a small but effective dose of retail therapy
I admit it: I was totally undone by sihaya09's pretty, sparkly, makeup post. The last time I got new makeup was pretty much this time last year, when I became a Mary Kay consultant. Which I didn't think of when I was justifying my purchase at Sephora yesterday, but makes me feel insanely better about it. I've been wanting to do the whole natural glamor thing, and have had the "au natural" down, but not necessarily the glamor part.
But now, I get to play with a new palette! Stila's In the Garden is just oodles of gorgeous. I love that it's half neutrals and half brights; I think I'll get more use out of it this way, as opposed to having a full palette of different neutrals (although several of the Urban Decay Too Faced palettes were utterly tempting).
In the end, it came down to getting the most bang for my buck. At $39 for 10 shades, I really couldn't ask for a better deal. Honestly, the only shade I'm skeptical about using is the blue one - Freesia. Although as an added bonus, it came with a little booklet outlining six looks and suggestions for combining the colors and how and where to apply them. I'm used to a more solid eyeliner crayon, but I absolutely love the shade that comes with this - a sort of steely olive green with gold sparkle - I just have to be less heavy handed when it comes to application. When I was experimenting earlier today, I nearly smudged the entire tip across my eye, it was so much softer than what I'm used to.
Overall, I do love every single color, including the liner crayon. Plus, the eye shadow is more saturated than what I currently use, so while I can get buildable coverage, I don't feel like I have to keep piling on the powder to achieve solid color.
Oh my gosh, how obsessed am I over this next product? So. Totally. Obsessed.
I had never heard of My Lips But Better shades, but this is it for me. It's actually a bit pinky-peachier than my natural shade (which I think in comparison tends to the purple side, which I kind of hate) but it's neutral enough to dress down or glam up with the right eye makeup. I cannot say enough good thing about this lip balm. It moisturizes and glosses and doesn't dry out my lips, and it tastes yummy, too. Plus, it contains SPF 15. What more could you ask for? It pairs with a sugar scrub stick in a similar applicator, which I had willfully and painfully walk away from. Next time. At $22.50, it's steeper than what I'd ordinarily pay for any single makeup product, but it's a complete combination of everything I love and want in a lip product, and as long as it lasts me awhile, I think it's totally worth it.
I am not a huge perfume/body spray wearer, but Poppy by Coach had me at the first spritz.
It was $45 for the 1 oz bottle, but the last time I got perfume was over five years ago, so I think it was a good buy. Plus, I love everything about the scent. It was a shame, because Sephora had an endcap display of mini tube perfume applicators for around $20 each, and there was one of Poppy, but it also contained Poppy Flower, which I can't stand. There are notes of baby powder in it, and I have weird associations with the scent of baby powder.
Tonight I took a luxurious bath using Lush's Butterball Bath Bomb, and I think I'm in love. I have a huge problem with dry skin, especially in the winter months, but this little bomb delivered such a sensuous coating of moisturizing goodness that I want to buy a year's supply. It is rare for me to find lotions that keep my skin smooth in the winter, and nigh impossible for me to find soap. Butterball is nothing short of glorious. It is top on next month's Splurge list.
I haven't been able to settle to reading anything since finishing Daughter of Smoke and Bone in December, although I'd really like to start The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss, soon. My brain just can't seem to handle anything even remotely serious these days. In fact, I was actually contemplating rereading The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning.
The Walking Dead is back, although I have to say the mid-season premier was a bit underwhelming after such a devastating mid-season finale last fall. Still, I love this series, and if you had told me I'd be watching a show with zombies in it this time last year, I probably would have run screaming in the opposite direction. Seriously, that's how good this show is. Zombies are numero uno on the list of What I Fear Most, and yet I can't get enough of this series. Although after watching the show, I can't say I'm a huge fan of the graphic novels.
I think I'm just rambling now, but I haven't been on with much consistency the past couple of months, so maybe I felt like there was catching up to do :)
But now, I get to play with a new palette! Stila's In the Garden is just oodles of gorgeous. I love that it's half neutrals and half brights; I think I'll get more use out of it this way, as opposed to having a full palette of different neutrals (although several of the Urban Decay Too Faced palettes were utterly tempting).
In the end, it came down to getting the most bang for my buck. At $39 for 10 shades, I really couldn't ask for a better deal. Honestly, the only shade I'm skeptical about using is the blue one - Freesia. Although as an added bonus, it came with a little booklet outlining six looks and suggestions for combining the colors and how and where to apply them. I'm used to a more solid eyeliner crayon, but I absolutely love the shade that comes with this - a sort of steely olive green with gold sparkle - I just have to be less heavy handed when it comes to application. When I was experimenting earlier today, I nearly smudged the entire tip across my eye, it was so much softer than what I'm used to.
Overall, I do love every single color, including the liner crayon. Plus, the eye shadow is more saturated than what I currently use, so while I can get buildable coverage, I don't feel like I have to keep piling on the powder to achieve solid color.
Oh my gosh, how obsessed am I over this next product? So. Totally. Obsessed.
I had never heard of My Lips But Better shades, but this is it for me. It's actually a bit pinky-peachier than my natural shade (which I think in comparison tends to the purple side, which I kind of hate) but it's neutral enough to dress down or glam up with the right eye makeup. I cannot say enough good thing about this lip balm. It moisturizes and glosses and doesn't dry out my lips, and it tastes yummy, too. Plus, it contains SPF 15. What more could you ask for? It pairs with a sugar scrub stick in a similar applicator, which I had willfully and painfully walk away from. Next time. At $22.50, it's steeper than what I'd ordinarily pay for any single makeup product, but it's a complete combination of everything I love and want in a lip product, and as long as it lasts me awhile, I think it's totally worth it.
I am not a huge perfume/body spray wearer, but Poppy by Coach had me at the first spritz.
It was $45 for the 1 oz bottle, but the last time I got perfume was over five years ago, so I think it was a good buy. Plus, I love everything about the scent. It was a shame, because Sephora had an endcap display of mini tube perfume applicators for around $20 each, and there was one of Poppy, but it also contained Poppy Flower, which I can't stand. There are notes of baby powder in it, and I have weird associations with the scent of baby powder.
Tonight I took a luxurious bath using Lush's Butterball Bath Bomb, and I think I'm in love. I have a huge problem with dry skin, especially in the winter months, but this little bomb delivered such a sensuous coating of moisturizing goodness that I want to buy a year's supply. It is rare for me to find lotions that keep my skin smooth in the winter, and nigh impossible for me to find soap. Butterball is nothing short of glorious. It is top on next month's Splurge list.
I haven't been able to settle to reading anything since finishing Daughter of Smoke and Bone in December, although I'd really like to start The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss, soon. My brain just can't seem to handle anything even remotely serious these days. In fact, I was actually contemplating rereading The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning.
The Walking Dead is back, although I have to say the mid-season premier was a bit underwhelming after such a devastating mid-season finale last fall. Still, I love this series, and if you had told me I'd be watching a show with zombies in it this time last year, I probably would have run screaming in the opposite direction. Seriously, that's how good this show is. Zombies are numero uno on the list of What I Fear Most, and yet I can't get enough of this series. Although after watching the show, I can't say I'm a huge fan of the graphic novels.
I think I'm just rambling now, but I haven't been on with much consistency the past couple of months, so maybe I felt like there was catching up to do :)