October 2011
90 posts
Target fail.
No one at my local Target knows anything about the highly publicized hat line that was launched yesterday…there is not a hat from the line in the entire store.
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Pumpkin Spa Treatments
Pumpkin-themed spa services are suddenly all the rage. It makes sense, as pumpkin is loaded with Vitamin A, the wrinkle-fighting, dull-skin banishing ingredient of choice in many skin care preparations. Here’s where to get the squash treatment in North Carolina:
Asheville: The Poseidon Spa at the Grand Bohemian Hotel (11 Boston Way) offers an Autumn Harvest Package. For $205, you get a...
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Product Review: Cleansing Oils
I completely screwed my skin testing a product this season, and it’s still not fully recovered. To calm the irritation and help things get back to status quo, I’ve foregone face wash in the evening. Instead, I’m using cleansing oil to remove makeup and assorted debris from my skin. After the jump, I review the three different brands I’ve been using:
I’ve been...
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Reblog: Building a Brush Kit
(This post is a reblog from August; a reader asked me to post a brush guide and it was easier to repost than trying to direct her to the original.)
Let me say this right now: No one on earth besides a makeup artist needs the number of brushes I own. If you’re going to use makeup on a consistent basis, however, the proper tools can (a) speed application, (b) help create specific effects,...
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I less than three bats
baturday:
:D
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I really like...
OPI’s Muppet Nail Polish in Fresh Frog of Bel-Air ($8.24 at http://www.thebeautyclutch.com/opifrfrofbel.html)
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I really like...
OPI’s Muppet Nail Polish in Fresh Frog of Bel-Air ($8.24 at http://www.thebeautyclutch.com/opifrfrofbel.html)
Original Article
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Product Review: Nuance by Salma Hayek Eye Makeup...
October is a month where I do a great deal of costume makeup (obviously.) I normally use olive oil to get grease paint and heavy makeup off my skin, but right now my face is still recovering from testing the Dr. Brandt cleanser. I decided to go easy on my skin with an actual remover, but I didn’t want to spend the cash for several bottles of Clinique Take the Day Off. A trip to my local CVS...
Vegan Cosmetics I'm Coveting
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics are 100% organic and 100% vegan. Their Mixing Medium does double duty: use it alone to create a matte finish on the face or mix it with loose pigment to create gel-texture eyeshadow. ($25 for 1 oz. at http://www.occmakeup.com/primer.html)
Beauty Without Cruelty Botanical Vegan Eye Makeup Remover uses soothing chamomile and witch hazel to remove stubborn eye...
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Dupes Vol. IV
A few more mass-market dupes that are as good as their prestige-beauty counterparts:
The Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Flat brush ($14.99 at Target) boasts cruelty-free bristles, an ergonomically designed handle for easy application, and a bristle cut that blends foundation flawlessly. I prefer it immensely to Shiseido’s Foundation Brush ($30 at Sephora).
I get why people are going nuts over...
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Take Your Conscience Shopping with Good Guide
If you’re like me, this has happened to you: you’re in a store and have picked up a new brand of product. The design is intuitive and modern, the scent is wonderful, the active ingredients are all top-notch…but the packaging doesn’t tell you if the product was made without animal testing, was made with fair trade ingredients, was produced in a union-member...
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Product Review: etta + billie lotion bar
The Etsy-based brand Etta + Billie make filler-free bath and body products full of free-trade, organic ingredients. Their line includes tons of vegan products; I am sort of addicted to their vegan Double Mint soap, which boasts purifying clay on one end and pieces of spearmint (a manual exfoliant) on the other.
When I recently logged on to the Etta + Billie store, I had no intention of...
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Birchbox offering men's line
I’ve previously posted about Birchbox on this blog. For $10 a month, the company sends you a goody box of prestige beauty samples (and sometimes, like in this month’s box, a full sized product). Now the company is launching a subscription service for men’s grooming products. The new men’s line is set to launch over the holidays; for more information, check out the Birchbox...
Woo-hoo!
I received an email last night from the Beauty Brains duo. (For those of you who missed my post about them, the Beauty Brains are two cosmetic chemists who run a beauty blog.) They’re going to work with me on my blog! I don’t know when this process will begin, but I shall keep you updated.
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Pore-Shrinking Primers
Before I start this multi-product review, I have a few disclaimers:
Your pore size is largely genetic. If you’ve picked large pores out of the gene pool, there is only so much you can expect from a product. These are cosmetics, not DNA-changers.
Before the advent of the pore strip, no one really obsessed all that much about pore size. Remember, if someone besides an aesthetician is close...
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I am loving...
…Goody’s Spin Pins. They look complicated but are really easy to use. You twist your hair into the desired updo style (bun, French twist, etc.). Then, you take a pin and rotate it clockwise into your hair. These will hold the thickest hair with two pins. I actually use the miniature ones because I don’t have enough hair to hold a regular one. They’re truly excellent, pretty...
Scenting your closet
I am getting more and more into scent. However, as I read about it, I am learning about the ridiculous amount of unnecessary compounds in many commercial candles, air fresheners, plug-in devices, and other diffusion methods. One of my new goals is to try and eliminate my use of these products. Since my current scent project is perfuming my closet, I thought I’d begin there.
Fortunately,...
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Photos of burn tutorial in progress
Preliminary work on my burn tutorial
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DIY: Fall aromas
What does it mean to smell like fall? I think of crisp air, wood smoke, and of course, pumpkin and its attendant spices: cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. To make my home smell like fall (over my husband’s objections), I head to my store of essential oils. I mix and match in an oil burner, light the candle under the burner, and pretty soon I’m in another scent world. Some of my favorite...
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How to speak to your hairdresser: a phrasebook
I recently had a chat with my (amazing!) hairdresser and asked her how she communicates professionally. I shamelessly stole the information she shared (with her knowledge, of course) and now provide you with a glossary. Hopefully, this post will help you get what you want the next time you enter a salon.First, a few tips:
Bring in pictures, both of what you do want and what you absolutely hate;...
10 things to do with... anti-redness eyedrops
Use as directed on the package to make eyes whiter
Remove redness from a blemish: Saturate the affected area with eyedrops; wait 5 minutes. Pat dry and apply concealer as normal.
Revive tired mascara: Drop on top of lashes to make mascara glossy again.
Create a pale mod mouth: Pat eyedrops on lips, wait 15 minutes, then apply a light-colored beige, white, or silver lipstick.
Mix with gel...
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Braaaainnns...Favorite Zombie products
Braaaains! (Favorite zombie-themed products from thinkgeek.com)
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Wigs 101
I own a fairly large collection of cheap wigs for use in costume tutorials. Cheap wigs are almost always synthetic (made of nylon hair). This post is a list of basic care and wear tips for synthetic wigs to help you preserve a great costume accessory.
Washing and Styling
To wash your wig, fill a sink with cold water and shampoo. Gently swish the wig around in the soapy water; don’t scrub...
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Free Makeovers @ selected Sephoras
Sephora is giving away free makeovers and GWPs to promote various brands from now through early November. The services are available only at selected stores, so go to http://www.sephora.com/help/stores/controller.jhtml?store=C9110&dir=events to find the closest location to you. Makeover brand sponsors include:
Fresh
Givenchy
Too Faced
Hourglass
Bliss
Anastasia
Stila
tokidoki
benefit
...
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Wig Styling and Cheap Ruffs for Elizabeth I...
Costume Assembly:
This costume has three major parts (besides the makeup, of course): the wig, the ruff, and the pearls. You can construct all three without any specialized skills and without spending a ton of money. Instructions, shopping list, and photos are after the jump:
Wig Instructions
Materials
wig of red curly hair, shoulder length or longer
two foam latex pads or pieces of...
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Cheat sheet: face wash
This series of posts is designed for you to easily call up on your smartphone when you’re in the cosmetics section of a store. The aim is to demystify product categories so you can get what you need and get out of the store with your sanity intact. Today’s cheat sheet involves face wash.
Fill in the blank:
My skin is __________
an oil field
the Sahara desert
a combination of #1...
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Halloween nail art
Halloween nail art from http://www.refinery29.com/3-halloween-nail-art-designs-to-master/slideshow#slide-5
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Circle lens safety tips
A great many of my costume tutorials involve the use of circle lenses. These can be very fun if used properly, but dangerous if certain basic standards of hygiene and common sense aren’t met. To get through Halloween without damaging your eyes, be sure to do the following:
1. If you’re under 19, check with an optometrist before purchasing or using circle lenses. Eyes don’t...
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5 a.m. eye makeup that turned out okay
First, some answers to the questions I know you’re asking:
“Why are you up at 5 a.m.?” I live an hour and a half away from my place of work. I have to leave the house by 5:30 a.m. to get to my job by 7 a.m.
“Why on earth do you bother with makeup at 5 a.m.?” Because it makes my job easier. Seriously. My students feel more comfortable with me, parents are more...
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Fake It: Marcel wave (1920s flapper)
I recently posted about methods of re-creating 1920s makeup. Today I want to tackle one of the most popular hairstyles of the decade: the Marcel-waved bob. Here is an example of what you’re going for in terms of look:
(Marian Anderson, one of the most amazing singers ever to be recorded)
You can (obviously) just purchase a wig (I do own a Marcel waved blond wig), but if you’ve...
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New @ Sephora
Lots of new releases at Sephora. My picks:
I am really excited about the new Sephora Collection Mini Eyeshadow Palette - Metallize ($12). This product contains four 0.35 oz. pans of shadow in liquid silver, gold, copper, and bronze. I don’t think it will measure up to Illamasqua’s Liquid Metal Palette ($42.50), but for $12 I’m willing to try it.
Stila’s BCA...
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New @ Philosophy (nom nom nom)
I recently went onto the Philosophy site to get a bottle of Pumpkin Spice Muffin shower gel and was greeted by a host of amazingly yummy-sounding yet non-caloric products (please do not eat the shower gel). Here are some I really want to try:
Mulling Spices 3-in-1 Shower Gel, Shampoo, & Bubble Bath ($16.00) is CHAI-SCENTED! Eep. I am in love already. For an extra $4 you can get the gift set...
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I take it back...
Apparently, Philosophy is selling Pumpkin Spice Muffin shower gel on their website now. Facebook fans voted to have the scent come back…get it while you can. Here is the link:
http://www.philosophy.com/whatsnew-facebookfavorites/facebook-favorite-pumpkin-spice-muffin-body-wash-product
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Jake and Dinos Chapman pull a Dr. Seuss
Anyone who’s heard my lecture on abject art knows how besotted I am with Jake and Dinos Chapman. I’m already bummed I won’t have any opportunity to see their new children’s book (currently on display at London’s V&A Museum of Childhood through January 8, 2012); now I find out I could have it read to me by Dinos Chapman himself! Chapman is auctioning off a...
Want a free spa gift certificate? Turn yourself In...
From The Consumerist:
It’s been several months since the Boston Bruins swept the Vancouver Canucks to win the Stanley Cup, triggering riots in the Canadian metropolis. But with a new hockey season just begun, one Vancouver spa thinks it’s time that those involved in the riots soothe their souls by fessing up to the police, and soothe their sore muscles with a massage.
To...
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Tutorial: Edward Streichen/Gloria Swanson photo
For this tutorial, I wanted to work on creating light and shadow effects. My model was Edward Streichen’s 1924 photo of Gloria Swanson:
While I did want to copy the style of the photo, I was particularly interested in creating makeup that would reflect light and shadow in monochrome (black and white) photography. More details, step-by-step instructions, and photos are after the jump.
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