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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Nail MADNESS - Knackered Techno

Man, I like me some nail polish.  It's just such an easy way to cheer yourself up for (usually) under twenty bucks.  Butter London's Spring/Summer collection wasn't really that exciting for me, if only because I don't do a lot of teals or pinks.  But Knackered has loads of microglitter in it, which just makes it shiny and lovely in the bottle, so I couldn't resist.




Curse you, Butter London.  Here's my 14.00 USD, now leave me the hell alone.  ... for now.  ... for now.


Here's how she looks swatched:



Now, I'll interject here quickly - as soon as I got this home, I thought "hold up, she looks a lot like Not Like the Movies by OPI".  Remember that one, from the Katy Perry collection a while ago?




Yes, they do look familiar.  They're both sort of like oil spills - you know when you see oil on pavement and it does this pretty opalescent thing?  These both do that.  But while they're similar, I don't think they're exactly the same at all.

Not Like the Movies ends up being kind of a mossy green where Knackered ends up more of a sky blue.  They both have loads of glitter and shine, but the base color is in and of itself different.  They're not dupes of each other, nope!

Now, Knackered is super pretty on her own, but I tend to get confused when I just wear one color by itself.  So I went ahead and upped the ante and put some glitter on top.  I'd just gotten China Glaze's Techno from their Electropop collection that just came out, and put that on there.




I actually really love how they look together - the microglitter and hex glitter in Techno enhance the glitter that's already in Knackered.  And I even thought to take pictures in natural light!




And here you've got nothin' but shine, shine, shine.  Three coats of Knackered here on top of China Glaze adhesion basecoat, two coats of Techno, then one coat of Seche Vite.  And yes, that was three days after application, leave me alone.  YOU'RE NOT MY MOM.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Sewame Skin Care - PXE Anti-Blackhead Pore Refining Stretch Mask

Hello, internet.  I'm sorry I took a break from this for a while - I was feeling a bit under the weather.  But now I'm back to your lovely bosom, and I look like this.


What is that, you say?  I still don't look well?  In fact, I look like a burn victim, or someone who has just had a terrifying amount of plastic surgery?  While I cannot argue that I do look like both of those things, neither are true.  In fact, I'm just wailing on my pores with a sheet mask.  Sheet masks are little cloth masks soaked in good for your skin junk (the junk varies, depending on the mask you get) that are super popular in Asia.  And I see why.  I love face masks, but god, they're a pain in the booty to get off.  Once I'm done with them, I just want to be done with them.  Sheet masks let you do that.  You just peel the cloth off, rub whatever extra junk your skin didn't absorb into you, and throw away the cloth.

The mask I'm using today is Sewame's PXE Anti-Blackhead Pore Refining mask.  I got a box for 12.60 USD that has seven masks in it from SaSa.com.  They're pretty much what I use for all of my Asian beauty product needs. 

from SaSa.com

This is my first sheet mask by Sewame, and I love it.  It tingled the whole half hour I left it on (twice as long as I was supposed to, but that's more me getting involved in World of Warcraft than anything else).  My skin didn't look noticeably tighter after I took it off, but I've yet to use a skincare product that offered me immediate results.  I've got six more masks to see what it's going to do besides make me look like a mummy and make my skin tingle.

Do you guys like sheet masks?  What weird beauty stuff do you use?

Monday, February 13, 2012

Birchbox - February 2012

BirchBox is a sample subscription service - for 10.00 USD a month, you get a box filled with "four to five hand picked deluxe samples".  I love makeup samples, but honestly, this month's BirchBox was really underwhelming.  If you've seen my posts about MyGlam, you'll see what size samples (or full size!) you get per month.  BirchBox has sent out awesome full size things in the past, and even awesome samples - so this month's box was a bit sad face for me.










The Juice Beauty thing and the moisturizer I'll use, but I'm kind of terrified of temporary eyeliner (temporary tattoos sucked, how are these gonna be better?) and I hate Viva La Juicy so hard (not that BirchBox knew, but I do).  So this month's box was a meh. I'm even pretty sure that chocolate with chile in it is going to upset my tummy.


Did you get one?  Did you like your stuff?

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Cult Classic Review - Boscia Luminizing Black Mask

Nuh uh, autospellcheck, Luminizing is so a word, Sephora says so!  But onto the review!  Have you ever wished you could have stunning, gorgeous, poreless skin?  Of course you have.  But do you like looking like a space mutant while you wear a face mask?  Do you delight in scaring your friends and pets while stomping around your home, growling at loud volumes I AM THE IMPURITY DESTROYER?  


Suck it, impurities.
 Wait, you don't?  That's just me?  Oh.  Well.  So, if you just want to have the nice skin thing, Boscia's Luminizing Black Mask is supposed to help out with that.

Photo from Sephora.com
According to Sephora's copy, it's supposed to "shrink pores, firm skin, and reduce inflammation".  These are all awesome claims, especially for a mostly natural based product.  Plus, it's a peel-off mask, which I love - there's the same joy that came with putting glue on your hand in grade school and pretending that you were dying from the plague.  (And if you didn't do that, we are not friends anymore.)  But does it do all it claims?

Well, yes and no.  It draws out impurities about as well as any other clay mask I've ever tried.  And it exfoliates ... like any other peel-off mask I've tried.  But I'll be honest, for 38.00 USD, I'd much rather just go buy a bottle of Freeman's Cucumber Peel-Off face mask for four bucks and be done with it.  (Which I do.  I use that once a week, and once a week I use their Avocado-Oatmeal clay mask for the drawing out impurities bit.  I'll use the clay one more often if my skin is being a dirty jackass.)

Now, if you've got thirty-eight bucks to drop?  Sure, do it - it'll save you time.  If you're like me and wince while inwardly shrieking about how that's half of your electric bill, just stick to Freeman's.  It might not have the same awesome DUDE IT'S BLACK factor, but for all the money you'll save, you can get some black nail polish.  Now let's go listen to some Burzum together, oh dark hearted friend.

(This song is almost as brutal as how much this face mask costs.  Alas.)

The consensus: this mask is trendy and oh so cool, but not worth your time if you're pinching pennies like 99% of us are.  (OH DO YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE.)  Let's go peel our plageskin off now!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Julep Maven February - "It Girl"

So, today I got my February Julep box.  It was a little late because I forgot to change my billing information, but that's totally my bad, not theirs.  I usually end up getting the It Girl boxes, especially now that they're the "polish lovers" option.  The three colors this month were Rachel, Elizabeth, and Oscar (which was in every box this month).  The also included a candy bar, which was actually really amazing and yummy.  It was incidentally in the shape of an Oscar statuette, which I guess is cute.  (Does anyone get excited by the Oscars anymore?  I haven't since I was eight, so maybe I'm just weird.)  Anyway, here's a swatch of the colors.


Oscar looks like it could do okay by itself - that's two coats there.  With another one, I'm sure it would hold up on its own.  Elizabeth is a dark blue that almost looks purple in some light.  Under this florescent lighting, it looks almost black.  It reminds me of blue-black hair dye.  And Rachel is a pretty copper penny color.  If you own Jodie by Julep, Rachel is less pink and has no glitter.

I got the Valentine's Day mystery box for myself, so I'll be sure to let you guys know what I got!  Also, if you want to sign up for Julep, they're always running promotions.  If you use COLOR2012 here, you can get your first month's box for a penny.  (You can always cancel if you hate it.)  Let me know if that doesn't work!

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Haul - Treat yo' self.

So, today my roommate and I went out and we had a fantastic day.  We decided to have a Treat Yo' Self day, a la Tom and Donna.  (And in case you watch terrible TV and don't know what we're talking about, here you go.)


First we went for massages, which was divine, and then we went to The Original Marinis Empanada House.  It's a dining institution around here, and oh my god, so good.  The empanadas are big enough where two's a meal, and one of the dessert ones are just too damn much sweet.  (I got a brisket one and a pizza one for my meal, and then a dulce de leche one for dessert.  If you live anywhere near Katy, Texas, please run there.  It's actual dulce de leche, not the crappy overly sweet stuff that just tastes like caramel.  Bleh.  That stuff sucks.)  And then after all of that, we went to Ulta.  I may have gone overboard for my teeny tiny budget - but it's Treat Yo' Self day.  THE BEST DAY OF THE YEAR!


Oh, yes, I caved and got Naked 2.  I normally hate muted colors - taupe is basically another word for depressing in my book - but just in case any super higherups from my company come by to visit (again), it'd be nice to have something that's not my usual red or orange.  I'm not going to swatch it just because everyone and their grandmother has, but in case you live in a cave (a cave with terrible TV, you should really move!), here's the back.


The eyeliner I got is Urban Decay's 24/7 in Woodstock, and honestly, it's more my speed - fucks to the yeah hot pink eyeliner!




I look forward to wearing that with a lot of bright purples and pinks, which is a lot more my speed.  (Casual Fridays?  Those are the best because I get to rock whatever I want.)



This is the Eye Studio liner by Maybelline, the gel liner.  This is the only way I can line my top lid, actually - I suck using eye pencils up there, or even the liners that are like markers.  It's kind of depressing.  If you can do it, I tip my hat to you!  The round pot of orange stuff up there is Maybelline Color Tattoo in Fierce and Tangy.  I'll probably swatch it later and do a super easy peasy eye look with it.

And here are the things I went into Ulta to get anyway, the two prettiest colors from the Nicki Minaj collection by OPI.


I cannot WAIT to get these on my nails, oh my god, eeeee.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Getting to Know You

One of the things I like about reading blogs is that they're so incredibly voyeuristic.  And honestly, who doesn't enjoy a little casual peeking into other people's lives?  Today on my way to work I nearly got into an accident because the huge truck in front of me rubbernecked a fire.  So today you get to know more about me!  Susan from one of my favorite beauty blogs, Going Green Glamorously tagged me for a facts meme, so here we go!

Questions from Susan

1) What are your favorite websites to waste time on?
Besides the standard ones like Tumblr and Facebook, I'm a huge fan of Geekologie, I spend years on Beautylish, and FailBlog.  Basically anything that makes me laugh or has to do with makeup.

2) Where's your favorite place to shop for makeup?
Sephora is probably a copout answer.  I will say that besides Sephora, I love love love Sugarpill.  Seriously, when I get a yen to buy eye makeup, I go here first.  I also love a lot of smaller shops too.  Shiro makes mineral shadows and amazing lip products, and I'm also digging VictorianDisco.  ... but yeah, I love Sephora most.

3) What's your favorite physical feature?
On me?  I love my eyes and mouth.  I tend to play up one or the other, usually my eyes - I think my mouth is usually best served by plain gloss.

BB Cream hates the flash, but yeah, this makes me happy.  On my eyes, I've used all of Sugarpill's Burning Heart palate, their loose shadow in Decora, and BadGal liner/mascara by Benefit.


4) What's your favorite magazine?
I love Whole Living - I read it the way some girls read Cosmo.  I also love Bust - it's Girlie feminism at its best.  I can't read most "standard" fashion magazines - I don't need dating advice, I don't need to know how to kiss a boy, and I sue as hell don't need sex tips.  Dammit.

5) What's your favorite decade of music?
I'm a child of the 80s, but I love a lot of music from the 1970s.  My father raised me on classic rock, so I'm never happier than when I'm bopping around to Golden Earring or Foreigner or Journey.  It's like coming home and having a hot bath - totally cozy and happy.

6) What's your favorite hobby?
I love writing.  Love love love.  I love writing fiction, I love writing this blog, I love writing for writing's sake.  It's the first thing I think about when I wake up, and the last thing I think about before I go to bed.  It's my hobby and my passion.

7) What was your major in college or your favorite subject in high school?
Predictably, my favorite subject in high school and my major in college was English with a focus in Creative Writing.  I read constantly, I write constantly, and writing a beauty blog just seemed like a really natural progression.  It was an easy way to meld two things I really love.

8)  Would you rather be a rock star or the president?
A rock star, totally.  Being the president is way too much responsibility for me.  I think it's a job that if you're willing to take on easily, you probably aren't ready for it.

9) Boxers or briefs? :)
On guys?  Boxerbriefs!  They're the best thing ever, and kind of hot.

10) If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I would love to be able to talk to animals.  My cats are a huge part of my life, and it would be nice to understand what they're saying more than I already do.  (They have very distinctive meows, so I already know a little bit of what they're saying.)

11) What's your dream job?
I'd love to write for the Weekly World News, but alas, they're gone now.  I don't know what to do in my dream world now!

But yes, this is me, and I leave you with this - my second favorite eyeshadow in the world, Urban Decay's Fishnet.

Urban Decay, ilu.