Whatchu Know 'Bout Me?

I am a girl of many vices. At the moment, I'm indulging in three of them; Goldfish crackers, the latest Kelly Clarkson song, and the new Ulta catalog. Without these things, my life would indeed suck (please note the clever song title tie in.)

I'm going to dedicate this post to my favorite non-beauty related vice; pop music. I like to call them guilty pleasures, but honestly, the older I get the less guilt I feel about what I decide to listen to. I"m less concerned with street cred than I am with a catchy hook.

First up, Beyonce Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it.)
Oh sweet Jebus save me from this song. I know it's become the new anthem for all those women who have been done wrong and it makes me cringe to think of how many trashy, tragic girls are singing this song in the spirit of empowerment. It's akin to the woman who just got dumped who warbles out "I Will Survive" at the karaoke bar. That nasty association aside, it's a damn great song.

Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) [Official Video]
Uploaded by Yannicklord

Oh Beyonce, can you please teach me how to move likeyou do? Oh, and can I have your thighs please? Kthnxbye.

I know I'm going to catch flack for this, but I just can't help having a soft spot for Britney Spears. She's total swamp trash and I'm sure if you got close enough she would totally smell like Bubble Yum and that cheap cotton Candy body spray, but I"m equally sure that she's a really nice girl and she'd be a fun friend to have. Womanizer is, by any standards, a poorly written song. "Maybe if we both lived in a different world/it would be all good/and I could be your girl/ but I can't/ cause we don't" Um, was that written by a 13 year old girl? But you know what makes up for that line? "You say I'm crazy/I GOT your crazy" That line alone is enough to make me love this song.

Britney Spears - Womanizer (Complete HQ)
Uploaded by wonderful-life1989</div>

Lil' Mama's Lipgloss is such an adorable song. I think I love it so much because, finally, here's a song by a young girl about something that's totally appropriate for a 14 year old to be singing about. I mean, isn't it sort of ridiculous for a pre-teen to sing about heartbreak and lost love? They really have no idea what love is at that age. But they do know about lipgloss. That's why this song is so poppin'. I may also have love for this song because Lil' Mama reminds me of my CASA kid; all this swagger and underneath, a little bit of angel food cake.

LIL MAMA - LIP GLOSS
Uploaded by JNUELZ

I think that's quite enough or embarrassing myself for one day, don't you?

One Thing More

As sort of a nod to convenience, I've added a widget on the side bar that allows you to buy the products that I've reviewed. It should take you right to Amazon.com where you can read their user reviews (and hopefully they agree that it's a good product) and generally get more info. I'm going to update the widget anytime I add a new review, so it should be nice and current.

Do you know what really suffers when I'm forced to be out of the house before say, noon? My hair. Since I started this new job, I've been doing as little as freakin' possible as my limp icky hair can attest. In fact, if you saw me at this very moment you'd be like "what right does that schlub have to run a site about make-up?" I'm not proud of it, but I'll sacrifice almost anything on the altar of 5 more minutes sleep. For this post, however, I'll try to pretend I'm in the perfect world, or that I was a more motivated individual, and focus on the hair products I would use if I were doing anything more than throwing it into a rank ponytail.

My all time favorite number one hair product has got to be the John Frieda Shine Shock from the Brilliant Brunette Line

First of all, can we just focus on that name for a second? It's like they reached into my brain and picked out the thing that I would be flattered by most. Brilliant? Uh, yes, I am. Thanks for noticing. Flattery aside, this stuff is bad ass. Put about a dime sized amount in palm, rub hands together and then distribute through WET hair(don't use this stuff on dry hair. Is no bueno.) The result is hair that is virtually frizz free, soft, and shiny. Don't be concerned about the fact that in your hand it looks all glittery; I promise you won't look like you've been using a 13 year old's products again. I also really like the scent of it. It's kind of clean and yummy but not too heavy or anything. You can usually find this product for about $5.

I know, I'm only posting ONE product. But it's Friday and I'm tired and it's hard to write about beauty stuff when you're feeling distinctly grezy.

Sorry for the total lack of posting lately, folks. Your girl is (finally) gainfully employed and thus has lest time to post. Now now, don't take it so hard. Be a little soldier and dry your eyes. I'm not leaving you or anything; I'll still see you on the weekends!

I'm at a loss for a clever title.

Maybe I shouldn't be saying this, as this is a blog dedicated to make up and all, but I really don't like wearing foundation. I think it stems from my adolescence when wearing foundation was sort of a losing battle; I could never fully cover my acne ridden skin and the stuff I was wearing clogged my pores to the point that my skin never got a chance to clear up.

Luckily, great strides have been made in the foundation arena and I no longer feel the need to use a putty knife when applying the stuff. I still prefer to go without, or with very little, but we all need help from time to time.

I was headed for a nice dinner with friends after work one day, and I hadn't brought any makeup with me at all. I stopped off at a Long's Drugs in a desperate search for a bit of cover up. I was really pleased with Physicians Formula: Le Velvet Film Makeup and Le Velvet Compact Mirror.

These two items are sold separately, but the makeup is about $5 and the compact is under $4 (and you only need to buy the compact once) so it's still cheaper than so many foundations out there.

This product is aptly named, because it really does feel as soft as velvet on your skin. It covers any and all skin imperfections and never feels cakey. Honestly, you forget that you're even wearing anything at all. Oh, and it lasts ALL DAY. It's my all time favorite foundation, but I've only managed to find it at one effing store. Target and Wal Mart carry the brand, but not this particular product. C'mon guys, don't break my heart like that.

I like the current trend to use a mineral poweder as a foundation. I'm in love with the Bare Minerals product line, but that ish is expensive. I mostly just "borrow" my sister's. Luckily for my wallet (and my sister's make up supply), plenty of companies have released their own, affordable, versions. I'm a fan of the Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Powder Foundation

(As a side note, why does every product have such a long name. I mean 7 words to basically say "mineral face powder?" eesh.)
This powder goes on nice and light and covers a good deal of skin imperfections. It doesn't cover EVERYTHING like the Bare Minerals does, but it's only about $10. Again, doesn't make you feel like you're in stage makeup and leaves your skin to breathe. If you keep an eye out, you can find this product along with a "free gift" like a concealer or a mascara or somesuch.

Scent of a Woman

There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with a little extravagance from time to time. In fact, it's my deeply held belief that without spoiling yourself at least a little, you do yourself a disservice. What's the point of earning money if you never do anything fun with it?

This post is going to be about my favorite beauty indulgence: Perfume.

Honestly, I'm a bit of a perfume whore lately. For a long time there, I was loyal to ONE perfume (I adore the idea of a woman having a signature scent, you know? I wanted people to think of ME whenever they smelled it.) But as of late, I've been branching out. Perfume is the one thing that I tend to buy the advertisements for, hook line and sinker. My favorites not only sell a scent, but an image of a slightly mysterious and completely intriguing woman.

My all time favorite perfume has to be Allure by Chanel.


From the product description on the Neiman Marcus website: Clean and sheer, warm and sexy. Difficult to define; impossible to resist. Yes! I want to be that woman! (well, ok, maybe I don't want to be sheer exactly, but you get my point.) I first fell in love with Allure when a man I was seeing wore the Allure Homme (ohmygah, that scent makes me weak in the knees. ya'll) and I went to the Chanel counter to try the femmine version. It was love at first whiff. It's rich and a bit musky and sort of classy sexy. A whore would never wear it, but a mistress certainly would. This is the perfume that mixes oh so well with my Johnson's Baby Oil. It's light enough for day wear but transitions perfectly for a sexy night out.

I first smelled Versace Crystal Noir thanks to a former co-worker. I was chatting with her in her office one day when I got a whiff. I swear to you, I used to stop in her office just to smell her. Of course I couldn't buy it until I no longer worked with her; you don't steal another lady's signature scent. But as soon as I left that place, I got me some of this. Will you just look at the bottle?
Gorgeous, right? For some reason, this bottle makes me think of Elizabeth Taylor. No one but NO ONE has ever been more beautiful than Ms. Taylor, and I've yet to see a perfume bottle that is prettier than this. Not only does it look good, but it smells amazing. It's sexy, dark, rich and grown up. Spray this on before a date and you'll feel like a dark and mysterious siren and irresistible to men.

Another current favorite is Tom Ford Black Orchid Voile de Fleur.

This is also in a really pretty bottle; sort of sleek and reminiscent of Art Deco, but much more understated than the Versace. The scent, however, is anything BUT understated. Now, if you're going to purchase this scent, be careful that you don't buy the original Black Orchid as the bottles are deceptively similar. This is the lighter version of the Black Orchid, but there's nothing "light" about this fragrance. It has more white floral than the original, but it's still dark, earthy, and utterly breathtaking. This is the scent you wear on the second or third date, when the time for being sweet and ladylike is past, and you're ready to get down to bi'nezz. I would not recommend wearing this for brunch with Gram.

Beauty Tip
Don't ever, EVER buy a perfume before you have worn it for at least a day. Scents wear differently on different people, and a scent rarely ends up smelling worn as it does straight out of the bottle. I also don't tend to trust those samples you can get in the magazines; they never give you the full picture.

Did you know that you can go to Nordstrom and request a sample of ANY perfume? They'll spray the perfume into a little vial and give it you for FREE. How bad ass is that? Each vial gives you enough to wear for at least a week. Sometimes, the perfume counter will have pre-made samples that have a spritzer thingy on it, and those tend to be a little larger. I always get a sample of a perfume before I buy it. After all, perfume is expensive and there's no point in forkin' out the dough if it ends up smellin' rank on you.

Beauty Tip 2
Amazon.com is a great place to find deals on perfume. There tends to be a pre-set price for perfume and there's little to no price difference from store to store. Amazon, however, offers good bargains from time to time.

It Puts the Lotion on Its SKIN!

For some reason, that line always makes me laugh. True, it's from one of the most disturbing scenes in a movie EVER, but it's also kind of funny. I mean, "It puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again." It's like Dr. Suess for serial killers or something.

Before I freak you out further, let's get to the lotion!

For the record,I HATE putting on lotion. It just seems so time consuming and labor intensive or something. But I have really dry legs that itch like a sumbitch if I don't slather them occasionally, so I guess I should just stop whining, right?

The type of lotion/oil you use should vary with the seasons. A thick heavy lotion in the summer feels really oppressive and smothering, but it's just the thing for the cold and dry winter months. Since it's, um, winter and all, let's start with my favorite cold weather product:
Johnson's Baby Lotion

I absolutely love the clean, sweet smell of this lotion. Of course it brings up all the good stuff we love about babies, but leaves out all the vomit and dirty diaper unpleasantness. It's also nice and creamy and the softness lasts all day. The scent is light enough not to interfere with any perfume you wear. Johnson's has recently come out with new scents, and I also quite like the
Johnson's Bedtime Lotion

It's "enriched" (their word, not mine) with lavender and chamomile, so it really is great to put on just before bed. It's so soft and soothing. Both go for just about $5 and last forever.

Just as I'm writing this post did I realize that I'm pretty brand specific with my body lotion/oil. Apparently, I'm strictly a Johnson's girl.

In summer, I adore the Johnson's Baby Oil

Again, it has a very faint, clean scent. Slather this stuff on as soon as you get out of the shower and the softness will last all day. I really like this oil because it mixes really well with my favorite perfume and even makes the scent of the perfume last longer than usual. At just under $6, it's kind of an awesome deal.

Oh, as I was searching the Johnson's website (http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/product.do?id=35) I noticed that they offer dollar off coupons at their site. Sweet!