Technical Difficulties and Spring Make-up Plans

My camera and my computer haven't been agreeing with one another as of late, because for some reason my new pictures aren't transferring to my computer at all. And posts without pictures just aren't as snazzy! That being said, I want to keep this blog alive until my issue is resolved, so I thought I'd post my Spring/Summer makeup purchase plans (using stock footage), and what I plan on passing over entirely.

Hauled it:

*Physician's Formula Happiness Booster Blush
Cute and inexpensive! (Though can I get my money back if my happiness isn't boosted?) It was $11, but it came with the $3 coupon. They also had a shade that was a sheer illuminator, a shade that was a light bronzer, and one that was a darker bronzer. I bought two of the above pictured shade, which is called natural, but is really a rosy pink. One of the compacts is for me, and the other I'm sending to my mom for Valentine's day.

Lemming it:

*Laura Mercier Silk Road Collection paletteI saw this beauty at the Macy's Laura Mercier counter, but unfortunately said counter was deserted by its sales associates, so I didn't have a chance to ask to sample it. Call me picky, but I don't think I should have to chase down the sales staff in order to purchase a pricey palette. Still, from what I could see it was lovely, and I was especially drawn to the shimmery pewter shade on the lower left hand side. And that vibrant apricot blush on the right!

*Chantecaille Sea Turtle Eyeshadow palette
I did write about this in one of my previous posts, but it's worth mentioning again. I stopped by the Chante counter at my local Nordstroms to inquire about its release date, and was told that there was a waiting list. A waiting list for a $78 palette?! Seriously, what recession? Anyway, it is available online at blissworld, but I'm still debating whether or not I can handle paying $78 for quad just to indulge the novelty of having turtles (one of my favorite animals) on my eyeshadow.

Leaving it:

*MAC Wonder WomanTo be honest, the blush Mighty Aphrodite did catch my eye, but I can't just get over the cheesy packaging. Which is really funny, because in the past I've adored MAC's packaging for their cartoon collections (Fafi, Hello Kitty, Venomous Villains). I think what puts me off about this is that the only colors used are the primary colors (red, yellow, blue), and that automatically makes me think of fast food restaurants. Weird connection, but there you have it. I also have no real nostalgic memories of the Wonder Woman series, since they were a little before my time (a collection based on She-Ra Princess of Power on the other hand would knock my socks off!)

Anyone have any lemmings or hauls you're planning?

Drugstore Beauty Amusements

Sorry I've been MIA for awhile - school started recently, and this quarter is a bit more difficult than the last. I've limited myself to two classes while I'm working full time, but I might have to cut it down to one, especially as the office gets busier in the late spring/summer season for me.

In between work and class, I have about two hours to kill. I usually spend that time getting something to eat, and doing some shopping and browsing. Today I went to Rite Aid in search of Physician's Formula's new blush powders with the heart designs. I found them in the new beauty products section, but I also found some much more interesting items too!

First off, for those of you who want Tokidoki without Sephora prices:There's Oke Doke!! Lol! i love the accents over the "e" -I guess naming it Oki Doki would have been too close to the original?

And here's the other gem I stumbled upon:The Love Box - for those of you who want to carry your condoms around in something pretty. Again, lol!! It's not that I find condoms funny, just that these were in the beauty aisle. At first I didn't know what they were, so I was picking them up and trying to discern whether they were pill cases or blotting sheet containers. Then I saw the durex label, and was like, "oops."

Hope you got a few chuckles out of these like I did!

How I've Been Procrastinating - Dec 2010/Jan 2011 edition

There are tons of ideas for posts I have racing around my head. But have I written any recently? No, because I am a procrastinator with a big fat P. Which actually gave me an idea for a new monthly series. Instead of a "monthly favorites" for beauty products, I'm going to post my monthly means of procrastination. I will still post beauty favorites sporadically, but because I don't have many new favorites per month, there is no sense in trying to trying to make that a recurring series for this blog. Without further ado, here is how I have been wasting my time for the latter half of December and the first half of this month:

1. Monopoly for Kindle: (note this is a stock photo - my actual kindle is the second generation version, and has an awesome decal I decorated it with. However, the screen didn't photograph well because of the flash).

When it comes to gadgets, I'm really a technology slumdog. While most of my friends have iphones, ipads, or both, I have a 3 year old glitchy phone from Sprint, and an older model Kindle as my e-reader. I'm not complaining though, because I'd much rather spend my money on girly things like shoes and makeup than the latest gizmo.

Anyway, the Kindle has been releasing some really cool games lately. With their version of Monopoly, you can either play against the computer or another Kindle user. I usually play against the computer, and freak out if it manages to buy up all the railroads before I do. The great thing about playing against a computer is that you can just start the game over if it's not going your way :-)

2. Skins, Season 1 (British Version):

I feel like a loser for admitting this since first off, this series is already 4 years old and I've only just discovered it. Secondly I'm way to old to be watching a show about hard-partying teens. And lastly, the show is actually pretty hokey and the grown-ups are badly written caricatures. However, I'm still obsessed with some of the characters, mainly crazy-mad, anorexic boho flower child Cassie:
Dude, how cool is that necklace?!! I kind of want to string some plastic lizards and mice together with some beads, wear it to work and see what my coworkers have to say.

If you're in the US and have Netflix, I think all of the seasons of the British version are available to watch online.

3. Plotting my Spring makeup purchases

Chantecaille Sea Turtle Eyeshadow Palette.

Turtles are one of my favorite animals, so I may have to break yet another makeup budget barrier and invest in this piece of eyeshadow art.

Paul & Joe Spring 2011 lipsticks

I always try to purchase one P&J lipstick a year, because in addition to being encased in the most whimsical and girly packaging, they are very moisturizing and long-lasting.

Otherwise, I have already hauled a lot for Spring - I got some Chanel items recently (yes, sorry I've been holding out on you!), so my budget is super limited right now.

That's it, long live procrastination!!

New Years Eve Reds & Randomness

There really is no time like New Year's Eve to bring out the red makeups, and since I actually went somewhere this year (my boyfriend was sick last year so we just stayed in), I decided to pull out whatever stops I could. I'm not exactly a red lipstick kind of gal, and most ones I try turn a garish fuchsia on me. One of the only two I own is this pitifully old one from MAC's Neo Sci-Fi collection. This shade is Sci-Fi-Delity, and it's a red infused with gold sparkle. It actually shows on my lips as it looks in the tube.

The necklace in the middle is one of the loves of my jewelry collection. It's an antique red glass pendant that is supposed to be art deco. Since I wear a lot of plain black tops, I always need something that ups the drama factor.

And finally I broke out my Bad Fairy nailpolish from MAC's Venomous Villians collection. As with most MAC polishes, it really needs 3 coats to look opaque, but it wasn't at all streaky like some of MAC's other polishes. To make things extra cliche, I even wore my leopard print pumps:

Say what you will about Jessica Simpson, she (or designers) made pretty darn good shoes. I found these ones at Marshall's on Black Friday for $25.

As for the randomness, my boyfriend and I went to see The Tourist on New Years day because it was the only thing we could agree on. Not only was it as bad as the critics said, but the makeup was really the worst. About 20% into the film, my boyfriend leaned in and whispered to me "What do you think of her makeup?" Do you know how bad a film has to be in order for my boyfriend's mind to wander into that territory?! Anyway I answered that it made her look old, and he agreed. And later he asked me, "Why does her face look like wax?" in reference to this:
Seriously, is that the 4th Kardashian sister? (Again, my boyfriend has to be insanely bored to comment on anyone's complexion). This scene was pretty bad too:

Also that hair color doesn't do her justice. I love Angelina the best when her hair is raven feather black.

To end on a positive note, I will say the clothing was gorgeous, if over the top. The costumers went a little too far into Hitchcock heroine direction, so everything she wore looked anachronistic.

Versatile Blogger Award

Andrée from Straight Up Glam was kind enough to bestow upon my humble bit of cyberspace the Versatile Blogger Award. *\0/* Yay!


Thank you Andrée! I really appreciate it, and had a ton of fun answering the questions!

Here are the rules concerning this award:

1. Thank and link back to who gave you the award
2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Answer 10 questions
4. Pass it along to 7 beauty blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy
5. Leave your recipient a note telling them about the award

7 Things About Me

1. My youngest half sibling is actually old enough to be my mother.

2. I went to a very small all-girl school from 7th to 12th grade, and get annoyed at anyone who says they feel sorry for me because I missed out on a "real" high school experience.

3. I majored in Japanese despite the fact that I really suck at learning languages.

4. The next language I want to attempt to not speak very well is Swedish.

5. The worst physical pain I've ever felt was when I had a parotid stone. And at the time I had a weird fear of taking prescription strength pain killers, so I tried to make due with just Tylenol.

6. I get very mushy over animals, but rarely babies.

7. I'm a Leo, so I'm loving all the attention I'm getting from you reading this.

10 Questions

1. Why did you create this blog?

I get super stressed out with my job, so I wanted something to do after I got home to take my mind off of it. I also really love reading makeup and fashion blogs, and I find the whole blogging and beauty community to be very kind and also very informative. Reading about someone's haul or monthly favorites has seriously become 10,000 times more fascinating to me than reading any fashion magazine.

2. What kinds of blogs do you follow?

Makeup ones of course, but more specifically ones that really involve the author's personality and life. While I do read blogs that are solely geared towards posting makeup collection release info, the ones I enjoy the most are those where I can see someone's personal tastes and style. I also really love foreign blogs, because I get to vicariously travel through them!

Otherwise I'm a huge celeb gossip blog devotee. If a day goes by where I don't read dlisted.com, I go through withdrawls.

3. Favorite makeup brand?

It used to be MAC, but it turns out that was just a gateway drug to the higher end goods. I'm now completely obsessed with Chanel, and just got a few things from their spring collection.

4. Favorite Clothing Brand?

For what I can actually afford, it's H&M, Ann Taylor Loft and this random clothing brand called Chelsea + Violet, which is sold at Dillards (it's very Anthropologie-esque without the Anthropologie prices). If I had the big bucks, I would go crazy buying Anna Sui and Erin Fetherston.

5. Your indispensable makeup product?

Urban Decay 24/7 liners, and also Benefit Brow Zings in medium.

6. Favorite Color?

Purple

7. Favorite Perfume?

Currently it's Estee Lauder's Sensuous Noir

8. Favorite Film?

Ghost World and Watchmen. Basically I hate dumb super hero movies and love clever graphic novel adaptations.

I also adore period piece films, and my favorite of those is Bright Star, with Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish, who is just amazing.

9. What country would you like to visit and why?

New Zealand, since Lord of the Rings was filmed there and I thought the scenery was just amazing.

10. Would you rather forget to put mascara on one eye or forget blush on one side of your face?

Mascara, since my lashes are black and mascara doesn't really show on them anyway.

7 Awesome Blogs I Love to Read and You Should Check Out:

Cute and the Mundane (She's definitely made me think more about the issues of animal cruelty in cosmetics)

Miss Diorista (In addition to great haul posts, you should see how this girl can cook!! She needs to open a cafe, and I need to fly to Iceland to eat there)

Five by Five (She needs a separate award for the most updates in a day! And every one of them is extremely substantive and informative)

Amy Couture (Great blogger and youtuber!)

Princess GYC (Her blog is super kawaii!)

She is Raving Mad (Gorgeous FOTD posts)

Glossed in Translation (How cute is that title?! She's studying abroad in Japan like I did, so reading her blog brings back some good memories).