The Life of A Ladybug

Bronze and Red

Last night's skincare:

• Cetaphil Daily Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin
• Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner
• Berwick Beauty Coming Up Roses Night Cream (under eyes)
• Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Treatment
• Avon Anew Ultimage Age Repair Night Cream

This morning's skincare:

• Cetaphil Daily Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin
• i.d. bareEscentuals skin rev-er upper
• Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Treatment
• Berwick Beauty Coming Up Roses Day Cream (around nose)
• MAC Moisturelush Eye Cream

Today's makeup:

• Bobbi Brown Luminous Foundation in Golden (applied with Beautyblender Sponge)
• Bobbi Brown Corrector in Dark Bisque (MAC 242SE brush)
• Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit in Golden (MAC 242 SE brush, MAC 224 SE brush for powder)
• tarte emphasEyes in Black (to line inner lower rim of lashes)
• Bourjois Metallic Eyeliner in Brun Inoxydable (lining upper and lower lashes)
• L'Oreal Voluminous Naturale in Blackest Black (two coats on upper lashes)
• Smashbox Fusion Eye & Cheek Color in Heatwave (as shadow and over blush)
• Sally Hansen (with Carmindy) Natural Beauty Bronzer in Summer (used darker end as contour color, lighter end as highlighter on cheekbones and under brow)
• NARS blush in Exhibit A (on apples of cheeks)
• Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15
• pop beauty lip smoothie in Salmon

Today's fragrance:

Philosophy Falling in Love

Today's outfit:

• red and white printed long-sleeve top from New York & Company
• brown double button pants from New York & Company
• gold printed leather pumps by BCBGirls
• gold hammered hoops from Claire's
• wedding set
• gold and pearl ring I bought on a cruise
• stretch bracelet with cowry shell and seashell dangles (a Mother's Day gift from Sarai)
• camel purse from Baghaus.com

The Body Shop Super Volume Mascara

When I bought a couple items from the ever so stylish, Allie, she included a sample of The Body Shop Super Volume Mascara.  I have fallen in love with it!

TBS Super Volume Mascara is very similar to my beloved Maybelline Full 'n Soft.  The bristles are spaced kind of far apart on the brush, so be sure that you manage to coat every lash, but there is no clumpage.  The formula is a little wet, but it is really black and, while you won't wind up with hella long lashes, your lashes will be dark and thick and this mascara gives them luscious girl.  In short: The Body Shop Super Volume Mascara is a great everyday mascara.

You can get it for $14 at www.thebodyshop.com or in stores.

L'oreal Voluminous Naturale

As L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black is one of my favorite mascaras ever, I thought I would try its sister L'Oreal Voluminous Naturale to see if I could tell any difference.  Well, I can!  And that's not a good thing.  While the Carbon Black version of Voluminous offers thick, long, sooty black lashes, Naturale doesn't do this at all!  I did notice a bit of length and maybe even a touch of thickness, but it was hard to see past all the extreme clumpage!!!  Argh!!  Shock and horror, y'all!  This is not at all what I look for in a mascara.  I want long, lush, inky black lashes, not spider legs!

I will try again, just to see if maybe I got a bad tube, but I am majorly disappointed.  The brush is rubbery, like Cover Girl Lash Blast, but skinny and flexible and ugh!  Not a fan.  Not a fan.

Peachy browns and greens

Today's makeup:

• MAC Moisturelush Eye Cream
• YSL Touche Eclat in 3 (under eyes and under brows)
• Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder in 2 (under eyes)
• MAC Paint Pot in Indianwood (applied with my finger, all over my eye lid)
• Guerlain Ombré Eclat 4 Shades Eye Palette in Bronze Doré (light peachy nude as highlighter under brows, bronzy shade on lid, light celadon green on inner lid, dark green in crease and on outer v)
• Tarte EmphasEyes in Black (tightline)
• Bourjois Metallic Eyeliner in Brun inoxydable (to line upper and lower lashes)
• L'Oreal HIP Mascara in Ultimate Black (two coats on top lashes only)
• MAC Sculpt and Shape in Warm Light/Definitive
• mark. kiss theraphy lip balm in Shimmering Coral
• MAC lipliner in Cork
• Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Crystal Shine in BG 941S
• Dior Creme de Gloss in Beige Elixir

Today's fragrance:

Fresh Sugar Lychee

Today's outfit:

• brown s/s tee with bronze sequin placket on the neckline from Old Navy
• brown tweed cropped pants from New York and Company
• brown mock croc pointy-toed high-heeled mary janes from Isaac Mizrahi for Target
• bronze chandelier earrings (I don't remember where I got these)
• wedding set

Dude - I'm wearing more makeup than I am clothes!  HA!

100% Pure Cosmetics

As y'all know, QVC's Saturday Night Beauty holds a prominent place on my TiVo's Season Pass list.  Almost every week, I find a new line or product that I want to try.  I strongly suggest that, if you're as in love with beauty as I am, you watch SNB - it's a great way to find out about new or seldom-known beauty brands.

Week before last, the interesting products were from 100% Pure Cosmetics.  I found myself intrigued by the draw of using fruit pigments to color the products.  I just knew they would smell yummy and I had to have them!  I ordered two lipgloss duos, a lip & cheek stain trio and the mascara in Black Tea and Blackberry.  I'm not an all natural kind of girl, but putting soothing, natural products on my face sounded appealing.

Now I see why I'm not an all natural girl.  I mean, okay, these products don't royally suck or anything, but truthfully, they're just not that interesting.  The Lip & Cheek Stain is an okay product - the texture is quite lovely in its creaminess, but the tint is very faint and it takes me several applications before I feel that it's really showing up.  Not to mention that, halfway through the day, I looked in the mirror an noticed that it had gone a bit blotchy on me.  However, I didn't find that it faded quickly, so that's good.

The lipglosses come in very pretty, natural colors (duh!)   I expected them to glide on smoothly when - shock and awe - I found that they feel kind of gritty on my lips.  I don't know if it's the fruit pigments that do that, but whatever it is, I didn't find it to be a very pleasing experience.  Not to mention that I like my lipglosses to have a shiny finish and this doesn't.  It's decidedly creamy, almost like a liquid lipstick, but with not enough coverage to qualify.

And the mascaras.  Okay, they're not awful.  But they're not great.  They will add some length, but it requires several coats.  In the mornings, I just don't have time for all that.  The mascaras also didn't leave my lashes looking particularly dark or thick.  Thumbs down.  Just a very basic mascara.

ETA: I had my dance mentor, Lotus Niraja, try out the mascaras, as well.  While she likes the color of the Blackberry shade (a dark purple), the texture and overall effect of the mascara did nothing for her lashes.  She found the consistency to be almost oily and was surprised at how stringy her lashes looked after application.  She was pleased to announce, though, that she found they work well for grooming the brows, if you wipe a bit of product off the brush first.

So, to summarize - if you must try this line, go for the Lip & Cheek Stain.

You can buy 100% Pure Cosmetics on www.qvc.com.

L'Oreal HIP Mascara

My friend, Denise, told me that the L'Oreal HIP Mascara is one to avoid, but during my Bobbi Brown makeover this past Saturday, the fabulous artist, Rugi (Hey, Rugi!) told me that this is her favorite drugstore mascara.  Such conflicting reviews!  I didn't know what to do!  Oh, of course I did!  The only thing to do was to try it for myself.

Off I traipsed to Walgreen's (my favorite place to buy drugstore cosmetics) and snatched up a tube.  After wearing it for a couple of days, I have to say - this isn't one of my favorite mascaras, but I'm leaning more toward Rugi's assessment.  I found the mascara to work well - it separates, lengthens, and defines.  My lashes weren't as thick as I would have liked, but if you have naturally thick lashes, but are looking to have more length, this is a perfectly serviceable mascara.

L'Oreal HIP Mascara retails for about $10 at your local drugstore.

Bourjois Liner Clubbing and Volume Clubbing mascara

I go back and forth on Bourjois.  I can't decide whether I love this line or not.  Needless to say, I've come across some greats - loving the lipgloss - but other products have disappointed me.  These two products aren't huge disappointments, but there's nothing phenomenal to recommend them, either.

Bourjois Liner Clubbing is a perfectly fine, standard liquid eyeliner.  There is nothing innovative or exciting about it.  It comes in a small tube with a very thin brush.  It dries fairly quickly.  It stays put all day.  It comes off easily with eye makeup remover.  That's it.  Those are the requirements for a good liquid liner and this product has them.  But, if you want my opinion, go to the drugstore and buy Maybelline Ultra Liner and save yourself several bucks.  Their effect is the same - you're just paying for the brand name, in this case.

Volume Clubbing masara can be considered a good mascara, in that it does everything I want a mascara to do - it leaves you with ridiculously long lashes and they are extra, extra black.  Great!  However ... this mascara clumps instantly.  It has a weird brush that's flattened in the middle.  I've found, through trial and error, that the best way to apply this mascara is to use the flat side to get all the yummy inky blackness onto your lashes, then use the brushy parts to comb through the lashes about a billion times until you're left with perfectly defined, dark lashes.  Another nasty little bit, though ... this stuff is a bear to get off.  Last night, I doused a cotton ball with waterproof eye makeup remover, left it on my lids for a minute and the mascara didn't budge.  I swiped and swiped, using three cotton balls - some was still there.  By this time, it had become a huge, flaky mess and a huge flake had gotten into each eye!  Oh, no.  I am very sensitive about my eyes - that is a big ole no-no in my book.  Even after washing my face with a creamy cleanser and using toner, I was still scrubbing at my lashes to get it off.  If you're gonna be onstage or doing something else where you'd like to be sure your mascara is smear-proof this is the stuff (maybe that's why it's called Volume Clubbing - it's meant to be worn to the club when you're hot and sweaty) - but if you just want mascara for a regular old workday, it might not be worth it for the headache involved in taking it off.  Buyer beware.

You can get Bourjois' Liner Clubbing and Volume Clubbing mascara in Sephora stores or on www.sephora.com.

tarte rejuvelash - part two

So, last week, I posted about how I didn't get tarte's rejuvelash and Candace from tarte wrote in to give me some tips about how best to use it.  Well, I followed her tips and guess what?  It works!  She was right!  Last night, after having worn the same mascara for hours, I used the rejuvelash to soften my lashes and then added another coat of mascara on top.  My lashes looked miles longer and dark, sooty black.  Fab!  It's the perfect thing for you gals on the go who just want to freshen up your makeup before you hit the town.  No more clumpy lashes from adding new mascara on top of old!  Yay, tarte!  Another great product.

Passionate about purple and Paint Pots

Seriously ... have I told y'all how much I love MAC Paint Pots?  Have I???  Because I do.  I love 'em, y'all.  They are the best.  Swipe it on with your finger, add liner and mascara and go.  A polished, slightly shimmery eye in seconds.  Yummylicious!

Today's skincare:

• Clean & Clear Foaming Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin
• Paula's Choice Blemish Control Liquid (or whatever it's called)
• MAC Moisturelush Eye Cream
• Elizabeth Ardene Intervene Moisturizer

Today's makeup:

• YSL Touche Eclat in 3 (under brows and under eyes)
• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Deep (all over with BE Handy Buki brush and used as concealer with BE Max Coverage Concealer brush)
• MAC Paint Pot in Nice Vice (applied over lid and into crease with finger)
• tarte emphasEyes in Black (used to line upper and lower inner eye)
• MAC Dual-Edge Eye Pencil in Fab Orchid (upper lashline)/Dash Lily (lower lashline)
• Cover Girl Lash Blast in Very Black (two coats on top lashes)
• tarte cheekstain in blushing bride (applied to apples of my cheeks and blended with fingers)
• Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF15
• NYX Round Lipstick in B52
• MAC Lipgelée in Mega

Today's outfit:

• purple drape cowl neck top from Torrid
• brown tweed pants from New York & Company
• cream lace kitten-heels pumps by Isaac Mizrahi for Target
• silver dramatic crescent/rhinestone earrings from New York & Company
• wedding set
• camel large tote from baghaus.com

Today's fragrance: Fresh Sugar Lychee eau de parfum

Today's hair: sprayed with my homemade leave-in (water, leave-in conditioner, pomegranate seed oil, olive oil) and pulled up in a Tomoka's Twist with silver beads

MAC Heatherette Collection review

The MAC Heatherette collection is for any girl (or boy, for that matter) who love all things glitter and pastel.  When you think Heatherette, think fun, fashion, feminine, flirtatious!  This collection is very cool and very cute, from the packaging to the colors.

In the lipsticks, only Hollywood Nights is bright - it's described as a clean fuschia pink (satin).  It looks like it belongs in the Fafi collection, minus the glitter.  I liked it, but didn't love it.  I was drawn in by Lollipop Loving, though.  It's a fabulous coral, laced with green iridescence - the green doesn't really show up on the lips - it just adds a soft glow.  Fleshpot is a very cute neutral (light neutral beige), but if you have 1N or any of MAC's other neutral lipsticks, I think you can skip it.  Also included is Melrose Mood, a clean pastel pink - just like Fleshpot, you'll be able to find a comparable shade in MAC's permanent collection.

I like the lipglasses much better and scooped them all up.  Bonus Beat - sheer yellow beige with gold pearl (frost) is a good shade to mute a brighter color - when paired with Lollipop Loving, you wind up with a very pretty peachy nude lip.  Sock Hop - soft midtone coral (cream) is a yummy shade that's totally on target for the spring coral lip.  Style Minx - clean fuschia pink - is the lipglass version of Hollywood Nights and I like it better in this glossier formulation.  Starlet Kiss - clean pastel pink - is a very nice pink gloss, but I think it's skippable if you have something similar in your collection already.

The Heatherette collection has two shadow trios: Heatherette Trio 1 - Mood Ring (pastel mint green), Cloud Burst (true black with subtle green pearl), Hoppin' (clean pastel peach), and Heatherette Trio 2 - Baby Petals (pastel pink), V.I.P. (clean mid-tone yellow pink), Cassette (blackened eggplant purple).  Truth be told, both these trios are easily dupable.  You could make Trio 1 with Aquadisiac or Newly Minted, Cloud Burst is a repromote, and Hoppin' is close to Pink Venus.  For Trio 2, again, go for Pink Venus, try Expensive Pink in place of V.I.P. and try Fig. 1 or Nocturnelle in place of Cassette.

The Dual-Edge Eye Pencils are awesome, y'all!  Got 'em all!  Each pencil has one side that's a traditional creamy liner and the other side is glittery and a bit harder to draw on and blend.  Here are the shades: Black Funk/Pop Blue - true black/turquoise with silver glitter, Phone Me/Text Me - charcoal gray/metallic silver with silver glitter, Nighthawk/Front Row - coffee brown/neutral peach with gold glitter, FAB Orchid/Dash Lily - jewel-tone purple/mid-tone lavendar with silver glitter.

Both of the Glitters are repromotes - Reflects Gold and 3D Silver.  Since I already had Reflects Gold, I picked up 3D Silver, which is a gorgeously rainbow-reflective silver glitter.

In Pigments, the Heatherette collection offers Jardin Aires (gilded peach with silver reflect glitter) and Pink Pearl (mid-tone pink with blue reflection).  Jardin Aires is great for a neutral sparkly eye and Pink Pearl is perfect for a brighter look when you're on a night out clubbing.  Or if you're a chick who would wear a bright pink eye during the day, well then ... rock it!

The two Beauty Powders are nice - I've never tried Beauty Powders before.  They're very finely milled and apply sheerly.  Neither Beauty Powder from this collection is awesome for brown girls, in my opinion.  Smooth Harmony would be a great matte bronzer on somebody with lighter skin, but it doesn't show up on you if you're medium brown or darker.  And Alpha Girl (pink with gold nuances) is too light of a pink.

The two nail lacquers are Lola Devine (medium golden bronze) and $$$$$ Yes (metallic silver foil).  Both are great for giving yourself metallic fingers and piggies, but I don't go to MAC to get nail polish.  You definitely can find the same colors for cheaper.

The last fun product in the collection are the lashes: She's Good and She's Bad.  Both have patent finishes, which is the coolest thing ever.

Long story short: this collection is very cool and fun, but the vast majority of it can be duplicated easily with things that are in MAC's permanent collection.  So check first to see if you have similar shades, okay?

Look for some Heatherette FOTDs soon!