A List of My Least Favorite Things:

While sitting in a chair having my eyelashes clamped and curled at school today, I realized that the experience prompts enough anxiety to boost it up to a spot on the list of my least favorite things in life. (I'm considering general circumstances, I know that terrible occurrences like earthquakes, accidents, tornadoes, hurricanes, illness, injustice, poverty, hunger, and similarly heartbreaking things happen every day and are much more serious than anything I am about to list).

As far as my fairly normal list of least (fairly controlled) favorites go, I have a spot reserved for the annual (yes, THAT annual), getting a shot or having blood drawn, going to the dentist, and having my eyelashes clamped inside a metal curling device. I thought of this list while sitting in a chair being made pretty and realized just how much I truly love my Japonesque heated eyelash curler for my own use.

Japonesque Mini Heated Eyelash Curler $16

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I'm still reeling from the lashing!

What route do you prefer to make those lashes perky?

xoxox

August Favorites!

Now that August is no more, it's time to look back at which products helped to fill the thirty-one days with beautifully make-up(ed) memories! My list of favorite products for the month of August are as follows:

Mario Bedescu's Seaweed Night Cream $20

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Available at www.mariobedescu.com, this night cream is a breath of fresh air when my skin is feeling super dry and tight! While I am hesitant to introduce any skincare product into my regimen because my skin is easily affected, the container shone in celestial light when I read, "our smooth and creamy formulation hydrates skin overnight without the use of any oils, perfect for any dehydrated skin type prone to acne or clogging." Ding, ding, ding; we have a winner! To further enhance this product's like-ability, the texture feels delicious on my skin and the scent is non-invasive!

Urban Decay Naked Palette $44

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With their excellent pigmentation, Urban Decay's shadows always top my list of favorite eye colors; add two shades of my favorite eyeliner (Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eyeliner) and the much-praised Eyeshadow Primer Potion and you've got yourself a pot-o-gold at the end of a naked-hued rainbow! This treasure chest of matte, shimmer and glittery shadows has everything that you'll need to create your eye look - day or night! The rave reviews and constant sold-out status make this purchase obvious - even to the naked eye!

Mario Bedescu's Botanical Facial Gel $12

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Though I am loyal to my favorite Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel and make sure to use it every night, I use the Mario Bedescu Botanical Facial Gel when washing other times during the day. This is the perfect cleanser for my current lifestyle (while furthering my makeup education) as I am washing my face more times than would normally be necessary, now that applying and reapplying makeup is an everyday occurrence. I love this cleanser for makeup removal, however, I save the deep clean feeling for evening with my Salicylic/Glycolic PTR Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel.

Make-up Designory Cream Foundation $26

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This Make-up Designory Cream Foundation provides coverage to above-average needs and, well powdered, will last long enough to run laps around foundation contenders.

Other faves that have been featured in my monthly favorite videos and posts but are, nonetheless, worth mentioning again: Smashbox Photo Finish Light Primer, Bare Escentuals Illuminating Mineral Veil, Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel, Clarisonic Mia, Benefit BadGal Lash, and the Japonesque Heated Mini Eyelash Curler.

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What are your current faves?

xoxox

Spring BRUSH Cleaning?

All this beautiful talk about makeup and I seem to get carried away! After buffing, dipping, patting, swiping, stippling, and pressing, a girl's brushes can be quite a mess! How often are you giving your makeup tools a brush bath?

::The room falls silent:: ::shifty-eyed glances survey peers::

Your brushes are showering you with powders, pigments, pinks, plums, and pastels; why not shower them with...uh, well...a shower?

It's important to clean your makeup brushes often to rid them of bacteria that you don't want on your skin. Luckily, the process is not difficult or time consuming, so if you have not been cleaning your brushes regularly, there is no reason not to start now.

For everyday cleaning, opt for a brush spray:

Japonesque's Professional Brush Cleaner $10.99 for 4.25 oz

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Bare Escentuals i.d. Quick Change Brush Cleaner $18 for 3.7 oz

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With both Japonesque's Professional Brush Cleaner and Bare Escentuals' i.d. Quick Change Brush Cleaner, spritz a paper-towel and sweep the ends of your brush against it. You will see the makeup transfer from the brush to the towel and should continue with the process until no makeup remains on the brush.

If your brushes are not limited to your own personal use, cleanse them after each use with a brush cleanser, shampoo, or even dish soap (which I prefer to use because I recall my science teacher claiming that it breaks down phospholipids and cuts grease and oil...though I can't remember what phospholipids are). For a really thorough cleaning, you can cut through the makeup by putting a dime-sized amount of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in your palm and swirling the bristles of your brush in it before cleaning with shampoo, cleanser, or dish soap.

A good deep-cleaning is necessary to keep your brushes and skin in great condition. Though I'd suggest this process daily for shared brushes, if you are the sole-user of your makeup brushes, this kind of cleansing is needed about once a week. Do remember to deep-clean in the evening so that your brushes have time to lay on a towel to dry overnight. Softly squeeze excess water from the bristles and give them a little pat down before tucking them in for the night so that they will dry faster.

Note: Be gentle with fan brushes and others that are not as resilient as our old pal, Mr. Powder Brush AND take care in preserving the shape when laying them to dry.

Everybrushy needs a little TLC.

Hugs & kisses and a pat on the bristles!

xoxox

Product Review: Japonesque Heated Eyelash Curler - A HOT Item!

Again, pun intended.
Though we all know what "they" say about assumptions, let us make an exception; in my case, it is fair to assume that the pun is always intended.

Today I tried out an alternative to the traditional eyelash curler - for those of us who don't particularly care for the traditional metal clamp advancing towards our eyelashes and our pretty lil' peepers. Now we lashclampophobes (that's the clinical term, right?) have an alternative that will spare us lash-curler anxiety attacks - no more fear of the pinch! We all know the pinch.

Japonesque Heated Eyelash Curler (Mini) $16

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How it works: Apply mascara and allow the curler to heat (the package indicates 15 seconds should be sufficient but see what works best for you). Place the wand along your lashes and wiggle it so that they make contact with the heated coil. Then, using the same technique you used to apply your mascara, bring the wand up along your lashes, rotating it as you do. A few passes along your lashes and voila! curl sans crimping or pinching.

For those of you who'd prefer to use a traditional lash curler but haven't fallen in love with one yet, an upcoming Shu Uemura review may be helpful to you...

Sayonara, Sweetheart!

xoxox