EOS Lip Balms

From the top:  Passion Fruit, Strawberry Smoothie, Lemon Drop, Honeysuckle Honeydew, Medicated Tangerine, and Sweet Mint

These look like Easter eggs don't they?  I love these little lip balms.  The first thing you notice obviously is the shape....little ovaly circley round thingies (I'm very eloquent aren't I?).  They are very moisturizing, some flavors more then others.  I think the sweet mint one if my favorite, followed by strawberry and melon.  The lemondrop one is nice too, it's a little more glossy then the other ones.   The only one I don't have was the first one I bought (then threw away) which I believe is called Summer Fruit.  I was so excited to try it because when they first came out they were hard to find.  I really didn't like the smell.....but I'm thinking of repurchasing it and giving it another try because it's the only one I don't have in my collection, and I'm weird like that.  These lip balms are 100% natural, 95% organic, which is nice considering all the crap they put into stuff, (parabens, phthalates, etc).  They do have Shea butter, vitamin E, and jojoba oil.  I even have several of a few of them (4 lemondrops and 2 of the medicated orange ones) cuz you never know where you might be when you need one (in the car, one in a little box on the coffee table, bedside table, and where I apply my makeup.  Oh and one in the bathroom........in case I feel chappy while I'm errr....brushing my teeth!  EOS (Evolution of Smooth) lip balms are inexpensive, around $3 each, they sell them at most drug stores, or you can find them here:  EOS The website also sells hand lotion, shaving cream and body lotions.  Give them a try :-)

Review: Clarisonic Mia

This is probably the one of the few products I've purchased and was immediately impressed with.  I got it for myself as a late Christmas present, so I've been using it for about 5 months now.  And my skin has never looked better.  I've always been meticulous about my skin.  I had the "required" acne prone skin in jr high and high school (mostly jr high) and then occasional breakouts throughout my 20s and 30s.  When I hit 40, I noticed the texture started changing.  I've always had oily skin, and even now, I have to use blotting papers a couple of times a day.  But I noticed lines that seemed to pop up overnight.  And my skin just looked dull.  I've always used a cleanser and a washcloth to wash my face.  I had been eyeing the Clarisonic Mia for about a year, but just didn't want to spend the money on it ($149).  Finally, in a moment of weakness (and 4 easy pays on QVC) I splurged.  And boy am I glad I did.  My skin feels so "clean".  I take my make up off with a cosmetic wipe (I buy the cheap ones at Big Lots for $2!) and then use the Clarisonic to clean off anything I missed.  It also exfoliates, which is a time saver (and no need for the gritty apricot scrubs lol).  It runs off a rechargeable battery, for about 2 mins, I charge mine about every 20 days.  It comes in a variety of colors, white, yellow, lavender, pink (my choice) and limited time colors also.  It's definitely one of the best purchases I've made.  Except for my lip glosses ;-)

April Favorites (Make up version)

I haven't ventured into the world of YouTube yet, so I can't post my "April Favorites" out there like hundreds of other make up gurus do, so photos and a quick review of the products will have to do......These are the products I tended to gravitate towards during April:

I sometimes use a primer before I put on my foundation, but usually I just use this Clean & Clear Finishes Pore Perfecting Moisturizer.  It says it "softens the appearance of pores with light diffusing minerals".  I don't know if it does that or not, but I like the way it feels and my foundation goes on smoothly so it's a keeper.

YSL Multi-Action Concealer in the color "3".  What you see in the picture is all I have left, which is unfortunate, because it's expensive ($35 on Amazon) so I probably won't be repurchasing any time soon.  Although I did just buy Benefit Boiing which is $18.  I apparently have a lot to conceal....

Clinique "Even Better" Foundation, 03 Ivory.  This stuff works great, it is a full coverage foundation, and doesn't turn to that ugly orangy color some foundations do by the end of the day.  I'm about out of this one too, I purchased a matte foundation from Rimmel....we'll see how that one does.

Bella Bamba blush by Benefit.  Very pretty coral color, with a little bit of shimmer.  Very much like the famous Nars Orgasm (which I also have....go figure).  Nice color for spring.

Lorac eyeshadows in Enlighten, Bronze, and Dark Brown.  I've been using these almost every day.  Love them, they are easy to blend, great texture, and have good color payoff. 

Palladio Rice Powder in Translucent.  I absolutely LOVE this stuff.  It makes the texture of my face seem flawless.  I only put it on in the morning, (I touch up during the day with MAC Blot Powder).  It's finely milled and doesn't look "powder-ry".  Definitely will repurchase this one. 

Maybelline Ultra-Brow Brush on color in Light Brown.  This has probably been around since my mom first started using makeup, but it works well and it's cheap so it's a keeper.

NYX Goddess of the Night lipgloss in Sunshine; Hard Candy Plumping Serum in Girl Next Door.  As most of you know, I love my lip products, I think I have about 18 of them in my purse right now, but I've been using these almost every day.  My lips are pretty pigmented so just a quick swipe of one of these and I'm good to go.  Both are under $8 so that's a plus!

 

Cover Girl Volume Exact in Black.  I am extremely picky when it comes to mascara.  As I get older, my lashes get skimpier, so when I find something I like, I stick with it.  This mascara is great for adding volume, not so much for length.  My next big purchase is RapidLash (to help my lashes grow), but it costs $59 so let's keep that one a secret from my bf...shhhhhsh!  (on a side note, I use Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Whiskey, or Bourbon (something alcoholic lol) but forgot to photograph that...)

So there you have it, my favorites for April.  I would love it if you would leave me a comment with your favorites, I love to try new things :-)  I think my favorites for May will be of the food/snack variety....shake things up a bit (I know, I'm all kinds of wild and crazy :-). 

The Best Television Series EVER

Yes, I realize not everyone feels this way, and many of my friends think I'm crazy, but I say Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the best. show. ever.  Yes....ever.  Seven glorious seasons of Buffyverse by the great Joss Whedon.  With Season 8 continuing in comic book form.  (Season 9 is in the works.)  I remember my first time watching, it was Season 3 (I some how missed the first two seasons).  I watched one episode and was hooked.  Every Tuesday night, my friends and family knew not to call me because my phone went straight to voicemail.  And I've never done that before this show, or since.  I waited impatiently for the next episode, reading all the "spoilers" I could find.  I didn't care if it ruined it for me, I was HUNGRY for more Buffy.  And I have to admit to collecting the trader cards (I even put together a binder with all the cards...no making fun of me please.  I had a nice cover page for it, listing the cards I had.)  I even thought about buying some of the action figures, but I didn't want to appear too nerdish (which I know....I failed haha).  The quick wit of Joss combined with the other writers, and the perfect cast portraying a slayer (Buffy), a witch (Willow), a watcher (Giles), and the normal guy (Xander) (and of course we can't leave out Angel, (the brooding vampire with a soul, who got his own spin-off) was a hit, and soon developed a cult following.  Go ahead....google "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and see how many sites there are.  Literally thousands.  Show overviews, forums, fan fiction, etc.  Soon I was collecting the DVD box sets until I had all 7 seasons.  Which I must say, I have watched probably at least 10 times.  In fact I'm on season 4 again right now, right before little sister Dawn arrives.  We have two wii's so we hooked one up in the bedroom so I can watch Buffy Netflix in there.  And all 7 seasons are available for instant viewing.....yayyyyy.  My favorite seasons are 5 and 6....5 because I love the character Glory (who is a God and kicks major ass while wearing some killer pumps and worrying if her butt is lumpy).  And season 6 because of all the Buffy/Spike sex.  *sigh*.....Spike.  The bleached blonde Billy Idol look alike (who Spike says stold his look) vampire who underwent horrible trials to get his soul restored for Buffy, the love of his life.  (and for those of you who've watched it, don't argue with me, Drucilla was NOT the love of his life......Buffy was.  At least in my book).  So there you go.....my explanation of the title........and if you haven't seen it.......I highly recommend giving it a looksee.  Wait until you are snowed in, or rained in, or sick, pop it up on Netflix (or you can watch it online here:  WATCH BUFFY).  Give it a couple of episodes and get to know the characters a little....then come back and thank me :-)

An Addiction???

I think I may have a slight addiction.....to lip products.  I have way more than I need but that never seems to stop me from buying more.  It's almost uncontrollable....if I go in a store, my automatic pilot heads for the lip stuff.  Sure, I "pretend" I'm not going to look at them, then casually stroll by like I could care less if they are there, walking by with my head facing straight ahead.  If anyone were to be watching me, they would see my eyes turned so far either to the left or right that it might appear I have no eyes at all.  My hand will reach out to touch one of the magical little cases of color and shimmer, then I draw back as if I've touched something hot.  Maybe I'll even get lucky and I'll find one accidentally knocked on to the floor...and I can pick it up and put it back as if I'm helping out the stockers, while my mind is thinking...."oooh, this would make my lips so much more (softer, shinier, plumper, smoother....whatever).  Sometimes I even go into the store specifically for a lip product.  In which case I head straight to it, almost in a marching like fashion....steely determination on my face, arms swinging trying to propel me faster along.  I see the cosmetic section ahead, and I do believe there is a halo sort of light shining down on my holy grail...and if I listen hard enough, I'm pretty sure I hear faint opera singing....sort of like "ahhhhhhhh" in A minor, or some kind of note like that.  I smile without even knowing it, because I just know I'm going to find something I don't already have and "desperately need".   Sure, some people may think I'm just loony, but honestly, is there anything prettier then a little tube of color you can put on your lips, which instantly lifts your mood???  I think not!  Everyone has a vice if they would admit to it.  My friends and family all know that lip products are mine.  Want to cheer me up?  Don't buy me flowers, buy me a lip balm.  Don't know what to get me for Christmas or my birthday....how about a lip gloss?  And dear Lord, if you give me a gift certificate to a beauty product store......be still my heart.  My bf got me one for Christmas, and I'm telling you.....I had to take deep breaths and slow my heart rate down before I hyperventilated (and I know what I'm talking about....I did that once, I thought I ate some bad meat....I curled up in a ball and couldn't move, ambulance came and got me and they ended up chuckling and telling me I had hyperventilated....yeah, real funny!).....Anyhoo.....flowers, diamonds, expensive presents???  Nope, the way to my heart is to give me one of those magical little containers....ok....and maybe a mushy card :-)

Creamery Creek Soaps

I love these soaps so much I wanted to share.......  I found this website a while ago, and have just recently made my second purchase.  I'm usually a shower gel kind of gal, but I had heard rave reviews about this family owned company and thought I'd see what all the hubbub was about.  I went to the website and found out that they are made with goat milk, they are all natural, cruelty free, vegan and completely handcrafted.  (Plus the cute pics of the Nigerian Dwarfs goats are a just so adorable).  They also milk the goats by hand, I had watched a documentary about cows and the horrible conditions they live in and what they go through being milked by machines.....so this was really nice to know.  The scents described made it hard to chose just a couple, but I narrowed it down.....The first time I ordered I got the Honey Almond Oatmeal (for my bf which he loves) and the Red Clover Tea for myself.  If I remember correctly, I got them in about 3 days, which is super fast in my opinion.  I received them nicely wrapped, with a little personal note and a few samples of some of the other scents.  All their soaps are phthalate free, SLS free, and Paraben free.  They are a hefty size, the bars are 6oz - 6.5oz, and they are only $5 each.  Shipping is really cheap too, I only paid $5.  My second order I received in two days, I got another Honey Almond Oatmeal, a Summer Strawberry and a Dragon's Blood  (along with more samples).  They all smell soooo good.  They lather like crazy, and rinse off really nicely, none of that residue feeling, just nice and smooth.  I feel they are pretty moisturizing, but since it's winter and I slather on the lotion, that one might have to wait till summer to know for sure lol.  Anyway, it's always nice to support small businesses, and I highly recommend (not getting paid to do this, and didn't receive anything free....I just think they are a great company!)..... you can check them out here!  Creamery Creek Soaps

Mac Lipsticks

I have a huge collection of lipsticks....ridiculously huge.  I might even have an addiction.  I probably have well over 100 (which to some of you, that might not be that big lol).  The funny thing is, they are all pretty much within the same color family.  I'm very pale, and not the beautiful pale white skin that looks great with red lipstick, I mean the pale skin that turns most shades orange on me.  It has taken me years to find nude lipsticks that don't make me look like I'm dead, or dressing up in mommy's makeup.  So far my favorites are by Mac, one by L'oreal, and one by Josie Maran.  I really like the Mac lipsticks in the lustre finish, and also in glaze and satin.  My collection of Mac lipsticks isn't that big, but I have some beautiful shades.....I've swatched them in order of my favs...



          Syrup, Viva Glam V, Viva Glam II, Blankety, Courting Lilac, Faux, Angel, Snob,
 Creme Cup, Speed Dial, Blooming Lovely



What do you beauty up your lips with?