Rise and shine, sleepy head. Good morning. 🙂 It’s another happy Sunday in Blogland.
What did you do last night? We stayed in and rented/Netflixed a pretty funny movie called Shades of Ray, starring Zachary Levi from Chuck. He plays a half-white, half-Pakistani man dealing with his mixed identity, the dating pool and his goofy, intrusive parents. It’s a lovable, refreshingly laid back story that could have taken itself too seriously but didn’t.
No big plans for me today. Maybe some froyo, a little TV, laundry and groceries. I would like to stop by Sephora this afternoon… I haven’t been all week, but it seems like a lot longer than that, LOL!
Before we bid adieu to the week, here’s one last look at some of the things we talked about in the worlds of makeup and beauty.
The Weekly Roundup: Posts You Might Have Missed
READY, SET, GLOW! THE NEW URBAN DECAY
URBAN DEFENSE TINTED MOISTURIZERS WITH SPF 20
Dang, I like how my skin looks with this stuff on. As far as natural-looking finishes, the new Urban Decay Urban Defense Tinted Moisturizers with SPF 20 have got it on lock. Two layers applied with my fingers right after I cleanse and tone, and my skin looks fresh like morning dew (and not in a sequins and disco-ball sorta way).
I don’t usually think of subtle when I think of Urban Decay. The way these tinted moisturizers glow is so refined and quiet that I would have guessed they were from Bobbi or Laura. What a really nice surprise.
Just in time for warmer spring and summer weather, the new line comes in four shades: Halo (a sheer alabaster for fair skin tones), Bodyguard (a sheer nude for fair and medium skin tones), Bulletproof (a sheer sand for medium skin tones) and Forcefield (a sheer fawn for medium and dark skin tones). I think my tan NC35 skin falls somewhere between Bulletproof and Forcefield, so I’ve been mixing the two. Read more…
PACIFICA FRENCH LILAC BODY WASH
IS TURNING SHOWERS INTO GARDENS
Last month I put myself on Pacifica lockdown when I couldn’t find my toothbrush on the bathroom counter. Oh, I knew it was there, buried somewhere beneath a precarious pile of Pacifica Body Butters and Washes, but it took way too much time and shuffling around to find. Gah! “Is this what I’ve become?” I asked my reflection in the mirror.
Right then and there, I made myself a deal. No new bottles or tubes until I finished an old one.
Can I get a woot-woot for small beauty victories?
The embargo was finally lifted last week, so to speak, when I finished a tube of Malibu Lemon Blossom Body Butter, huzzah! It made room for this lovely bottle of Pacific French Lilac Body Wash ($10 for an 8-oz. bottle). Read more…
I’M GOING SLIM COGNITO TONIGHT WITH THE SPANX
MID-THIGH BODYSUIT SHAPER
Hark, what manner of slimming sorcery is this?? Its power is even greater than Nutella’s potent hazelnut hermetics!
Some say that Spanx are forged by magic, and I’m inclined to agree. Selkie’s have been singing the praises of this line of body slimming shape wear for years. There are several different pieces to choose from, but the Slim Cognito Mid-Thigh Bodysuit Shaper wins my personal wardrobe Nobel prize.
But first, a bit about my body. I try to be happy with mine, even though I’ve put on a few pounds over the past year. I’m healthy, after all, and everything works (knock on wood!), and in the grand scheme of things, that’s plenty good enough. Sometimes, though, I do miss being able to wear the cuts of clothing I was able to wear way back when I was thinner. Hence, Slim Cognito Spanx. Read more…
LOOK YOUR BEST EVERY DAY WITH THE
PIXI WEEK OF WAKEUP MAKEUP KIT
When I was a kid I had one of those sets of underwear with a different printed pair for every day of the week, and being the rebel that I was, I liked to wear the days out of order. Sometimes, I’d wear the Saturday pair on Wednesday, the Thursday pair on Monday — you get the idea.
I wonder if that’s why I feel compelled to wear the products in Pixi’s new Week of Wakeup Makeup ($34) out of order… The new palette contains 21 powder eyeshadows, 7 powder blushes and eight lip glosses sorted into groups for a different look every day of the week (like Underoos for makeup, LOL!).
Products in the Pixi makeup line, which was developed by makeup artist (and mum) Petra Strand, are designed to enhance natural beauty, so you won’t find any crazy colors here. Just plenty of neutrals in warm and cool shades — basically, tones to bring out a slightly more colorful version of yourself. Read more…
SWATCHES OF THE BENEFIT VELVET EYESHADOWS
AND THE SUMMER OF 2009
I was at the Benefit counter the other day picking up my umpteenth pot of Skinny Jeans, and while I was there I figured I may as well put my arms to good use by swatching the entire line of Velvet Eyeshadows.
These came out in the summer of 2009 — a truly great year for makeup — and I think they’re still some of the best things in the Benefit line. They’re silky and pigmented with a gorgeous, subtle sheen (like a very faint shine). And coupled with a good primer, they last all day long on my skin without creasing or fading.
I’m particularly fond of Where There’s Smoke (looks FANTASTIC atop Skinny Jeans), Nice Melons (love this for that wide awake look) and Fancy Pansy (gorgeous! — flashes from pink to purple to blue), but I like just about every shade in the line. Read more…
MAC UNSUNG HEROES
VEX EYESHADOW
Wow. I just realized that my love affair with MAC Vex Eyeshadow ($14.50) has spanned almost 10 years… And you know what? I love it as much today as I did the first day we met — the first time I swiped this duo-chrome powder shadow on the back of my hand.
Vex can be vexing hiding in its pan like a boring blah gray, but it comes to life when it touches skin, gracing it with a really pretty glow. A beige with greenish pink pearl and a frosty finish, it flashes pink from some angles and green from others — almost like crushed pearls under a bright light. I think of it as the MAC Strobe Cream of the eyeshadow world.
When I first got Vex(ed), it was to wear it with smokey eyes, and I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve used it for that (usually with MAC Soft Brown, Print and Brule).
But smokey eyes aren’t the only ways I’ve worn Vex. I also love it dressed down. Read more…
MAC UNSUNG HEROES
BLUSHBABY BLUSH
Like many romances, this one starts with a dramatic hook: “It was a dark and stormy night…”
Okay, well, it could have been a humid afternoon, but that just doesn’t sound as good.
One fateful night about 10 years ago I stopped by a MAC counter to get a new tube of MAC Spite. One of the artists there suggested I pick up something else to go along with it, a sheer beige and pink powder blush called Blushbaby ($19.50).
Was she kidding?, I wondered, crinkling my brow. This? It didn’t look like much in the pan, just a basic pinkish beige powder, but the artist whipped out her brush, spoke some magic words (not really), and that was that. One look in the mirror and I said, “Sold!”
Before Blushbaby, I never really thought much of blush. I used to think it made me look like a tiny brown clown, but Blushbaby changed all that. Now, I’m unabashedly pro-blush — a blush ho, if you will (LOL!). Read more…
MAC UNSUNG HEROES
SYRUP LIPSTICK
Sweet! Every time I wear syrup, strangers stop to ask me what it is. Wait — that didn’t come out right. No, not corn syrup or maple syrup, although those are also great. I’m referring to pretty pink MAC Syrup ($14.50), a permanent member of the MAC Lustre Lipstick line.
Described as a cloudy pink on the MAC website, this hydrating, cool-toned lippie hides a hint of purple behind its shiny finish. I dig the way it looks, but my lips love the way it feels — not too thick nor thin. And it’s a great value, too, thanks to its versatility. It looks great with everything from dramatic smokey eyes to conservative everyday looks. Read more…
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Vijaya says
I love that Syrup post!
Heidi says
Maybe I’ll see you at Sephora this afternoon. If you see a mad woman in an orange sweater dashing through the aisles in a wheelchair, grabbing things left and right, with her hapless friend following behind trying to convince said mad woman to pace herself, then you’ve found me!
Jessi says
I love Zachary Levi. My brother is obsessed with that Chuck show and I always “reluctantly” watch with him whenever he is visiting me. I have a thing for sweet, nerdy guys. Oh, and this was a good week for posts! I’m going to go to the CCO now and see what kind of goodies I discover!
Tiffany says
Happy Sunday! Another great week of posts! You should def run by sephora while they are doing the 15% off sale! Oh and I need to check out that movie; my hubs loves Chuck.
Nina says
hi there!
i did an early morning target run and returned something at old navy.
beef stew is on the stove and im going to put my feet up and re-read some of the posts now.
ps – it wasnt the posts that was missed, really. it was the poster! 😉
Katherine says
I rarely post but I wanted you to know I read your blog everyday (sometimes I have to catch up and read your weekly roundups like this one) but I do read every blog post you do. I just wanted you to know that and how much I enjoy reading and appreciate your reviews! Have a wonderful day! 🙂
Lizzie Montoya says
This is my first week following your blog, and these have been some amazing posts! 🙂