October 2012 Favorites

I kinda fell off shopping my stash. Since I upgraded from my green basket to the beauty bag I talked about recently, I haven't been switching out my products on a regular basis. One YouTuber (ShadesofKassie) that I recently subscribed to, does a video on her weekly basket and it kind of gotten me back in to the swing of things. So my new "game plan" is to switch out eyeshadows and blushes every other week and lip products every week.

Also I'm contemplating an eyeshadow palette no buy (the larger palettes). I LOVE palettes and had been looking at a few for various upcoming sales and holiday shopping. Then I was thinking to myself that once again a lot of the colors look the same. Also I'm pretty sure I already have similar colors in my stash already. I have a decent amount of palettes right now and eyeshadows in general. The only ones that I know that I really want is the Urban Decay Smoked palette and maybe Laura Mercier's new one. I'm also toying around with the idea of  a nail polish no buy. So stay tuned...

Ok enough babbling and let's get into the favorites!! Some of these items I could have included for September but oh well.  Here they go.

Eyes

I played around with two ready eyeshadow quads this month. The Ready eyeshadow quad The Truth has been raved about. I picked it up since I love the Ready eyeshadows and I love neutrals. I've used it and I liked it but I wasn't wowed by it like everyone else. Well I guess something finally clicked for me this month and well I love it lol! Usually when I wore it, I was wearing "traditionally" with light colors on the lid and deeper colors in the crease. Nothing wrong with that. This go around I wore the two brown shades on the lid and crease. I was like we likey a lot. The other ready quad I used was The Happy Place. This quad has some gorgeous colors and some I would never think on wearing together but they work. These are some of my favorite eyeshadows. They go on smoothly, easy to blend and have great lasting power. So I can probably myself sticking with these and leaving the larger palettes alone like I mentioned at the beginning of this post.

So I've been on the hunt for "the" mascara for my lashes. Dare I say I think I've found my HOLY GRAIL mascara *insert shocked face*. I pulled out Bare Minerals Flawless Definition this month and I have been LOVING IT!! It does it all for my lashes. It lengthens, separates and gives me volume. I love the "brush". It's fine-toothed comb brush and not your traditional mascara brush. I can build my lashes to my hearts content, get hard to reach lashes and the wand itself is not big. I'm  kind of over large mascara wands. I'm going to play around with the remaining mascaras I have but I will definitely, definitely keep this on on hand!

Shopping my stash for eyeshadows to play around with I came across the L'Oreal Hip Duos. I have a bunch of these and I love them. I don't do really elaborate eye looks. 2 to 3 shades at most. So these duos are perfect. One the duos I fell in love with last year was #908 Mischief. I watched one of makeupbytiffanyd's tutorials on a blue smokey eye and wanted to recreate it. I looked at this duo and it was perfect to use for the look. I wore this look at a lot last fall/winter and pulled the duo out around the middle of the month and have been wearing it pretty often. Two my other favorite Hip Duo are #106 Sculpted (neutral)  #818 Saucy (pink/purple).

The eyeliner I used with the Mischief L'Oreal Hip Duo to create the blue smokey eye was Mally's automatic eyeliner in Black Navy. I love her colored eyeliners. I also have her liner in Sailor which is a navy blue shade and it probably would work as well with the look. It's not a harsh as black but still nice and gives definition to the upper lash line.

A quick mention of Lancome's Hypnose Drama mascara. I've mentioned it before but I wanted to mention it again. This is one mascara that will definitely stay in my stash.

Lips

Was going through my lipsticks and came across Mary Kay's Bronzed lipstick and decided to play around with it. It's a great everyday lipstick for me. I can't explain the color. It's not red or brown. I guess a mix of the two but it doesn't look red on my lips. It has a satin finish. So you can thrown it and and not worry about a gloss and it feels nice on the lips.

Been playing around with another nude lip combo this month. Wet n' Wild's 902C Bare it All and Smashbox's lip gloss in Flirt go well together for my skin tone.

I picked up MAC's Yung Rapxuel that was released last month. It's a deep purple lipstick. When I got it and swatched on the back of my hand I like it and all but something was nagging me. When I got home that evening I pulled out Revlon's Va Va Violet. I swatched the two against each other on my hand. I even put one on each lip and shoooooo nuff they are the same! On my lips I couldn't really tell the difference between the two. Needless to say I was kind of pissed that I spend $15 on a lipstick that I pretty much already had. I could have returned it but I didn't. I do really like it and wore it a lot this month. It wears really well throughout the day. So I will be wearing the heck of this one and keep Va Va Violet on injured reserve for now lol. So if you missed out on or plan on getting Yung Rapxuel don't sweat it. Go get Va Va Violet and save yourself a few dollars.

I picked up two more red lipsticks from Revlon *head palm*.  I got Certainly Red (true red) and Cherries in the Snow (fuchsia red). Both are gorgeous. If you're a red lover check them out. They probably dupes to some of the MAC red lipsticks.

Outrageously Fun is a lipstick that's a part of MAC's Glamour Daze collection. I think it's my new go to pink lipstick. Trying to fight the urge to get another one.

CVS had buy one, get one free on Wet n' Wild again this month. I ended up getting two more Mega Last lipsticks. One I have been loving is 908C Sugar Plum Fairy. It's a dupe to MAC's Rebel and I've heard a lot of people saying that they like it more so than Rebel. I love how it wears. After eating, drinking and such it has a lip stain effect on the lips. It's a pretty plumy wine color. I can see myself wearing this a lot during the cooler months. Shoot even when the weather gets warmer.

Sheesh didn't know I have 7 lipsticks until I took the picture!!!  And then forgot to take a pic of the gloss. *head palm*

Face

Don't know if I've talked about it in a post #brainfart lol. But I have to shout out my Bare Minerals foundation. I have both the original and matte versions. I wear the matte more so than the original. I have tried Bare Minerals years ago when they only had the 4 or 5 shades. Now that have like 50-11 shades! Ok not that many but it's a lot. This is the first brand that I can wear more than one foundation shade! I have Golden Deep and Warm Deep. I don't have many foundations. The few I have I like and don't really want to be bothered trying others. Same goes with concealer. What I love about this foundation is that you don't look made up, the coverage is buildable but never gets cakey and I don't feel it on. Some foundations I've worn and as the day progresses I'm like ok I need to wash my face right now! Another plus is that the jar lasts a long time and you have to trip over it going bad. The new Ready foundation has been getting mixed reviews but I'm going try it for myself and judge.

MAC's Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Superb is a powder product that you can use however you like. Most people use these a highlighter on the face or blush. I included it in the "face" section but I've been using it as an eyeshadow for the last couple of weeks lol! I've been using over the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze with Covergirl's Brown Smolder eyeshadow in the crease. I wore this look for like three days straight. A good go to eye look that you don't really have to think about. I did wear it as a highlight as well a few times and it's very pretty. It's described as a soft peachy nude with shimmer.

Nails

I picked OPI's Pink of Hearts 2012 from Ulta. It's their polish set for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. At first I was going to pick up the Essie polishes. I didn't think there were that many and then I couldn't decide which ones I wanted. So I saw this set and went with it. It comes with I Think in Pink and You Glitter Be Good To Me. The pink polish is a nice pink that I think will work on a variety of skin tones. I was worried at first because sometimes if it's a creamy milky kind of pink it doesn't look good on me. The glitter polish is pretty with fine pink and larger fuchsia colored glitters.

Maybelline released some limited edition Fall 2012 Fashion Week Color Show nail polishes. I was only going to get 2 or 3 but my simple self ended up getting all 6 *head palm*. Keeping with the pink theme for the month I used and fell in love with Pink Cosmo. It'a metallic light pink shade with some champagne action going. It's nice light pop on the nails that's good for everyday wear.

When I got the Revlon lipstick in Cherries in the Snow, I also got the nail polish in the same fuchsia red shade.

This and That

I've been on a candles kick for a while. Picked up two candles from Tuesday Morning. For some reason I thought this was a thrift store. Boy was I wrong!! I picked up two huge candle in Creamy Vanilla and Pumpkin Spice. These candles give off a nice scent without even burning them. I had the Pumpkin one sitting on my desk at work for while before I brought it home.  They smell so good. I want to go back and check out the other scents. They were only $10. A better value than they ones at Bath & Body Works. I still may mosey over then when the have another sale but even if I don't I happy with these candles.

Now I'm going to talk about a pencil sharpener. Yes a pencil sharpener  I've had a hate hate relationship with pencil liners like Urban Decay's 24/7 pencils because they are a bitch to sharpen. Sharpeners I've use before pretty much would eat the pencil up so I wouldn't sharpen them. I had decided to no longer buy pencils like this since I could never sharpen them. So I debated on get Urban Decay's sharpener which has good reviews. It's $10. I was going to get the Loco Ocho pencil set that has a sharpener included. Then I was like no to paying $10 for a sharpener and no to getting the set. So I took to Google and searched for dupes. Essence's sharper came up in quite a few hits. So I said next Ulta run I would check it out. I was over at CVS and was looking at the Essence of Beauty items. I saw a dual sharpener that looked similar to Urban Decay's and the Essence one. It was on $2 and some change. So if it didn't work, I wouldn't trip to hard at tossing it. I got home that evening to test it out and it works!!!! I sharpened like 3 pencils and was pleased. So if you're looking for a good sharpener check out the Essence of Beauty one at CVS if you don't have an Ulta close by to check out the Essence one.

I've kind of been obsessed with all things social networking and technology related lol! I still go pretty hard with Twitter. Instragram is everythang! If you're on Instragram follow me (thatcrazy8). I post random stuff but I also post items I picked, lip of the day products and so on. My Droid Razr Maxx is never too far from my reach lol. I picked up a new hard phone case from eBay that I've been loving as well. I want a tablet but don't know if I was to go the iPad route, Android tablet or check out Barnes & Noble's new HD tablet.

Food wise I've been on a salmon cakes kick. Last year I came up with a way too broil them in the oven. I got tired of frying them and wanted to without all that oil. They are quick and easy! They've been a go to for dinner and lunch during the work week.

And there you have it! I've been thinking about posts for next year and I think I'll do a top 3 kind of a thing. Maybe top 3 hits and misses. Sounds like a plan man!

Alrighty on to November and Thanksgiving!!! *chomp*

Limit Reached...

There's an interesting declutter vlog series that pinksofoxy, a YouTuber I follow started doing. It's called "Less Stuff, Less Stress". She's in the process of decluttering and reorganizing a lot of her stuff. She's already on 3 part. It's been interesting to watch and has refueled my efforts. Within the last few months or so I've been in the same mindset of trying to reorganize items, getting rid of stuff and focus on using what I have.

Clothes and shoes are never a big problem. I go through my closet and gather items to donate often. I've tackled some of my less expensive handbags and given those any to family and friends. The more expensive ones I've started. I'm going to try and see if I can get a little something for them. If not then I will contemplate giving them away. Beauty stuff wise I think I'm at a "good" place and I want to reorganize my stash.  There are a some items I am contemplating on that have been released with holiday collections that I more than likely will purchase. But I'm being very particular on those items.

Come January that's it. I will only repurchase items that I need to repurchase once I use them up like primer, eyebrow stuff, etc. When it comes to bath and body stuff, I'm kind of over it. All I need is a shower gel and body lotion and that's it. No more special scented lotions other that the ones I'm trying to use up. I have perfumes and body spritzes that I want to use up, so I need something that they can mesh with. The holiday season is the best time for beauty buys so I will try to hold out for that unless it is something super duper awesome that I don't already have. I've also been looking at various items to help reorganize my stash. I think I've found a drawer organizer that just may do the trick. I was looking at one of the acrylic on eBay but they were more expensive that this. So I was like spend less and get something more substantial. Hopefully I can get it in month or so.

As for books, I've gotten rid of some but there's still a lot to go through. It doesn't help that most of them are in storage. I'm going to start bring some of them home so that I can continue the purging process. This will be an ongoing process for the next few months. The battle continues with actual book purchases and what to download on my Nook. I've peeped the library a few times but the books I brought home just sat and I didn't read them. So I'm going to try to firm up my book buying habits by January also.

So onward and upward! I have other things that I need and want to do, so it is time to refocus my energies on other things. I don't want to be stressed or frustrated over the things that I have. I should be enjoying them without issue! It ain't that serious. So it's time to get stuff in order and that's that!

Stay tuned...

The Internet Beauty World...

(Courtesy of Microsoft)

These "self righteous" folks that comment on beauty blogs, boards, YouTube and such really grate my nerves!!! Of course you're going to have lover of beauty products that take to blogs, message boards and other forms of social media to connect with other people with the same interests. Yes there are people at different stages. You may have some that have identified the brands and such that they like, you may have some that use a small number of products and don't but a whole lot or you may have those that are full on beauty junkies. Whatever the case may be, it gives you no right to get all preachy and judge folks. I try to stick to certain threads and not read comments on YouTube because folks being downright rude and judgmental pisses me off. If you are taking care of what you need to as a responsible person and you're not hurting yourself or anyone else then who are you to judge? It's different if you're sharing your experiences and/or how you may have grown from a particular situation. However MOST of these people seem like since they have the anonymity of the Internet, then they can go at whoever, however they want. People like that need to have multiple seats and get a damn life. You're nothing more than a damn bully!

*end rant and back to our regularly scheduled programming* *relax, relate, release*

Bag of the Moment - Steven by Steve Madden Tote

I have a non-Dooney & Bourke bag! LOL! I got this bag from TJ Maxx last year I think. It's a north south tote style bag by Steven by Steve Madden. I want to say it was less than $50. There was a lighter grey color but I opted for the darker grey color. It has fun blue and white pinstripe lining, two side pockets and one zip pocket. This bag is huge but it doesn't get in the way like a traditional tote can at times. It has a latch inside where you can close the tote in a little more or make a it bigger. In the second pic you can see the latch and some of the lining. For me it's a good everyday bag since I carry a lot of crap :D It would also make a great bag for travel. I may use this for my work travel next year. We shall see.

My First Trip to MAC

Ok soooo....I do have some MAC items in my makeup collection. It's not a lot compared to others and I don't claim to be a MAC head. There are some folks that are OBSESSED with MAC. I kind of have a love/hate relationship with MAC. They do have some awesome products. I really like their lipsticks and blushes. The only collection of theirs that I kind of went crazy over was the Wonder Woman collection. The hate side towards MAC comes with them releasing new collections every other week, the "hype" behind EVERY collection, stuff selling out online in like two minutes and a few other things. But I digress... I've always ordered online from MAC. I have never set foot in a MAC store or even gone to a MAC counter until recently.

A friend of mine got an invitation to preview the Glamour Daze collection (part of the 2012 holiday collection) in store. She asked me if I wanted to go and I was like sure do! LOL! So I met her at the mall. I got there a little early so I proceeded to have a sit down and people watch. I saw them close the store down early to prepare. They had one of those rope things outside of the store. I was like ummmm this ain't the club! The event was to start at 7pm. People started lining up 15-20 minutes early. My friend did have a appointment time. Well it seemed like the appointment times went out the window because they pretty much let everyone in the store once they checked in.

Ok this MAC store is SMALL!!! When I walked by it I was like ummmm...The event had the potential to be really nice. I spoke with Crystalis007 and she had mentioned to me that she had been to that particular MAC store when they have events. So I was looking forward to it. They had two girls dressed up like the model in the promo pics for the collection and they were singing. Which was nice. But there were SO many people in the store in that you could hardly walk around and look at stuff. The makeup artists that were there were really nice and helpful. But I just couldn't get over all the people that were in there. I kind of hand a mini panic attack. I felt bad for one lady who was in a wheelchair. She had someone pushing her wheelchair but with so many people in there, it was hard to maneuver  I could tell she was getting frustrated. Oh and it was HOT!!!! They had the A/C on but with all they people in there it didn't do much. They also had appetizers and drinks which was another nice touch but I didn't want to partake due to the craziness. I'm sure it was a fire hazard having that many people in the store at one time. Once I checked out, I hauled azz out of the store lol!

Here's a pic of the items that I got:

I got three items from the collection (Superb Extra Dimension Skinfinish, Small Vanity blush and Outrageously Fun lipstick) and two additional items while I was there (Viva Glam Nicki lipglass and Beet lip liner. I may get two more items from the collection once it launches. They will be ordered online! So overall my first experience was at a MAC store was interesting to say the least.