Almay Intense i-Color Line

OK, this one's been around for a while, but they have recently re-vamped, warranting a revisit to their products (which I typically love).

Almay does good makeup. This is no surprise. I was THRILLED when they announced this line a few years ago, because it's always hard to find the perfect colors to play up your eye color. I was, however, slightly disappointed that the Blue Eyes collection had blues in it. Not because I don't LIKE blue, but because blue doesn't bring out blue in my eyes, which are dark blue, and kind of grey-ish. They get coaxed out of hiding by things like red and pink, and really rich bronzes.

Enter the NEW Almay Play Up Collection! Not only have they introduced a contrast color eye shadow collection, but they now have liquid liner and a clump-free mascara! Originally, the blue eye set included a no-sharpen pencil in Brown Topaz (gorgeous!) with Blue Sapphire mascara. Now, they have a Blue Sapphire smudgie eye liner (with the little sponge on the end), the liquid liner in Brown Topaz, and the No Clump Volumizing mascara in Brown Topaz! Hooray!

The best part??? They have them for Hazel, Blue, Brown and Green eyes, and they are currently on SALE at Target!

My problem is I want ALL the colors...not just blue. Go figure.

Rimmel Soft Kohl Eye Liner in Jungle Green

It's really no secret that lately I have been obsessed with all things green. You simply need to take a look at my wardrobe and makeup collection to see I'm borderline obsessed. This is no exception.

Rimmel Eye Liner in Jungle Green is an incredible eye liner. First of all, Rimmel's eye liners are really great, because they're very soft. It's not like your typical $2.99 eye liner that feels like you're impaling splinters into your eyelid. Ho, no, this is nice and smooth. So I highly recommend the eye liners, even if you don't prefer Jungle Green.

But now, a word on Jungle Green. I know that I am more prone to loving these kinds of colors, but let me tell you - if ever you were to try cutting your teeth on an "uncommon" color, this would be the one. It's lovely - a nice bluey-green with a hint of sparkle. Today I tried it over Clinique's Lucky Penny, and I thought it looked very nice and subtle with a kick!

So try it. $2.99 at Walgreens - probably cheaper at Walmart and Target.

P.S. WOOHOO - a picture!

Target Clearance Bin Raid

Target has clearanced out a whole mess of cosmetics, which of course wooed me in with those gorgeous little red stickers...I'm such a sucker for a sale!

What I liked:

1. Maybelline Pure Concealer Blemish Treatment Stick - this has 2% salicylic acid in it, making it great for breakouts. However, this was not my intended use. Lately I have discovered that lining my lips (outside them, obviously) with concealer not only makes my lips look prettier and less rough, but also makes my lip gloss look better and stay in place. This is especially good if you're doing a strong color. This little stick is as easy to use as a lip liner, ergo perfect for this chore. PLUS, salicylic acid around the lips will do well to prevent those nasty little lip wrinkles! $1.24 in the bin.
2. Karma Beauty Mascara in Royal Blue - I don't have a link, this is one of those cutesy products Target has begun selling. It's a fun line, go browse - they're usually very cheap. Anyway, if you're dying to try colored mascara, this is the way to go - I love royal blue, because it makes the whites of your eyes look whiter, hence your eyes look brighter overall. But for blue eyes, anything in a magenta would work too. This was a cheap trial of blue, and it's a GREAT blue, not like, HELLO blue lashes, but just a subtle blue that you can only tell under very bright light. Good mascara overall, especially for the $0.94 price tag.
3. Revlon Marble-ous Match in Orchid Me Not - This was not in the clearance bin, but I was dying to try it, so it made the list. It's a combo eye crayon/ liner, and the liner is a marble of two colors. It comes in 5 dual ended colors, all of which looked interesting to me, but I went with the Orchid, because it had purple-y colors in it, and I was intrigued. This one has a liner that is purple and gold marble, then a crayon that is a bronze with a slightly cooler undertone (maybe just the slightest hint of green?) The colors are VERY pretty. I did my whole lid in the crayon, then lined top and bottom with the marbled liner. The nice thing about this is that it's VERY subtle, which is good for anyone. This would be my go-to for the days when I want to look like I'm not wearing much makeup, ergo perfect for everyone else's "everyday" look. :-p The nice thing is it's an all in one - you wouldn't need anything else but mascara. $8.99

Things I did not like:

1. Maybelline Super Away Lipcolor Remover - This gloss is supposed to remove your lip color like an eye makeup remover. One thing that sucks about red lipstick is the stain that it leaves on your lips - usually a good sign for the quality of the lipstick, but not fun to remove. Naturally, to test its true virtue, I attempted to remove red lipstick with it. Result? Red lipstick stain. No noticeable improvement, except that it's glossy, so my lips were moisturized. Now, it might be better with lip liners, etc. However, my guess is that this made the clearance bin because most women like to keep their lipstick ON. Thumbs down. $0.94 lost.

EDIT: I figured out a better method for the Revlon Marble-ous Duo Stick: Put a neutral eye shadow all over your lid (I used Clinique's Daybreak - it's a great one!), then take the crayon part and use it in the crease just like you're drawing an arc over your eye - it just sweeps naturally, go with it! Then line as usual with the liner. Looks awesome!

Quick Tip

From our friends at Women's Health Magazine:

To really pump up your lashes, apply one coat of mascara, then, using a Q-tip, pat lashes lightly with translucent face powder. Immediately follow with another coat of mascara.

I tried this tonight for the first time and it works AMAZINGLY!! It really bulked up my lashes. I will caution you to try this leaning over a mirror so that you don't get any powder in your eye...learn from my experience people.

Sidenote: I got the Urban Decay Lounge - it is every bit as AWESOME as I expected!! It's got red, green, shimmer, the works. If I can figure out how to post pictures, I might put one up. This stuff is not for the faint of heart, though...it's taken me a few tries to get to the "dark maven" stage, as opposed to the "I've been punched in the face while suffering from severe allergies" stage. However, it is SO worth the effort!

Cherry Culture Makeup

Found a new website today, courtesy of Raging Rouge. They're having a March Madness sale - 20% off everything. It looks like they have a wide variety of products, although I haven't taken the time to do a full scale investigation. I see they do offer the NYX line, which is amazing eye shadow. They make an orange that is sweet sweet bliss to any Vols fan!

I have noticed that the prices range from the disgustingly cheap (eye shadow for $1!!!) to the relatively expensive, so fun could truly be had with the 20% off.

Enjoy, and let me know if you find something I need!

http://www.cherryculture.com/

Saturday's Edition of Stuff I Want

Laura Geller Eyebrow Tint and Grooming Gel Tamer - While hanging around tonight, I watched QVC's Saturday Night Beauty. They feature a lot of the products I know and love from Sephora. Today, they featured this brow groomer, which is in a mascara style wand, but the formula has little fibers in it to fill in your brows. Laura Geller was on herself, and called it a "toupee" for your eyebrows.

Now, I have the brows from hell. They would grow all the way down to my lash line if I'd let them, and they're DARK...much darker than I ever allow my hair to be. However, for some reason, the right one (and only the right one) tends to grow sparsely in ONE spot - incidently the only spot where I would never pluck, the thick part right above the inside corner of my eye. It's not something anyone would ever notice, but I hate it.

Anyway, this looks cool because not only is it color that doesn't seem to go on like mascara (a brow product pet peeve of mine), and then a separate end with gel to hold it in place.

Stay tuned...

Four Decades of Beautiful Skin

From MSN Lifestyle - start taking care early!

Maybelline Mineral Powder

Also on the list of things I love: Maybelline's new Mineral Powder liquid foundation. I know, I know, "But Katie, you HATE liquid foundation." Yes, grasshopper, you are correct. However, as everyone and their mom's 2nd cousin's BFF's hairdresser seems to love mineral makeup, I thought I might like to jump on the bandwagon, being as how anything related to makeup scores higher on the list than bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. However, after my sampler pack from Simply Minerals was tested, I discovered that almost-30-year-old dry skin + extra powder = almost-40-year-old LOOKING skin. This is not happy math.





SO, enter Maybelline, who loves to solve the problems of the cheap and makeup obsessed. Plus, they manage to have their foundation NOT smell like Noxema (ahem, Cover Girl). And to top it off, Target had it on sale and so did CVS, so it was a natural assumption that it would become part of my coterie.





What I love:

• Good coverage - I put it on with a brush, because I am tres snob like that, but I start from the outside of the face and work in, and I like the coverage.



• NOT HEAVY - mark this day in history - for once, I like a liquid...it doesn't sit like a 400lb gorilla in my (very small and totally happiness created) wrinkles



• Many colors - and, GET THIS, at (my) CVS, they even had samples you could try to check color. I got classic ivory. Yeah, I'm pale. Shut it.



• It stays in place - Now, I would never, ever, ever talk badly about my favorite tinted moisturizer. However, they have a tendancy to disappear right around 1pm. And since no one I know has retired yet, this is typically before end of working (schooling?) day.

What I don't love:

• Actually, NOTHING! So far, I'm really liking it! Wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles!



• OK, wait, I have one - if you don't wear powder over it (which I always do, so this is not a problem), you can look slightly shiny. But it could be construed as good shiny (ie glowing). Your choice, really.

More things I "need"

Urban Decay Eye Shadow in Lounge



I defy anyone to argue against this description: reddish brown with green pearl sheen



Totally vomitous...and I love it.

Color Therapy

I read this article on a beauty blog called Color Therapy, challenging women to go into their eye shadows and make a tally of their colors, browns and plums in one pile, and then other colors in a separate pile, basically making the point that women need to branch out from the brown/plum rut. This inspired me to do a cleanout. I'm proud to say that brown makes up the SMALLEST portion of my eye shadow (esp. after the clean out)...although I think gold/reddish gold might be my brown, as I have that in about every shade they make it, with big sparkles and small. But since I also have bright orange, deep teal, light teal, dark green, peacock, bright purples, black, and everything in between, I think I'm ok as far as color goes. But then, we all know liking colors has never been my weakness...

Urban Decay Matte Eye Shadow

I just bought myself an early b-day present, the new Urban Decay matte eyeshadow. I bought the color called ABC gum, and it's absolutely awesome. I wanted to tell you guys cause I actually like it that much. On the website it looks slightly more pink/dark than it is, it goes on just barely darker than your skin - enough to tell, but also not like, WHOA, PEACH. I think it would look good on everyone, although on darker skin, it might look a touch different or maybe lighter. And I really like the matte, which is amazing, because I like anything sparkling. It's one of those colors that you could wear alone with just eye liner, or put just about anything on top of it in the crease or smoky-eyed. I actually bought it with the color perversion (matte black - how brave am I?), and finally mastered a smoky eye, which I have never been able to do (and like). I got Narcotic (a teal) from my Sephora Birthday Registry, and it is a little touch of awesome, although I think in that shade line, Lancome Eye Shadow in Personal Style is better, with its prismatic shimmer (from the same family as the LUCI duo). I think the Urban Decay shadows are really good shadows, even if you're not crazy about the colors I pick out ;-) But they're about the same price as Clinique, and I actually like the consistency a LOT better. I really love the Chronic (bright light green), but I'm trying to go easy, plus I think I need to try that in store...not sure if bright light green flatters me...but then, who WOULDN'T look good in bright green eye shadow? I can't imagine.

This week...

Things I love this week:

1. Jergens Natural Glow Body Lotion- I have used this every year for the past 3 to get a "tan," since natural sun is something my body neither needs nor accepts willingly. It's been since Sunday morning and already I look tan enough to expose my legs (no visible veins...). Plus, they have done something so that the smell is not so...smelly. Do not be afraid to choose the darkest one. Believe me, this is the only way it's worth it. I have tried Target, CVS, and Walmart's generic versions. They are all good, but I have to say I've seen the most immediate change with the name brand. It's only about $2 more. I use it every day as my regular moisturizer, and a bottle lasts me about 6 weeks.


2. Philosophy Microdelivery Peel - This is the only home exfoliation I have EVER liked...and I try everything that does not cost a fortune. It has two steps, one where you put Vitamin C crystals on your face (for physical exfoliation), then the second where you add activator and it gets all warm (chemical exfoliation). It makes my skin super smooth without drying it at all (often promised, rarely delivered...). And while it IS expensive, a little goes a long way. I recommend it with Philosophy's Makeup Optional set.


3. Lancome LUCI Eye Shadow Du0 - Not only are these colors AWESOME alone, they blend to make all these different shades of peachy pinky bronze. Amazing. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? In my opinion, definitely, provided you will use them on a regular basis...this probably exempts me. Plus, who can resist the packaging???


4. Sephora Sleep Mask - Yes, yes. Very "old Hollywood." But I'm telling you, if you can find one that fits nicely, you will sleep much better, especially if you sleep in a room with lots of light in the morning. It could be because it pushes your eyelids closer together, so they crust more, so you feel more fresh-from-deep-sleep-ish when you wake up, but I liked it. My friend Megan has sworn by these for years, and I always tried, but never found one I liked...til now. They gave these away for free dollars at the Knoxville grand opening of Sephora, but they're available everywhere. Rule of thumb: You want it to be loose and dark, with a back strap that is NOT an elastic cord. I don't have a picture because it's not available, but if you find one you want me to "approve," let me know.

Things I do NOT love this week:

1. Jergens Natural Glow Facial Lotion - Use this if you really love having your face break out. 'Nuff said.


2. Lancome Eye Shadow in Strut - Perhaps not everyone will appreciate my desire for leprechaun green eyelids, but I'm sure everyone can understand my frustration when, after it arrived, I realized it was a WHOLLY unexciting shade of pathetic hunter green. BLAH. Money back, por favor.


3. DuWop Prime Venom - I bought this Friday at Sephora, VERY pumped that I could blend my regular lip gloss with the awesomeness of DuWop Venom lip plumpers. Verdict? Buy some chapstick, because this is just glorified balm. While I do still love DuWop's gloss Venom collection (Pink shimmer is my new favorite), I still say, for the optimal lip plumpage, go with Too Faced Lip Injection. Personally, I love the Techno Buff, because it's an awesome neutral, and offsets the slight redness that comes with the plump. It appears as though Techno Buff is not available online anymore, but the Techno Glow looks nice...

So, an overall good week - 4-3, score one for beauty. And it's only Wednesday...

Things I'm wishing I had $$ for:

1. TheBalm Balm Shelter - I've heard that this is a great tinted moisturizer, which is my favorite way to get coverage (boo to traditional foundation), plus it's extra SPF, which is nice. But I must use some of what I have before I splurge.


2. DuWop Reverse Eyeliner - Clearly for $24, I can use my typical wet Q-tip method. However, this is intriguing. I have previously bought a rendition of their reverse lip liner and was unimpressed, but DuWop does do things well...I shouldn't have bargain shopped.