WnW pigmented, but high up there in the quality department.  We are talking smooth and buttery, some more chalkier than others, but the color payout is there and I am super impressed.  Even the lipglosses, which I hate in pan form, are non-sticky and moisturizing.  What?

The palette itself is sturdy thick black plastic.  The shelves pull out smoothly.  You have to press a button to open the palette which I really like and it clicks shut, locking in place.  It also comes with a huge mirror for a compact palette.  Another plus!

Some details from the website:

Multilevel makeup palette. 6 1/2" L x 5 1/5" W x 1 1/8" D.
Contains:

• 36 Eyeshadows, .69 oz. total net wt.
• 36 Lip Glosses, .43 oz. total net wt.
• 6 Blushes, .61 oz. total net wt.
• Mirror
• Face brush
• Double-ended eye applicator
• Double-ended lip applicator


I dipped into the purple sparkly lipgloss with one of the lip applicators that was provided in the palette.  They are quite shallow but since there are 36 available for mixing and matching, they will last a good long time.

Alright enough babbling and raving, let's look at the pictures shall we?  I took just a few... :)






Swatches of the blushes first.  I used Missha eyeshadow base on my arm.  I'm NC20ish, maybe NC15 for reference.  I've never been color matched to MAC but that's my guess.



I swatched these backwards.  Woopsie Daisy.  The first 3 swatched shades from left to right are from the top row right to left.  Get it?  The next 3 swatches from left to right are the bottom row left to right.  Sorry!!!

Look at how pigmented these are?  The bottom right pink does need a little building, that was 3 swipes but they are all beautiful, versatile and flattering on so many different skin tones. 

Now on to the eyeshadows...  I'm not going to pretend that these are big pans of eyeshadow. They aren't by any means, but there is plenty of eyeshadow in these 36 pans to last a long time. 

For comparison there is .69 oz total of eyeshadow (36 total, .02oz a piece), in the Urban Decay Book of Shadows IV there is .48 oz of eyeshadow (16 total, .03oz a piece).

Blues, green and blacks:



Again, I swatched this backwards.  The swatches from left to right correspond with the colors in the pan from left to right.  Sorry for the confusion!

 I actually wasn't going to swatch out the entire palette, I was just looking at it and grabbed the sparkly black on the end and then freaked out that they were so amazing. 

Pinks and browns:




Gorgeous right?  Now the top right pink is a tricky color to photograph.  A quick swipe of my finger revealed a pink and lilac duochrome.    With Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy you can see it much better.  My camera isn't picking it up however.  You will just have to trust me on this one :)  It will be a beautiful inner corner highlight, brow highlight, etc...

Neutrals and browns:

Natural light


GE 100 Watt sunglight bulb




So all in all, there within 36 eyeshadows, which is a great selection of shimmer, frost, and mattes. 

Lipglosses:


I'm wearing the purple sparkly one, top left, second row.  It is pretty, nice wash of color with holographic glitter.  I do not like lipglosses/lipsticks in pan form, but I will make an exception for this palette. Like I said before they feel smooth and moisturizing on the lips, not gritty and sticky.  I usually skip palettes like this for that reason entirely. 

What's the sense of having a mega palette but the lip glosses are nasty?  Exactly.  Not here with this one.  They are perfect.

It's just the perfect size to bring with you on the go for touch ups.  Mine is going straight into my bag and I am looking forward to using it all the time!  Yeah, I'm the mom who does her makeup in the car in the preschool drop off line.  And instead of fumbling around with a bunch of products in 2 cosmetics bags, I'm just taking this.

Right, on to the price.  Now it is $29.99 for 36 shadows, 6 blushes and 36 lipglosses.  To me, that seemed a little expensive at first, but now that I have swatched the shadows, this seems still a bit overpriced, $25 is more in my comfort zone, $20 would be perfect.  But it is still at a good price point for gift giving. 

 I did notice that the NYX eyeshadow palette, with 78 eyeshadows is on sale at CherryCulture.com for $21.99.  Same palette but it says NYX on the front and the inside is all eyeshdows and larger eyeshadows were AVON put the blushes. 

So what do you think of the AVON Expert Mega Palette???

It's Not Rocket Science my dear...

So the bubbles were absolutely driving me bonkers, as my right hand was way worse then my left...  I thought I would go ahead and top Golden Green off with Orly It's Not Rocket Science. 

GORGEOUS!!!



Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Almay EOTD

I had 5 minutes to get my makeup and clothes on and run out the door this morning.   The kids asked for pancakes and never one to disappoint, I delivered upon that request!  I get up at 5 to study for 2 hours before waking the kids up at 7.  I'm trying to get through a 100 NCLEX questions a day.  I wake up in the middle of the night going over questions in my head.  It's insane!!!

So I grabbed Almay intense i-color trio for greens 004 and went to work.  I put the pink shade all over the lid and took the dark green into the crease and outer v.  I used the light green as an inner corner highlight and to blend out and soften the dark green in the crease.  WnW Brulee went above the light green and as a brow highlight.  Finished the look off with Christian Siriano for VS Makeup kohl black liner to line my upper lash line, lower line and lower waterline.  I then took the dark green to smudge out the kohl liner along my lower lash line and also too the pink and put a little of that under the green.  I put on coat of Rimmel Lash Accelerator on.

I love how this came out.  My camera is acting even more wonky.  Can't wait for Black Friday.  A new camera is definitely going to be the focus of my shopping excursion.




Golden Green Beetle Juice!

Another stunner from Models Own and I can't help but wonder how this Golden Green compares to Chanel Peridot.  More green I surmise but I still would love to own Peridot!  But I'm thankful to have Golden Green Beetle Juice in my collection.

Now I noticed with Emerald Black that if you used thick layers or rushed the application, you would get bubbles.  And not just one or two, a ton!  You have to use super thin layers.  The same goes with the 3-n-1 topcoat.  I'm used to laying on a thick topper with the Seche Vite but you can't do that with Models Own. 

Case in point...  No bubbles until the 3-n-1 top coat went on.





I'm also disappointed that I have no Carolina sun to show off this beauty!  It is supposed to rain today and tomorrow.  Total bummer.  But you can still see the complexity of this polish and it is certainly brightening up my day!  Green, gold, yellow, is that blue?  Yup!

Hope you are having a great day!