Sweet Stuff: What I Want!

With the summer coming to an end all I can think about are boots, jackets, cool weather, sweaters, and obviously new makeup and nailpolish!

Let's start with a sweet deal, the Kat Von D eyeshadow palettes available through Sephora are on sale from $34 to $24 (all but the newest palette). If you remember I reviewed Metal Orchestra a few months ago, which I think would be great for the fall and winter but I also think True Love and Ludwig would be good palettes that are mixed with neutral colors.

OPI's Swiss Collection is already in stores and I cannot wait to check it out! You can take a peak here on Amazon but I'd really suggest checking the colors out in person. The collection is full of metallics, beautiful shades of red, and even some greens and plums thrown in. I think there is definitely something for everyone in this OPI collection.

Now you know we are huge Nars blush fans, but have you guys ever tried their eyeshadows? They are gorgeous and they come out with different shades pretty often. The Fall 2010 collection can be found here. The purple eyeshadow Daphne is to die for. It is such a beautiful and vibrant shade that would go great with brown eyes. I am also very into the Palladium Soft Touch Shadow Pencil from Nars. The metallic blue would be a great pop of color lining the lids.

Ladies who love mascara, this is a deal you can't miss. Ten deluxe sample-size bottles of mascara for $27 from Sephora. The LashStash Mascara Deluxe Sampler has Urban Decay, Korres, and Tarte mascaras to name a few.

Hope you all have a great holiday weekend!

-M

Sweet Deals and Summer Essentials

Hey sweet ladies and a special hello to all of our new readers/followers! It has been a while since we did our Sweet Deals post so I’m gonna hook you all up with some cool finds. I also want to share a few things in particular that I am dying to get soon! We also thought it would be nice to do a quick Summer Essentials post, provide some links to old reviews for a few things you might want to take with you on your beach trips this weekend and for the next 3 months!



Of course the number 1 essential for all of us (and it isn’t eyeliner!) is definitely sunscreen. I don’t need to tell you how important it is to protect your skin from damaging UV rays so I’m not going to. But I will tell you that I think you are crazy if you don’t at least use a daily moisturizer with a minimum of SPF 15. A favorite moisturizer is the Aveeno Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer that comes in SPF 15 and SPF 30. If you are like me and get freckles when you are out in the sun for 5 minutes go for the 30! One of the best sunscreens hands down is the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock which comes in many different levels of SPF protection. I’ve been using this for years and you can definitely use it in place of a daily moisturizer if you plan to spend the day out in the sun.



Here is where one of the products I’m lusting for comes in. Sephora’s Sun Safety Kit is a bundle of products that are all designed to protect your skin from the sun. This kit is packed with lotions, sunscreens, powders, and primers in small sample sizes that will be great to travel with. It is all packaged nicely in a hot pink carrying case. The best part about this is that all proceeds of this $25 kit go to The Skin Cancer Foundation. Thank you Sephora for making us pretty and making donations.

So we have the protecting our skin part covered, but what about having a little bit of a glow? I’ve worn a dress to work two days in a row and I’m pretty sure I’ve blinded all of my coworkers with my pale-as-milk legs so I need a little color! I’ve tried some self tanners or those lotions that are supposed to gradually build a glow with a hint of color but I literally am either too lazy or feel like you need a base tan for these things to work. After doing a little research I found that the Olay Body Touch of Sun Daily Body Lotion has some pretty decent reviews. I think I’m going to pick some up either at a store or through Amazon. Have you guys had any luck with any of these kinds of lotions? I’d love some suggestions!

Speaking of glowing let’s talk about bronzer. This beautiful bronzer from MAC’s To the Beach collection is really lovely including the compact it comes in.

From the same collection I would not mind having any of these lipsticks especially Beachbound and Thrills.

An essential for me when I go to the pool or beach is this detangler. I use Johnson’s No More Tangles detangler spray, which is for kids but works find on adults too! You can also pick up any generic kid’s detangler spray because I know they work the same. This kind of thing only costs about $4-5 at the most so it is definitely worth having around.

Now here is a sweet deal! 30% your entire purchase by Tarte cosmetics on their site, just enter the promo code GGAD at the end of your purchase. This is a great deal, I have reviewed a bunch of Tarte products before so you know I’m loyal! I am dying to try their natural lipstain LipSurgence.


Don't forget your sunglasses!!

Have a great holiday weekend! And stay tuned because we have an exciting giveaway coming soon to celebrate a blog landmark for Tori and I! Follow us and have a chance to find out what this giveaway is, I promise it’ll be worth it!

-M

Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow, $4

(Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow in Urban Brown)

The other day I wrote about how I didn't have much luck with Maybelline's pencil eyeliner. I have, however, enjoyed Maybelline's eyeshadow, especially their "high pearl finish" colors. I particularly love this beautiful shade called Urban Brown. It's a dark metallic golden brown, almost like a muddy copper. It's velvety soft, builds up nicely, and stays on pretty well, even without primer. Maybe I'm biased against matte shades in general, but I've found their textured ones to be of better quality; I think they have more pigment, more blendability, and more staying power. Check them out in stores before buying though--the websites I've found don't show the colors very accurately.

I'm wearing Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Original, Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow in Urban Brown, Clinique's Cream Liner in True Black, CoverGirl Pencil Eyeliner in Black Onyx (inner rim only), Maybelline's Full N' Soft Mascara in Very Black, Nars Orgasm blush, and my girl Hello Kitty

Final verdict
Cost: $4 is an amazing price--you don't have to be scared of trying something new.
Quality: I'm impressed with the quality of their high pearl finish eyeshadow--soft, good colors, stays on pretty well. I've tried their matte shades and they haven't wowed me as much.
Wearability: Ok, so maybe completely gold-brown eyelids aren't for you. It would also work with a lighter coat or blended into the crease. They have a lot of other colors in case brown isn't your cup of tea.
Repeat offender: I would buy more shades of their eyeshadow, definitely.

-T

Sweet Deals, Vol. 2

To make your Friday even sweeter, here are some awesome deals and some pretty sparkly things to long for . . .

Urban Decay has reintroduced their nailpolish line and is celebrating with Apocalyptic Nail Kit, a set of 6 mini polishes in their trademark dark and exciting colors (with a little zippered case), on sale for $18.

Sephora has added some great Tarte products to their sale section, like this set of 4 bright spring eyeshadows plus 2 lipglosses in a portable kit ($22), 2 smaller versions of the lip sheers Mirna reviewed in an earlier post ($15), and this cute mini palette of 4 dark eyeshadows that comes with a full-size brush ($12).

Walmart sells Hard Candy now! (Am I a little late on this? Oh well, still exciting!) Hard Candy has all kinds of makeup in pretty packaging (I'm such a sucker for a well-designed box), but their nailpolish repertoire is really what they're known for. I'm falling in love with this pretty teal, this sparkly wine, and this dark glittery masterpiece that reminds me of a hot summer street, all just $5 each. Plus, who can resist those awesome heart-shaped rings?

MAC knows I've got spring fever and is tempting me with these yummy, shiny lipglosses, or as they call them, lipglasses. Isn't the Partial to Pink color so sweet? ($18)

Oh em gee, the Harajuku Lovers perfumes are in little summer bikinis! I'm this one, Mirna is this one.

I think the next brand I'm going to try is MAKE UP FOR EVER, specifically this breathtaking black cream eyeshadow (this picture here is a total inspiration, even though it sounds like most reviewers on Sephora used it as a cream eyeliner). PS, they totally did the makeup for The Runaways. I can't wait to see their awesome rock star makeup and outfits.

-T

Lorac Cheek Stamp, $5 (clearance from $22)

(Lorac Cheek Stamp in Pink Paradise)
Keeping in theme with Mirna's post on some sweet deals, I thought I'd share a sweet sale item before it goes out of stock! Lorac has come up with this nifty blush called the Cheek Stamp. It's a little container that holds a sponge and a layer of powder blush. When twisted shut, the sponge gets a fresh coat of the powder.


The color I chose, Pink Paradise, is more accurately depicted on the product website--it was hard to get a good shot of the brightness of the color. The soft powder is a sweet and bright baby pink that looks nice on my fair skin.

To use, untwist the cap and dab the squishy sponge on the apples of your cheeks. Then, use your fingers to easily blend. Twist the cap back on and you're done!

Final verdict
Cost: I wouldn't have paid $22 for it, but now that it's on sale for $5 I say why not?
Portability: The cute little container would easily fit in a purse or small bag, great for on-the-go beauty. I wouldn't worry about it spilling or the powder coming loose or anything like that.
Repeat offender: Well, since it's on sale they're probably not going to sell it much longer. But, it's a nice, portable little product, and gives you a good sample of Lorac's blush if you've never tried it. I've used other products by Lorac, so I know they're a great brand. I'd buy from them again, especially if they continue to have sweet sale prices!

-T

Sweet Deals

Hey lovelies! Just wanted to share some sweet deals we found and a few things I'm lusting for right now . . .

The Benefit To Go Beauty Bestsellers I reviewed last week is back in stock and still only $10!

Get free shipping and a free sample of MAC's Zoom Lash mascara (I've used it, it is great!) when you order from MAC's site by using the code: lash310.

I'm lusting for this awesome shade of nail polish called Dick Weed from the creators of one of my favorite fashion blogs.

I've been watching too much reality tv on Netflix and my latest obsession was L.A. Ink which leads me to my obsessive lusting for this Kat Von D eyeshadow palette, Metal Orchestra, it was sold out but it is now back in stock! If you like lighter shades Memento Mori is equally beautiful.

This goooorgeous blue shadow from Nars is called Tropic and it really just makes me wish I was in Hawaii or something, a girl can dream . . .

Are any of you lusting for any products you've seen recently or have you come across any good deals you could share? Leave a comment and share the beauty product wealth!

-M