NOTD!!!

I'm liking this new blogger...

So Revlon Carbonite, supposed dupe of Chanel Graphite.  I haven't looked at comparison swatches lately but even when I did see them many moons ago, I just wasn't interested in this color.  I skipped over it many times on my drugstore adventures. 

But then I come across Carbonite in Ulta the other day, full display I might add, needed 4 polishes, and I grabbed it.  It is unique, I don't have anything like it in my collection.  It's a nice fall shade for me.  It's so fun being able to shop at Ulta again. 

I apologize for thses pictures.  One, my cuticles have been a mess all summer.  I got a ton of weird papercuts from unpacking, a weird cuticle stabbing from a fork while emptying the dishwasher, my nails have been literally peeling from all the cleaning I've been doing lately, with no gloves... 

Excuses aside, I just haven't been taking care of my hands and nails!  Back to my sexy lotion-y gloved hands at night so hopefully they will be tip top soon...

 This first picture is in direct sunlight from my bedroom window.  Look at that metallic sheen!  There is gold, silver and a greenish hue all in one! 

This picture is in the master closet under soft white bulb and a flash.

I really like this color. Revlon does a great nail polish, readily available at the drugstores, usually you can pick them up on-sale, with rewards, with coupons, anywhere from $1.99 to free.   The formula is fantastic, usually 2 thin coats will do the job. (except Sunshine Sparkle, great color, horrible yellow formula). 

I paid roughly $2.11 on sale and with a coupon at Ulta.  Still a bargain. 

And I hope Revlon is working on a Chanel Peridot dupe.  Please?  Super tight budget until we sell our house, and a Chanel purchase is just out of the question...

Revlon haul!!!

So this was a random nail polish haul.  In fact I had just left Rite Aid and didn't have my phone with me to take pictures, but Sinful Colors has a Miss Universe like dupe display and I wasn't even tempted to get any, even with my $3 +up rewards!!!  I just haven't seen anything unique enough to grab.  I've been working on frankens and layering.  No time for stamping...

So as I was shopping for party supplies for my son's first birthday party, a trip to Ulta was on the list of things to do.   I'm so focused... What did Ulta have to do with the party?   Nothing at all, but Physician's formula was 40% off and I had $1 MC's and a $3.50 off $10 purchase and it was on my list of things to do.

Well I skipped PF altogether when I saw that Revlon nail polish was on sale for $2.99.    Does anyone really need anymore PF?  I know I still don't!  So I thought why not, and I grabbed 4 Revlon polish.

Carbonite, Starry Pink, Facets of Fuchsia (DL Bad Romance dupe), Blue Mosaic.  I've seen the 3 glitters at Target and did have them in my cart at one point, but alas, they went back on the shelf.  I still haven't seen them in any of my area drugstores so $2.99 a bottle is good enough for me!

I have a mini DL Bad Romance, which of course I have never used.  Weird I know.  It's just so small and I I tried to franken Starry Pink with Revlon Lilac and a silver glitter but it didn't work out.  lol

So with the $3.50 off $10 purchase I got all 4 for $9 and change.  Not bad.

I have Carbonite on my nails right now so I will be posting a NOTD soon!!!

Almost settled...

I'm baaaack!!!

I think anyway.  This summer was absolute craziness, with the move and trying to sell our house which is still on the market, living in hotels, house sitting, and staying with 2 families, then unpacking...  Thankfully we only have to do it every 3-4 years.  Such is the military life!

So what have I been up to?  Well, we are mostly unpacked, my son's first birthday party was yesterday so I don't have another party to plan for at least 2.5 weeks!  I'm back on my running kick, my sister's wedding is now 9 months away and I've got about 15-20 pounds that have to go.  I've also been incorporating pilates and yoga.  Still haven't made it to the gym, which is pratically across the street from me in the community house.  But I'm happy with all the running, kudos to me!

I'm still trying to figure out the best place to take pics in the new house.  In our old house I took my pictures mostly in the front dining room which was quite sunny, when there was sun in the Southern Tier but even on cloudy days the diffused light was ideal.  No I do not have a light box but I might be seriously considering building one in our huge master walk in closet!

I have a ton of reviews in the works, many upon many drafts that I wasn't able to publish this summer when internet was scarce.  I haven't changed up my routine too much, still rocking the Lioele Beyond the Solution BB Cream.  Love that stuff!  I am going to be doing another pan challenge in preparation for IMATS NYC 2012.  I'm feeling a bt overwhelmed with all the products that I do have and at least want to finish all my skincare items.  Mostly drug store items that I thought were good, but after using more UD and WnW, they might have to take a hike.  No sense in messing around with inferior quality!

Right now I am not loyal to any skincare products but St. Ives Green Tea scrub is working quite well.  Breakouts are a rarity for me but clogged pores are frequent.  This stuff works at relieving the congestion.  I've been using it nightly and it seems to be non-drying so far.  But I will test it out for another week.  As far as lotions and potions, I'm just finishing up a little of this and a little of that so I can finally get those things on my wish list, my new wish list!

I also recently hauled at lush.  First time EVER in a store.  Totally obsessed.  I wasn't able to get everything I wanted of course, but $100 worth of lush is a good start.  I didn't even get any bath bombs!  There is a small store at the Crabtree Mall in Raleigh, NC which is about 2 hours away from me.  So it is just far away enough to make my wallet feel comfortable yet a little on edge.  So look for that review as well.

I've spent most of my time on twitter so I hope you are following!  SavvyBeauty1

A little Nuance please!

Finally, after driving for an hour, I find a CVS fully stocked with Salma Hayek Nuance.  My husband actually had an appointment so I tagged along...  I just got lucky.  :)

So with my 2 $2 CVS coupons and my $5 ECBs I grabbed 4 items for $7 and change!  Yay! And the purchase put me over another $50 so I will be getting another $5 in ECBs...   Love the CVS Beauty Club!

I've only tried 2 of the items so far, Wild Lime Exfoliating Facial Gel and the Walnut Body Scrub.  I will have a full review on the facial gel early next week.  I want to try it out a couple more times.  One thing is for sure, you can feel it working...

On to Nuance Salma Hayek Walnut Body Scrub.

I love this product.  It was exactly what I wanted and what I have been looking for in a body scrub.  My skin felt dramatically different immediately rinsing the scrub off.  My skin is just amazingly soft and smooth. 

It's made with Walnut shell powder, fine little gentle scrubbers.  It's gently enough to use on the hands as well.  It has a nice light scent, almost like almond oil, though I don't see it listed.  However there are Acai, Annatto Seed and Rice and Bran Oils.  Caffeine was a surprising ingredient and it is said to "help firm and tone the skin" on the back of the bottle.  Which I know to be true because I like to use products around my eye area which contain caffeine.  It makes a huge difference on my "laugh lines." :)

Nuance products are not tested on animals and paraben free.

I just love this product and I'm considering driving another hour to pick some more up at BOGO of course! 

You can find Salma Hayek Nuance products at CVS.  The Walnut Scrub is $7.99 for 8 oz of product in a squeeze tube which is quite reasonable for the quality of this product. 

Back in the Day...

I recently purchased Freeman Peel Off Cucumber Mask at CVS.  If you have been following me on twitter, where I have disappeared to, you know how excited I was for the Nuance BOGO sale.  But to my disappointment, both my area CVS' do not have Nuance skincare or cosmetics in stock, and only one has Nuance hair care. 

So in an effort to use my $5/$25 coupon, I grabbed a few things, one of which being the cucumber mask of my youth.  I used Freeman for years.  All throughout middle school, high school and college.  And for some reason in my mid 20's, I stopped purchasing.  But why?  It is just how I remembered, clean, cool, crisp smell, peels off in one sheet.  Maybe a little gentler, maybe a little less drying... 

Ah but the cucumber peel off mask reminds me of my youth and how simple my routine was back then.  Staples I always had, which was probably a lot back then...  Freeman Cucumber Mask, St. Ives Apricot Scrub, Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask for the occasional blemish as I was lucky enough never to have acne, Clearasil Foaming Face Wash (which my sister still uses!) for the morning, Clearasil Deep Cleansing Pads at night, and Oil of Olay Beauty Fluid, day and night.

Make up routine consisted of "cover up" patted on some translucent powder as I could never find a matching foundation, which I still struggle with today!  After that a curl of the lashes, mascara, liner that I always smudged out and cherry chapstick for a hint of color and shine.  That was it!  I also had a brown eyeshadow quad and a purple eyeshadow quad from Covergirl.  Everything fit in one small (teenie tiny by today's standards) makeup bag.

Today it's makeup remover wipes, face wash, Olay cleansing tool at night, Clean and Clear Morning Surge power cleanser in the morning, and then tonor, followed by serum, moisturizer, and eye cream, separate products for day and night.  Same tonor...  Then on to primer, BB cream, setting powder, blush, bronzer to contour, highlighter, lip primer or stain, gloss, sometimes a sheer lipstick, liner, mascara, eyelid primer, 3-4 different colored eyeshadows, on top of a cream eyeshadow base...all in several different colors and brands, indie, drugstore and high end.

Ugh, I think I would like to go back to my old routine... or do I?  Getting ready in the morning is truly the only moment I get to myself.  Most days it is 30 minutes of un-interrupted me time if I get up early enough while my family sleeps!  And I'm not limited to browns and purples.

It's a beautiful thing for sure...

BlushingNoir 1000 Follower Giveaway!!!

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MUJI time!

Happy August!  Totally incredulous that the summer is coming to a close.  In my school day past, as soon as August arrived, summer just flew by.  I expect it to be the same this year as my daughter and I anticipate the first day of First Grade! 

So here they are, the MUJI Acrylic 5 Drawer Case. 

The cases arrive super secure. Bubble wrap around them, bubble wrap on the bottom and top of the box and the cases are sealed in plastic. I reuse bubble wrap all the time so no waste here. Plus as we move from place to place, I just pack them up in the original box and wrap.

Before... All makeup is in the bags... 

Now this was the mess I had been dealing with for 4 weeks waiting for base housing.  This is in the bathroom of the first house we were house sitting before that a hotel, before that my mother's house, next my brother's lakehouse, after that house sitting, after that, back to the hotel...  Deep breaths.

Total chaos, made both myself and my totally calm husband a little anxious.  It looks like a ton but this is a very basic supply people.  I needed to pack enough for 3 months...  Face remover wipes, eye makeup removers, tonor, hair gloss, my fave John Frieda lightening spray, hand sanitizer, ZOYA nail polish remover, I only have 4 bottles of nail polish right now...

 After... Ahhh... Not quite home, but much better for my temporary situation.

So since the dawers are not very deep, several products could not fit. My Lioele Beyond the Solutions BB cream for example. The very top of the tube is too big as well as eyelash curler, Maybelline blusher etc... But MUJI does have a solution. They offer a deeper 2 drawer case with a lid topper. Which of course I am on the waiting list for.

So first drawer is reserved for foundations/finishing powder.  I have BE in both fair and fairly light.  Fair I use for setting my under eye concealer and fairly light is almost too light for my NC tanned skin.  It is too yellow on my pale winter white skin....  Tanning wasn't planned or wanted.  I'm not convinced I like myself tan yet.  I wear 50 spf everyday, all day.  I'm not going to sit inside all day and miss out on my beach time either.  No Vit. D defiency down here.

Second drawer, concealers (Maybelline, L'OREAL, Garnier, Erase paste), eye primer (UD primer potion, Benefit, Bare Minerals), Rapid Lash, one Benefit cream eyeshadow base in RSVP.  See, I just have the basics!  lol 

More eye products.  Just 2 palettes.  Yes just two.  NYX Carribean and WnW I'm Getting Sunburned.  Did you know if you blend the brown crease color (middle) and the brow (pink) together you get an amazing purple?  Yeah amazing.  The brown on it's own is my new fave liner.  It looks amazing.  Okay that's enough for the word amazing. 

Oh and one PF mascara which I need a new one as it is almost done.  So I have a white liner from Rimmel, an Almay brown liner and high light duo, a L'OREAL liquid liner, it's black but metallic, shiny.  Oh a CG shadow blast.

Lips...  2 Milani Haute Flashes, CG Natureluxe, Timeless Tawny, Nivea shimmer balm and a random AVON lip liner that I never use...

Here I have my elf bronzer, Revlon highlight powder, PF color correcting powder and some sample finishing powders from Meow which I need to order full sizes now since they are have their birthday sale!

Random tube drawer right now.  Eye cream (Aveda, L'OREAL youth code), sebum gel, AVON cuticle gel, blink tears, Bare Minerals blemish stuff...

Brushes!!!  Which are not going to stay in here and most will be pitched/stored for a rainy day.  I've had the Bare Minerals for almost 7 years now...  The Sonia Kashuk bamboo set is just not as soft as I would like them.  Some hurt actually.  There is a good highlighter brush and a small detail concealer brush which are nice.  I picked the set up during a Target Daily Deal last winter.  All of my elf brushes are packed.  I just wanted to take the essentials.  I did grab the 2 Real Techiniques in the back (stipling and angled foundation) brushes since I arrived here in NC.  I like them a lot.

And the last randomness.  My very last hair tie, I have lost 19 since I've been here.  Cuticle cream, tweezers...  Those Revlon pomegranate makeup remover wipes work amazing but the smell was the worst.  It was subtle, but enough to not like the smell.  They are a discontinued item that I picked up cheap at Ocean State Job Lots up in MA.  I used them all...  Waste not want not...

So there you have it.  The drawers are not going to stay like this.  In fact they are currently packed as we have just arrived at our second house sitting gig and I am back to living out of make up bags currently. 

But I hope this give you an idea of how wonderful these drawers are!

My hair inspiration...  It pretty much looks like this now when I wake up with bed head...  I just need a couple more layers in the front as they are all grown out... 

Last but not least...  UD 15 Year Anniversary Palette.  Yeah, I've opened it once to look at it and it's been boxed up since.  Currently wrapped in my bathrobe in some luggage.

 Happy August!  Here's to a productive month!