Ode to my Eyelash Curler

Why as women are we so outrageously obsessed with our eyelashes? Their length, their thickness, their curl-- everything!

Basically, it's because we are obsessed with almost everything that has to do with our appearance, of course!
Anyway, time and again I've read/heard about "the biggest difference you can make is to curl your eyelashes" and I just never believed it... for whatever reason, I would always try to get into the habit of using one everyday but I couldn't hang onto the habit.

Now I'm not saying that I will remember to do it everyday for the rest of my life, but I tell you what... I have gotten more compliments/comments the last couple days about how looooooong my lashes look.

Usually I would attribute this to a great new mascara, but unfortunately I've just been using whatever old mascara is laying around, so it's only my shu uemura!

That being said, I'm going to try to do it... for as many days as i can remember!

In other news, my skin is out of control still... i feel like I should be nicknamed "pizza face." The zits are starting to not be quite so noticeable but they hurt and there are like a thousand little ones littered across my chin.

What the hell do I do? Any suggestions? I have all but given up!

Thrift Story

So this afternoon after I took Jake to work I decided that I would spend a few minutes hunting around the local thrift stores... I found a very cute turquoise belt for 99 cents at goodwill and at volunteers of america I found...

A Chanel Purse.

Yes. That's right-- Chanel. As far as I can tell it's authentic, it has its original tag and such, and the logo is normal, not wonky like all the knock offs. It was marked at $80, but it was on sale 50% off... so I bought it for $40. I do love it, and I really should not have spent the money... I actually, feel awful about spending the money, but I HAD to. It would have been CRIMINAL not to, seriously. Maybe to absolve my guilt I'll sell it on ebay or something.

So anyway, it's a beautiful little off-white quilted bag with the classic chain strap. And on that note, I'm going to go cradle my baby.

Starting Over.

So here I am again, I failed at maintaining another blog, which BY THE WAY, has been my M-O since what was it... diary-x or live journal existed. Which was a long time ago. I actually used to do it with paper journals. The funny thing is that when I decide its time to pick it up again, I never allow myself to go back to the original, and instead, start another one... it's like, blog proliferation... and I've done my share. I have literally littered the internet with my thoughts, strewn the web with my musings and just left them there, unattended and unloved.

I am such a bastard.

So I'm not going to do it again! I happen to like this blog a lot (I know that because I went back and reread my posts from last spring and was like, "hey, not too bad!") and I think that I can breathe life back into it if I just give it a little love!

Bearing that in mind, rather than going through and recapping the whole year that I neglected this blog (because do you really care? I think not!), I'm just going to move forward. So assume that everything I've said before is pretty much still applicable, with the exception of a few things which I will mention now.

I'm getting married! Yay! Jake and I are tying the knot in Vegas on September 24th!

I got laid off at Lancome... yeah... economy, sweet. But don't worry, I'm employed, so it's all good. If you know me, you know all about that, and if you don't know me, that's good too, but you don't know all about that, so I suppose we'll keep it that way.

So how am I going to get this little baby rolling again? Well, I think i am going to have to update everyday, at least for now. Since we are all well aware of my cosmetic obsession, I will continue to focus on all things makeup (fragrance, skincare, etc. of course!) So everyday I will either update with a post about a beauty product, technique/revelation, or anything I might find particularly interesting in my day/life, etc...

That's the plan, kids! So start checking me out, I promise I'm not going to fail you now!

Foundation Fixation.

Most of us beauty fanatics find our selves constantly in a search for the "Holy Grail" of each makeup category.

This is my primary purpose (outside of general experimentation, like with color) for trying absolutely everything I can.

Recently I've found what I think constitutes my new HG(s) of foundation.

Back in May, when I decided to switch to Lancome from Clinique (stupid.), Morgan decided she should show me the beauty of my new line. And while Clinique always contended that "Everything [they] know about skin care goes into [their] foundation." Rather than enticing me to try or love their foundations actually hinted that they might be as good as they're cracked up to be.

Anyway, Lancome, for me, was a revelation. I had felt "light weight" foundations (Perfectly Real, Almost M/U, etc.) And it seemed hat rather than the formula actually being light, you were just putting less on than the other products.

Which to me, is stupid, because if I wanted to wear nothing, that's what I'd do... I wouldn't bother with the foundation. Or for goodness sake I would buy a tinted moisturizer and not risk clogging my pores.

That was all pointless, my revelation: A foundation can still have coverage and feel light.

YEAH. I know.

It was amazing to me too. 

Miss Morgan introduced me to Teint Idole Ultra. Not only was the foundation light enough (in color) for my sub-ivory complexion, but it felt divine.

I have been wearing this religiously ever since my introduction, and it faced no competition up until today.

Yesterday I took a (TINY) scraping of our new foundation Photogenic Lumessence.  We have gotten no dramming bottles unfortunately, so my sample was highly prescious... 

Fortunately, I'm glad I took it.

I put it on this evening before dinner with my mom, and I noticed a difference as soon as I started smoothing it on to my face (with my crappy mini-foundation brush that's standing in for the lost Paula Dorf, R.I.P.). My foundation felt more like moisturizer... but better. It felt kind of like skin.  Is that weird? 

I keep touching my face (I know, bad) and thinking: "What is this feeling?" And that's what it is-- skin.

Lumessence is meant to smooth lines and have a radiant finish, but it's still oil free! So even for my greezy face it seems to be an option. Despite this AMAZING texture I was scared that my skin would feel oily, and to my delight I encountered no more greeziness than I do on an ordinary day. Just reaaaaally wonderful coverage and skin-like texture!

Way to go Lumessence!

Damn Man-TAN!

So I was just sitting at my computer, casually watching Next Food  Network Star and ready my usual beauty blogs (ad nauseum). 

When all of a sudden....

Bobby Flay!

He came out to introduce the finalists and looked like he had actually been schelacked with orange foundation!!!! 

And then, so had EVERYONE ELSE!!!

Whoever did the makeup for this show needs to be FIRED. ASAP.

Bob Tuschman, that bitch whose name I can't remember, and all the contestants! It looked like bronzer and pancake makeup attacked them all! oh geez!

Pale is beautiful people!

SEE!!!!

Mascara of the Day: Part 1

Today I tried out Estee Lauder's newest (pre-turbolash) release: Sumptuous.

Unfortunately I am not amazed. 

It's billed as a "bold" volume and "daringly" lengthening/curling mascara. For me it's a loser. 

The brush when I pulled it from the tube was lumpy to begin with, and even after cleaning some of the excess mascara I was skeptical.

The result was not as clumpy as I had feared, but the brush reminded me too much of magnascopic's and the liquidous formula attacked my orbital area with splotches of black.

When the mascara dried I did have a fair amount of volume and curl, but the look was too flaky for me, and my lashes looked like, weirdly the same length... i don't know. not a fan.

I have to pass.  

Puke.

I started at Lancome this week-- dont' know why but it doesn't really feel natural to me... i think it's just a product of my complacency with clinique. translation: i think i'm just being a baby and will get over it as I finally learn what some stuff is.

It was nice to receive an actual welcome to the company-- to be introduced with high expectations and a with faith in me already secure. Rather than saying, "Whatever, this girl works here" only to later discover that I am actually pretty good at this and should be appreciated, it was "we are so excited because you're AWESOME" 

And I was automatically a part of the team and don't constantly feel like an after thought-- which is nice.

I've also noticed a distinct difference in the clientele. I choose that word because for Terry and the company it is apparently a HUGE priority to build relationships with the customers. So anyway, I've found that people are more interested in what I have to say if for no reason but that they are paying more money for the products.  

Also, people are less cheap-- they already know it's over priced.

However, I already miss the crap out of carin, even though she's just on the other side of the department it feels like a world apart-- everyone just gets so wrapped up in all their own stuff.

So in conclusion: I am excited-- i have a little more faith in the quality of merchandise I am selling, and for that reason, I think i will do very well.

On another note. 

I don't know what it is about reading jenny's blog-- but it just always makes me feel a little bit nauseous. It's like, I know that my life could be so different if I had chosen to do some things just a little bit differently. 

I am so jealous of social lives, and better cities, better schools... at least I have someone I love. 

If nothing else I have jake.