Clinique's Attracted to Color Event: May 15-25

I know...Clinique is not always so exciting on the makeup front. We've all been wearing it since we were 13.

HOWEVER, what they are exceptionally good at is giving away free stuff to draw you into their makeup counters. And that, friends, is what I'm here to talk about.

We all love a Clinique Bonus. Buy a small amount (remember when it used to be only $15???), get a useless bag with a bunch of other semi-useful stuff in it. Who doesn't love free crap? Certainly I do. But the downside to the bonus is having to BUY something. I don't always need Clinique stuff. I like to diversify my makeup portfolio - like any good investor.

Well, Clinique's Attracted to Color Event at Belk is one of the rare species of Clinique event (they only come around 1-2 times a year!) where all you have to do is let them make you up, and they give you freebies! Of course, you have to withstand the sales tactics, but they're usually not that hardcore about it anymore. They have caved, they know all we want is the free stuff. And if you are lucky enough (like me) to be from a very small town where you have the SAME Clinique rep do your makeup every time you're there, well, let's just say they get heavy handed with the freebies.

In this event, you make an appointment, get your face done, and you get a free sample of 2 Clinique Products - their Fresh Bloom Allover Color (your choice of 2 shades - one shown above), a cute springy blush with a three-toned flower, and a bottle of their Take the Day Off makeup remover for eyes and lips.

Not bad for having someone put makeup on you! All in a day's work, right?

The event goes from May 15-25th, but I believe they are booking appointments now. I checked online at clinique.com, and I'm 90% sure this is a national event, so everyone has a chance to check this out!

Also, for those of you who have a Dillard's (at least around here), come June Clinique starts their Summer Coolers event - another freebie! After a consultation, you'll get a sample of their Super Defense Moisturizer with SPF 25, and a Superbalm Moisturizing Lip Gloss, your choice of two shades. From what I understand, this is set for the middle of June, so make sure you check that out!

P.S. For anyone wanting to post comments, simply click the place below the post that says, "0 Comments." This will take you to a separate site where you can read posted comments or post your own!

Be still my heart - Benefit's Posietint!

I love Benefit Cosmetics. I really love everything about them. They have amazing products, yes, but more importantly, they understand the true value of marketing and packaging. They understand the perfect way to make you absolutely desperate to get your hands on the brand new thing they're offering. Clever, clever people over there at Benefit.

Benefit was the first "upscale" cosmetics line I ever seriously bought products from, with the obvious exception of Clinique. I visited the Benefit counter at a mall in Atlanta about 8 years ago, where I was instantly sold on a bottle of their Benetint lip and cheek stain. It's this cute little bottle that looks like nail polish, and in it is a sweet rose-smelling stain that gives you a nice glow. I have been wearing it ever since! The only complaint ever uttered from my ruby-stained lips was that on the lips of a pale person, sometimes the red was just a little too...well, red.

And as though they heard my every prayer:


A new shade of Benetint - in lighter, springy-er pink! HOORAY! It's called Posietint, and as for now, it isn't quite available. YET. Apparently it will be widespread come June - so consider yourselves warned, be ready to go pick it up! I always get excited when Benefit comes out with a new product, but this one definitely takes the cake. It's bound to be great, and I'm sure people will be snatching it up all over the place.

So consider yourselves on the front end of the Beauty "What's Happening."

You're welcome.

P.S. Word on the street is I'm getting a larger fan base - nothing like your mom doing marketing for you! Feel free to post comments or ask any questions - I still have a TON of makeup that never gets written about here, and I'm always looking to try new things.

Walgreens - be there or be square!

Walgreens is having some amazing sales on cosmetics this week. Everything Neutrogena is 20% off, which, by Walgreens prices, puts it about where it needs to be. What I was intrigued by was the whole Physicians Formula line being 40% off. I normally bypass this makeup, because I don't think they work hard enough at making the packaging fun. Anyone who believes in the "don't judge a book by its cover" has clearly never taken a marketing class or walked in a Sephora. Cover-judging is the only way to make some of life's important decisions. But I digress...

I was intrigued by these palates. They come with NINE shades, already divided into threes for optimal matching. Now, of course, I didn't actually buy the blue eye palate. I've got enough bronze to last me two lifetimes. I bought the green eye palate, because I needed some purples, and it looked like fun. Also, at 40%, it brought the whole palate down to $6, which is good for my budget! Physicians Formula also has a whole new line of organic makeup - so for all those natural beauties, you can get good makeup for discount prices!

In addition, all the Rimmel makeup was BOGO free! This was a great time to buy their $2.99 Soft Kohl eye pencils (remember my rant about Jungle Green?!?). I bought a black (staple) and a pretty lavender. Two eye pencils for $2.99 - SCORE!

Finally, I scoped out the cheaper side of Walgreens cosmetics. Walgreens is great because they showcase all these brands no one has ever heard of - and sometimes they really ARE awesome. Tonight, I tried a lip gloss by a brand called Jordanna. The gloss is one of those twist up brush on kinds, and it comes in all shades - each of which has a coordinating flavor. I wanted a clearish one, but that was Pina Colada, and I'd rather die than smell that under my nose...instead I opted for lighter pink with the flavor of pink grapefruit. These are GREAT glosses - enough color to look like something, but also sheer enough to pick pretty much whatever color/flavor combo you want. All for the low, low price of $1.99. STEAL! They also had eye liners, lip liners, all sorts of stuff, all for $1.99 or less! I limited myself to one product, though...I'm proud of that.

Moral of tonight's story is this: This is the week to get your makeup-loving booty into Walgreens - especially all of you out there who go for the cheaper side of cosmetics! I know not everyone's a Sephora lover like me, but even slumming can be fun, right? Pick up some new eye shadow (yellow is ALL THE RAGE this year!), a new lip gloss (orangey-pink, anyone?), or an awesome eye liner (try a fun color!). You can get a load of good stuff for less than $10. Beauty comes cheap this week!

The Chicken or the Egg?

Beautorium

Much as I'd like to take credit for this one, sadly, I cannot.

I do, however, find it suspicious that MY blog showed up before their website. But they probably get the benefit of the doubt, considering they have that whole "product line" thing going for them...

In all seriousness, though, if you are into natural and organic products, this is a great website. You can buy all SORTS of crazy stuff I've never heard of before. Enjoy!

On a totally unrelated note, I'm going to start labeling my posts not just for what they're about, but also by cosmetic line. It's more for my interest than anything else, but I want to see who I'm raving about the most.

OMG OMG OMG!! URBAN DECAY F&F SALE! 30% OFF!!!!

Ok, that was probably a little unnecessary. Whew. I'm calm now.

NO BUT SERIOUSLY. THIRTY PERCENT. THREE. OH. THIRTY. A LOT.

I'm kvelling. Honest. I squealed with excitement when I saw this.

So for anyone living under a ROCK (or not reading my blog. Ahem.) - I am borderline obsessed with all things Urban Decay. Ok, strike that. Mostly their eye makeup. I haven't really tried anything else (YET). But I am OBSESSED with their eye makeup. Matte shadow - AWESOME. Shimmery shadow - AWESOME. Deluxe Shadow - DELUXE AWESOME. And their eyeshadow primer is, as promised on every beauty blog on the web, the best I've ever used.

Which would explain the extreme (and normally saved for cheesecake and free money) excitement about their Friends and Family sale - 30% off their website. This is the perfect opportunity for some of you to take advantage of all the wonderful eye shadows I have been raving about (Lounge? Greeny red vomity goodness?) And at 30% off, they are almost at prices my friends will pay!!! Score! In all seriousness, though...they have real colors. Not just vomitous greeny red and that fab-o color Acid Rain I want so badly...

For me, it's a great time to try their 24/7 eye pencils, which I hear great things about and have been dying to try. And chances are, I will probably pick up a few extra eye shadows along the way...just for kicks.

OH! In all seriousness, though - they do have a set that samples some of their best work. The Best of Urban set includes an eye shadow (in a normal, non bodily fluid color), the truly wonderful eye shadow primer potion, a 24/7 eye pencil...and a glittery eye liner. But just ignore that, unless you spend your weekends at the roller rink...aaaaaand it's 1988. With discount, it's $22.40. For over $50 worth of UD eye stuff. This is all that good karma coming back to you. Promise.

So, to recap:
*Urban Decay Friends and Family sale 30% on urbandecay.com
*Urban Decay eye shadows rock the house (also the primer potion)
I think that's all.


And now I must go sell my body on the street for makeup money. Toodles!



EDIT: In rereading my manic blog, I realized that my excitement led me to leave out a lot of pertinent information. For starters, the coupon code for this fabulous deal: FFA30. Additionally, I neglected to mention that the sale goes until 4/30, leaving everyone ample time to explore what they'd like to purchase. And, sadly enough, after looking at monthly budgets, it appears I will not be purchasing this time around. But I probably should just have fun with what I've got, right?

Springtime nails!

I know, hide your shock. I never talk about nails! Why is this? Probably because I was born without them. Instead, I was granted these weak, rice paper consistency, oddly shaped things on the ends of my fingers. They've rarely resembled nails, so why call them that? Now, my toenails? Strong like bull. But my weenie nails...well, they just disappoint. They have yet to ever grow fully past the end of my finger, and when they do, they ultimately break off. Sadness.

However, in the past month, I have begun taking Biotin supplements, which are one of the many herbal supplements out there to help hair and nails. Now, I'm not sure they're working to a "fabulous" degree, but I will say that my fingernails have moved up to at least the consistency of weak cardstock, which is a vast improvement over rice paper!

Because my nails never look pretty or long, I subsequently do not a) paint them or b) get manicures (the manicurist inevitably laughs at me - as though I CHOOSE this!) However, due to recent growth, I decided to get springy and paint them a nice light color. I found the Sally Hansen Salon Nail Laquer in Sheerly Beloved, and for the first time in the history of my life my nails got complimented!

I'm not sure if this is a product endorsing blog, or more an outlet for my personal coup over my horrible nails, but take it as you will. This color of nail polish is nice because it looks sort of like a subtle french manicure, without the fussiness. I'm sold.

I took pictures: one with flash (to see my tiny nubbin nails) and one with natural light, to see the true color of the polish.

Tarte Earth Day Sale!!

In honor of Earth Day, Tarte cosmetics is offering 20% off of their entire product line (minus icky earth-killing ingredients, bien sur!) - coupon lasts until May 02, 2008 on tartecosmetics.com!

This is a GREAT time to check out a Tarte Cheekstain - they come in tons of colors and are a great way to get a nice summery glow! I'm considering ordering the Blushing Bride, I tried it the last time I was at Sephora and liked the color...plus I think the dewier (sp?) consistency will be great for summer!

On a positive note: the 20% off brings the cheek stain down to $22.80, which, with the $5 shipping, brings you out for still less than you could buy it with tax in Sephora yourself! How's that for a deal???


2 quick sidenotes:

1) Can we please just have a moment for the cosmetics company that puts an ANCHOR on their waterproof masara? I'm in love...too bad I don't do waterproof...

2) Another fun thing Tarte offers? Lipgloss double ended duos that you can personalize for weddings, showers, etc! Has anyone heard of anything I need more IN THIS LIFE than that? Makeup for parties? Love it! The problem is...do you want a man who's into that?

Quick tip for pluckers

No, no, PLUCKers...

Well, in last post, I mentioned that I planned to hold out for a wax.

I caved.

Truth is, my brows are too dark to be messing around with that. CONSTANT VIGILANCE! That is the only way to win...

Now I'm sure I'm not the only one who, when plucking their brows, think they have gotten every little hair. Then, next thing you know, you give it a feel or look in one of those dangerously awesome 10x mirrors, and LOOK, a whole other eyebrow's worth of hair (usually blonde - the only ones that grow on my body) is waiting below...

After years of being annoyed by this, I finally (shut up, I'm slow) came up with a solution. Prior to plucking, I whipped out my handy-dandy Bourjois eyebrow mascara (mascara, but for brows) that is normally reserved for filling in holes when I get pluck-happy, and just colored the hell out of those normally blonde hairs below my natural arch.

WORD OF WARNING: You will not appreciate the way this makes you look. I'm not kidding here. It's scary. It will frighten you, because there may be a LOT of hair hiding there. You might have nightmares. But you will survive. Power through. It's worth it for the smooth, silky brow arch that awaits, trust me.

So this made my plucking so intense that my arches have that lovely just-waxed-within-an-inch-of-their-lives smoothness. Ahhhhhh....

Try it!

Two important points:
1. You most certainly do not have to have "special brow mascara" for this. Any mascara (that's not those new funky brushes like CG has) will work perfectly. You'll be plucking or washing it off anyway.
2. However, if you are interested in purchasing a brow gel (and believe me, they are phenomenal if done properly), I recommend Anastasia Brow Gel. I'm telling you, it's worth every penny. I got a free sample of the clear, and I was BLOWN away by how awesome it was. And I am not easily blown away by brow gel. It also comes in tints (which are cheaper). This is not clear mascara! The hold is amazing - it locks your brows in place without them being too stiff. I'm saving all my little pennies to buy it myself!

Clinique Black Honey Deeps Collection

Not wanting to miss an amazing opportunity, I took Sephora up on their offer to buy this set last week when it was marked down to $25. It came in the mail today, and let me just say that there is not one thing in this case I am disappointed with. This includes the bag, which, if we're being honest, is not usually the case with Clinique. Typically, the bag is cheap, ugly, or completely unusable for anything. Not so today!

Here's what the set offers:

1. Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey - I have heard it rumored that this is the shade that looks good on everyone. I have to be honest - I think they're right. In the tube, it is SCARY, almost black looking, and you think, oh, no way. This is going to make me look Goth. Wrong-o. It is a beautiful berry that makes a great color on pale skin without the "I just drank someone's blood, let's go sleep in a coffin" look. Always a great choice, and Clinique offers it for $14 alone, which is not bad for a lipstick you can wear to anything from a day shopping to a night out. (*Note: while a good color/product to use as a stain, the Glosswear in Black Honey is slightly less user friendly. If applied wrong, you DO look like a vampire. Just go easy with it.)
2. Clinique Color Surge Eye Shadow Trio - This is an exclusive to the set. The colors exist in Clinique's current line, but not in this combination. They include the darker shade of the rose chocolate duo, which is much like if you mixed a soft brown with mauve. 2nd is one of my all time Clinique favorites, Lucky Penny, a shimmery rose color, with just the slightest coppery feel to it. It's amazing alone or with just about any other color. Finally, the highlighter shade is Confetti, a pale pink that goes on with a light shimmer. Together, they are GORGEOUS, I don't know why Clinique doesn't sell this set all the time. Estimated value: $21.50
3. Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black Honey - Again, I believe this is only available in this set. It's Clinique's great mascara, done in a dark cherry. Beautiful for any color eyes, it's a subtle cherry that covers and darkens like a black. I doubt anyone would notice the color except in direct sunlight. Mostly it just brightens your peepers so people think, "wow!" $14 for full tube, so probably worth half of that.
4. Clinique Kohl Shaper for Eyes in Black Honey - So the trend here is: this stuff is ONLY available in the kit! Which is too bad, because it is awesome! This is a great eye pencil, smooth and creamy, no splinters in your eyelid. It includes its own sharpener in the cap. I think I've said enough about the Black Honey, you get the idea. These in other colors are $15.50.
5. Clinique Full Potential Lip Gloss in Blackberry Bloom - This is, by far, my most favorite part of the set. And the best part??? You can actually BUY it! It's not exclusive! It is a "plumper," although not in the burn your lips off way. It's very nice feeling, a good thick gloss. The color (although it looks like the darkest of the ones available) is a pretty, sweet berry, that is so subtle it looks like you're just blessed with good coloring and wearing clear gloss. I LOVE THIS. If you buy nothing else, I recommend this gloss. $17.50.

So that was the set, including the bag, which is a dark purple faux croc square bag, zippered along one side (much like a small lunch box). It's very roomy inside and for once, I think I'll use it. With the deal I got, a code also scored you a free travel size Clinique Take the Day Off Makeup Remover. Score!

Now, I don't know if you've been doing the math, but this is almost $60 worth of makeup ALONE. Not including the (useful) bag and the free sample of makeup remover. I paid $32 including shipping. That's good math, peeps. We like math like that.

So, if your happy fingers make it to Sephora and they have restocked, or over to ebay and someone besides the crazy person selling it for $78 is offering it, I highly recommend. Otherwise, seriously, look into those two lip colors. You won't be sorry.

*EDIT: I promise that when I get my eyebrows waxed, I will take a picture of me wearing the whole set, complete with pictures of EACH lip color. But for now, I am living underneath a deep, dense forest that I lovingly call "Eyebrow Left" and Eyebrow Right." And kids - this is the stuff nightmares are made of...

New Variation on an Old Theme

A cool thing happened about 15 years ago (possibly earlier, but that was when "beauty" entered my world). The obsession with tanning and dark skin led to the creation of Self Tanners: Magical potions that overnight would turn you a shade darker (or a shade oranger, in some cases). Being blessed with pale skin and legs that DEFY TANNING, I tried them ALL. Even Toma's Tan Perfect - which, by the way, remains as the best one I've ever used. However it is WAY too involved. I don't have that kind of time in my life.

So, self tanning was all the rage for about 10 years. There were ones with bronzers, ones with shimmer, ones that braided your hair and sang you to sleep. But through it all, women were tan, but not totally pleased: the ankles! The lines on the feet! The drying! The OBVIOUS mistakes! What do we do? This product is not perfect, and we demand perfection!

Enter gradual tanners. Applied like a lotion, this will, over time, develop your optimal tan without the heinous streaks and dark ankles and knees. HALLELUJAH! Women the world over rejoiced and ran out in droves. Soon, these had bronzers, shimmers, firming potions...we had a new way of tanning. And it was awesome. I'm a believer. But I wasn't a difficult convert, seeing as how my veins on my legs are visible through my skin...

Now, Jergens has produced this:

Yes. That's right sports fans. It's gradual tanner, but FASTER. So, like gradual, but instead, not. Sounds amazingly like - TA DA! - Self tanner! I should be a brain surgeon.

And let me tell you: that's exactly what it is. I know. Because I bought it.

Now, many women across the country are running out in droves to buy this, because it is NEW AND AMAZING. Guess what? It's not new. But it IS amazing. I bought it, knowing full well that it was exactly what I gave up in favor of gradual.

And now that I have shown just exactly how ahead of the Jergens Marketing Dept I am, here is my review:

I bought this on sale at CVS, where it is normally $7.99, which is not bad. It is a small bottle, but it says it only needs 3 days, so who needs more product? Plus, I had a $2 off coupon.

So I ran home yesterday with my new/old product in my hot little hands, showered and immediately applied. I then went to play football and promptly forgot about it, until later last night, when I was studying, looked down at my legs and (literally) said, "Hot damn! When did my legs get so tan!" I had, by this point, forgotten I'd applied. For a split second. Then I got really excited. I reapplied after the post-football shower last night. My legs are dark as hell. At least, for me. I wore a skirt today, in honor of the fact that my legs looked good enough to pull it off! Very, very exciting.

Ok, getting serious now:

* This stuff is MUCH like the self-tanners we all know and love - I have lines on my feet and two random spots on the front of my neck from not being careful enough in my application. I will not make this mistake tomorrow.

* I, of course, bought the darker shade, because I am just WILD like that. However, it's pretty dark, especially since I'm only on day 2 of the magical 3. I think it looks ok on me because I'm yellow-pale, rather than most people's pink-pale. For all my pink friends, I'd say go with the lighter shade - this stuff is powerful! Also on pink pale, it may turn orange. Plus, seriously, it's $8 lost if I'm wrong.