Mid-December has arrived and so has my December “Celebration” ipsy bag! I was away when it arrived and the temperature outside that day in MA was 3 degrees! I was afraid the makeup was going to freeze and break. My friend Kim was kind enough to go out in the snowstorm and take it out …
Ponds Luminous Finish BB+
A few weeks ago, I received a sample of Ponds Luminous Finish BB+ in the mail, along with a coupon for $1.50. Did you get it, too? Not sure how I got on that mailing list, but thank you very much Unilever! Yesterday morning, I was in a rush and didn’t put on any makeup …
LUSH Santa’s Lip Scrub: Buy This Adorable Stocking Stuffer!
LUSH, the “fresh handmade cosmetics” bath & body store with the great colors and scents, is the perfect place to stop for last minute little gifts and stocking stuffers. I am not immune to its siren song, and I stopped in last week when I was at the mall. If you follow my blog, you …
Crown HD Brush Set
My first set of full-size makeup brushes! My previous assortment consisted of random makeup brushes I acquired from here, there and everywhere: a couple of good, natural brushes that came with Bare Minerals foundation, a natural eye shadow brush I bought somewhere, a Sonia Kashuk bent-neck eyeliner brush, an angled eyeliner brush that came from …
Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick Holiday Set
I can’t sleep. I’m often up until 3am. For some reason, I get a second wind at 11pm. Actually, I’m just a night owl. And I hate to get up early. Because I’m self-employed, I don’t usually have to get up early. So my late night habits persist. But I did wake up early …
Radiant Orchid: Pantone Color of 2014
Last week, Pantone, the color experts, introduced the Color of 2014, Radiant Orchid — a mixture of pink, raspberry, purple, plum, and fuschia. (At least that’s what I think it’s a mixture of.) Radiant Orchid is quite different from the trend of the last couple of years – emerald, tangerine — because it’s softer. I …
Tightlining Your Eyes: Do You Do It?
One way to make your eyes look bigger and more pronounced in a more subtle way is to tightline your eyes. Some people call tightlining “invisible eyeliner”. Actually, tightlining is a technique that makes your lashes look fuller, so you actually have more of a no makeup or less makeup look, while still drawing attention …
Future Beauty: Avant-Garde Japanese Fashion Peabody Essex Museum
Two weeks ago, Jeff and I went to see the Maritime Impressionism show at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem MA. It was a terrific show of marine paintings and works on paper by Monet, Caillebotte, Sisley, Signac, and others, that were mostly from private collections and smaller museums. Wonderful to see works that I’ve …
Lumene Time Freeze CC Anti-age Color Correcting Cream
The alphabet soup of foundation alternatives continues. I seem to be accumulating quite a collection. BB creams or beauty balms that provide moisturizer, primer, sunscreen, and medium coverage are still a key part of my routine. My favorite BB cream is Dr. Jart Premium. It comes in a single light shade with a whitish cast …
Obsessive Compulsive Lip Tar All-Star Mini Set
Back in the summer, I wrote a post about a shade of lipstick from Obsessive Compulsive Lip Tar- Anika – a pale peach that made me think of Julie Christie’s lipstick from the late 1960s. But I ended up not loving the shade on me, and as a result, I didn’t end up buying it after …
GIVEAWAY: Milani Makeup & Lip-Shaped Makeup Cases!
The holidays are here, and what better time for a makeup giveaway from Milani! I am so excited about this giveaway because I love, love, love these lip-shaped makeup cases filled with gorgeous …
Butter London Nail Polishes
Several weeks ago, I entered a giveaway on Cosmetics Aficionado‘s beauty blog to win a limited edition, sold out, MAC RiRi Diamonds Cream Colour Base (a face shimmer cream, highlighter product). To my absolute shock, I won! Leticia of CA was incredibly generous, and she tucked a couple of extras in with my prize. One …
Victoria Emerson Wrap Bracelet: Great Affordable Holiday Gift
I have too much jewelry…said no woman ever. I pretty much always quickly eyeball the Groupon and Living Social deals sitting in my inbox. Most of the time, I pass on the offers. But I think it was Living Social that had a 20% off coupon, so I looked a little more carefully. I noticed …
Hada Labo Tokyo Anti-aging Hydrator: More of the Good Stuff
Hada Labo Tokyo was new to me. I saw a post/ad for it on Facebook, and it quickly got my attention. Hada Labo Tokyo is a Japanese skincare brand, created in 2004 by Rohto Pharmaceuticals, a company that began in 1899 in Osaka as a family drugstore. The Hada Labo Tokyo line is sold in …
Crocheted Vintage Look Infinity Scarf
I learned how to crochet when I was 17 at camp. I crocheted from time to time in college, and then pretty much stopped for more than 20 years. A few years ago, I took it up again. I’ve been making hats, ponchos, shawls, scarves, and even a couple of sweaters. Crocheting takes a lot …