Girl, Decorated

This is kind of interesting:

http://www.urbandecay.com/promo/contest/veganChart/

The vegan-products-only rule is a neat twist despite the fact that I routinely wear carmine-based colors on my face and yes I know it's made from bugs and anyway, even if I didn't wear bug-based makeup, I wouldn't last five minutes as a vegan. I wonder if I'd have enough UD stuff to create a full look? I don't wear their face stuff, though, so that would present a problem.

I just skimmed the list and, as it happens, I do have the following vegan products:

Eyeshadows: Acid Rain, Chains, Shattered, Stray Dog, ABC Gum, Narcotic, Yeyo, and the Deluxe palette (several of the colors are vegan)

Heavy Metal Glitter liners: Air Guitar, Baked

24/7 liners: Baked, Covet, Deviant, Dime, Electric, Lucky, Yeyo (God, I love these)

XXX Shine Lip Gloss (from my mini set): Baked, Guys Love Betsey, Ozone, Quickie, Joyride

Hmmm. Super-colorful eyes and glossy lips, but that's it. Ah well. Anyone else going to go for it?

Once again, I didn't leave QUITE enough time in the a.m. to really refine this. But, yay! Brightness!

I was inspire by Temptalia's blue eyes challenge:



( Lots more... )

If you're like me and don't live near a freestanding MAC store, you can still get 15% off of any online orders placed today (EDIT: and tomorrow/Tuesday 6/17!) by entering MACFF8 at checkout. And it looks like U.S. shipping is free today as well:

Receive FREE STANDARD SHIPPING with all purchases. No offer code necessary. Offer is valid on June 16th on orders shipped to US addresses only.

I feel an actual pang for not buying from my neighborhood Macy's counter (there's a reason they like me), but how can I skip taking advantage of a significant discount AND no added shipping costs? Sorry, guys. I'll make it up to you when Electroflash comes out. *aims a kiss in the direction of Holyoke*

I'm still debating what I want, but I know I'll be getting Turquatic. I tried a spritz* at my last visit to the counter (to eyeball Cool Heat), and it's totally my kind of scent. The spouse gave it an enthusiastic nod as well. I completely fail at describing scents but it's very summery and fresh, but not as sweet as the scents I usually wear. And anything that makes me smell irresistible is irresistible to me. :)


* I mean that I pointed it away from me, sprayed the air once at chest-level, and then quickly walked through the mist. I generally only dare to apply light EDTs directly to my skin... I hate being unpleasantly surprised by the eyewatering power of some perfumes!

It's somewhat funny that I'm posting these bright-ish eye experiments today, when for the last three days I've been in back to back client meetings (wildly successful ones, thankyouverymuch) and therefore have defaulted to my staple neutral looks:

1. This is such a default look for me that I can execute it in about five minutes: Prescriptives Flawless Skin on the face; MAC Shy Beauty, Brit Wit (mostly in the fall) or Ladyblush on the cheeks. Primer Potion, MAC Naked and Chocolate Brown pigments, some brown liner (often UD Bourbon 24/7 pencil, or a MAC fluidline if I have time), and mascara. Lips are either beige-pink (usually MAC Rubia or Hug Me; if I want glossy, I'll use Saplicious gelee or VGV lipglass) or neutral-plum (MAC Syrup, Sophisto or Mon Cherry TLC Stick).

2. Same face stuff. Primer Potion, MAC Orb, Yogurt, Neutral Pink and Crimsonette (an old LE that is basically identical to Sketch) shadows on the eyes. UD Crash liquid liner, mascara. I went pink on the lips, too, and wore Sweetie. This was a bit more girly/playful but still pretty toned down.

Both are very straightforward and not overwhelmingly made-up looking, but I'm still polished and not sleepy-eyed. (One hopes.) It's funny that I've finally figured out "office" makeup, given that I used to think makeup was solely for dress up and couldn't imagine a look without glitter and brights. I went naked-faced to many job interviews because I didn't want to screw up my chances by looking "unprofessional"... since I was still very unaccustomed to wearing makeup much at all, I felt like wearing any of it was MUCH more obvious than it actually was and would therefore be self conscious outside of a party-type setting where some glamour was expected. Heh, things have changed.

(My wakeup call came during a PR agency interview for a job I was offered but didn't end up taking... anyway, the girls in that office were VERY made up. Earth tones only, but it was super noticeable. Almost cake-y at times, in fact.)

So now I have a job in a relatively creative industry. Most days I'm scrambling out the door and do something similar to the above, but when I have more time in the morning (and no client meetings are scheduled), I actually do wear the following types of looks...





...and no one seems to care. :)

( More pics, what I used, you know the drill... )

Print yer coupon here: 15% off through 6/16; online & store locations only (not applicable at department store counters, alas).

So now I just might go to the only MAC within convenient driving distance (a Macy's counter, of course), check out Cool Heat, and then decide if I want to take advantage by web ordering for a change. I'm kind of dubious about the collection, though... it looks plenty pretty but I'm already swimming in teals and blues.

I do have a few FOTDs to post - just gotta drag myself through the whole upload, crop & resize rigmarole. I've done some cute eyes lately, if I do say so myself.

I live in Western Massachusetts, not Boston. It's basically another state entirely. (Given the reluctance of Boston residents to cross the 128/95 belt, the western third of the state might as well be Ohio.) I live in a very left-y college-y area surrounded by farms, and the farms are surrounded by forests. Now that it's summer, I could quite easily live off of nothing but fresh, local produce until sometime in late fall.

This is a great place to live if you like to buy farm-fresh asparagus on the side of the road. (And I do, although I'm admittedly lazy about washing vegetables and tend to lean heavily on the pre-packaged salad greens.) But until recently, it couldn't hold a candle to Boston in terms of... well, what shall we call it? Mainstream fashion consumerism? Yes, that.

(I'm seriously going somewhere with this.)

If, say, you wanted access to a department store such as Sak's or Nordstrom, you'd have to drive either to Boston or to CT. Here, you have your pick of J.C. Penney's (oh boy), but you're much better served by scouting out the thrift and consignment shops as well as a few promising indie fashion boutiques (just a personal preference, of course). But back to mainstream shopping: the main area mall is located in Holyoke, and it's a fairly sub-par mall by city standards. Now, most malls are very predictable, and you generally see the same stores no matter where you go. The Holyoke mall is indeed formulaic, but fairly spare. Not a lot of surprises, and some of the usual suspects are missing entirely.

So what about makeup? The Holyoke Macy's does have a variety of (Estee Lauder umbrella) makeup counters to explore, including a friendly but somewhat understocked MAC counter. There's also a Trade Secret for all your nail and hair "needs." I can find some EL products at a few boutiques in Northampton, but up until Friday, my only Sephora in-person browsing opportunities took place when I was well out of town.

Yep, until Friday. (Finally, I reach the point of this entry.) The ho-hum Holyoke mall at Ingleside just opened a brand-new Sephora. ( And you know I went on opening day just because I could. )

( UD gloss offer, and quickie product review. )

( Nope, that's not my eyeball... )

Despite the sparkling sunshine outside, my office is cold today. My feet are numb. And my toenail polish is chipped.

Also, my boss is gone for the rest of the afternoon.

Likelihood that I'll leave early for a pro pedicure? Getting higher by the minute.

( Mostly just thinking out loud. Sorry to subject you to this. )

I acquired "Mudd Club" (gee, great name) recently in a Makeup Alley swap. A NARS Glitter Pencil seemed like a worthy thing to try out.

It wasn't.

(Haha, world's shortest product review FTW! Oh, OK I'll explain...)

I should have recalled my general dislike for glitter in pencils. Pencils are dry, and glitter is... well, usually kinda gritty. Generally speaking, dry + gritty = ouch. I had this very problem with the MAC glitter pencils that came out in a couple of collections over the last few years. The only exception I've found are the Urban Decay 24/7 liners, some of which have subtle microglitter in them - but they are still creamy to apply and the color payoff is very strong. Big ups to those pencils, as always!

NARS was no such exception. Predictably, the pencil applied very unevenly (both the bronze-y base shade and the actual gold glitter itself). I found the pencil VERY dry, and it dragged mercilessly across my lids. I tried using it all over the lid rather than just as a liner (the pencil seemed too fat to make a particularly good, accurate eyeliner)... and it just wasn't rocking my world. All I saw were a few specks of glitter here and there with very little noticeable color left behind. To their credit, I suppose NARS is being fairly honest on the website, describing the glitter pencils as Chunky crayons infused with transparent color and subtle glitter. That's pretty accurate; I guess I just don't see the POINT. Does it need a base? Does it ACT as a base? And why would I pay $24.00 for that kind of annoyance?

So, rough application and minimal payoff. For a $24 PENCIL with GLITTER in it. You know, the kind of product every teenybopper makeup line sells. But hey, it has the NARS logo on it. Chichi!

Mudd Club is now gone... I included it as a swap extra. I couldn't even justify including it in my swap list. Thumbs DOWN.

I do like NARS blush, though.

I forgot to put on eyeliner in my rush to get out the door this morning. I'm pretty dependent on eyeliner - even just a thin, lash-building, nearly imperceptible swipe - to make my eyes look bigger and less sleepy. So my lack of liner annoyed me all day. I finally grabbed the black NYC pencil that I keep in my desk. But it was kind of on the blunt side.

Naturally, I didn't have an eyeliner pencil sharpener at work. But hey - there's an automatic pencil sharpener on top of the office filing cabinets! My NYC liner is about the same diameter as a regular pencil, so that should do the trick!

.........

Uh, not so much. I chewed my poor (and blessedly cheap) eyeliner in half trying to sharpen the tip - the auto sharpener just ripped it up in a not-pretty way. I eventually gave up and made do with a still-blunt tip that was all pointy splinters on one side. (I broke those off before using, naturally.)

I did manage to line my lids with it. Sort of.

So, uh, today's tip: use a cosmetic sharpener for your pencils.

Captain Obvious, signing off.

Happy I'm-not-at-work day! I've been glamming it up in a soft, summery sort of way all weekend. (When I wasn't busy getting groceries, scrubbing the bathroom and balancing my checkbook, that is. I always feel an intense need to feel *productive* during holiday weekends.)

I felt the need to show the Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box (which I reviewed here) some love.

Here are the previews...





( More pics, plus what I used... )

How you take it off is just as important as how you put it on. (I'm talking about makeup, not clothes, although... tee hee.) I'm saying this from experience. Bad, bad experience.

See, I've mentioned my dry skin before. Turns out, my skin is sensitive to a lot of the usual makeoffing (aka, makeup removal) methods and products. For example: the oh-so-innocent Baby Wipes, and their overpriced counterparts. Makeup wipes in any form seem so convenient and so easy to use, and yet, they FUCK ME UP!

OK, your mileage may well vary - most people have no problem using wipes. But, augh. AUGH! Basically, what happened is I started noticing rough, patchy, alligator-like skin on my eyelids. Words cannot convey the yuck. I actually did a fancy green look around that time that CLEARLY showed the weird eyelid skin texture I had going on:



(Don't mind the eyebrows. This was all pre-brow enlightenment.)

I became convinced I had eczema. Yikes! While I panicked, someone on the MAC LJ community suggested what should have been obvious: to try something gentler than what I'd been using to makeoff. (Baby Wipes - for sensitive skin, no less! - plus a squirt of some Clean & Clear foaming cleanser. Yeah, I know. Ouch.)

Finally, a savvy friend sent me the DHC catalog, and I dutifully tried out their Deep Cleansing Oil sample. (I know many people are squicked at the thought of using oil as a cleanser, but I am so dry that I knew it probably wouldn't present a problem.) Anyway, whoa. It works GREAT. Eyeliner begone! I promptly ordered the travel cleansing kit and became instantly addicted to the combination of Cleansing Oil and Mild Soap. I'd found my makeoff routine!

I love the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil and have been through at least four bottles already - in fact, I'm due for a fifth. It removes everything, even the notoriously resilient MAC Liquidlast liners. For tougher cleansing jobs like liquidlast I just grab a few Q-Tips and gently stroke the oily tip against my lashline. GENTLY. It works amazingly well and you don't even have to scrub and scrape! The oil rinses away sans residue (unlike regular olive oil or baby oil - this is MUCH lighter) and, as long as I moisturize afterward, I'm not left feeling hideously tight and dry. Olive oil-based cleansers are just so nice and gentle and crazy-effective and NATURAL... I may experiment with other (hopefully less pricey) oil-based removers, but I'll never touch a chemical-choked drugstore cleanser again.

And yes... once I started using it, the eczema-like skin flakiness went away. I haven't seen it since. *tremendous sigh of relief*

I recently swapped for a number of these pencils. (I have no idea why my green pencil is called "Lemon" and my brownish one "Yogurt," but whatever.) They crease like crazy on their own but work well over UDPP. They're VERY VERY creamy, so if products like MAC Shadesticks are too rough or gritty for you these might be worth a try.

( More... )

I've always appreciated elegance and simplicity in packaging. The trouble is that everything. looks. exactly. the. same. in my drawer. For the most part, lipsticks and glosses are labeled on the bottom of the tube. If I wanted a specific color, I'd have to grab handfuls at a time and flip them over. It was maddening... especially considering that lips are the last bit of makeup I do before bolting out the door. I needed them to be able to stand upside down, labels up. And I really needed to use my space more effectively, because I couldn't find any particular colors without having to root endlessly through this lovely mess:



( YouTube to the rescue! )

Since I've pretty thoroughly combed through the offerings of the permanent collection by this point (I know, scary), I like checking out new MAC collections now and then. It has become an occasional Thursday* evening ritual, a reward of sorts for a good week at work or for sticking to my exercise regimen or whatever. I probably drop by the somewhat understocked but pleasantly staffed Holyoke mall** Macy's counter on my way home from work about once a month. I eyeball and swatch to my heart's content, and if I see something I like that I can see myself actually using (and something that I figure I couldn't easily duplicate with what I already have at home), I buy it. I've left empty handed more often than you'd think, and fortunately the MAC artists don't give me any static about my sporadic spending. They've seen me often enough to know that I'm pretty reliable.

(Lest I make myself sound as though I have some kind of Spartan restraint, let me remind you that I've been doing this for more than three years. And buying from LJ users, AND swapping. I have... a lot.)

So I like to check out the new collections in person, but also online. In particular, I always enjoy Temptalia's updates, teaser photos and, especially, her swatches. They're fab, and they help me kill lemmings more often than not - I'll see something and see "yep, I've got something just like that already." But once in awhile, she'll post something and I'll be initially dismissive but then start thinking about it and... uh oh. An unintended craving is sparked.

( The latest things that make me go hmm! )

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that I still get gleeful and covetous about new collections. I generally approach them skeptically and choose selectively, but I've been won over enough in the past to know that, yep, I still like my MAC.

* Because most collections are set out on Thursdays at counter locations... launches are earlier in the week at at Pro and freestanding locations, but there aren't any such stores near me. Which, let's face it, is probably just as well.

**This habit of mine will become doubly dangerous this month, when the brand-new Sephora opens at this very mall. MAC, Sephora and Trade Secret... plus the shoe stores... it's a problem.

*** Augh, I know. Fucking styes. That's a whole 'nother post. Fortunately it's not bad, just puffy and pink around my right tear duct. I get them maybe once or twice per year. A tiny dot of concealer - not on the duct itself, mind, just on the skin underneath my lower lashes - and gently-applied mascara, and I look almost human again.

I had on a pink ombred skirt yesterday and since the weather was nice and I was going to a BBQ, I wanted to look "spring-y." I went with VERY soft matte pink/purples. Kinda yawn, but I thought I'd share.



( A few more... )

MAC COLLECTIONS: WHAT I THOUGHT AND WHAT I BOUGHT

(As of 5/16/08; to be updated)

2008

Tendertones (May '08)
IMPRESSIONS: I have (and LOVE) Pucker from last year. Haven't seen the new ones yet; since they're sheer, I don't plan to go wild, but I might grab another one.
PURCHASED: n/a
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

Future Earth (May '08)
IMPRESSIONS: Haven't seen it yet. Always tempted by exfoliating products! I'll surely skip the Charged Water, though.
PURCHASED: n/a
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

Solar Field (May '08)
IMPRESSIONS: The Solar Bits are very frosty and fallout prone, so I passed. And this pale gal has no need for bronzer.
PURCHASED: 239 e/s brush (part of the permanent collection, but I needed one, so...)
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

Neo Sci-Fi (May '08)
IMPRESSIONS: Awfully similar to Moonbathe from last year. Nice shadows, but largely dupeable colors. The nail colors are intriguing but require too many coats to reach opacity. And Pleasureseeker l/s looked pale and ghastly on me. I ended up selecting products that have released before.
PURCHASED: Expensive Pink e/s (regular packaging), Pink Grapefruit l/g (LE packaging).
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

Naughty Nauticals (May '08)
IMPRESSIONS: Fun collection, but chock full of dupeable colors.
PURCHASED: Port Red l/s, Love Knot lustreglass, and samples of the new pigments (all but Lovely Lily, which I already have).
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

Skinsheen (May '08)
IMPRESSIONS: Cool product, but I'm not a spray-on tan person.
PURCHASED: n/a
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

Dazzleglass (May '08)
IMPRESSIONS: I was initially so very turned off by the idea (sheer, sticky & glittery? No thx) but they kind of won me over because I am a sheep. But like any sheer lip product with a short shelf life, I didn't feel like I needed many of them.
PURCHASED: Funtabulous
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

Dress Camp (April '08)
IMPRESSIONS: Pretty packaging but totally dupeable and ridiculously overhyped. Everybody wants what they can't have!
PURCHASED: n/a
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

Mineralize SPF 15 Loose Foundation (April '08)
IMPRESSIONS: I'm not a loose powder foundation fan, and I heard none were light enough for me, anyway. Plus that "caplicator" thing is revolting.
PURCHASED: n/a
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

Euristocrats (Euro release: March '08)
IMPRESSIONS: Some lipsticks look lovely from the swatches I've seen, but it hasn't launched here, anyway. I'm curious about the finishes and how dupe-able the colors are, but not enough to order sight-unseen.
PURCHASED: n/a
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

Heatherette (March '08)
IMPRESSIONS: Mostly hated the lipsticks; already had a dupe of the very cute Hollywood Nights. Thought the shadow trios were really nice but I had similar shades already. LOVED the lashes, glosses and (initially) the nail polishes.
PURCHASED: Both sets of lashes (She's Good and She's Bad), both nail polishes ($$$$Yes and Lola Devine), and two lipglasses (Style Minx and Starlet Kiss).
SOLD/SWAPPED: Both polishes, oops... $$$$Yes is pretty but impossible to apply smoothly, and as for Lola, I just don't reach for corals very often.

Beauty Powder Blush (March '08)
IMPRESSIONS: Love the soft texture, intense color payoff and not-overwhelming shimmer. Most were much too dark or bright for me, though.
PURCHASED: Shy Beauty
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

Strobe (March '08)
IMPRESSIONS: I'm a big fan of the not-particularly-popular TLC Sticks... they're sheer, softening and packed with SPF. And with my dry skin, I preferred the old, thicker Strobe Cream to the new liquid version (although I wish Strobe Cream was packaged differently - it's not easy to get product out of that hard tube). It's great for brightening up my skin.
PURCHASED: Strobeblossom and Strobe Kiss TLCs, Strobe Cream
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

Viva Glam VI LE (March '08)
IMPRESSIONS: Very pale pink and sparkly. Similar enough to Starlet Kiss that I didn't feel the need to get it, although since it's a charitable purchase, I wouldn't discourage anyone from doing so. Y'all know you want Fergie's lips! Er.
PURCHASED: n/a
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

Fafi (February '08)
IMPRESSIONS: Mostly disappointing in terms of packaging and color payoff. Did like a few of the lippies.
PURCHASED: Fun N' Sexy l/s and Totally It! l/g. Oh, and the Ermine doll, just because she looks so bad-ass guarding my brushes.
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

Slimshines (February '08)
IMPRESSIONS: I love these and have done my damndest to limit myself... I had four from last year already.
PURCHASED: Grenadine
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

Lightful (February '08)
IMPRESSIONS: Dunno; wasn't really in the market for skincare. Did it even release in the U.S.? I think this was an Asia-only release.
PURCHASED: n/a
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

N Collection (January '08)
IMPRESSIONS: Mostly WAY too pale for my tastes, especially the lip products. But it was nice to see some neutral, non-glitterbomb stuff.
PURCHASED: 3N l/s, Neutral Pink e/s, MSF Natural Light (my second one).
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

A Mei (January '08)
IMPRESSIONS: Dupeable, and the packaging didn't grab me.
PURCHASED: n/a
SOLD/SWAPPED: n/a

( 2007 and prior... )

I was super dissatisfied with the way this rainbow-y eye came out (boy was that purple explosion on my temples ever a bad idea), but this pic does show the She's Bad lashes well:



I'm amazed to see that those lashes are one of the few things still available from the Heatherette collection. I thought they were wild and not-to-be-missed (whereas most of the lipsticks were HIDEOUS), but hey, that's me. I bought the She's Good lashes, too.

( Full face + close-up of Love Knot lustreglass. )

labellelle commented in my previous entry, asking whether I'd yet written about mineral makeup.

I never have! The closest I've come is using MAC's Mineralized Skinfinish Natural, which is a pressed mineral powder - and a very nice, finely milled powder at that. But I use very little of it, and generally not as an all-over foundation... like, sometimes I'll use it to take the shine out of the sunscreen I wear.

The reason I'm sort of wary of mineralized makeup is that I'm SO dry that the thought of buffing powder all over my face freaks me out, and I'm not fond of very matte finished faces (at least not on me). I have the kind of face that feels tight and dry and sometimes even itchy within minutes after cleansing (and I use very specific types of cleansers as a result), making me want to dive into a bottle of moisturizer. I avoid toner like the plague and seek out the richest face creams possible.

Unsurprisingly, powder/matte finishes accentuate the dryness in my skin (especially when my skin flakes, which is, unfortunately, often) and seem to age me a LOT, so I usually go the opposite route: liquid or lightweight cream (NOT cream-to-powder) products, over a nice layer of SPF moisturizer, in a satin-y finish. My skin generates very little oil - sweat yes, oil no - so I don't find myself "blotting away the shine." I don't usually go full-on dewy, but I generally prefer dewier skin to matte. I think mineral foundations are excellent for people with oilier skin, but I don't think it's for me.

I hope I don't seem as though I'm bragging about my non-oily skin... to be honest, I wish my skin was a bit more middle-of-the-road, because the dryness can be really awful, what with the flakiness and peeling nose and potential for load o' wrinkles as I age. (And though they aren't particularly leaky, I didn't escape having visible pores - I have a bunch of sizable pores on my nose and cheeks.) I'll be writing about the scaly-eyelid trauma I went through a few years' back, before finding less drying ways to remove makeup. (Ugh!)

Overall I'm reasonably content with my skin type, because I've learned how to keep it more-or-less hydrated and what products are best. (Although, ultimately, I'd like to figure out how to convince my skin to generate its own hydration - I'm really dependent upon moisturizers, and I wonder if that just increases my natural dryness. You know, like lip balm dependency or something. Hmm.) But because of that, I probably won't be reviewing the mineral powders any time soon.

Fortunately, lots of other people have done so! I've heard EXCELLENT reviews for Everyday Minerals, which apparently beats out Bare Escentuals in terms of quality and color choices.