10 Makeup Items I Would Repurchase

This is a tag video that's being going around on youtube. I don't make video sooooo a blog post it tis!

The gist of it is that if something happened to your makeup collection and you had to start over *gasp* what 10 items would you repurchase first. I tried to pick items that are readily available and not limited edition items. Even though in a pinch I could find them online. I also didn't include any nail polishes and I don't think brushes are included. Heck I can name 10 polishes and 10 brushes that I would repurchase. Maybe I'll do those next. So here are my 10 makeup items and they're in no particular order.

1. Bare Minerals foundation - this is a no brainer since it's one of my favorite foundations and since I don't have a lot of issues with under eye circles, I can use it with a smaller brush under my eyes to cover what I need.
2. Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder - only product I use to contour my face, so this is definite repurchase. 
3. Original Naked Palette - this is one of my favorite eyeshadow palettes and gives you a lot of options for eye looks, so this would be a repurchase. But I could have gone with several other palettes that I like.
4. Bare Minerals Mineral Veil - goes along with the foundation.
5. Buxom Lip Gloss in Dolly - lip products were kind of hard. I know I'd go with a lip gloss over a lipstick but I have various glosses I like. Buxom glosses are some of my favorites and Dolly was the first one I purchased and it's a nice shade.
6. NYX Lip Pencil in Espresso - I can use this liner with any lip color and I rarely go without lining my lips.
7. Iman Brow Pencil - got to have something for the brows and this has been my go to product for a while now.
8. Smashbox Blush in Gingersnap - picking a blush was another hard one. It was between this, tarte and Bobbi Brown blushes. Gingersnap was one of my first blushes and it's a very pretty blush that coordinates with any look for my skin tone. I've mentioned it in my favorites.
9. Covergirl Lashblast Mascara - looks like I've finally picked a drugstore fav huh? Been using it a lot lately and have really been liking it more so that so of the other drugstore mascaras I've picked up. It's the first one that came to mind, it's easily accessible and very nice on my lashes.
10. Bare Minerals Black Coffee Eyeliner - this has been a go to liner for a good while now. I debated on Bobbi Brown's gel liner in Caviar which I love but went with this since it's a retractable pencil and I use to line my upper lid, lower lid and water line (occasionally). This may be the only product that may be a little more difficult to find since it was mainly included in sets. But trust and believe I would find it lol!!!

And there you have it. Hopefully I will NEVER have to do this! LOL!

Bag of the Moment - Dooney & Bourke Coated Pop Novelty Duffel Bag

I have an upcoming work meeting and have gone back and forth on what bag to carry. I don't really have to travel travel for it so I guess that what's been my "dilemma". While switching out bags I realize I carry waaaaay tooooo much stuff! Anywho I opted for this Dooney & Bourke bag. Another fun one to carry during spring/summer and you can wear it with pretty much anything. When I first started carrying bags I was into hobos. Now I'm into satchels more.  Not the best pic but it holds a lot and has a pretty blue lining. I picked this up from QVC. It's not a available anymore but here's the link showing the bag in black. I have another Dooney bag that's all white and I wanted to carry before summer is over but don't think I will. There are a couple of marks I need to clean off but just haven't had the time.  So I think this bag will carry me through the end of summer.  Or at least until the end of August.

July 2012 Favorites

Here are my July favorites! Played around with quite a bit this month. It was my birthday so hey lol!

Eyes

CVS is somewhat pricier when it comes to beauty items at the drugstore BUT I think they have the best  beauty deals.  They had a deal were all Physicians Formula products $7.99 and above were $7 off.  I've never tried any of their stuff since it is pricey for drugstore.  So of course I haaddddd to see what I could find lol!  I ended up getting two of their Bake Collection eyeshadow trios in Baked Sands and Oatmeal for under $2.  Both are nice neutral shades.  They can be worn wet or dry.  They are really nice and have good staying power.

I had tried Covergirl LashBlast Mascara a while ago and I thought it was just ok.  After hearing 2 of my favorite youtubers (emilynoel83 and makeupbytiffanyd) talking about it recently I decided to give it another whirl since I'm stlll on my drugstore mascara hunt.  Surprisingly enough I really like it.  It's a good everyday mascara that provides good length, curl and volume for my lashes.  Of the drugstore mascaras I've played around with I haven't decided which I would repurchase.  I have one more that I was to try out it again.  Let's see if I can make a decision next month.

LORAC debuted on HSN this month.  I picked up the Pro Star Eye Tutorial Kit.  I have fallen in love with the LORAC Pro mascara.  The wand is interesting.  It starts out small at tip and get wider up the wand.  So you can read get your lashes in the inner and outer corners and bottom lashes.  I also love that the formula isn't super wet and make your lashes feel like lashes.  Some mascaras are so thick and goopey to apply and make your lashes feel not so great. Also they can be hard to remove.  I had no problems removing this one.  I think it's relatively new.  I went to Sephora's site to check out reviews and when I looked there were none.

Urban Decay's Black Palette has been on my wish list for a while. It came to Ulta recently and it was on sale. On top of that I had a 20% off coupon, so I had to scoop it up. All the shades in the palette are black based. Great for a smokey look. I actually wore the blue shade from the palette on my birthday :)  For me the look wasn't too dark but then again I don't always stick with makeup "rules" and wear what I want lol. It comes with the Zero eyeliner which I feel I have a million of. I would draw a thick line close the the lash line and blend it out on my lid. Then I would take whatever shadow, place it on the lid and up into the crease. Viola! I may check out some tutorials on YouTube since right now all I've done is one color all over the lid which is ok with me. Still a little inspiration wouldn't hurt.

Bobbi Brown gel liners are some of my favorites. With the release of the new Twilight Desert collection a new shade was released. Twilight Night Shimmer Ink is a very pretty blackened plum shade with subtle shimmer. I've mainly worn it with a neutral eye. I saw a blog post where it was worn on its own and it looked just a pretty.

So I picked up another Lancome palette.  I picked up the Desert Sunset palette from HSN. I've had my eye on for a while and was like what the hey. It's has 6 shadows of beige, coral, pinks and brown. The Deep Brown shadow in this palette is everything! I've worn it all over the lid for a brown smokey eye, outer corner and in the crease. I love it! If I could purchase it on its own I would. The other shades in the palette are just as nice. They are easy to apply, easy to blend and I didn't experience any fallout.

Lips

The Revlon Kissable Balm Stains have been all the rage on YouTube and in the blogging world.  I only have one in Love sick.  It's a very pretty color and wears well on the lips. I may pick up one of the red shades.

So I wandered over to Walgreens looking for Wet n' Wild's Cherry Picking lipstick.  I didn't find it but I did stumble upon Spotlight Red and what a red it is!  I've kind of been on a red lip kick thanks to crystalis007's Red Lipstick Posts earlier this month.  When I wear it I don't top it with a gloss because once applied it has a sheen to it. Also I love how it wears during the day kind of like a stain.  I really don't need to reapply but of course I do.  I'm sure this a dupable red for a higher end lipstick.  I have two other Mega Last Lipsticks in neutral/lighter shades. Will definitely check out other shades.  You can't beat a good lipstick for $1.99.

My Makeup D'oh post not too long ago was about Revlon's Super Lustrous lipstick in Mink. I ended up purchasing two of these by accident *head palm*. Good thing I really like it lol. I have the extra one in my makeup bag that I keep in my handbag. I picked it up off a recommend from Destiny Godley. She did a YouTube video recently about nude lipsticks and glosses for women of color. Her recommendations are usually spot on. This works well for me as a nude lipstick. It doesn't make me looked washed about and I don't have to do a lot to "make it work". I do use a brown lip liner like I always do. I've been rocking this when I've worn a like using The Black Palette.

Face

So you all already know that I'm kind of obsessed with the tarte Amazonian Clay blushes.  I picked up another from Ulta when I had a 20% off coupon.  This time I got Blushing Bride.  It's described as a plumy rose.  For my skin tone it's a good everyday kind of blush.  I like the shimmer it and that it gives a nice glow to the cheeks.  I have my eye on one more and then I think I'm good. Hopefully lol!

Another item that I picked up during the Physicians Formula sale at CVS were the Happy Booster blushes.  I got Rose and Natural.  I'm alway leery when purchasing blush because I automatically think that it will not show up on my face or I have to pack it on to get some pigmentation.  In the pan the Rose blush is really pretty and applies just as pretty on. So Rose is my fav. The Natural, meh *shrugs* need to play with it bit more.

I've talked about Bobbi Brown's Bronzing Powder before but I had to mention it again. I looooove this bronzer.  Finding the right bronzer is hard. I thought I had found my holy grail bronzer in Covergirl Queen Collection bronzer in Ebony Bronze but not so much. What  I love about Bobbi Brown's one is that 1) it's matte and 2) it doesn't have a red or orange undertone. With the Covergirl one it has a red undertone. So by the end of the day I have a red streak from where I contoured my face and that was NOT cool! I've had my Bobbi Brown one for a while and I just started hitting pan on and I do use it everyday. If this product was discontinued I'd be crushed!

I've been reaching for the Sephora Classic Mineral Powder brush to apply my Bare Minerals foundation.  It's very soft and helps buff in the foundation without it appearing cakey on my face.  I really like wetting this brush to apply the foundation.  When I do hunty my face is beat ok!!  May try this with the Sigmax round kabuki one that I have to see if I get the same results.

Nails

I received Julep Yumi in my July Maven box. It's a pretty pink and silver glitter polish. I like how it's a full glitter. I didn't have to pack it on for the glitter to show on my nails.

So one of my nail polish loving sorority sisters emailed me a pic of Revlon's Gray Suede. She thought it would be a good neutral for her skin tone.  I liked it and was curious on how it would work for me. I found it Walgreens and tried it the next day. I paired iwth a purple shatter polish and I really liked it.  This one is good on it's own but also good to pair with shatter polishes or glitters were you want it to stand out and not fight against a color polish (if that makes sense lol).

Another release from Bobbi Brown's Twilight Desert collection were nail polishes. I dragged my heels on pick them up. I did get Turquoise and more than likely will pick up the other shade Twilight, I was leery in getting Turquoise because for some reason I thought it was a lot like Essie's Turquoise and Caicos. I'm happy to say it's not lol! To me the color is a little deeper and more vibrant. 

This and That

I've tried various of the Glade Plugins and I like them but I've never been wowed by any of the scents.  I picked up Lavender ad Peach Blossom randomly when I was at Target.  I have one in my bathroom and two in my bedroom.  As I was sitting, I was like oh this is nice!  I usually like Lavender scents but sometimes they can be too strong to me.  I guess the peach helps balance it out.  Not sure if the scent is limited edition or not but I will definitely pick this one up again.

I picked up Korres Guava Body Butter and Shower Gel duo from HSN based off of glowing recommendation on QVC's beauty banner board (another fav over the last few months that I haven't mentioned).  For the longest time I have trying to find a body lotion and shower gel that I can wear on its own or pair with whatever fragrance and it now overpower it.  By George I think I've found it! The scent it very light.  It reminds me of something but I can't place it. The shower gel has an awesome lather but it's not drying. The body butter is so nice, smooth and not greasy at all. My skin was literally soft and hydrated all day. I had a coupon and they were offering free shipping when I got this set. I will definitely be stalking HSN to see if it goes on another deal because I will be stocking up on this product. There are a couple of other scents I want to try next.

Philosophy Unconditional Love is I think my second favorite fragrance from philosophy. It's a sweet scent that reminds me of cotton candy and I wear all year round. I have the spray fragrance but recently picked a set from QVC that was a Today's Special Value. Everything in the set is super-sized. I received the body emulsion, body mist and olive oil scrub.

So arm candy and stacking bracelets seems to be all the rage. Typically I just wear a watch and call it a day. I have a gold tone bracelet that I purchased from QVC a while ago that has gotten more wear this month. I also picked up some bangles from Armitha Singh via a Hautlook sale. I didn't notice until after I ordered them that they're call the Beyonce Bangle set teehee! I heart her.

Phew that's it! Again pardon the typos and stuff that just doesn't make any sense.

I might start including reconsidered favorites and/or products that I'm kind of blah about.  Or separate posts all together. We shall see.

On to August!

I think I'm a hoarder...

(Courtesy of Microsoft)

Ok sooooo...

I'm in the process of purging some books. I'm an avid reader and at one point I was buying up books like crazy. I still have authors I purchase books from but I have slowed down considerably on book purchases. Then when I was in grad school I didn't have time to read like I wanted to. Now that I have the time, I'm kind of  "overwhelmed" with trying to get through the books I have.  It has kind of taken the joy out of reading. I'll sit and contemplate what I'm going to read next. I stare at books or think on what I want to read and come up with nothing.  This sense of  "being overwhelmed" can be said with other items I have.

Now I know I'm not as bad as some of the people who do appear on the show Hoarders. I do frequently give stuff away, donate items and pitch things. At times I feel it isn't enough. I shouldn't feel overwhelmed by the items that I have. Don't get me wrong I am very fortunate and very blessed to be able to  purchase the things I want. I guess I'm getting to the point of asking myself is it too much? Are you enjoying these things or  are they burden of sorts? I guess I'm in downsize mode and instead of it being a liberating process, it's kind of stressing me out.

So I guess I have an inner hoarder/pack rat... -____- Well I want her gone! *stomps foot*

Bag of the Moment - Dooney & Bourke Coated Signature Jumble Duck East/West Tote

So my boss and sorority sister put the "you need a purse blog" in my ear. I don't know about a full blog dedicated to em *shrugs*. But it wouldn't hurt to throw a few posts into the mix since handbags are a weakness of mine. I remember when I worked at Marshalls in high school, I said I would never spend a lot of money on a bag. I thought spending $49.99 on a Ralph Lauren bag was a lot. I guess I can eat those words now LOL!!!! Anywho on to the bag...

I'm currently carrying the Coated Signature Jumble Duck East/West Tote in Fuchsia from Dooney & Bourke (which is sold out but you can still see pics of it and watch the presentation video). Dooney & Bourke is on of my favorite handbag lines. All of the Dooney bags I have, with the exception one I've purchased from QVC. They have a lot of exclusives and with some of the bags you get extras (key fobs, wristlets, cosmetic cases, etc) when you order from them. I bought this bag about two years ago. I like how this bag is very light. I carry everything but the kitchen sink, so it's nice to start out with a bag that's already light. It has a nice size cell phone pocket and decent size zip pocket. The lining is red. One of my biggest pet peeves is a bag with black lining!! The bag is trimmed in leather. I like that it's a medium size tote. Sometimes a tote can be overwhelming. I can carry this around wherever and not feel like my bag is in the way. It's a fun, bright bag to carry around during spring and summer.

A Makeup D'oh!

(courtesy of Microsoft)

I did it again!!!  Aimlessly purchased a makeup item at the drugstore that I already have!  Matter fact just purchased not too long ago! The wandering over to the drugstore usually happens when I frustrated at work and need to get away for a moment. Oye vey!  It's only a lipstick and yes I could return or exchange it.  We shall see.  But that's it! No more!  I am going to be more discriminatory with my makeup/beauty purchases from now until the end  of the year (and hopefully beyond that).  I had gotten my bath and body products under control but I've gotten a couple of sets recently. I just did another mini purge of some makeup items and just shopped my stash for some "new" items to play around with.  I need to purge some hair products that honestly should be pitched since I've had them for a while and nothing lasts forever.  I want to make an effort of using up what I have, enjoying it and not feel "bad" that stuff  is just sitting. The fall collections are popping up and of course the  "oooooh I want this and that" vibe has set in but I've gone back and looked over the items and some of the excitement has worn off.  Hopefully this sentiment holds.

Stay tuned...

June 2012 Favorites

Played around with various products this month but only a few things stuck out.  Used Photo Grid to show everything (except one item). Let's see how this goes.

Eyes
I've been on a drugstore mascara kick.  I wanted to find some favs since I've been on a high end ones for a while now.  I lucked and found Rimmel Sexy Curve Mascara.  CVS had a really good sale on various products and this mascara was one of them.  I got for around $2.  It says it adds volume but on my lashes it gives more length and curl than volume.  L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara is another one that I recently picked up.  I had tried the original version a while back and loved it.  I had heard people raving about the Carbon Black version and decided to give it a go.  I can see myself keeping this one in my mascara arsenal.

Last year Bare Minerals launched their READY eye shadows.  I have several of their loose shadows and love them.  So I was interested to see their new pressed shadows.  I should have figured that I would love them! The pigmentation is very good and have good staying power.  I have several of the duos, one quad and the 8 pan palettes that were released during the holidays last year.  I have my eye on the Dream Sequence quad *sigh* we shall see if I get it.

I finally picked up the three Black Radiance Eye Appeal Shadow Collection palettes in Urban Jungle, Downtown Browns and Posh Plums.  These are similar to the Wet 'n Wild ones which I like and I like these.  The colors are very pretty, pigmented and easy to blend.  I know they are advertised for women of color but I think if you're a lover of the colors that you should check them out :)

I've had a love/hate relationship with gel eyeliner.  I love it because it stays on all day and looks a little more finished that a regular eyeliner pencil.  What I hate about it applying it.  I have a couple brushes that get the job done but recently used  Real Techniques pixel-point eyeliner brush and it has made the process effortless.  At first I thought the brush was too big and the line would be too wide.  I decided to try it and for me it creates the perfect line and surprisingly enough you can get a thin line with it.  It comes it their starter set.  If it was available for purchase on its own I would purchase another one.  They recently released a fine liner brush and it's thinner than the pixel-point one.  Going to give this one a go in July and see how I like it.

Lips
Revlon makes some of my favorite lip products be it drugstore or high end.  Revlon Colorburst lip glosses are some of favorite glosses.  Lip glosses are probably the one product I have most of and I'm snob when it comes to them lol!  I hate hate hhaaate sticky ones and the smell for some glosses have turned me off!  I have this one NARS gloss that I love the color but hate the smell.  It's the only one I have and don't plan to but any others.  Ok back to Revlon lol.  I only have 3 of these glosses and they are Orchid, Sunset Peach and Papaya.  Every time I go into CVS I stroll by the Revlon section to see if I can find another shade I like.  They feel good on, not sticky and good pigmentation.

When it comes to lip pencils I don't have a lot.  Typically I only use one no mater the lip color I apply which is a dark brown.  My absolute fav has always been smashbox's nude lip liner in Dark.  QVC has a duo set which I have repurchased several times.  A while ago I picked up a couple of NYX Slim Lip pencils based off of reviews I've seen of people loving them and they're inexpensive.  I got them from Ulta when they were buy one, get one 50% off in Brown and Espresso   I must say I've been reaching for NYX more so than my smashbox one.  Go figure! The Espresso shade is a direct match to the smashbox one.  The Brown one is a little lighter but works well if I want a little lighter of a lip.  I have a couple other NYX lip liners that I got from sets that I purchased via Hautelook.  I may play around with those to see if I want to pick up any other colors.

Face
Lancome Blush in Shimmer Coral Sunset is the first Lancome blush that I've tried.  I lucked up and got it during a blog sale. It's gorgeous!!  It's a nice deep coral color and the shimmer in it isn't bad.  With some shimmer blushes it looks like you've thrown glitter on your cheek.

I picked up Black Radiance's Complexion Perfection Shine Control Primer off a recommendation from crystalis007.  She always mentioning products that work for here combination skin, so I decided to try it when I saw it in Rite-Aid.  I've only used it with my Bare Minerals foundation and so far so good. It does control my oil for a good part of the day compared to some more expensive products I've tried.

Nails
Essie Turquoise and Caicos is the perfect Tiffany blue color! I posted a picture on Instagram and I got a lot of comments on this polish.  It's so pretty.  I don't buy back ups of nail polishes.  If I did I would totally get another bottle of this one.  Heck I just might!

Essie Trophy Wife is  a pretty blue green color.  I get compliments when I wear this one as well.  And I get a kick out of the name lol!!!  I wear this one year round.  I would get a back of this one too.

This and That
I don't know what took me so long to try Nutella!  I went to Big Lots looking for some other items.  I saw it and decided to pick it up.  It tastes so good!  I'll have it on toast with a cup of coffee and I'm happy!

I've had my orange Dooney & Bourke Juliet satchel for a while and had never used it.  It still had the tags on it. First I debated on giving it to one of my cousins for a Christmas gift.  Then I tried to sell it with no luck.  Then I decided to keep it.  So glad I did!  I don't have an orange bag (which is one of the main reasons I got in the first place).  It a nice size and I like that it has the short handles and long shoulder strap.  Nice fun bag for the warmer months.

Here comes July...my birthday month! *throws glitta*