Orly Polo Princess

well, I fell in love with this shade....

Bobbi Brown 25% entire site!

Hurry and stock up on your favorite Bobbi Brown cosmetics while you can! It's 25% off her entire site, with free standard shipping, when you enter code INSTANT at checkout.

What to get..what to get, is the question remaining....I will say that I am loving her Pot Rouges. 'Pink Raspberry' is the most gorgeous shade of raspberry. You can blot it on lips and cheeks for a perfect flush of pink.

Click here to get shopping!

Ulta deals 3/15

Here are a few deals at Ulta stores worth mentioning, in my opinion. Remember, you can stack manufacturer coupons along with the Ulta 3.50 off 10 coupon that came in todays Sunday paper!

All Ulta brand, Maybelline, L'Oreal, Cover Girl, and Max Factor Eye products (eyeliner, mascara, and eyeshadows) are BoGo Free

OPI Nail Lacquers are BoGo 50% off

Revlon Face and Lip cosmetics (foundation, powder, concealer, blush, and lip products) are BoGo Free

Scenario:

(2) L'Oreal HiP eyeshadow duos- $7.99 BoGo
(2) Cover Girl Eye Enhancers single eyeshadows- $3.29
Subtotal: $11.28
-3.50 Ulta
-2.00 L'Oreal HiP MQ
-2.00 L'Oreal HiP MQ
-1.00 Cover Girl MQ
-1.00 Cover Girl MQ

=$1.78 for 4 eyeshadows...not bad

I've been eyeing some of these HiP duos for a while. I have been pleasantly suprised by the HiP line from L'Oreal. Their shadows definitley have some serious pigment and lasting ability. Their color choices are great, too! They are contenders with MAC, in my opinion as far as their eyeshadows go.

As for the Cover Girl eye enhancers on sale, I will pick up 'Mink' and 'Champagne', which are hands-down my favorite highlighters to use!

I also want to take advantage of the OPI BoGo 50% off deal, as well. I've been meaning to pick up a few polishes from their South Beach collection. After the Ulta 3.50 coupon and BoGo 50% off sale, I should be able to snag 2 polishes for about $8.50...a good deal!!!

Free Brow Wax at Bliss Spas 3/13!

If you are one of the first 25 lucky people to make it to your nearest Bliss Spa tommorow 3/13, you will score a free brow wax! Just bring this printout, and say hello to a polished new look. And don't feel bad if you aren't one of those 25, you will still get $10 off your brow wax with the printout!

I could certainly use this, ahem...but unfortunately there are no Bliss Spas near me! But click here to find out if a Bliss Spa is near you!

Notd: glitzy vampie

It was dreadfully rainy and chilly outside today! I only had to run to the post office and well, that was about it. So, to kill the time, I tidied up the house and began to organize my closet and makeup/nail polish collection.

Of course, I have to constantly rotate my nail polish collection to allow equal wear time, so I picked out a neglected vampie shade and topped it off with an equally abandoned glitter topcoat. I normally wear darker shades on shorter nails, but seeing as I worked my butt off to get my nails strong and to a desired length, I wasn't about to trim them just to be politically nail-correct!

Orly Nail Armor Base coat: 1 coat
Sinful Rich in Heart: 2 coats
Sinful UFO: 1 coat
Revlon Colorstay Topcoat: 1 coat

Review: Benefit Benetint

I think that I have come to realize something. I am a real sucker for any lip or cheek stains. It's because I love the concept of a lip stain (read reviews below). The numerous reviews and accolades from top magazines and fellow beauty bloggers made me jump the gun and purchase Benefit's Benetint at Sephora for $28. So I tried it for the first time, and honestly, wasn't blown away or floored by it's 'amazing' qualities. I mean, it applies well, gives a slight rosy tint to the cheeks, but it doesn't really stand out or give me that 'just-came-in from-a-day-of-skiing' look...So, I tried it on the lips and was pleasantly happier with the dewy, slightly rosy tint that it gave...but this quickly faded away into oblivion....

The formula is very watery. I wish it were more of a gel-based stain. This would equate to more pigment. The scent? A pleasant floral rose. And yes, the packaging is cute. The glass jar looks retro, but the nail polish style brush is a bit unique in terms of applicators for a lip stain. No, it doesn't seem very sanitary dipping the brush into the jar and onto the skin and lips constantly.

Honestly, I prefer my Revlon lip stains over Benefit's Benetint. Especially Revlon's Cherry Tart. FYI~ Revlon's stains work great as a liquid blush too. And as a lip stain? Their amazing. Definitley more pigmented than Benetint. But, overall, I will keep Benetint for those casual days where I prefer the more natural look.

Rating: 3/5

cleaning brushes

Almost daily, during my makeup routine, I use at least 4-5 makeup brushes on my face. There's the foundation brush, the eyeshadow brush, eyeliner brush, the concealer brush, and the blush/bronzer brush. And that's on days when I don't do my eyeshadow to the fullest extent. Then, I would use another blending and contouring brush for detail. Needless to say, I have the need to wash my brushes weekly to prevent any bacteria or grime from building up on the bristles. The great thing about taking great care of your brushes, is that it's not time consuming. All you need is a few minutes and some water and baby shampoo and you got yourself an easy and inexpensive way to keep your brushes looking and working their best.

What you'll need:

Baby shampoo ( I use J&J Baby Shampoo in Original scent)
Warm Water
Towel

What to do:

1. Dampen brush bristles with warm water and apply 1/2 tsp of shampoo.
2. Work into a rich later and rinse.
3. Repeat step 2 until water runs clear after each wash. This is the part where all the excess makeup residue gets off your bristles! You can see it in your sink....
4. Gently pat dry with towel enough so that bristles aren't dripping with water.
5. Lay flat on towel overnight or until dry. Make sure not to allow the brushes to dry upright or the water will run downward and collect in the ferrule (the metal encasing the base of the bristles) and loosen them over time....not good!

With these steps, I have helped prevent bacteria and grime from residing in my brushes. I evict them weekly with this easy, inexpensive, and effective cleaning!

everyone's talking about going green.....

But I actually did something about it.....

=)

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque

I've been using this on and off since I was in middle school and began to deal with pesky acne breakouts. It seems as though everyone in my family has used, or is using, QHMJM in their skincare routines. This masque comes in two formats; a tube or tub. In my opinion, the tube is a lot more efficient and sanitary than the tub. It's just that the tub dries up like crazy, and wastes product more often than not. Plus, you don't have to dig your fingers around the tube and get all the product under fingernails, you just squeeze the needed amount out of the tube. Anyways, tis mask promises on its packaging 'to dry up acne pimples and rinse away blackheads'. Well, regarding the first part of that 'promise'--this mask does well in controlling stubborn acne flareups before they get too crazy. If I feel a zit coming along (stress-related, usually), I slather some of this over my washed and pat-dried face, leave on for about 15 minutes, and rinse it away with some nice warm water. Sometimes, I just fall asleep with it on, and rinse away in the morning, no problems with this route. Now, regarding the promise of rinsing away blackhead'...I don't really see this happening. Well, at least for me. What this masque does it help open the pores and allow for extraction if necessary. QHMJM does make my face feel smooth, and my pores are noticeably smaller after only one use. The only thing that does bother me with this masque is the smell. It seems to leave a musky psuedo-minty smell that tends to linger afterwards that drives me batty sometimes. No biggie, though. A good toner will help ease any remaining scent or residue. Overall, QHMJM is a staple for my skincare routine. You can purchase QHMJM at mass retailers, beauty supply stores, and the such for usually less than $3USD for a tube or tub.

Overall rating: 4.6/5