Lip Liner Swatches

I own a grand total of 4 lip liners. One was an Elizabeth Arden PWP with the Leopard Chic box, one is my old Wet 'n Wild #666, which I never liked. The other two are by Essence and were recent purchases because I needed something to finish out the free shipping minimum purchase at Ulta. I like the Taupe well enough, and Honey Bun is what I'd hoped the WNW would have been. Cute Pink isn't bad, it is a little bright. I never cared for drugstore pencils, they are usually hard to apply, but the Essence pencils are as smooth as the Elizabeth Arden, so I'll probably buy more when I order again from Ulta. Anyway, the swatch was photographed with an overhead light and the flash on:

Urban Decay's The Feminine Palette swatches

The sun finally came out, so I decided to photograph swatches of Urban Decay's The Feminine Palette, which was recently on sale at Sephora for $19.00. The palette is 6 eye shadows and a 24/7 liner in black (Zero). The shadows are Stray Dog, SWF, Midnight Cowboy, Aquarius, Darkhorse, and Ecstasy. I'm a neutral kind of girl, so Stray Dog and Darkhorse are my favorites from the group. Midnight Cowboy is a very pretty shade, but it has big chunks of glitter that rain down on my cheeks. They do brush off fairly easy, and I like the look of a little glitter. The colors aren't especially pigmented, even though they look bright. I had to use several applications to get the colors to appear dark enough to photograph well.

On the hand with several coats:

On the inner arm with less color applied:

Aura Cacia Grapeseed Oil

I discovered grapeseed oil in 2006 or so. I don't remember where I found out about it, but I stopped using commercial anti-acne cleansers and stated cleaning my face with the oil. My face stopped breaking out. I haven't had a major breakout since. Sometimes I try new products and I will get some bumps, so I know it isn't strictly hormonal. Grapeseed oil, either food grade or cosmetic grade (with vitamin e) is a staple. It is lighter than olive oil, it is more like a toner, so I don't look greasy. It is wonderful as an eye makeup remover, no stinging, no itchy eyes, no chemicals. And it is less than $5.00 for 4 oz. I used to buy the food-grade tin, it was, like, almost a gallon for about $10, but that is too much to store, and, unless you cook with it, it can turn rancid before you can use it up (but you can share with others, I gave some to my cousin to help with rosacea). So, I usually buy Aura Cacia's. I actually prefer this to the foodgrade, because the food grade can have a foody smell. The company is cruelty free, and is mostly available at healthy food stores, and online.

blow mane tame soft pomade

Another nice surprise in my Allure Beauty Box (wish I'd ordered 2!), Blow Hair Care's Mane Tame has quickly become a new favorite. Never heard of the brand before this, but I look forward to trying the rest of their line. The Mane Tame is a light-ish styling paste, and it is not sticky, and not oily. I like it for my bangs, I apply it and shape them around my face. It does not get flaky, or make the hair look dread locked, it just adds a bit of weight where needed. The company is cruelty free,. The 2oz jar is $22 at Ulta, but a little goes a long way. It has a very light fragrance, it smells like a nice body lotion, rather than hair goo.

Would I repurchase? YES
Would I recommend to others? YES
Stars? 5 of 5, no flaws to note

John Frieda Full Repair Protecting Root Lift Foam

I didn't think I'd like this, because until it dried, my hair felt kind of sticky. But it really adds volume, and I love volume. I'm a big-haired girl, but not naturally, of course. I think I look better with fluffy hair, and have several different kinds of hot rollers and hot air brushes. After using this root lifter, I actually have the hair I use the curling products to achieve. Not tight curls, but wavy and textured. I've used mousse and root lifters and perms in the past, and this gives me the look I'm looking for. I get the look, without the work. So far, I've used this on naturally dried hair, but I look forward to trying it when I actually style my hair. I could just go like this, and I probably will, which is a nice change from my drab, flat undone 'do which never looks like a real style, unless it is curled....

Would I repurchase? YES
Would I recommend to others? YES
Stars? 5 of 5 (it is light, and doesn't make hair crunchy, adds a lot of volume, the fragrance is very pleasant and light).

Oscar Blandi Pronto Invisible Volumizing Dry Shampoo Spray

This is another item from Allure's Beauty Box. It is my first dry shampoo, and I am really impressed. Most reviews for most dry shampoos led me to think they were merely baby powder in spray form. This isn't powdery, it is a spray that doesn't make the hair wet or coated with a film. It is like a can of air, almost. It smells good--kind of cirtusy, very clean smelling. I usually have to wash my hair every day, but I haven't washed my hair since the night the box arrived this past Wednesday, and I don't look like I need to wash my hair. It feels like it needs a wash, but it looks fine. I've used the spray once or twice a day, and sometimes I've mixed it up with another dry shampoo Allure sent--Ambiance Volumizing Dry Shampoo Shampoo in Brunette. Unlike the Oscar Blandi, Ambiance is a powder. It comes in a brush/bottle and it is dark enough to blend in with my brown hair. I like them both, and would probably repurchase, especially the Oscar Blandi. The only negatives are the spray can wouldn't last long if I used it every day, and the 5oz can is $23. For the powder, the cap is hard to put on over the brush. No negatives otherwise.

Would repurchase? YES to Both
Would I recommend to others? Yes to Both
Stars? 5 of 5 (on Both)

PIXI Silky Eye Pen

Not sure why this pencil is $14 at Target. Mine came in the Allure Beauty Box. They sent the Black Blue shade, and it is incredibly pretty. It looks black, from a distance. Up close it is a very dark sapphire, the most beautiful sapphire ever, actually. Too bad about the lack of staying power, especially along the lower waterline. It was mostly gone within a couple hours. Again, not sure why it is $14, which is almost what Urban Decay's pencils cost (the 24/7 liners are $18). The pencil goes on soft enough, most drugstore pencils I've tried (eye & lip) have been too hard to even get the line to form. The weird thing about this pencil is that I can feel it on my lids, it feels like plastic, or something, it makes my eyes feel watery, which is probably why it wears off so quick. Oh, it also needs sharpening right away, like after each eye, almost.


Would repurchase? NO
Would I recommend to others? NO
Stars? 1 of 5 (for the color)

Ambiance Transforming Cleanser

Transformed my usually clear skin into a splotchy mess. I have several red bumps on and along my nose, and my skin feels tender, and itchy. That was with just one use. So I will use this cleanser as a hand soap, and not a face soap.

Would I repurchase? NO
Would I recommend to others? Maybe, if you like an oil cleanser, and are not acne-prone.
Stars? 3 of 5 if used as a hand cleanser (it is non-drying and makes my hands soft).

Joico K-Pak Revitaluxe Bio Advanced Restorative Treatment

The Allure Beauty Box featured a 5.1 oz tube of Joico K-Pak Revitaluxe Bio Advanced Restorative Treatment, and I tried it last night, after my last post. It is really good. My hair is like silk, and it was like silk even while it was wet. My hair is straight and fairly thick, and it takes a long time to air dry or blow dry. I air dried it last night, and it seemed almost dry before I took the towel off. There were no tangles, and I didn't need a brush to style. It is very swingy, and soft, and lightly fragranced. A little goes a long way, but it isn't so thick that it doesn't spread on the hair. My hair is in good condition, I usually use a blow dryer and hot rollers. I recently added a flat iron to the routine, but I only use that to curl my bangs, because I haven't gotten the hang of curling the rest. The tutorials make it look easier than it is.


Anyway, Joico is cruelty free. From their website:

No Animal Testing
Joico is committed to providing high quality safe products. Joico Laboratories does not use animal tests to confirm the safety of Joico products. Safety of Joico products is assured by using safe raw materials and where applicable, confirming safety by testing via patch tests with human volunteers under a physican.s supervision and using non-animal alternative tests.

So that means I will be buying another tube! You can buy smaller samples on eBay, if you'd like to try before you buy.

The website is currently having a sweepstakes to win a Burton Snowboard Package, worth $500. You can enter here.


Would repurchase? YES
Would I recommend to others? Yes
Stars? 5 of 5 (no negatives to note)

Allure Beauty Box

I ordered the box on November 25, and it arrived today. That isn't too bad. Before it arrived, I'd had feelings of buyer's remorse, not really sure that I would use or like anything that is in it.

The buyer's remorse is gone now that it is in my hot little hands. The only things I know I won't use are the Cetaphil Cleanser and the NYX Fly With Me mascara, so I gave those to my cousin. The only things I've tried so far is the Ambiance Transforming cleanser, Ambiance Wrinkle Reduction Serum, and Johnson's Cocoa & Shea Butter Creamy Baby Oil. Love the baby oil--it smells soft, absorbs instantly and is non-greasy. The cleanser has a strong fragrance, which is a bit overwhelming at first. It is an oil that you massage on, then add water with your hands after about a minute. It is non-drying, and easy to rinse. I don't notice any ill effects, I can usually tell if something will break me out with the first use. I'm not feeling any wariness irritation, but we'll see in the next week or so. The anti-wrinkle serum absorbs, or drys out, almost instantly and does not leave a film. I've tried it around my eyes, not wanting to use it everywhere, just yet. I spritzed the Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo in my hair to check the fragrance, and it smells ok, it is kind of citrusy and reminds me of Lemon Pine-Sol.

The box is $29.99, and you get 15 full-size products. The Vichy Proeven Dark Spot Corrector is over $40 by itself. With shipping and taxes, my box came to $43.68 (43.68 divided by 15 items=$2.91 each). I prefer to buy Cruelty Free products, and several of these are not from cruelty free companies. If I like something that isn't cruelty free, I won't repurchase.

4 weeks and 5 days

That is how long it took to get my GogoGirlfriend sample box. It finally arrived--I got the lame November box, no extras for having to wait almost 6 weeks. My assortment has the Camille Beckman 5 piece gift set in Mango Beach, Oluv Fresh Face and Body scrub (no way would I use it on my face--it is extremely rough, it is like a sugar scrub. It also leaves a layer of grease on the skin. I tried it on my hands, and they do feel very soft, but I wouldn't sacrifice other body parts. I got the Issey Miyake fragrance sample vial, and the E.L.F. Crease Brush, and the Blossoms Mineral Eye Shadow, and the Crystal Essence Natural deodorant Towelette. The only thing I'd really consider buying is the towelettes, but I won't be buying them from Gogo girlfriend. The Camille Beckman set is TINY, at first, seeing the small size of the mailing box, I thought they hadn't sent it, but they did. The boxed set measures about 3" by 5". The 3 bottles are 1oz each, and the pots are 1/4oz. It is supposed to be a $10-$12 value (whaaa????). The smell is inexpensive, I wish they would have sent the vanilla. There was nothing in the box that would make me regret cancelling my account. Would not repurchase my GGG subscription, and would not recommend to others.

Gogogirlfriend review

By now, I should have reviewed my first GogoGirlfriend sample box, but I haven't received it yet. It has been a month since I paid for my subscription, but get nothing but the runaround when it comes to getting what I paid for. Oh, I forgot, you pay $12.99 for the "subscription" to their website (yea, what?), and the sample boxes are "free" (yea, what?). Since I can't review the samples, I'll review the company. I've cancelled my account. They refused to issue a refund for my 1st order, which is set to ship "next week." In one email they could only say it would ship "soon." I get replies to my emails, but no information. Basically, from other online reviews, a lot of other ladies are getting the same delay, and the same story, that the particular month's holidays are the culprits causing the delays (no matter the month, and no matter the holiday). They don't have anything I'd buy the full sizes of anyway. For $12.99 I could go to Big Lots or Avon and get a bunch of stuff to tinker with. FYI: My local Big Lots has Revlon nail polishes 2 for $2.00 (they are sold in a pack of 2). I could have bought 6 bottles of nail polish for that $12.99 I wasted on GogoGirlfriend.

Holiday Pretty

Oh, I love this tutorial! Love the before face, love the after. Definitely going to give this look my best shot. :-)