Bobbi Brown Shimmering Nudes Collection

So I got the new Bobbi Brown Shimmering nudes collection on Saturday. It is just a gorgeous palette of 7 really wearable nude eyeshadows. I am not a person who wears a lot of neutral shadows, but I have to say this is a great product.  They will look good on everyone and go with any outfit. I think my favorite part is that the type of shadows vary- there are two shimmer wash shadows, two matte finish shadows, and three metallic shimmer shadows.  You can mix and match for the perfect effect!!  

The brush is a phenom!

So I just had to buy the sephora-exclusive mascara by Givency.  It is called Phenomen'Eyes.  I mainly had to get it because the wand is a sphere instead of a wand.  That just intrigued me.  It is supposed to be easier to get every little lash, even the shorter ones.  

I really like the wand.  I think it does a great job getting all the lashes.  It doesn't take any longer to apply even though it is much smaller than a standard wand.  It doesn't make my lashes the longest I've ever seen them, but it does give them a nice curl.

I also think the color is gorgeous. It is just black, but it is such a rich black, it is definitely my favorite mascara color-wise.  It really brightens up blue eyes.  

My one complaint would be that is does smudge. Granted, I am a person who rubs my eyes a lot, and it was humid this weekend. I am more used to the fibrous mascaras out that really bond to your lashes and don't smudge.  Another point to note...it is $27!!!!  Quite the expense for a mascara.  I'm glad I tried it, I feel like I still need more time to decide if it will be worth it to buy again.  Regardless, I am keeping the wand portion and I will clean it and perhaps use it again with other mascaras.  Yes, it is that cool. :)

Overall grade:  B+

Wedding Makeup

Hiiiiii! So I am going to my roommate from college's wedding this weekend. It's an afternoon wedding -- starts at 3 and will probably go until 8. i am wearing a really simple black dress with a bateau neckline, so I am thinking I can go big on the makeup. I just bought two of the new YSL quads, and I love them both so much. I got the pink one and the green one (sorry, can't remember the names at the moment and am too lazy to look them up.) My plan is to go for a dramatic pink look, just because it's summertime in the day and I generally only wear green in the fall/winter. But not too dramatic. I'll do a neutral lip, maybe Stila Glaze in Vanilla??? I was thinking about trying out false eyelashes but I think that may be taking it a little too far for an afternoon summertime wedding.... although it would make for great photos....

Liquid Liner, Laura style

Ok, so Alexis is totally crazy by saying I can apply liquid liner well. I can't. It is hard. I have discovered something though. It is not so much a product, but the design of a product.  I love the YSL liquid liner, but the applicator is too long. Your hand is too far away from your eye to frequently create a good line. And though it is possible to still create a good line with it, it...will...take...forever.  And you have to just get lucky sometimes.  

The liquid liner that is much more user friendly?  Stila liquid eye liner. Though it only comes in black, the tube is palm sized and holding it feels natural, like holding a golf pencil.  This gives me so much more control and the consistency of the liner is great- it glides right on.  It also stays nice and I haven't noticed it rubbing off at inopportune moments.

Best Vacation Buy

I got the greatest perfume on vacation. The only reason I even picked it up to smell it was because I had heard of it. It is a perfume featured online at one of my favorite places to shop--but it is always sold out. Plus, I was never going to buy a perfume online based only on a description.  

It is Kai perfume oil. It is amazing. It is very light, fresh, with a hint of gardenia. Though I don't know if the gardenia part is true, it just reminds me of gardenia.  It comes in a tiny rollerball applicator which is so easy for travel.  

Summertime Makeup Issues, Cont'd

So, sometimes when I am feeling especially motivated, I drag myself out of bed at 5 a.m. and go running before I shower and get ready for work. (By "sometimes," I mean once a week, maybe, if I'm lucky.) The problem is that during the summer, it is so hot and humid even at 5 a.m. that after I get back home and shower, I am still sweating. Gross, I know. And it makes it nearly impossible to put makeup on, so I wind up going to work red and blotchy. I would love to find a powder foundation that I can use instead of my regular Bobbi Brown tinted moisturizer on these days, but I have yet to find one that even makes a dent in my splotchiness. I have even tried the mineral makeup, to no avail. Since having to show up to work looking like I just had a chemical peel enters my mind as a potential excuse not to exercise in the morning, I would love to find a solution and give myself one less reason to hit the snooze button.

Lip Product Woes

I have a drawer in my nightstand that is completely filled with lip glosses, lipsticks, and lip palettes. It is embarrassing how many different lip products I have. However, despite the massive quanitites of money I have invested, I have only ever found two lip products that I truly love. I don't know why I have so much trouble landing on a color/texture combination that I love. The first product that I love is Chanel Glossimer in Barely Fig. I bought it in 2004 and have been using the same tube ever since. It is almost empty, which makes me sad because although I can't bring myself to check, I suspect that Chanel no longer makes it. It looks really dark in the tube but is a gorgeous color and isn't thick or gloopy at all. The second product is Fresh Gloss Absolute in Dahlia, which Laura gave me for Christmas last year. It is the perfect color and texture, and now that I have been introduced to it I don't think I can ever live without it.

I have tried buying lipstick in lieu of lip gloss, but I just can't pull it off. I think maybe when I turn 30 (next year, gah!) I will give lipstick another try. Until then, I will stick to my trusty old favorites and hope that I can stretch my Glossimer out until next June.