October 2013 Top 3

Last post of Blogapalooza!! Woot! Thank you for riding this out with me. Didn't think I would be able to do it. This was kind of fun BUT I will NOT be doing this again anytime soon. A professional blogger I am NOT!

Here is my top 3 products for the month!!

Wen Fall Apple Spice!!!! I could have mentioned this last month but at the time I had only used it twice. This new Wen seasonal scent and the cleansing conditioner is Amazeballs!!!!! I had said that I wasn't going to purchase anymore of the Wen seasonal cleansing conditioners since the ones for the past two years were not coming back. I caved when I heard that they were bringing back the auto delivery program for the 32oz size on QVC. I'm glad I did! This seasonal to me is smoother, creamier and more moisturizing than the previous ones. I could not stop touching my hair after I used it. I'm kind of kicking myself for not order and another one. It is still available so I might. My bank account is like girl have multiple seats! I'm looking for to the winter seasonal which Winter Cranberry Mint!!! *swoons*

I was talking to a makeup loving friend of mine about the new Bobbi Brown Chocolate palette and Bobbi Brown eyeshadows in general. It was a lovefest going on lol. When I heard a new Rich Chocolate palette was coming out I was excited since I love the original one. But when I saw that only two of the shades were new and the others were repeats there was honestly no need for me to pick it up. I hate when brands do that. So I decided to pull out the original Bobbi Brown Chocolate palette that  I have. To me this in the original nude/naked palette before all the other brands jumped on the "trend". It doesn't look like much but it is an awesome all occasions palette. I had a lot of fun using it this month.

I randomly picked out NYX Blush in Desert Rose to play with. I used it just about every day for about a week and half. It is very pigmented but not scary pigmented that if you apply too much that you'll end up looking like clown. A very brown girl friendly shade and you can beat the price of $5. Plus you can always catch a sale at Ulta or Cherry Culture.

Surprise Products of the Month

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara
In the Princess Tag, I hinted that I may have found a drugstore alternative to Lancome Definicils Precious Cells. Well this is it. I did a random Google search for dupes and came across this blog post. So of course I was curious. I was in Walgreens and they were having a buy one, get one 50% off on Revlon products. So I picked up a tube. So far I'm enjoying it. I have only tried one Revlon mascara. It was a favorite then ended up being a regret. So we shall see.

Revlon Honey Bare Lipstick
I think I may have found a new favorite nude lipstick. This was the other product I picked up at Walgreens for the buy one, get one. One of my favorite YouTubers, Jennifer Wan has mentioned this lipstick a bunch of times and it's one of her favorite. I had seen it other times when I've been out and about but just never picked it. I love it. It's one of the new shine lipsticks from Revlon. So you don't need to top it with a gloss and it's moisturizing like other Revlon lipsticks. I love that this is a nude lipstick that you don't have to baby. You can put it on and be done with it. This just might be my holy grail nude. We shall see.

Tarte BB corrector
Tarte had a Today's Special Value in September. I was not going to get it. I swear I wasn't. When I saw Musings of Muse's blog post on the two auto delivery shipments I was sold. I'm such a sucker. Anywho...one of the products is the BB tinted corrector. I have never used a corrector before. Typically you apply this over your under eye concealer. But I tried this on it's own and I really like it. Especially with the double ended brush that came with the kit. It reminds me of Bobbi Brown's concealer which I like but it's not as heavy to me and a tad easier to blend. I don't think I like it as much as I like Bare Minerals Stroke of Light though.

On to November and some good Thanksgiving eats!!!!

Makeup Collection: Some Other Tidbits

Better Beauty Cases

I have mentioned these in a favorites post last year and showed one of them in my Top 11 Nail Polishes post. I purchased these from HSN. I got two sets that came with a small case and larger case. One of the small ones is empty and I use it for work travel. The second smaller one I keep my everyday items/items I'm currently playing around with. I don't have a vanity, so I take this case into my bathroom to do my makeup in the mornings. One of the larger cases holds some of my nail polishes. The second case holds another competent to my makeup stash that I briefly wanted to show.

It holds my Bare Minerals loose makeup (eyeshadows, blushes and Radiance powders). This is another storage setup that may change. It was a good idea at the time but now it's not convenient and I don't reach for items in here. So something else is in order. If and when I change how I store these, I'll do an update post.

Ok I think that's it...phew! I have some other stuff mainly in my bathroom. Just everyday items like primers, Bare Minerals foundation, Mineral Veil, etc. but you don't need to see those :D

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 10

Here is the final drawer. No makeup here, just some bath and body items. Actually the items in this drawer more than likely will be moved out and I can shift some products around from the other drawers. We shall see. There are items from Bath & Body Works, philosophy, Carol's Daughter, Korres and Victoria Secret.

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 9

I guess you can say this is the face drawer with some other stuff randomly thrown in. Here there are highlights, powders, a bronzer, concealer and mascaras. The mascaras hanging off in the corner are unopened. So they may end up in  a gift bags or two come Christmas. Nothing too fancy.

On to the final drawer woohoo!

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 8

Holy blush drawer Batman! Here we have blushes from various brands and price points. The cheapest being Wet n' Wild and Elf. The higher being probably Tarte. I have one Lancome blush that I got from a blog sale, so I didn't pay full price. In between there's NYX, Milani, Mac, Bare Minerals and Maybelline.

On to drawer 9...

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 7

Yep more lipsticks along with lip pencils and chubby lip pencils/lip stains. Again both on the lower and high end of the spectrum when it comes to price. Some brands not mentioned yesterday are Bobbi Brown, Black Radiance, Kat Von D and Mary Kay.

Drawer 8 tomorrow and no more lip products :)

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 6

Here we have lip products and oh boy do we have some *head palm*. This started out as the lighter/brighter lipstick drawer which it still is. I moved and shifted some stuff around and threw some lipglosses in here for the time time being. As you can see there's a mix when it comes to brands. On the lower end, there's Wet n' Wild, Revlon, Milani, etc. On the higher end, there's Mally, Mac, Bare Minerals and some others.

Drawer 7 tomorrow. Possibly some more lipsticks *smh*

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 5

Mooooore eyeshadows!!!!! This is the drugstore eyeshadow drawer. Here we have Wet n' Wild, NYX, Sonia Kashuk, Maybelline, elf, Black Radiance and L'Oreal. Funny that this drawer was half empty when I purged a bunch of drugstore shadows. Clearly something happened since it's now full again lol!

On to drawer 6 and I promise it is not eyeshadows!

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 4

More eyeshadow palettes!?!?! Seriously dude *head palm*

Here we have some palettes and quads from The Balm, Lancome, Mac, Tarte, Stila, Too Faced, Tarte, Mally, Laura Mercier and BH Cosmetics. The two larger BH Cosmetics palettes are leaving my stash.

Tomorrow Drawer 5 and possibly more doggone eyeshadows *smh*

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 3

This is my favorite eyeshadow drawer! This drawer holds Bare Minerals Ready eyeshadows, Urban Decay and Bobbi Brown eyeshadows, lip palettes and pot rogues. 

Tomorrow drawer 4...

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 2

More eyeshadows. I guess you have say these are the "higher end". There are some Mac, Urban Decay, Bare Minerals, Laura Geller, Rock & Republic, NARS, Lorac and Smashbox. The Smashbox quads will more than likely be leaving my stash. I don't reach for them plus the Mega Op palette that I have mentioned before, has more than enough Smashbox eyeshadows. This drawer altogether may be different once I decided on how I want to organize the loose Bare Minerals shadows I have. 

Tomorrow drawer 3...

My Makeup Collection: Drawer 1

In this drawer we have eye products. In the basket to the left are eyeliners from a bunch of different brands such as Mally, Tarte, Bare Minerals and Urban Decay.  My favorite pencil eyeliners are by Urban Decay. There are some cream Urban Decay eyeshadows too. The basket to the right has shadow sticks and some bases from Mally, Tarte and NYX. In the front of the baskets we have Maybelline Color Tattoos, Bobbi Brown gel liners and cream shadows, cream shadows and liners from other brands.

Tomorrow Drawer 2...

My Makeup Collection: Overview

First off let me just say that I am not bragging in any way shape or form. If you've followed me along the hippy dippy journey, I've gone back and forth over the amount of makeup I've accumulated. So no judgements please. If you don't want to see it then please click out of the post and catch up with me later since this will be broken up over several posts.

I ordered the Seville Classics 10 Drawer Organizer from Amazon which I showed in my 2013: Organize, Purge & Save - Check In post. I've shifted some things around since then. The cart is available in a bunch different colors and at various retailers (online and in store). The two black mini drawers on top are from Target. The black baskets that you will see in the drawers are from Target as well.

What I'm going to is go drawer by drawer, give you a peek and overview of what's in the drawer. As well as, show you bits and pieces not in the cart. Sound good? Heeeerrreee we gooooooo!

Here is my setup:

On the top of the cart, I have a mix of things. Mainly stuff that won't fit in the drawers. To the left I have:

• A Bobbi on the go kit that I got from QVC.
• 2 Bare Minerals Ready palettes from their holiday collection last year
• My Z palette that has some Mary Kay eyeshadows, blushes and La Femme blushes
• Women of BE loose eyeshadow collection
• Tarte True Blood palette
• Smashbox Mega Photo Op palette
• Beauty blenders
• L'Oreal True Match foundations
• 2 compact mirrors that were gifted to me

On the top very top I have 2 loose Bare Minerals eyeshadow sets (A Vision in Velvet and Good Morning, Gorgeous).

The first mini 3 drawer holds my makeup brushes. The first drawer has all my Bare Minerals brushes. The second drawer holds eye brushes. The third drawer holds face brushes.

The second mini 3 drawer holds lipglosses. The first drawer holds mini sized glosses and some backup Mac lip products. The second drawer holds mainly lipglosses from Bare Minerals (100% natural, Buxom and Moxie). I have a few other higher end glosses thrown in here at the moment. The last drawer mainly has glosses from the drugstore (Maybelline, Milani, NYX, NYC, and Revlon).

Tomorrow we delve into Drawer 1 of the cart.

Stay tuned...

Favorite Beauty YouTubers

I'm subscribed to quite a few people on YouTube. I need to unsubscribe from a lot of them. Here are some that I pretty much watch faithfully and I like their personalities. They keep me wanting to watch their videos and they know what they are talking about. How fitting that I picked 8 YouTubers :D

Crystalis007

Ummm this is no surprise right? Since I have mentioned her blog and channel a BUNCH of times. Lol! Crystal mainly does hauls and product reviews which are great. But she mixes it up and keeps it interesting. Plus she's a fool and a half. She also has a vlog channel where she takes you shopping with her.  She shows new products in store and what the displays look like. There is also food series on her vlog channel featuring her husband.

Jennifer Wan (formerly fashionismycrush)

Jennifer does reviews and hauls as well. She has various series on her channel like Drugstore Diaries and Brushabilities. Her videos are very informative. So if you're looking for in depth product reviews then Jennifer is your girl.

Emilynoel83

I think everyone knows who Emily is. She a very popular YouTuber. She does a mix of things on her main channel. She has 2 other channels (vlog and product reviews). I love that even though she has a bunch of followers, she interacts with everyone like if she only had a 100. Some of these bigger YouTubers....don't get me started. Lemme hush. Plus she has a pink makeup room. I mean come on, how can you not love her for that! Teehee!

ArielHopeMakeup

I like Ariel's channel because she does tutorials. She also works a Bare Minerals and uses/shows a lot of their products. And if you haven't guessed by now, Bare Minerals is one of my favorite makeup brands.

1PurpleEyeDiamond1 

I love her channel because she's another one that actually does tutorials. I also love her Instagram because she posts her daily looks and swatches of products. She's also a makeup artist and knows her craft.

farahdhukai 

I like Farah's tutorials. They are simple yet very pretty. I also like her DIY skincare videos.

Jaclyn Hill

Jaclyn is another that I like for tutorials. She's quirky and fun to watch. She's also a makeup artist. A real one, not like some of these girls that just play in makeup claiming to be makeup artists. Let me hush and stop "hating". She is very knowledgeable on products and what works for various skin types and skin tones.

Nicole Guerrero

Nicole is another quirky YouTuber that I like. I like her favorites videos and her tutorials.

Who are your  favorite beauty YouTubers?

Book Lovin: Attachment to Books

I think I stumbled across this blog post via Twitter (Breaking The Sentimental Attachment to Books). I was like how fitting since I am currently going through the process of purging my books. I didn't think it would this hard but it so is! It has been HARD! Some books I was able to go through and put them into the "to go" pile instantly without any issues. Other books not so much. Some I won via giveaways, some I got from the authors personally and they signed the book(s) for me...I could go on. It got to the point I got so frustrated with this process that I stopped. But then I got mad because I'm tired of looking at all these books. Also this process is taking me away from the enjoyment of reading.

I did follow some points from the post. I did get rid of most of the multiple copies of books. Keyword being most. I didn't "write down" my thoughts on each book, that would take forever. For the "questionable" books they did get some extra thought to help me decide if it was a keeper or it was going. This last batch of books I showed no mercy. Also I do realize that this is a process. I plan to go through stuff again, do another drop off and then do a "final" purge for the year around Thanksgiving. Then I'm just going to leave it alone for a while and see what I actually read. I'll revisit everything again in 2014. If I keep this current process up I'll go bonkers.

I found this on Instagram and this pretty much sums up my dilemma.

I just have to realize that, no I can't read everything by everybody. I have some identified favorites authors and heck try keep trying to keep up with them is a task within itself. I need to figure out a way to keep track of books that I just want to read but not necessarily buy. My library does let you borrow ebooks and have borrowed a few. So that's a potential route.

I'm far from becoming a book minimalist. I don't think I could get down to only 20 books like the author of the blog post. But then again I don't want to end up like this lol!!

The struggle continues...

Tech Lovin: Email Overload

Can I just say that I am sick of email!!? I only have 3 emails well technically 4 but the last one is a temporary email that we be gone by the end of the year. I have 2 personal email addresses (Yahoo and Gmail) and of course my work email. I have had my Yahoo email since undergrad...many moons ago lol. My Gmail is more recent, but I really don't use it that much. I said I was going to use it more so for personal communication since my Yahoo email has so much tied to it with other stuff and is all over the place. If Gmail had folders I might use it more. Then I toyed around with slowly getting rid of my Yahoo email BUT that would be a nightmare.

Gmail has over 5,000 "conversations". My work email may be a little less. I'm not even going to say what my Yahoo email has with emails and folders*head palm*. I said I was going to devote some time to clean my inboxes out. But still haven't gotten around to it. I'll get into a mode where I'll delete a bunch of emails and unsubscribe from various lists and such, but I feel like no progress has been made. How you handle email overload?

Book Lovin: So We Throw Away Books Now?

At the halfway mark woohoo!!! Remind me never to do this again!

(Courtesy of Microsoft)

I stumbled across this article from The Washington Post on Twitter (Fairfax County library revamps system, discards books, reduces librarians). Needless to say I was shocked and appalled! Especially since it involves my county AND I have been going through my books and donating them to the library! I showed this article to my boss and she was shocked as well. She has also been donating books recently. A cousin of hers has worked within the library system in another Virginia county. She asked her about it and she said that this is typical process called weeding that all libraries do. She all said that the public has no idea what libraries do with books that are not circulated. Typical of what we truly don't know what goes on in our various levels of government, public agencies, etc.

Again I was shocked. With all the natural disasters that have occurred here in the US, and the schools and libraries that lost all their resources...hell even school systems and other programs that are struggling with limited funding and resources, y'all are just going to throw books away! Wasting taxpayers money too!!? I know that they can't hold on to books forever, but there has to be a more responsible way to purge books and not just throwing them in the damn trash. I heard that a town hall style meeting was held and that this issue among others highlighted in the article were addressed. There was a high turnout. I'm glad that residents showed up and showed out!

Just sickening. Makes me leery to keep donating books that I'm purging from my collection. I have three bags sitting in my trunk now. I will take those but I may look into organizations that actually have a NEED and will  DO something with the books that I donate! Plus as someone who have utilized the library in my county since middle school, I am not pleased with all these yo-yo changes. Then to read this article...smh.

Tech Lovin - Kindle Fire vs Samsung Galaxy Tab

My tech toy senses are tingling!

(Courtesy of Samsung)

Sooooooo my tech lovin eye wants a tablet of some sort. I'm lightweight anti-Apple, so I don't see myself getting an iPad. BUT my eye has spied the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3! I read the reviews on the Galaxy Tab 2 prior to the 3 launching. The reviews for the most part were very good.

(Courtesy of Amazon)

Then I've been thinking about the Kindle Fire. I'm an Amazon Prime member and other than the free shipping I don't take advantage of the other benefits. I know you can download the Amazon app if you have a tablet but I'm not sure about the instant videos and other Prime benefits. Something I need to look into.

(Courtesy of Amazon)

Also the new Kindle Paperwhite has caught my eye too. So many tech toys, so little time.

My laptop is cool and all but it's big, heavy and hard to maneuver if I just want to lay down and watch YouTube videos and such. It's also not fun to travel with on work trips. So an alternative would be nice. But even my laptop is starting to pluck my nerves. I don't even want to think about it. Now here is where I miiigggght consider an Apple laptop. Keyword might! Hmph!

Anyone own either one? Thoughts?

Princess Tag!! (Favorite Luxury Beauty Products)

Another tag. I love watching these on YouTube. Some of the items I'll mention may be more of mid-range vs high end. And of course there may be two products mentioned in a particular category. Also I was kind of lazy for this post when it came to pictures. Some items I've mentioned/shown before in previous posts and some you will see in about a week or so (hint hint).  Plus I've linked the products either to the brand's site or Sephora. They'll have better pics than what I could take. Also Google is your friend :) Here we go!

Share your all time favorite high-end products in each category (If you don't own a luxury item in every category talk about a product you are wanting to try & why you're attracted to it) ; D

- FOUNDATION
Bobbi Brown Natural Finish Foundation was my favorite foundation before Bare Minerals. I was HOT when I found out that it was being discontinued. I was going to purchase at least one more bottle before it went away but I waited too long.

- CONCEALER
Bare Minerals Stroke of Light isn't really a concealer. It's an eye brighter that does provide coverage. Well enough coverage for me. For the face I like Bobbi Brown Touch Up Stick that I have but cannot find which is odd and annoys me to no end! So I see a purchase in my future.

- POWDER
I gushed over Bare Mineral Bronzing Mineral Veil in yesterday's post which is more mid range in price. I also really like Bobbi Brown's Sheer Finish Loose Powder.

- BRONZER
My favorite Bronzer hands down is Bobbi Brown's Bronzing Powder. I purchase Deep Chocolate which she released some additional shades in a previous Fall collection. I didn't know at the time that this shade was limited edition. Had I known, I would have purchase a backup. I hit pan on it last year. The pan has gotten bigger but I still have a lot of product left. I use this every day!

- BLUSH
I have two for this one. Tarte's Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blushes are pricey but amazing!  I have eight of them and there at least two more shades that have caught my eye along with the holiday blush palette. I also have to mention Bobbi Brown's Blushes. Some of her newer shades have caught my eye. Blushes from both brands apply smoothly, are pigmented but not to the point that you'll look like a clown and aren't powdery.

- HIGHLIGHTER
I don't really have any "high end" highlighters. I have quite a few Radiance powders that can be used as highlighters from Bare Minerals. I consider those mid-range. On that is on my wish list is Laura Mercier's Spellbound. If I can get my hands on it. It's selling out pretty fast. Crytalis007 showed this in a video and I swear I gasped when I saw it.

- EYESHADOW
Oh gosh...lol. Ummm....I'm going to go with Bobbi Brown's eyeshadows. They are smooth, easy to blend and long lasting.

- EYELINER
If we're are talking pencil liners then my favorite is Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencils. If we're talking gel liners then Bobbi Brown's gel liner are my stizzle. If we're talking liquid liners then LORAC's Front of the Line PRO liquid liner is my favorite.

- MASCARA
This is an easy one....Lancome's Definicils Precious Cells mascara. I love everything about this mascara (the brush, the formula, how my lashes look, how my lashes feel, how it removes easily...I could go on). I don't have a tube on hand and was debating on picking up another one. But I may have found a drugstore alternative. Stay tuned...

- LIP LINER
Smashbox's Nude Lip Liner in Dark. I've talked about this lip liner multiple times. Before I discovered the NYX lip liner in Expresso, this was my go to lip liner that I used every day.

- LIPSTICK
I don't really have a favorite high end lipstick that's a favorite. I do want to try YSL's Rouge Volupte lipsticks. I also want to try Bare Minerals Moxie lipsticks and Urban Decay's new Revolution lipsticks. I have heard good thing about all 3. Especially from Bare Minerals and Urban Decay.

- LIP GLOSS
At first I was like I don't have a favorite and then I remembered my Buxom lipglosses and lip creams! How could I forget about those??!! Duh! *head palm*

- BROW PRODUCT
I don't have any high end brow products. I do want to try Bare Minerals Brow pencil since they now are a dark shade. I like that it's a retractable pencil that you don't have to sharpen and the pencils part looks like it will be good for filling in and defining your brows vs a traditional pencil.

- MISC... (CANDLE, BATH GOODIE, TOOL ETC)
Philosophy Shower Gels. I love the gels that match back to their fragrances and the "fun" shower gels that range from fresh scents to fruit and food scents. My favorite of these kinds is Cinnamon Buns. My favorite of their fragrance shower gels is Amazing Grace.

- NAIL POLISH
Chanel's Black Pearl nail polish (link to Temptalia's blog post). It's unique shade that I haven't seen from any other brand be in high end or drugstore.

Backup Products In My Stash

Ok at first I didn't think I had a lot of backup products in my stash until I started digging through drawers and what not. Sheesh!!! Most of the backup items I have are limited edition or are no longer available for purchase. One was an accidental purchase and one was a just because purchase. Quite a few are from being on auto delivery with various beauty Today Special Values (TSV) from QVC. Here we go.

Mally Volumizing Mascara 
I got several of these tubes through her TSV sets she brought to QVC. I given some away and I still have this many on hand. Good think it's one of my favorites.

Bare Minerals Mascara (Flawless Definition and Curl & Lengthen) 
I got these via Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty when they were half off. If you like their mascaras then this a good time to stock up on them. I picked up the Volumizing one as well but decided that I don't care for it. So the back up tube I have has gone into my gift giving basket.

Maybelline Gold Shimmer Color Tattoo 
This was part of Maybelle's Fall collection last year. I liked it so much I got a backup. Do I really "need" it? No. So it may end up in someone's Christmas bag. We shall see.

Maybelline's Touch of Light 
This is a cream highlight that I love. I wasn't a big fan of highlighting products. I've gotten more into highlighting within the last year or so. This one is my favorite. I got my back up via my beauty pusha.

Mally Poreless Face Defender
I had originally ordered this as a single shipment then I wanted to get on auto delivery for it. So now I have two. One stays home and the other is in my purse. I hadn't been using it a lot but recently I have been using it a lot more for touch ups. I've hit pan on the one that's in my purse.

Mally Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Liner in Midnight 
This is her black eyeliner. Again more than likely got this from two different sets since this in the liner that she includes in a lot of her sets. It's not my favorite black pencil liner but I do like it.

Bare Minerals Big & Bright Eyeliner in Black Coffee
This is my FAVORITE pencil liner. I got this in two different sets from QVC. I used the last bit of the one I was using the other day. So I will be cracking open my back up. I have found sellers on eBay selling this liner. I will be getting another backup or two.

MAC Evolution Revolution Lipglass 
This was part of the bloggers collection that MAC did. Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog created this lipglass. It is the perfect pink. When I don't know what lip to do, most of the time I throw this on. It goes with just about everything.

MAC Call My Bluff Lipstick
This is one of my favorite nude lipsticks. I lucked up and found another via a blog sale at a decent price. Some folks are lightweight crazy with the prices that they charge.

MAC Heroine Lipstick
This is hands down my FAVORITE purple lipstick. Like I could wear it every day favorite. I was kicking myself for not get a backup when MAC released it. When they re-released in a collection another lipstick was in order.

Revlon Mink Lipstick
This was an accidental backup situation. This is called you are in the drugstore too doggone much and you don't remember what you've purchased. I think I purchased one from Ulta and then ended up purchasing the another one from Walgreens. This made me start keeping lists on my phone of certain products so that I don't make this mistake again. It's another favorite nude so I wasn't too upset. I keep one in my purse.

Maybelline Colorsensational Lipgloss in Mirrored Plum
I love these glosses and Mirrored Plum is an amazing purple gloss. So of course I "had" to get another one. If it was a part of the regular line then I wouldn't have gotten a backup. This whole limited edition mess at the drugstore really grates my nerves. Plus going from store to store trying to FIND these items. Don't get me started.

Maybelline Colorsensational Lipgloss in Lavender Lavish
I gushed over this gloss and in my September favorites. So no surprise that I got another one.

Bare Minerals Original Foundation in Gold Deep
I prefer the matte version of the foundation. I ended up with these due to sets I ordered from QVC. They never include the matte foundation in any of their sets which is very annoying. I had one of the in my "at work" makeup stash but wasn't really using it. I use the original version more so in the fall/winter.

Bare Minerals Bisque in Deep
Again ended up with multiples of this via QVC sets.

Bare Minerals Perfect Light Mineral Veil
Right now I have 3 of these with another on the way via a QVC auto delivery. This is my second favorite mineral veil. But at least one of these is going on my gift giving basket.

Bare Mineral Bronzing Mineral Veil
This mineral veil right here is MY FAVORITE! Yes Gawd! When I use this you can't tell me my face isn't beat OK!!! Of all the mineral veils, this one is the most brown girl friendly in my opinion. I never really cared for the tinted mineral veil. I have the regular size with the blue lid that launched with the spring collection. Then QVC brought back the super size of it. So I picked that up as well. I didn't purchase it when it first aired I think in 2011. It's still available and I'm tempted to get another. I am dead serious. It is not a game on how much I love this product and I don't want to be without it.

Wet n' Wild Sugar Plum Fairy Lipstick 908C (not pictured above...whoops)
Now this lipstick isn't limited edition. But it is hard to find in stores. So when I saw it one day when I was out and about, I scooped up another one. This is my one of my favorites for fall/winter but heck I wear when I want.

I think that's it. I may have forgotten a gloss and something else. Not that many backups but then again....I had a backup of Wet n' Wild's Vanity palette and Bare Mineral loose eyeshadow in Drama. I was like you really don't "need" these, so I passed them on to other makeup lovers. They now have good homes lol!!!!

Let's Talk Skin Care

I didn't know what to do with this post. I didn't know if I wanted to talk about my routine, current favorites, some new stuff I picked up or what. So how about a little bit of this and that? My goal has always been to keep it simple and try not to use a lot of products. BUT the older I get, I realize that my skin has certain needs and what not. So I have to adjust my routine and products accordingly. And compared to some folk's routines, I don't use a lot.

I had been using a mix of products that I liked for a while. Some I've mentioned in past favorites posts, but I felt like my skin needed "more". So I started to reevaluate the products I had been using and what I wanted to address. First off my skin in oily/combo. In the spring/summer it's oily. During the fall/winter months it's combo. I'm also prone to breakouts and I'm like seriously. I'm in my doggone 30s! Good grief!! Anywho...

Back in March I picked up Proactiv Solutions's Super Size 6pc Day & Night Acne Treatment set from QVC. I have always been curious about Proactiv. So I was like why not and QVC gives you 30 days to return a product. I honestly like everything in this set. The only thing not pictured above is the toner (step 2). I used that up pretty quickly. I purchased Dickinson's Witch Hazel toner (pictured below) and it's just as good as the Proactiv one.

The standout products for me in the Proactiv set are the Repairing Treatment (step 3), Clarifying Night Cream and the Oil Free Moisturizer. The Repairing Treatment helps keep the oil at bay during the day and keeps my skin smooth. The Clarifying Night cream is a rock star and replaces 2 products (Bare Minerals Skin Rev-er Upper and Alpha Hydrox Res Q) that I used to use and loved. This has salicylic acid and retinol in it. Addressing acne and anti-aging! Loooove! I am very picky when it comes to daytime moisturizers. Especially those with sunscreen in them. I usually don't like ones with sunscreen in them because they make me oily. The first time I used Proactiv's I was like oooooh! Sinks into my skin nicely and doesn't make me oily! It's only SPF 15 but I did see that they have an SPF 30 one that I may check out.  I am on auto delivery for this set and have one more shipment coming but I haven't decided if I am going to get it or not. I have repurchased the Repairing Treatment and Clarifying Night Cream via eBay since I was getting low and didn't necessarily "need" the whole kit.

A few weeks ago I got the urge to use Philosophy's Purity Made Simple again. So I went to Ulta and picked up the 3 oz bottle. I've really been enjoying using it in the evening with my Clarisonic to take my makeup off. I have mentioned that Bare Minerals Purifying Cleanser before as a favorite cleanser to use for removing my makeup up. I still like it but I think I like Purity just a lilllllllttle bit more. So now I'm trying to decide if I want to purchase a large size of Purity, play around with Bare Minerals cleanser again or something else all together.

So I felt like the majority of my skin issues were being addressed with the items mentioned about but I still felt like my skin needed an extra boost in terms of brightening and some lingering acne scarring. Soooo let's backtrack to September.  Serious Skincare had a Today's Special on HSN (Serious Skincare Resurface, Smooth and Brighten). I was curious when I saw the email in my inbox but really didn't think much of it. I think I forward the email to my beauty pusha (Crystalis007) and she said she loved the brand. I was like realllly now. So I watched the video on the presentation, decided it was good deal ($49.95) and caved. I waited too long to order and the option I wanted was on extended delivery. I just got set last week. I've used all the items except the CC cream. First initial use, the products are not bad. The C Extreme Results Advanced Vitamin C Skin Resurfacer 2-Part Beauty Treatment reminds me of a similar product from Philosophy but not as abrasive. Still I can't call anything a favorite since I haven't been using it long. I can say that it has played with the Proactiv items I've been using. They did mention during the presentation that this was a good set to incorporate if you already have a set skincare routine in place. Hopefully I'll get some good results in the next couple of weeks.

In terms of eye creams, I haven't found a favorite. Well I take that back. I had received Bobbi Brown's Hydrating Eye Cream when I had purchased some other items at the makeup counter. It's pricey so when I used it up I didn't purchase it. So we shall see if I ever purchase it or find a less expensive one that does the job.

Last but not least, a quick shout out to my Clarisonic. When I first got it, I used it twice a day. Now I use it pretty much every evening when I remove my makeup. It helps get everything off. I actually have two. I originally got the Mia from QVC. Then I ended up getting the Clarisonic Plus. Also from QVC. Can you tell that I like to shop at QVC? I debated on selling the Mia but it good for travelling and I use it when I have to charge up the Clarisonic Plus.

The only items I didn't mention were some masks I use. Maybe another day. This post is long enough as is. And there you have it. Just a mix of this and that of what I've been liking and playing with when it comes to skin care.

If something doesn't make sense....my bad lol.

Current Obsessions - TV Shows

There are very few current shows that I keep with. Most of the time you can find me watching reruns or marathons of various shows like The Golden Girls. But there are a few shows that I have to watch.

The Big Bang Theory

My coworker turned me on to this show and it's hilarious! It pretty much focuses on a group of "nerd" scientists and their everyday life. Simple premise yet not. Bazinga!

Sleepy Hollow

This is a new show in this year's fall lineup and I'm digging it. It has a mix of history, mystery and supernatural things going on. Some of it is kind of creepy. Have me thinking I need to watch this in the daytime LOL!!!!

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Ok can I say that I LOOOOOOOVVEEEDDD the Avengers movie. Like LOVEEED! I need to pick up the DVD but it has been On Demand for a while. When I heard that a TV show was coming, of course I was curious. I've watched the first few episodes. It's not bad. We shall see if it makes the cut and gets picked up for another season.

Football

Football is back baby! Woooooo!!! I've watched football for years. But within the last maybe 2 or 3 years I've been really getting into. Picked a team, paying attention to football news and stuff lol. This year I was itching for football season to start! I didn't know how to act when football was finally back on TV. And my team is 5-0! WHODAT!!!

Scandal

On Thursdays at 10pm, I am here for Scandal! Yes Gawd! It is not a game! This show right here baaaabbbbaaaayyyyeee! Gives me LIFE EVERLASTING!!! After every show it does seen like folks are ready to check into rehab. The show goes so fast. I feel like if you blink you'll miss something! Every Thursday I say that damn Shonda!!!! If you are a Scandal fan then you have to watch Funky Dineva's recap of the season 3 premiere. Hilarious!

 

Current Obsessions - Food

Every now and then I get the taste for something and I get stuck on it. So I'm currently crushing on...

Hot chocolate - I had been drinking hot chocolate even before the temps turned cooler. When I was younger I would drink hot chocolate like people drink coffee. Hershey's syrup, some milk and helllooooo hot chocolate!

Tuna - has been my go to for lunch at work. Especially since it's inexpensive and usually on sale.

Almond Milk - one of my sorority sisters turned me on to almond milk. I had tried it a while ago but it was just ok. Now I like it a lot.

Candy Corn - a fall favorite that has been around the office a lot lately.

Pumpkin Spice Latte - it is not fall until I have me a Pumpkin Spice Latte!!!!! When the weather was still warm I would get a frappuccino too. I also like the Via Pumpkin Spice packs. Dunkin Donuts, McDonald's and 7-Eleven have their version. I tried 7-Eleven's yesterday. It'll do in a pinch.

Pretzels - this has been my go to when I have tuna. Nice change up from potato chips

Raisin Bran - my go to cereal.

Peanut Butter - I go through phases with peanut butter. I always get Jif but Skippy was on sale and I'm watching my pennies as best as I can.

Current Obsessions - Music

I love music. I know a lot of people say that but I loooooove music! Here are some songs/artists I've have been lightweight "obsessed" with lately.

Bruno Mars

I had been digging on Bruno Mars when his first CD came out. But when he did the song "It Will Rain" I was like oh ok Bruno! Then when he dropped his second CD! I was like dat boy be sangin!!!!!!  There are very few CDs I can listen to from beginning to end without skipping a song. His one of them. My three favorite songs from Unorthodox Jukebox are Gorilla, Locked Out of Heaven and If I Knew. He came to the DC area over the summer and I am so bummed that I didn't go see him! I am looking forward to him performing during the Superbowl.

Jay-Z and Beyonce - On the Run (Part II)

I heard this song on the radio one morning and instantly fell in love with it. I love it so much that I bought the single from Amazon and play it non stop on my phone via their mp3 app.  I love it when these two collaborate together. Its not forced. It just works.

Justin Timberlake

I've always been a JT fan but when he dropped The 20/20 Experience, I was like Justin's getting his grown married man sexy on! I bought his CD when in came out last March. I has been in constant rotation okay...constant! I gushed over this in my April 2013 favorites. I need to pick up part 2.

Drake - Hold on, We're Going Home



I know some people clown Drake but I like him. When his new song, Hold On, We're Going Home came out I was like I'on know. But it has grown on me and I really like it. I've heard some songs of his newest release and I like what I've heard. I'll probably pick it up at some point.

Sevyn Streeter

When heard her sing I Like It and I was like this is nice. But when I heard It Won't Stop, I was like yes yes!!! Definitely has an Aaliyah vibe to it. Was just talking to some friend the other day on how much we missed Aaliyah and where we were when we got the news that she had passed.

Mario - Somebody Else

I've always liked Mario and he always comes out with that one good hit when he has album that's about to drop. The beat on Somebody Else is vicious! The is a song that gets turned waaaay up in the car ;)

Kanye West - Graduation



I've been playing Graduation like it JUST came out. I love me some Kanye. Yes he does the most at times but he is talented. When Good Life comes on mannnnnn!!! \O/

And there you have it. Maybe I'll do this once a month. Nice change up from all the "pretty" talk. We shall see.

Perfect Palette Tag

I watched NickiRothBeauty's video on this tag. She mentioned who started this tag and I watched iluvfaces1042 video that she did with her daughter. It was cute video. Since I don't make videos, a blog post was in order! I do own a lot of palettes. I  love palettes. I'm not a big fan of single eyeshadows in pot form. I do have a lot of single loose Bare Minerals shadows that I do enjoy. Anywho let's jump into the tag! For some of these I may have two responses. That's just how I roll ;)

1. Best Packaging

I don't like bulky palettes. They are hard to store and not convenient for traveling. So for me, best packaging is something sleek, easy to store and doesn't get dirty too easily (especially with fingerprints). So my first choice would be Urban Decays Smoked palette. My second choice would be the Bare Minerals Ready eyeshadow palettes but they pick up fingerprints easily. I've shown this in previous posts.


2. Best Color Payoff

Oh gosh, I could name a bunch of palettes for this one. Any of the Bare Mineral Ready palettes.  You barely have to touch your brush into the eyeshadow to get a good color payoff. I've mentioned these shadows in my four or more tag post as being my top 3 for eyeshadows. The come in duos (2.0), quads (4.0s) and palettes (8.0s). My favorite 2.0 is The Epiphany. My favorite 4.0 is a tie between The Truth and The Happy Place. My favorite 8.0 is The Cocktail Hour. My favorite 8.0 may change since I have The September Issue and The Power Neutrals 8.0s on my wish list.

I'm going to "cheat" and mention another palette but on the lower end of the spectrum. The Wet n Wild and Black Radiance 8 pan palettes (they are made by the same company) have excellent color payoff. The Wet n Wild palettes are around $5 and the Black Radiance ones are around $6 or $7. But of course you can catch sales and use coupons to get them cheaper. If I had to pick one from each brand then I would pick The Comfort Zone (Wet 'n Wild) and Downtown Browns (Black Radiance).


3. Most Versatile

I've gushed over the original Naked Palette so many times. So of course I would talk about it here. I think this is the most versatile because it can take you from a simple daytime look to a dramatic/bolder look for night time. It's the main palette I reach for when I don't know what to do.

4. Best for Traveling

I'm going to cheat here and mention two palettes again. I had mentioned this in my August 2013 favorites. I took the Urban Decay Smoked palette on a work trip and it was so handy. It has quite a few neutral shades along with some pops of color and a black liner which is my favorite black pencil liner Perversion. This is another palette that can give you a wide variety of eye looks.

I'm also going to mention Smashbox's Photo Op Mega palette. This joker has EVERYTHING you need. The only items you would need to add are your face products (foundation, powder, etc). This has a TON on eyeshadows, you get 2 blushes, cream liners, highlight powders, brow powders and lip products. Seriously this is all you. I have traveled with this palette before and it was so handy have all this together in one palette.

5. Biggest Regret

I would say the Tarte True Blood palette. This was a hype product for me. I don't even watch the show. I do like Tarte eyeshadow but I honestly don't reach for it. Tempted to see if I can sell it. We shall see.

6. Best Color Names
I think Urban Decay has the best color names. Border lining on risque even lol. I mean come on now, the dark brown eyeshadow in the Smoked palette is called Backdoor!!! o_O. Some other fun names are Booty Call, Virgin, Sin and Pain Killer.

7. Least Used
Again the Tarte True Blood palette (shown above). I just don't reach for it.


8. Most Used, Most Loved, Desert Island

This one is a no brainier for me. I looooooooove Urban Decay's first Naked palette. For me it's a complete palette where I don't have to reach for another palette or eyeshadow to complete an eye look. Every time I pull this out I fall in love with it all over again. I have to force myself to put it away. Plus I'm a neutral eyeshadow lover and this palette make my inner neutrals whore happy :D

Book Lovin: The "Series" Trend

(Courtesy of Microsoft)

Ok soooooo...before the explosion of ebooks, I know authors would do a series. But I feel like authors didn't drag them out (in some cases) as they are doing now in the ebook world. The e-serial seems to be a new "popular" trend. Some of them are so "bad" you have authors selling a few chapters at a time. Having the price ending up being more that a doggone print book!

This trend makes my azz itch! A bunch of times I'll run across a free book or on sale for 99 cents and it turns out to be an e-serial with 4 or 5 books. I'm like come on now! If it's the first book that's offered up as a "deal", I don't trip as much. BUT when it's like the third of fourth book, I'm like really....REALLY! In some cases you may luck up a find a series that you don't necessarily have to read from book 1. But that doesn't happen all the time.

Hell even larger "traditional" series books are working my nerves! What happened to authors writing trilogies and quartets?! *sigh*. There's only so much you can draw out a series before it becomes redundant.

*sigh* and *ends rant*

Is it just me? I've had this conversation with one of my book lovin sorority sisters and she feels the same way.

TTFN - Ta ta for now!

Election Day Is Coming? Are You Ready?

(Courtesy of Microsoft)

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 is Election Day. It is not a Presidential election BUT it just important nonetheless. Are you ready? Do you know who and what issues you'll be voting on? Do you know your polling place and the hours? Does your employer allow you time off to vote? Google is your friend. Visit your city/county/state websites. Now is the time to get familiar! Even if you think an issue doesn't necessarily pertain to you, think how it will impact your family, your friends, your nieces, nephews, etc. Now is not the time to get complacent. Get the polls and VOTE! Let your voice be heard! Those mofos up on the Hill have their jobs because the PEOPLE put them there. There are SUPPOSED to be focusing on the PEOPLE.  Not their own personal doggone agendas. With everything that  has been going on lately, SHIT is real out here and this foolishness cannot continue! People are HURTING and STRUGGLING! I am very passionate about this and I know those who follow me on various social media outlets probably get sick of me. But you know what? I don't care. I reflect back on the people who fought and died for me to have the right vote. So you damn well believe if there is a vote to be cast, I will be there!! Take someone with you to the polls. Occupy the booth! Get it done!