Bombshell Lite

You guys, pincurling my hair is my new obsession. Still perfecting my technique, but I still really love the results. Since my hair had me feeling kind of like a vixen but in a sweet sort of way, I decided to do a pared-down version of the shimmery, lightly smoked eye look from a standard pinup face.

I used “Jet Setting Jennifer,” a sheer chartreuse  shadow all over the lid and blended olive green “All About Alex” into the crease. Both shades are from TheBalm’s Shady Lady Vol. 1 Palette ($39.50). I lined with  Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper ($18) but I actually managed to stop at the lashline before extending into a wing (progress!) and finished off with a coat of Clinique Lash Power Mascara Long-Wearing Formula Black Onyx ($16) which I am actually pretty obsessed with. As a result of my bone structure, I have a really bad problem with raccoon eyes. It’s only gotten worse with age and I always end up with ugly mascara smudges under my eyes about 30 minutes after applying, no matter how waterproof the formula is, and no matter how much concealer and setting powder I use. This is the first mascara that actually stays on my lashes!!! This may not be an issue for everyone, but if you have the same problem I did, this mascara is for you. The absolute best mascara that will not smudge. It lengthens nicely, too!

I wanted just a touch of color on lips, so I stained with a little bit of Nyx Round Case Lipstick in Hero ($3.99), followed by Stila Lip Glaze  in Grapefruit ($22)

Later on I decided I needed more color, so I applied Nyx Matte Lipstick in Alabama ($5.99) over the gloss. This is quickly becoming on of my favorite red lipsticks! By applying this beautiful, vampy matte red over a gloss, I got an equally pretty sheer red glaze. Love it.

My son also stopped by at one point to see what I was doing. Normally he’s all smiles, but tonight he was unimpressed. It was close to bedtime, go figure.

July Ipsy vs. Birchbox Smackdown

Hey hey, it’s subscription box time again! Spoiler alert: No surprise here, but I liked the Ipsy Glam Bag better this month.

So here’s my July Ipsy bag. Oh Ipsy, I love you more all the time. So much more full sized stuff, and there’s always makeup and not just skincare!

It looks like as Ipsy gotten bigger and more popular they’ve been able to add more variety to their monthly selections and everyone isn’t getting identical bags anymore. There isn’t the massive variety that Birchbox provides, but I still enjoy that there’s some element of chance involved.

Nailtini Straight Up Nail Laquer in Mai Tai ($13). OMG you guys, last month I told you how much I love Nailtini and here’s another full sized polish from them! This is a creamy red-orange with no shimmer, and I’ve been looking for a nice orange/coral shade this season. Love, love, love. Ipsy does tend to send stuff from the same brands over and over, but if it’s going to be things like this, I certainly won’t complain. There’s also a special offer this month, 30% off at www.tinibeauty.com with code hot4ipsy through 8/15. From now on, I’ll try to share all of the Ipsy discount codes from each bag! They provide one for every product.

 

POP Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon in Coral Crush ($25 for a set of 6). This starts sheer, but builds nicely into an almost neon peach-tinged pink. The twist-up pencil applicator makes it easy to apply, and the product is surprisingly hard (i.e. not likely to melt in your purse while you’re out in the sun). It’s another solid-stain kind of product, like the Lipstick Queen Oxymoron Gloss that I like so much. I love how light it feels in this hot weather, and the color is really cheerful and flattering.  Get 20% off at www.popbeautycosmetics.com with POPLOVESIPSY now through 8/6.

Sheer.

 Intense!

COOLA Mineral Face SPF 20 Unscented Moisturizer ($36). I like COOLA (another organic line), and their products usually absorb into my skin really nicely and feel light and fresh. Same story here, nice moisturizer and you know I can’t get enough of my SPF products (which is why a lot of people I meet think I’m younger than I am- that effort pays off, people!). 30% 0ff with code IPSY at www.coolasuncare.com through 7/31.

You guys know I have a well-documented love for BH Cosmetics. Their stuff is cheap and awesome, what’s not to like? Right now they have some cute California-themed  palettes on their site for $17.95 (they remind me of the vintage versions of the Stila tavel palette series), and this is a sampler with one full-sized shade from each palette. The colors are so pretty! I’m super excited to try them. (PS, if you use the code IPSY at BH’s site through 8/31, you get 10% off).

Sexy Hair Weather Proof Humidity Resistant Spray ($18.95). Nice! I don’t do my hair often, but Sexy Hair is usually pretty good and a humidity proof hairspray is definitely the one my frizzy hair needs. I’ll be trying this out the next time the weather gets muggy. This one has an Ulta code – $5 off a $25 Sexy Hair purchase with code 108723 through 8/15.

Finally, I thought I’d share another cool thing about ipsy– they provide discounts for ALL of that month’s products, not just the ones you received. That means if you missed out on something that you really wish you’d gotten, you can still check it out for less than retail. I think that’s really cool! This month, the only product that I didn’t get but would still recommend is the Demeter Fragrance. If you haven’t checked Demeter out, you should. They have a huge array of unusual one-note perfumes (like fresh laundry, or a wet garden). I’ve ordered from these guys before, the scents make great gifts and are fun just for the novelty value. I even have one of their gin and tonic scented soaps in my bathroom right now. Get 20% off at www.demeterfragrance.com with code IPSYDFL20 through 8/31.

Onward! The July Birchbox featured:

Ojon damage reverse™ Instant Restorative Hair Serum ($25). This promised to fight frizz and condition my hair, and I think it worked! I like hair serums, although it’s important not to over-do it. This oil felt really light in my hands and wasn’t greasy or heavy on my hair. See for yourself- here is a before and after with my first-thing-in-the-morning hair.

Oh no.

Smoother!

Birchbox Bobby Pins – ($5 for a set of  6) These are cute! I like them and they grip REALLY tightly. I’ll probably use them to securely pin my messy updos since they seem to hold really well. You can see them above.

(MALIN+GOETZ) bergamot body wash ($18). I took my shower before bed, so I didn’t get a chance to try this product this morning. I did open the bottle and it smelled good in that herbal, slightly medicinal kind of way (like an Aveda shampoo, or a Riccola cough drop). Kind of clove-ish? I don’t really buy body washes because I am thrifty (read: poor), but I think I would buy this if I were not sure a scrub. $18 seems like a fair price for a nice body wash, and it makes your shower feel more luxurious.

Benefit Ultra Radiance Facial Re-hydrating Mist ($26). These mists always seem silly to me, but I’ll admit that it did feel really nice and I like these spritzes whenever BB sends them. It’s a refreshing little luxury, it just seems like a really 1% kind of thing to use. Maybe I’m reading too much into it. I think it worked, though. What do you think, does my skin look dewy and radiant?

I feel good about it. Maybe there’s something to this mist thing.

Pür Minerals CC Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 40 ($38). Of all the samples, I was most excited about this product. I used to wear Pür’s pressed foundation and I really loved it. Such a great product. Unfortunately, the CC cream did not work for me. It covered well enough, but it felt kind of thick in my pores, like it wouldn’t quite absorb. After blending it in for what seemed like an eternity, it did even my skintone, but gave my skin a gross textured matte finish that made my skin look really rough. I was like wearing a really thin mud mask. I tried spritzing on more of the Benefit mist to make my skin look softer, but eventually I just had to wash it all off. I would NOT recommend this one.

   Alright from a distance, but…
EW. Up close, my forehead looks crunchy.

Here’s the thing- Birchbox isn’t bad, it’s just much more utilitarian. They often send me things that I can and do use, just not things I would ever buy for myself because they aren’t “fun.” And the often boring-but-useful samples combined with what amounts to a $5 store credit per box is totally worth the net cost of $4 per box. It’s actually kind of nice since I do use everything, I just wish it were more EXCITING. I’ve adjusted my profile a little to hopefully start getting makeup again so the boxes will be a little more fun for the rest of the year.

Bardot-Meets-Rockabilly-Pinup Hair and Makeup

Today I started with my hair and let the rest fall into place. For the last year I’ve been slowly  trying new things with my hair. My hair is thick, wavy and extremely frizzy, so my few attempts to style have historically been frustrating disasters that end up with me giving up and falling back into a ponytail. I’ve decided that this can’t continue and I’ve been experimenting a lot with mixed results. Branching out is good, though, so I’d rather take a few risks than end up stuck in a ponytail rut forever.

Last night I slept with my hair in pincurls and while not perfect, the results were fun and looked good enough for a first try, but it was still frizzy. I decided why fight nature? I piled my hair into a messy, curly, crazy Brigitte Bardot-inspired updo with a fun red ribbon bow headband. I’m still obviously figuring things out, but I really enjoy learning more about hair.

As messy as I wanna be.

So enough about hair, here’s the makeup. I mixed OCC Lip Tars in Electric Grandma and Kava Kava ($18 each)  for a peachy-pink neutral lip, then paired it with an 60’s style cut-crease smoky eye and extra big eyeliner. Brigitte tended to line around her entire eye, but that is often unflattering on my close-set eyes, so I made up my own version by smudging a warm brown eyeshadow along the outer lower eyelid in place of harsh liner. The shadow is all from  TheBalm Nude ‘Tude Palette ($36). I used several shadows to create a multi-dimensional look, including Sassy, Stubborn, Sultry, Sophisticated and Sexy. You probably noticed that the cut crease is a little smudgy and imperfect, but that’s more authentic to how makeup used to apply back in the day.

The liner is  NYX Collection Noir Black Liquid Liner ($5.99) and I added a coat of Diorshow Mascara ($25). I’m also wearing the pink blush from Urban Decay’s Naked Flushed ($30). I think the whole thing has kind of a rockabilly feel when all is said and done. I’m into it.

Bloglovin!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin!

Hey guys, this is more of a PSA than anything, but I  wanted to give you all a heads up about Bloglovin’ if you aren’t using it yet. I personally use it to keep up with all of my favorite blogs in one place and it’s really the only way I keep up with anything. Disregard this if you’re already using it, but please check it out if not! I’d love to stay in touch.

Red White and Blue Starry Fourth of July Nails

In honor of Independence Day, I did a patriotic American flag manicure. I don’t have great coordination, so I kept it simple, using Wet n Wild Wild Shine Nail Color in French White Creme 449C ($.99), Nailtini Straight Up Color Nail Laquer in Bloody Mary ($13) on my fingers and SEPHORA X The Cosmics Nail Polish in Cold Hearted ($11.50) on my thumbs. I sprinkled some iridescent stars from the NPW Nail Art Sequin Wheel ($4) and sealed with a coat of Hollywood Reporter from my Jenna Hipp x Costco nail set ($15).

Have a fantastic fourth!