Glamour Special Edition: 1,000 Dos & Don'ts to Dress By Forever

I picked up this special edition of Glamour magazine a few weeks ago and I wanted to share some of the ideas that I really liked and wanted to try to follow. Each tip/idea is copied straight from the magazine. I referenced the page and section I found each one in just in case you want to know.

*The Dos & Don'ts for weekends (p.28):

1-DO treat Saturday and Sunday as a time for style experimenting

I think this a great idea. You don't have to worry about walking into work wearing something that looks off or inappropriate.

2-DON'T miss this opportunity to play with your hair, too.

Great idea for the same reasons as above.

5-DON'T go out in ratty sweats, faded shirts or holey socks-"house clothes" should be restricted to the house.

You never know who you will run into. Plus, who wants to be embarrassed or feel like everyone is looking at the hole in your pants.

*The Dos & Don'ts for work (p.20):

6- DO dress for the job you want, not the one you have.

This is so important in any job. Looking your best does matter. Dressing professionally not only tells people you are motivated and can handle the job but will motivate you to do your

7-DON'T forget: A neutral cardigan is your BFF (best fashion friend).

A cardigan can be used in lots of different ways (belt it, button it up, add a brooch). It's a great way to dress up or down an outfit.

8-DO hunt down a fabulous bag; it will instantly punch up any outfit.

I think this is true for any outfit but if you have to wear conservative clothing or a uniform you can certainly add some style to your outfit with a nice bag.

*Big Night Rules from Valentino (p.39):

#5-When in doubt, wear red.

I really want to add red to my wardrobe. It's such a great color and I have nothing red!

*Andrea's 4 Favorite Beauty Dos (p.97):

-DO blush up your eyes.

Honestly, I never really thought about putting blush on as eyeshadow. It's an interesting idea that I want to try.

Well, that's it. There are a ton of other great ideas and tips in there but these ones just stood out a little more for me. If you read the issue let me know what you think of the ideas.

Autumn Goodies: Eyes Part II

Here are some more great eyeshadows for the fall season!

Clockwise: L'Oreal Hip eyeshadow duo in Electrified, Mary Kay eyeshadow duo in Double Espresso, NYX Pearl Mania Pigments in Rust, Charcoal pearl, and ???. Sorry, the name feel off and I have no idea what this is called.

Let me know what you guys think of these colors. Have you tried any of them? I'll try and post some pics of me wearing these various products throughout fall.

Now for the swatches!

(Top to bottom):

L'Oreal Hip eyeshadow duo in Electrified

NYX Pearl Mania Pigment in?

NYX Pearl Mania Pigment in Charcoal Pearl

NYX Pearl Mania Pigment in Rust

Kay eyeshadow duo in Double Espresso

Autumn Goodies: Eyes Part I

Here are some more items that I own that I will be using a lot this fall and winter season. These are all great colors. They give off a very warm and cozy vibe.

I'll be splitting the "eyes" up into 2 different posts. Let me know if you've tried any of these products and if they'll be in your fall rotation.

*Ulta eyeshadow in Eggplant (top left)

*MAC eyeshadow in Star Violet (top right)

*NYX Jumbo eye pencils in Pots & Pans (top) and Iced Mocha (botttom)

*Revlon eyeshadow in Platinum Glimmer (bottom left)

*Maybelline Dream Mousse Shadow in Tranquil Rose (bottom right)

Here are the swatches of each from top to bottom:

*Ulta eyeshadow in Eggplant

*Revlon eyeshadow in Platinum Glimmer

*MAC eyeshadow in Star Violet

*Maybelline Dream Mousse Shadow in Tranquil Rose

*NYX Jumbo eye pencil in Pots & Pans

*NYX Jumbo eye pencil in Iced Mocha

Autumn Goodies: Lips and Cheeks

These products range in berry tones and are perfect for fall!

Lips:

The top one is Revlon Illuminance All-Over palette in Passion Fusion. I'm specifically focusing on the two colors on the right side of the palette. I'm really trying to branch out with my lip color this fall and these two colors give a sheer but dark berry flush to your lips.

Blush:

On the left is Revlon Flirtatious Cream Blush. This is the blush that I will probably use under the NYC blush I showed in my haul. It's a great berry color on it's own or as a base.

On the right is another Revlon product that is quite a bit old. It was limited edition a few years back. It's Be Dazzling Shimmer Blush in Hint of Ruby. This is a pigmented blush that gives an awesome deep berry glow to your cheeks.

I will definitely be wearing these lovely products for fall!

Here are some swatches:

Top to Bottom: Berry Flirtatious, Hint of Ruby, last shade in Passion Fusion palette, second to last shade in palette.

Autumn goodies

Since Autumn is here, in my mind, cause I can't take the heat anymore. I decided to go through my makeup items that I already have and see what goodies I can utilize. I'm going to break this up into 3 segements; nails, cheeks and lips, and eye products.

First up, nail polishes:

*Sally Hansen Salon Expert Bitten Plum

*Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Jumpin' Jade

*Revlon Autumn Berry

* Essie Angora Cardi

Fall Type Haul

I recently went shopping for a few items that I wanted to add to my Fall seasonal makeup stash. There are a few more items I want to get, mostly nail polishes but here is what I got.

*Maybelline XXL Pro 24 HR Bold mascara in Very Black

*NYC Cheek Glow Blush in Cherry Blossom

*Maybelline ColorSensation Lipstain in Wink of Pink

*NYC Eye Dust Loose Powder in Sparkling Rose

*NYX Eyeshadow in Volcano

I haven't tried all the products yet so I can't do a review on all of it but I have tried the blush. The blush is not very pigmented but it's a really pretty color. I plan to layer it over a cream blush in a similar color. When I do I'll try and post a pic of it.

Here are swatches of the all the items except the mascara.

From left to right: NYC Eye Dust in Sparkling Rose, NYX eyeshadow in Volcano, NYC Cheek Glow in Cherry Blossom, Maybelline lipstain in Wink of Pink

You Suck! A Love Story

I just finished this book by Christopher Moore and much like his other novels it was pretty darn funny. Yes, this is another "vampire story" but it's completely different from Twilight and the Sookie Stackhouse novels.

If you've never read anything by Christopher Moore then just let me tell you that all of his novels are comedys and completely crazy. At first I didn't really like the book that much. I think it was because all of the other novels I've read by him are interesting from page one. You Suck took a little time to get to the funny and interesting stuff. My favorite part is the journal entries of vampire minion Abby Normal. Her voice is very unique and laugh-out-loud funny.

Although this novel wasn't my favorite by Moore it was still worth the read. Other's hilarious books I suggest by this author: Fool, A Dirty Job, Practical Demonkeeping, and Lamb.

I think next I want to read something inspirational. Any suggestions?

Image courtesy Amazon.com

Sally Hansen Mystic Lilac

So I saw this nail polish over at Nouvea Cheap blog and I loved this color for fall. It's a grey-purple with green shimmer in it. It looked gorgeous on her and gorgeous in the bottle but unfortunately it looks like crap on me. It has almost a brown tint to it which is why I think it looks bad on me. Also, it isn't as opaque as I thought it would be. I'm so disappointed.

I'm on the look out for these other polishes though and I think they will look great.

*China Glaze Midnight Mission- a dark blue color

*Maybelline Pretty in Purple

I'm also looking for a great grey color. Any ideas on that one?

Milani Mai Tai Blush

I'm so excited! I've been looking for this blush for a year and I finally found it at one of my local CVS stores. Most of the time when I look for Milani blushes, at various stores they never even the blushes let alone the one I want.

I first found out about this blush while watching EmilyNoel83 on Youtube. Every time she wears this blush it looks great. It looks great by itself and layered over different cream blushes. I know I could have ordered it on line but I wanted to see what it looked like in person first. And can you believe that I almost passed by it!?! I saw it and then thought "nah I'm not gonna get it"! But lucky I came to my senses and bought it.

Fall Purses

Yea, it's Fall! O.K. not really cause it's still 105 degrees here. But I can hope. Anyway, I'm looking for a new purse for fall and I found a couple on the Forever 21 website that I'm considering. Tell me what you think.

Does this beige one look a little uh "maturish"?
Not sure if this brown one is too plain. What do you think?
I think I like this one the best.

Project 3-Pan is Over

Well, I succeeded. I used up 3 products this month, although 1 of the products was not the one I wanted to use up. I used up my Maybelline mousse concealer, the Rimmel Glam'Eyes, and my Rimmel Fix and Perfect Face Primer. And... I didn't buy any makeup this month. Anyway, I wanted to use up my Coastal Scents foundation but it just didn't happen. I had too much of it. Oh well, I still used up 3 products so I'm happy.

I'm going to try and use up 3 more products in September as well. I'm going to use up the Coastal Scents foundation, my L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Primer, and something else. Haha. I'm not sure yet but I'll let you know. I will however be buying some new products because well, I just want to.

Curly Hair Series-Redken Fresh Curls Curl Boost

All righty, this is the final product in my curly hair series. This Redken product is an anti-frizz scrunching spray gel. I have tried 4 or 5 other products from Redken and I thought they all were very high quality and did a pretty much what they said they would do. That's why I was so disappointed in this product. I had really high hopes for this but I feel like this was the worst product in the series. I don't really like products that I have to spray into my hair because I feel like I don't get it evenly distributed enough. I really tried to be methodically when applying this, spraying in sections so that I got it everywhere. Also, like always, I applied a generous amount.

Here's how it stacked up:

1. This did not control my frizz at all. Once my hair dried it was a mess and I had to re-wet it and put more product in.

2. No. It did not keep my curls curly. They fell and frizzed.

3. It didn't make my hair crunchy or flaky, but my hair did feel really dry.

I kinda feel like "spray" products just aren't for me, but even if this formula was in a cream or something I don't think it's strong enough for me.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I feel like the Aveeno is a keeper! I think it did the best job out of the bunch. I might try mixing the Aveeno with the Catwalk. That would probably be an awesome combination.

Curly Hair Series-LaCoupe Perfect Curls Frizz Free Curl Shaping Mousse

Here is the 3rd product in my "Curly Hair Series". This product claims that it "Transforms hair into soft, perfectly defined curls". I used this product the same way I used the others. I applied a generous amount and focused on the hair line and the ends. No I did not get "perfectly defined curls" but it did a good job none the less.

Here's how it stacked up:

1. This product did a pretty good job at controlling the frizz in my hair. There were still some spots of frizziness but I think if I used even more of it it would have done an even better job.

2. This definitely kept the curls bouncy and didn't weigh them down at all.

3. While I didn't notice an flaking, the product did make my hair a bit hard. I kinda expect that from a mousse though.

Sephora Smoothing Primer

I received a sample of this on my last trip to Sephora. It is a clear gel primer. I've never tried the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, but I think this product is pretty similar to it. This primer is supposed to smooth makeup application, improve imperfections, and mattify the face. I put this primer on one half of my face and my L'Oreal Studio Secrets face primer on the other to see how well it stacked up. On a side note, the L'Oreal primer is my favorite at the moment. Anyway, my makeup went on smoothly and evenly. There was a bit of fading by the end of the day but nothing too bad. I would say this is a pretty good primer. I still like the L'Oreal better though because I like the feel of the primer on my face, it's less expensive, and it makes my makeup last a bit longer. It's worth a try though. It might work better for someone with oily or oily/combo skin.

MAC Dare to Dare

So the only thing I ended up picking up from the In the Groove collection was the Dare to Dare lipglass. It's a really pretty pink with blue glitter in it. The blue glitter gives the lipglass a purplish appearance. It's really pretty for day if you use it lightly and great for night when you layer it on.

2-Week Manicure Update

Well, my manicure chipped. It lasted 2 days. I did all the normal stuff I usually do and I didn't even do any dishes! On the plus side, it didn't chip as badly as it usually does so maybe if I used the specific topcoats that were mentioned in the article it would have lasted longer. Oh well. I've got another product I'm planning on testing out so I'll let you know how that goes. If anyone has any advice or tips please, please let me know.

2-Week Manicure

I mentioned in a previous post that I can’t get my manicures to last more than a day or two and I can’t figure out why. Well, I was reading the August issue of InStyle magazine and I came across an article that claimed to be able to tell me the secret of a 2-week manicure. Yes people, 2 WEEKS! Not only that but after reading the step 2, I discovered she tells you to do the opposite of what I’ve always been told to do. Well of course I had to try it out for myself. The manicurist who came up with this “secret” is Josephine Allen. InStyle breaks the secret down into 4 easy steps. Here they are (paraphrased):

1. “Do 1 ½ base coats” The 1^st coat just on the upper half of the nail, let dry for 1 minute. The 2^nd coat on the whole nail.

2. “Pile on the Polish” Apply 2 thick coats of polish. (I don’t know about you, but everything I’ve read or heard has always said to do 2 thin layers)

3. “Seal the Deal” Use 2 top coats. (The article suggests Nailtiques 2, followed by Seche Clear. This is the only spot in the article wear it suggests a specific brand be used. I didn’t have either of these so I substituted a “strengthening clear coat and a regular top coat)

4. Cool It! Dip your hands in and out of a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes. “This helps to set the lacquer.

That’s it. I did this yesterday (08/09/10) and so far so good. I’ll let you know at the first sign of a chip. I hope this works though cause having a manicure that lasts more than 2 days would be awesome!

Curly Hair Series-Bed Head TIGI Catwalk Curls Rock Curl Amplifier

O.k., the 2nd product in my curly hair series is the Bed Head TIGI Curls Rock Curl Amplifier. Like Aveeno, this is the only Bed Head product I've ever tried. It comes out of a pump and has a thick, creamy consistency. It's also kinda sticky. If you rub your hands together then pull them apart the product will connect them together. (If that makes any kind of sense LOL). Also, it smells a bit perfumey, but not too strong. I like the way it smells. Again, I used a generous amount of product each time because I have a lot of hair.

Here's how it stacked up:

1. It kept most of my frizz at bay but not all of it. There were some parts of my hair that got frizzy after it dried.

2. This did not weigh my hair down at all. It kept everything nice and bouncy.

3. This did leave some parts of my hair a little stiff. It wasn't too bad though. It was mainly the front of my hair. It did not flake at all, which I kinda thought it would.

Conclusion: I really like this product and would purchase it again. If you've tried this product let me know what you think about it.

Project 3-Pan

I know, I know, 3-Pan!?! I must be joking right? Nope. I really don't think I can use up/hit pan on 10 products before I buy more makeup so I've decided I'm going to attempt to use up 3 products this month. I think that's doable. I was inspired because I ran out of my MUFE Smokey Lash Mascara. I'm focusing on my Rimmel Glam'Eyes mascara, my Maybelline Mousse Concealer, and my Coastal Scents foundation.

Wish me luck, LOL!

Curly Hair Series

So since it's summertime and I'm really tired of straightening my extremely curly hair all the time I've decided to try out a few products that are geared to curly hair. I have 4 different products and I'll be using each product for a week then doing a review on how well the product worked for me.

My hair:

Is extreme! It's extremely curly, thick, dry and frizzy! I use a ton of conditioner and deep condition often.

What I'm looking for in a product:

Here are the things I'm going to base my reviews on:

1. A product that is going to eliminate, or at least really control the frizz. This is probably the thing that will be hardest to do.

2. A product that will keep my curls curly. Some products leave the curl limp and I don't want that.

3. A product that doesn't make my hair hard, crunchy and flakey.

I don't think that's too much to hope for, do you?

O.K. on to the first product, Aveeno Nourish + Style Soft-Hold Gel-Creme.

This is the first time I've tried an Aveeno hair product and I really liked it.

It's a milky looking gel that feels slick but thicker than a gel. It has a bit of a perfumy smell, that isn't too strong or over powering. I used a very generous amount and focused mostly on my ends and my bang/hairline area. Those are the areas that tend to be more frizzy.

1. This kept the frizz in my hair at bay pretty well. I feel like it could have been a bit better though. I'm sure if I play around with mixing this with other products it will work even better and controlling my frizz.

2. This product did a great job at keeping my curls bouncy and tight.

3. This didn't make my feel at all crunchy or hard and didn't flake a bit.

All-in-all I really like this product! I'm not going to say I'll repurchase this just yet because I want to try the other stuff first but it's definitely a good product.

If you have any questions just leave a message.

Revlon Coral Reef Lipgloss

I just wanted to share this lipgloss with all of you. You have probably already seen it, but it's so pretty I wanted to show you anyway.

I have a few of the Revlon lipglosses and I love all of them. All of the ones I have have a bit of shimmer to them but not the Coral Reef. This one has a very creamy and glossy texture.

Here is pic of me wearing it.

Cute and Colorful Accessories!

Hey there! I just wanted to share some fun, bright accessories I found recently that I really like. I don't have any "statement" necklaces, ( I know, I know, I'm behind on that trend) so I was really excited to get it. Plus I love that they both have a lot of color (well, mostly the bracelet). I think they can work for summer and fall as well. I got the necklace from Khols and is by Candie's. The bracelet from H&M. Let me know what you guys think.

25 Questions Tag

25 Questions Tag

I wasn't tagged but I thought I'd do it anyway.

1. Do you have any pets?

Nope.

2. Name 3 things that are physically close to you.

Computer, couch, glass of milk

3. What's the weather like right now?

Freakin’ hot

4. Do you drive? If so have you crashed?

Yes and yes but not my fault

5. What time did you wake up this morning?

3am, I have insomnia at the moment

6. When was the last time you showered?

Last night

7. What was the last movie you saw?

Inception. Awesome, awesome movie

8. What does your last text message say?

I don’t remember. I think it was about a stupid co-worker I used to work with. LOL.

9. What's your ringtone?

Soul Sister by Train

10. Have you ever been to a different country?

Yes, Mexico

11. Do you like sushi?

No! It’s so disgusting.

12. Where do you buy your groceries?

At Fry’s

13. Have you ever taken medication to help you fall asleep faster?

No, I don’t like to take medication.

14. How many siblings do you have?

0

15. Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop?

Laptop

16. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?

Ugh

17. Do you wear contacts or glasses?

Yes, both

18. Do you color your hair?

Yes

19. Tell me something you are planning to do today.

Post to my blog

20. When was the last time you cried?

I can’t remember

21. What is your perfect pizza topping?

Cheese

22. Which do you prefer-hamburgers or cheeseburgers?

If they’re homemade, cheeseburgers. If it’s from a restaurant then hamburgers.

23. Have you ever had an all-nighter?

I think so.

24. What is your eye color?

Blue

25. Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke?

Of course

Forever 21

Here are some cute items I'm thinking about getting from Forever21. Tell me what you guys think!

Lorac Little Black Palette

I spotted this palette when I was at Sephora and I knew I had to have it. These are shimmery, baked eyeshadows and the colors range from light gold to a dark brown. It also comes with a mini Behind the Scenes Eye Shadow Primer. My favorite colors are the dark brown and the lighter bronze color. The colors are very pigmented give a light shimmery, almost metallic look that blend well together. I have only tried the eye primer a few times so I don't want to comment on it just yet, but I've been using the shadows all over the place and I love them.

Re-Discovered Product That I Never Even Used

I was cleaning out my makeup case and I discovered an eyeshadow that I bought a while ago and never even used. It's the NYX Ultra Pearl Mania loose eyeshadow in Charcoal Pearl. It's absolutely gorgeous and I can't believe I haven't used this yet!

I was trying to figure out what eye look I wanted to do because I was wearing a purple top and I was going to work so I couldn't do anything too crazy or bright and I'm tired of just a neutral look. Well, problem solved because this shadow just popped out of nowhere. I decided to use it as a liner so I wet a MAC 224 angled brush with Fix+ and dipped it in the shadow. It looks amazing! It comes off totally different than what it looks like in the bottle. It definitely looks charcoal but it has blue metallic sheen to it as well. The sheen looks great against blue eyes. I felt like I received a prize when I found it!

I think this shadow will look great layered over a black or grey eye pencil, even a dark brown eye pencil. Yeah, I'm gonna try the dark brown pencil next time I wear it.

I also like that it's not as intense as a black liner so it's great for summer but it will also be great for fall and winter too because you can make it darker and more intense. I plan on using this color A LOT.

Beyond the Zone Straight Shot

I tried this product last night while blow drying my curly hair straight. I really wanted to see if it worked so I parted my hair down the middle and only used the product on one side of my hair. On the other side of my hair I used what I normally use.

Here's what the product claims on the back of the bottle:

-Straightens wavy & very curly hair

-Tames the frizzies

-Adds moisture

-Long-lasting straightening power

-Humidity resistant

O.K. this product didn't do any of that for my hair. Here's what did happen to my hair:

-This product made my hair as straight as it would if I had just blow-dried my hair with nothing in it.

-My hair was definitely frizzy afterward.

-My hair felt dry afterwards so I don't believe it added any moisture.

-Did it prime my hair for thermo styling? I don't really think so because my hair didn't feel soft afterward.

-I straightened my hair about 5:30, didn't go outside, didn't do anything really and the next morning when I woke up the side I used this product on was even more frizzy and completely crazy. Usually the next day my hair is still smooth and straight.

-This is the only thing I can't comment on because right now it's like 110 degrees out with zero humidity. So, no comment on this but it doesn't even matter because it failed everything else.

My final say is I will definitely not re-purchase this and I won't even be using it again. I'm just gonna throw this bottle out because it's pointless to use it. I wish it would have worked better but oh well. If anyone knows of a great straightening product let me know.

MAC In the Groove Collection

Band of Roses
So MAC's In the Groove Collection comes out today. It looks pretty nice. I really like some of the blushes that they are coming out with. That's basically all I'm interested in at the moment but I'll look at everything when I get to the counter. Here are the 3 blushes that caught my eye. Are any of you thinking about getting something from this collection?

(Images from maccosmetics.com)

New Vibe

Happy Together

Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse

I'm going to start this review by saying what I don't like about this product. Its packaging! So, I'm not the greatest when it comes to picking out a shade of foundation from the drugstore but when I can't even see the product in the packaging it's impossible! Luckily for me, I follow NouveauCheap's blog (http://nouveaucheap.blogspot.com) and she was able to test the products out. In her post she mentioned that she was a NC20 and the 3rd shade from the left matched her perfectly. Well, I'm around that same shade so I got the 3rd one from the left. (Mind you, I don't know if it's the same shade because there could have been more or less shades to pick from than what she had.) Anyway, I found it at Walgreens for $9.79 I believe but Ulta had it for $7.99 and they also had a $2.00 off coupon available, which I used when I bought it. So $5.99 for this little guy is not bad.

I've been using it for a few days and I really like it. It's fairly buildable. You can use it as a light foundation or medium. I wouldn't try to build it any further than that though. I can see it getting cakey. It gives a great even coverage when used with a sponge and it lasts almost all day.

This will not be my go-to foundation but I will use it for touch ups. I think this product will be great for allergy and cold season when you need to touch up around your nose. It's small and compact so it fits nicely in your purse as well.

Mix and Match Foundations

Lately I have been experimenting with the different foundations that I have. I have Revlon ColorStay, Revlon PhotoReady, and I have a liquid bronzer, L'Oreal's True Match bronzer.

The ColorStay is too dark for my skin tone and the PhotoReady is a bit too light so I've been mixing them together to get a better color.

ColorStay + PhotoReady: I really like this combination. The shade when mixed together is pretty good but what I mostly like about this combo is the coverage it gives. The ColorStay perks up my complexion and gives more coverage than the PhotoReady but without being too heavy. I mix the two together between my fingers and apply with my hands. Than I take the MAC 109 and swirl it over my face to get a softer more blended look.

PhotoReady + L'Oreal True Match bronzer: This is a great combination because the bronzer adds color to your face without looking like you have a too-dark foundation on. It gives a little glow and color, which is exactly what I'm looking for. I mix the two between my fingers and apply with my hands then buff with 109. If you want to add more color on top, say from a powder bronzer, you can do so without worrying that the color will look weird or unnatural. The consistency is nice and light as well.

Both great combos but I'm loving the PhotoReady + bronzer the best.