More favorite beauty bloggers

Futurederm
Nicki is a wise woman. Not only is she training to become a pro derm, she's divulging all the things she learns along the way to all of us. That says a lot. Plus like myself, she is an ingredient list Nazi, which these day we all should be (Olay really does have great ingredients, save your money).

DivaDebbi
Debbi is one seriously fabulous female. Not only does she have many passions and hobbies, one of her main ones -beauty- is spotlighted on this blog. Time and time again I will read her posts, laugh, smile and wonder how this woman can be so smart. All the personal anecdotes really make the reader feel as if we're all her best buddies and she's divulging everything to us that makes her so glamorous.

Capitol Hill Barbie
The best place to go for Gossip Girl outfit breakdowns (they've finally caught my imagination too, I CONSTANTLY try to avoid obsessing about things everyone else does, and eventually fail. Watch, I'll read Twilight tomorow). She too appreciates the amazingness that is Blair. Plus, that one post, about department store cosmetic ladies. Yeah, you speak the truth (but do go to your nearest Sephora!).

Canadian beauty blog
It's good to know I'm not the only one. Here in Canada we have so few cosmetic choices. Only in the past few years has Sephora been introduced. Things like Target, with Sonia Kashuk....nope. It's pretty much a barren wasteland for the erstwhile cosmeticrack addict. Hence why I particularly love this blog, things that I KNOW are available and findable here.

Have you been missing Linda

Here she is, adding a bit more chic to all our lives.

Even more favorite beauty bloggers

Makeup and beauty blog
Karen is one of the great mother hens of the beauty blogging world, one of the originals. She and her kitty have been informing us of awesome online sales, showing us real product swatches from actual photos (instead of those dinky ones on shopping websites) and makes amazing lists (like things she would tell her 22 year old self). Karen here's a big warm fuzzy for you and your awesome blog.

Lipschtick
Pop culture news mixed with product reviews and personal musings make this one of the most entertaining beuaty reads in the blogosphere. That's right, there is a world outside of night creams perfume and eyeliner. Other things do exist. Do go learn about all this.

Killer Strands
Killer strands is the work of an LA based colorist that they call the hair color whisperer. For someone who's JOB it is to permanently damage hair, her obsession with hair health is truly outstanding. For those who REFUSE to pay 100$ and upwards at the salon ot color their hair, or like me who would but are broke, this site is a boon. It's like beauty school, in blog form. Her tutorials are so educational and pictorial and informative that I may actually one day take the plunge, bury my insecurities and color my hair again at home.

Hooked on Beauty
Carissa is a makeup artist who's product fiend tendencies are amazing for you and me. Why? Because she tries and reviews every single item that she comes across, from Monistat as a primer to all natural deodorants, her devotion to reporting to us all is immense.

Check out my beautiful!

I only snagged one great deal this past Boxing Day, but boy was it a beaut.

Yes Siree, after complaining for months and lusting after so many, I got myself a brand new brush set, FOR A STEAL.

The lovelies you see to the right (including the very fun fluff brush :P) only cost me 80 buckaroos in Canadian dollars. Granted, original price for it was something like 200 (beacause of the beautiful faux croc case) so I can see why it didn't sell out last holiday when it was introduced. But happily it was half off this holiday and with my employee discount, well yeah.

Thank you Sephora, I am now a complete woman again.

Believe me, if you got a brush set for a young budding makeup addict this season, make sure you throw in a gentle brush cleanser as a stocking stuffer and emphasize the necessity of cleansing all the time, not stuffing them haphazardly into makeup bags and not leaving them all over floors and counters. Because SOME of us had to spend hundreds of dollars at the age of 14 and learn the importance of brush care the hard way.
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Product Review: Datura Noir by Serge Lutens

I must be the only one who smells leathery notes in this. But on me somehow it smells like that, powdery, leathery with crisp fruity notes. I feel it should be work with a boyfriend`s shirt, a leather jacket and some pink pumps. That is the outfit I see when I wear this.

Mandarin Peel, apricot, lemon flower, datura flower, tuberose, osmanthus, coconut, heliotrope, myrrh, bitter almond, vanilla, tonka bean, musk.

I mean I`m in love. This is the scent I should have work when I was in my last two years of high school, when I rode in fast cars with bad boys and partied all night. I am FAR too timid for it now. It is definitely a bad girl scent (or maybe the way it settles on me makes me want to bring out my inner bad girl). Either way, I am now officially confused.

Image courtesy of: Luckyscent.com

More of the best beauty bloggers

Mikaela's Jet Set Beauty
Both Mikaela and Shivaughn are flight attendants/estheticians, which means their knowledge of on the go, traveling everywhere beauty are unrivalled. Great reviews, advice and a constant stream of original information (I learned about Benev!). Give them a click.

Makeup Loves Me
Reviews galore. Reviews abound. For those of you who love reviews, here's a blog to check out.

Clumps of mascara
Brittany cares deeply about all kinds of cosmetic products, but appears to have the most passion for lashes (comrades!) and nails (her reviews are so good they almost make me reconsider my hate for nail polish). Plus her emphasis on real girl prose and realistic beauty goals is refreshing.

Makeup by RenRen
Ren is a pro makeup artist, lover of bright colours, queen of couture eye looks and one of those people whose skill is inspiring. Just check out her work!

More frequently read beauty blogs

Palacinka Beauty
Now here's a concept, beauty reviews, not just for white girls. Let's face it most of the time, when we hear how great a lipstick colour is, or a conditioner is, we naturally assume it will be great for us, while completely disregarding the ethnicity of the reviewer. Palacinka beauty solves this issue, their panel is manned by a variety of women from different backgrounds, so when thinking, gosh, that sounds good, we can check if we may have a similar eye colour or skin type to the person reviewing. Plus they picked a great name, Palacinka in my mother tongue means "crepe" the world's best food (and the only food I can make).

Nicciknows
Nicci does know, she's a proffesional makeup artist/product junkie (do those two not usually go hand in hand?) who for some reason has allll the connections for great web deals. If you shop for your beauty products on the web regularly, make sure you bookmark Nicci, cause sh ehas the inside track on all the great deals.

Makeup makes me happy
You said it sister. Roselyn cares deeply about cosmetics and agrees with me on the many many merits of the new John Varvatos fragrance (GORGOUS!). Plus she does great contests and interviews. Keep an eye out for her upcoming beauty awards.

Stylebell
Hair REALLY does make a difference in one's self esteem. There's nothing quite like walking out of a salon, completely transformed. And here is where hair is worshipped. Now our girl here has something in common with me, curly hair, curly, frizzy, unmanageable and deadly hair. And she too worships at the food of the GHD like I do. Kindred spirits...

Product Review: Skin Perfekt gel in Luminous

Well, nothing will get me perfekt but this is pretty great.
The truly amazing thing is it keeps me matte for a loooong time, there's an absorbent clay in here. I find it thicker than most primers too, almost as thick as a balm, which I like because I found it to do a better job of filling in my pores and fine lines than anything else in the past. The tint is great, but no means enough coverage for all of my myriad of flaws, but for most AWESOME. My color is Luminous (sigghhh for no more tanning) plus they don't label it but this has a touch of sun protection so woooohooo for that.

The truly amazing thing is my mom randomly walked into my makeup room the other day (yes I took over my sister's old room to be able to spread out) was attracted by the blue packaging tried it on and came home raving. So much so that today at work, she actually BOUGHT a whole one to herself. Now for my mother, the woman who won't buy LOREAL because it's too expensive to spend 65 dollars on a single product is truly saying something. She noticed such a dramatic filling in of her lines that her coworkers kept asking if she had Botox (not my mama, she's the world's lowest maintenance woman, which is why this all in one appeals to her).

If it's lines and pores that bother you, and you don't have too much acne or discoloration, give this one a try.
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Isododecane - emollient highly suitable with silicones that has the ability to "waterproof" it's companions
Polysilicone - 11 - silicone, smoothing
Dimethicone - silicone, smoothing
Retinyl Palmitate - vitamin A
Tocopheryl Acetate - vitamin E
Montmorillonite - lightly absorbing clay
Thioctic Acid - chemical name for alpha lipoic acid/antioxidant
Titanium Dioxide CI 77891 - provides the coverage and sun protection
Iron Oxides CI 77499, CI 77492, CI 77491 - the color


Image courtesy of sephora.com

Product Review: Philosophy Purity Made Simple

Ahhh, someone had to be the voice of dissent on this one. That's right, I don't like it. And I work at Sephora, people come in every day raving that it's the best stuff that's ever touched their faces.

I guess I'm one of the few for whom it caused HORRIBLE eye irritation. I mean my eyes were red and stinging for quite a while. But no wonder, check out the ingredient list below, all of those essential oils should not be used around the eyes at all. In fact black pepper oil, is so sensitizing, even in the smallest concentrations that it has been shown to cause contact dermatitis.

Now the majority of the ingredients are ok, the first 5 are cleansing and mild. But the bulk of the list ruins it. I'm sorry, I refuse to put this around my eyes anymore.

However on the rest of my face, it's pretty darn great. I can actually see it dissolve all the makeup I put on, my face immediately feels smoother and softer afterward. A lot of the EO's are potent antibacterials and therefore anti acne, such as the sandalwood and palmarosa, so yes I have noticed a fair bit of improvement on my horrible zit situation (but I HAVE been using it with Clarisonic so that's arguable). For me to feel dry and tight after something it would have to be like pure alcohol and witch hazel, but with most cleansers I do notice some discomfort in terms of how "stretchy" my skin is. None with this.

The only reason (besides the eye irritation) I won't repurchase is because it's not all that good at getting scrubby stuff off my face. I use aluminum oxide crystals every day to exfoliate (yes the microdermabrasion stuff) and always find them mingling with my skin oils and getting all over the place, in my eyebrows etc etc and they're very hard to wash off with just water, which is why it's important to me to have a cleanser that can help lift the suckers away. This does not.

Verdict, great as a makeup remover, awesome for acne, gentle on the face, feels hydrating but is NOT for the eyes.
The ingredient breakdown
Water, obvious
Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate - Mild surfactant
Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil - emollient
Coco-Glucoside - gentle detergent
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate - thickener
Aniba Rosaeodora (Rosewood) Wood Oil - looks good on the ingredient list, no skincare use
Geranium Maculatum Oil - balances sebum production
Guaiacum Officinale - fragrance, is VERY irritating to some, like myself
Cymbopogon Martini Oil - in other wordds palmarosa oil, sebum control
Rosa Damascena Extract - moisturizing
Amyris Balsamifera Bark Oil - is a slightly less irritating version of Sandalwood oil
Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Oil - drying, irritating
Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil - some healing properties
Cinnamomum Cassia Leaf Oil - rubifacient, potent irritant even at this concentration
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil - chamomile oil, soothing
Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil - regenerative (though not in a cleanser and not this low on the list), sun sensitizing
Piper Nigrum (Black Pepper) Seed Extract - soooo should not be used around the eyes, potent rubifacient
Sodium Trideceth Sulfate - wetting agent
Hexylene Glycol - solvent, thins a formulation
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Alcohol - preservative
Polysorbate 20 - surfactant
Glycerin - humectant
Carbomer - solubilizer, emulsifier
Triethanolamine - emulsifier, PH stabilizer
Methylparaben - preservative
Propylparaben - preservative
Imidazolidinyl Urea - preservative
FD&C Yellow No.5 - color


Image courtesy of sephora.com

More of my favorite beauty bloggers

Serge Lutens- Nearly all the facts
I think I have another soulmate. And it is the author of this anthology on the world of my husband Serge. This woman knows her stuff, and lives within deliverable range of the exclusive line...urr another reason to live in Europe. She also runs another hilarious site, where she basically bitches about idiotic and annoying things throughout her life, but is INTERESTING. I lauggghhhhed out loud.

Product Girl
Our gal here really knows her stuff when it comes to new product launches, awesome web sales and the like. Plus contests galore!

Pretty By Nature
Noel cares about natural. Though I will never fully agree with this widespread obsession, I do appreciate someone who is a)commited b)informed when they choose to make a lifestyle change. If you too want to commit and need information, I can't think of a better place to start dipping your knowledge toes.

Perfume Posse
The folks at Perfume Posse, Patty, March and Lee are the ABSOLUTE last word on perfume. Their reviews are not only extensive, inclusive and evocative, they really give you an accurate picture of a whole story around fragrance, the backstory, the personal story, the notes (clearly) and the final word.

Product Review: Serge Lutens A La Nuit

I do love Jasmine, I do love Serge. I knew I'd love this.

The notes: jasmine (Egyptian, Indian, Moroccan), green shoots, cloves, white honey, benzoin and musk.

On me I feel a lot of powderyness. On my wrist it starts off a very tart jasmine, as if infused with vetiver. Then it settles to a nice powdery floral, with some sort of lemony citrus note. I do love the feeling. I find that sniffing it throughout the day makes me feel so womanly and grown up (actually I feel the same way about Serge stuff in general). And like all the rest of his fragrances, it has some musky, grungy sexual notes, which I always appreciate in a fragrance, seeing as how I am a big fan of that year round, all day. I find the level of muskiness in this church appropriate, which means by most people's standards, it's hot date appropriate.

And if my nose can smell it all day (my level of perception=lower than you can imagine) means it's POTENT!

Image courtesy of sergelutens.blogspot.com

So, a SCAM at a salon, going on in Calgary

You KNOW I made a facebook group about this:

This girl comes up to me at the mall the other day, telling me she's running a promotion to get more people to the Lather salon. The deal sounds great, a haircut, 2 shampoos/blowdries, a 25min microdermabrasion and one round of laser hair removal on the face for 55 bucks. AWESOME right? Well I thought so. So I bought two, one for me, one as a gift.

Right away I call the salon and they tell me something interesting, the company they hired to do the marketing, Heightened Marketing, is not supervising what their employees are saying or claiming and is not getting back to the salon AT ALL! Their employees are offering whatever they want, whether the salon approves or not, just to close the deal. For example, the girl I talked to, told me I had till June to use my packages, but I only had till April.

The salon is NOT gonna cover any "agreements" we make with a promotion girl, so read the back, there's a WHOLE lot of conditions on there, including that there are absolutely no refunds.

Now I tried to contact Heightened Marketing. The number on the back, the voicemail is what you get (there's not even a hold function, as if there's actual operators working) and the voicemail is full. I go on their website, the customer service number on there is a WRONG number. And no one picks up on their new client hotline.
Really proffesional right.

The worst thing is, on my way out of the mall I see another girl talking to a group, and I go up to her to ask her why Lather salon can't get in touch with them at all? What does she say to me? "Whatever", says to call customer service!

I was about to lose my mind, but the kicker, I call the salon to DEMAND my money back, and they say they may not even fulfill the offers anymore, cause these people are literally making them look bad (it's like, stop paying the company and see how quickly they call you!). So off course I booked my time right away, I figured I pay for it, theres no refunds, I'll damn well do it. If they DARE to turn me away when I get there I'll be pissed.

I wanted to let you all know, don't get robbed, don't give your money to these people. If you see one of those girls, throw 'em a finger and say it's from Elena!

Spread the word, invite everyone to this group.

Email this post to everyone you know, becase Heightened Marketing Solutions works worldwide, and I doubt that they're doing this just in Calgary.

Bitchin' Ingredient: Butyl Avocadate

This stuff is also known as "avocutine" the marketing-attractive way to describe it.
Let me try to put into words how excited I am about the research behind this stuff:

AHHHHHH! Something that actually teaches overactive oil glands to produce less oil. Now before my oily comrades pee themselves, let me backtrack.

It is extracted (with a lengthy process, so it is in no way natural by normal people's standards, by cosmetic company standards, very). What it does is actually COMMUNICATES to the oil glands (similar to peptides if that's a good analogy) to produce less oil. Um, yes. Actually.

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Fairly new discovery, so it hasn't been widely put into use yet. Kinerase is the leader, they have made it the cornerstone of their acne line (I have the clear skin moisture light and the regulating mask, will be reviewing off course). Dr. Obagi's main line (not the ZO) has a cleanser called clenziderm that contains it. Veda life sciences carries it in their oily skin moisturizer. And surprisingly, but logically, Mustela has it in their cradle cap formula (cradle cap, like dandruff and oiliness, is an androgen related issue, which means this ingredient holds promise in controlling scalp problems too).

I AM SO EXCITED FOR MY SKIN TO NORMALIZE PRODUCTION!

Image courtesy of sephora.com

GoSmile GoSmile GoSmile!

So, I got some gratis from work on tuesday, YES it was GoSmile's B1!

GOD am I excited for it to start working. Though it was hard to capture it on camera, these pictures are my before in two different lights. When you take a look at the side teeth, compared to the front, I do have some yellow discoloration (occasional smoking and coffee drinking and a whole HECK of a lot of red wine).

This was two days ago, and concentrating the application on the worst discoloration, I have started to notice a tad bit less of a contrast. Once I've actually used up the whole set I off course will do the before and after.

BUT I AM SO EXCITTTEEEDDDD!!!!

Favorite fellow beauty bloggers Pt. 2

More than a pretty face
Julie, like me and my soulmate Paula Begoun, is fond of denouncing the many many trickeries of the cosmetic industry. Her ascerbic wit and bottomless well of knowledge also helped her earn the status of Beauty Expert Maven on the ThisNext shopping website.

The Scented Life
This blog, though an awesome source for fragrance information and reviews (could you tell from the title), is not just that. No, Michelle knows where to shop online for deals and her holiday gift giving guide is more extenseive than one you would find in a shopping magazine.

The beauty alchemist
Another fragrance fanatic here (these ladies are starting to inspire me). However she also hosts great contests.

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The anti hair slave
Our girl here is obsessed with finding the most minimal route to healthy hair (she relaxes, so we know she understands damage) and is there not a lot we can all learn from that? The difference with her: she tantamountly refuses to let her hair take over her life (where I have looong given up on that idea)

Skin Deco
Connie, compared to a lot of us is fairly new to the beauty journey (it starts with believing that pores can be tightened and ends with bankruptcy trying to tighten them, this I know). But the amount of knowledge and blend skill she has amassed can amaze the most jaded of us. Girl is skilled. Not only that, she is beautiful, kind and works at MUFE!

Savvy Skin
Jeni is a skincare obsessive bar none. She, who like myself found that in her 20's she had to deal with fine lines and acne at the same time, has actually achieved the elusive.....perfect skin. Yes, actually 100% baby's butt/poreless/fine line free. Wanna know how, well she chronicles in GREAT detail.

ProductWhores
The name says it all, Stacey and Kris LOVE their products. All kinds, all persuasions. All colours, they have tried 'em all. ABSOLUTELY the place to go and get updated on what's new in the world of cosmeticrack.

Favorite fellow beauty bloggers Pt. 1

Hi folks, well here I am giving some credit where it is due, my fellow beauty bloggers. These ladies (and gentlemen) are bottomless wells of knowledge and experience and every time I read their blogs I find myself inspired and filled with at least one tidbit of new knowledge. Here is my dedication to a few of them:

Leodora.com
I have met my ingredient dissecting match in this blogger. In fact, the entire blog is about ingredients. Each entry is a quick look at a common cosmetic ingredient that tells you what it is, what it's used for and any other concerns (like questions about safety and likelihood of clogging pores). If you are a novice to cosmetics and often find yourself mystified by an ingredient label, check this out.

Beautynomics
Juliet of beautynomics really looks at the cost of being a beauty addict...and disregards it (where as I for some reason have it ingrained in my head that all this is FREE). Her blog is an amazing place to visit for when you're looking for beauty deals (girl has the inside track) .

VivaWoman
Sesame is your source for investigative reporting (nanoparticles in sunscreen, rhassoul clay to wash with, and whether or not we truly need night cream are just a few of her recent topics of discussion). Now there is a super sleuth!

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Virtuous Blue
Kenya and Teneasha are the beautiful team behind Virtuous Blue, two best friends whose musings on inner beauty leave even the most cold-hearted and superficial (I need not point to myself) with a warm fuzzy feeling in the tummy. Plus, their eyeshadow skills trump the work of many makeup artists.

Bluenotes
Marla Malcolm Beck is the founder of BlueMercury, beauty addict heaven, and she is the writer of this blog. The woman talks about skincare with near dermatological expertise (the kind that is only gained by being a beauty curator) and she is wonderful for recomending specific products for specific conditions. Also a frequent traveler, awesome bet for in flight beauty tips.

Truth in Skincare
One of the few men in the beauty blogosphere, but his opinion comes highly appreciated. Not only is he starkly honest (read his treatise of parabens, you will never be the same) but Dr. David is yes, an actual dermatologist. All hail to someone who actually went to university to study antioxidants, and yes probably knows far more than the majority of us.

Thisthatbeauty
Felicia is a bona-fide product addict (and how we all sympathize) and writes about all her experimentations in such a humorous way that I've had several occurences of the chuckles. And take her skincare ideas seriously, cause girl is LUMINOUS!

Ahh, it is time to subject you all to my face....bare

Notice the horrible cystic honkers, the constellations of comedones (my fine lines are looking better than usual thanks to the Clarisonic) the enormous pores, and yeah, this is actually better than usual. I also started using Philosophy's Purity cleanser in the past few days, and though I don't feel it cleans any deeper than anything else, I have yet to see it's long term effects. So far, almost a month into the use of my Clarisonic, I am beyond impressed. Usually my face look like a bunch of craters surrounded by mountains of zits. That thing makes a difference. So yeah, here begins my skin chronicle. Stay tuned because I will continue to visually update as I slowly weave other products into my regimen.

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Also other things to look forward to:
1. Mini-profiles of my favorite fellow beauty bloggers.
2. Full ingredient breakdown reviews on the following products:
-MakeupForever HD makeup and HD powder
-Skinperfekt gel
-Philosophy purity wash
-Frederic Fekkai protein Rx shampoo
-Rene Furterer Curbicia scalp treatment gels
-Oscar Blandi dry shampoo
-Frederic Fekkai technician mask
-Sephora face eye makeup remover
-Almond oil as an eye makeup remover
-Tanda acne system
-Sephora glass nail file
-Benefit brow zings
-Sephora 4 sided buffer
-Guerlain Shalimar
-Stila Creme bouquet
-Robert Piguet Fracas
-Bvlgari pour Femme
-Gaultier 2 perfume
-GoSmile B1
-And various different Serge Lutens fragrances

Sigh, Dark Circles, LOT'S of fun

All right ladies, the often misjudged, misunderstood and misery causing commonality between most women. Dark Circles, almost ALL of us have them, and for the vast majority of us, they are unfortunately genetic and we need to embrace our concealers. There are some methods of treating them, but any and all results will be a slow progression, and you may never get to a completely dark circle free existence.

However, not all dark circles are the same. No not at all, there are 3 types:

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1. Those caused my shadows when eyes are puffy (or bulbous like mine). You can tell if this is you by tilting your head upward, so you see inside your nose at a mirror. Do your dark circles disappear? Fabulous, handle the puff, the circles go away.

2. Hyperpigmentation circles. Yes, eyes can overpigment too! This is very common among women of color (just like other pigmentation issues) and cannot be treated the usual way. If your circles appear more brown than blue or purple, and do not lessen no matter how much sleep you get, this is you (white girls don't discoutn it, it happens to us too, my aunt has a TERRIBLE case of these kinds of circles) First off all, the #1 thing is a strong broad spectrum sunblock. My favorite is the Shisedio SPF32, it's the gentlest I've ever come across for eyes and is mostly physical/mineral blocks. Also, embrace your concealer, the higher coverage it is (read, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, just because it doesn't have an SPF rating doesn't mean it won't help) the better. Your second step is to use lightening products similar to the types that you may be using on the face. Arbutin and liquorice extract are effective gentle ingredients for under the eyes (but do be careful) however if you can handle hydroquinone, by all means go for it.

3. Skin thinness circles. This is what I have, and my mom does, and my sister. These are circles that look bluish or purplish (depending on your skin undertone) and for some, downright greenish. They get much worse when you don't get enough sleep, and they are a sign of many other underlying health deficiencies (Vitamin K, Iron, Folic Acid, B6, get these into your diet in plentiful amounts and report back on the details for me). Again this kind of skin thinness, just like the thinness that happens on the butt and allows cellulite to show through, is often genetic and you can thank your mama. But you can do something about it. Like with any other skin condition, embrace your sunblock around the eyes too, to avoid future collagen breakdown and further thinness. When looking for eye creams look for things that help repair veins, something with Vitamin K perhaps, and things that thicken the skin (so the blue shows through less) like peptides and kinetin (the only common anti-aging ingredients I would ever put around the eye, fear retinoids, AHA's and fancy newfangled herbal extracts like the dickens, you don't want to experiment with your vision and your very easily accessed blood vessels).

This is why I believe most women have trouble with dark circles and give up on trying to treat them. All those myriad eye creams with newfangled fancy bum plant extracts are only really, basic creams. No one looks to target their specific circle issue and is therefore stuck trying new things just for the hell of it. REBEL, get circle educated!


Image courtesy of indiculture.com

Linda Linda Linda

God, do you know what I want for Christmas? To BE Linda.
Image courtesy of levangelista.net

Product Review: Neutrogena Body Clear Body Scrub

Nothing clears up the backnes, buttnes and boobnes faster than this potion. The grains are nice and hefty and really do the job, and honestly after each wash I feel so much smoother. This is in no way a moisturizer, and even the oiliest gals need a moisturizer after this medicated scrub, but it foams, it cleans in a jiffy and it gets me in control.
In emergency situations I've used it on my face too (my skin is TOUGH!) and it's pretty good for ingrowns and KP (nothing sees a difference quite like my back though).

Image courtesy of drugstore.com

The breakdown

Salicylic Acid (2%) - BHA, gets inside the pore and cleans it up
Water - obvious
Sodium C14 16 Olefin Sulfonate - surfactant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine - creamy surfactant
Disodium Cocamphodiacetate - anti-static surfactant
Polyethylene - the grains
Glycerin - humectants
Acrylates/Aminoacrylates/C10 30 Alkyl PEG 20 Itaconate Copolymer - surfactants
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate - mild surfactant
Linoleamidopropyl PG Dimonium Chloride Phosphate - surfactant
Matricaria Flower Extract (Chamomilla Recutita) - soothing
Citric Acid - preservative
Propylene Glycol - humectant, moisturizer
Butylene Glycol - humectant moisturizer
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract -green tea, soothing, anti-oxidant
Yellow 6 - color
Red 40 - color
Blue 1 - color
Red 33 - color
Yellow 5 - color
Fragrance - duh

Product Review: Shiseido shimmering lipstick in SL7

DEAL! A shimmery, ultra moisturizing lipstick with as much color payoff as a traditional satin finish...LOVE it.
SL7 is a slightly pinky/coraly red.
Lasting power with Nars lipliner is somewhere in the vicinity of 9 bright, moisturizing hours.

Feels almost like a cross between a balm and a lipstick in terms of lip comfort (usually I dislike lipstick, too uncomfortable). Shiseido really doesn't get a lot of credit for some of the amazing products they have.

Product Review: Smashbox Bronzing Primer

Oh, where has this stuff been all my life. Creates THE most realistic bronze I've ever seen from makeup. One coat takes me one shade bronzer, and on. I found it actually felt WAY less greasy and slippery than the original photo-finish (which I'm not a fan of), more like a thick mousse. I seriously put it on at noon today and here I am 14 hours later, still perfect (I actually have it on my chest too, to match my face). LOOOVE this stuff.

The bronze is so natural looking that even around my lips (usually a huge no-no) it still looked like I had been just baking. The tint evens skin out very well too, almost like a tinted moisturizer. GREEAAAAT stuff.


The breakdown
Cyclomethicone - silicone
Dimethicone Crosspolymer - polymer, silicone
Isopropylparaben - preservative
Retinyl Palmitate -similar to retinol, anti ager
Tocopheryl Acetate - vitamin E, antioxidant, emollient
Ascorbic Acid - vitamin C, antioxidant, collagen stimulant
Carthamus Tinctorium (Safflower) Seed Oil - moisturizer
Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract - antioxidant
Cola Acuminata Seed Extract - similar to caffeine, depuffing
Propylene Glycol - emollient, humectant
Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract - astringent
Isobutylparaben - preservative
Butylparaben - preservative
Water - I can't believe water is last?? why even bother?


Image courtesy of sephora.com

Product Review: Nars Lipliner in Jungle Red

I love the names nars comes out with. This is traditional lip pencil, feels very creamy when warmed and is INCREDIBLE for making lips last. Of all the lipliners out there, using this I found that even after eating a whole lot of the color still stayed on (and stayed absolutely perfect if I didn't eat). Jungle red is a warm, classic red (I can't imagine who it would look bad on). My favorite lipliners.

Product Review: Lancome Color Fever Gloss in Mercury Rising

I LOVE this applicator. It looks like a fuzzy extraction lance and is AMAZING to apply with. Mercury rising is a true neutral red with gold flecks, the color payoff is about halfway through, not lipstick level, and not sheer.

Lasting power is actually super impressive considering this is a creamy gloss, definitely not nearly as sticky as most, and WOOT! Moisturizing and glassy shine.

Awesome, addictive stuff.