Review: Stila stuff

So a little bit ago I posted about the Stila Appreciation Set. Well, I broke down and ordered it. Ok, so first of all it REALLY was a good deal (HELLOOOO? $38 for like $150 of stuff? I couldn't resist that folks, you know that...my inner product junkie couldn't take it). To my surprise, all were full size, not samples like you would get with a bonus. So here's what came with it, and my review in no particular order:

Baked Eye Shadow Trio - Gold Glow: I'm digging it. It may be a little summery, but I can definitely use it. I especially like the darkest color in the trio, which is this cool brown/bronze.

Kajal Eye Liner - Topaz: Ok, so this is a bit of a strange color for eyeliner in my opinion. I'm also super pale, so it may not show up...but I could use it as a creme eye color...these Kajal eyeliners are VERY smudgy. Good in some ways, but a bit difficult to get a precise line. So if you're a precise-line kinda gal, I would go with another liner altogether. I have this liner in charcoal and purple...so I know.

Illuminating Finishing Powder - Rose Gold: This one is fun. It gives my skin a glow. Like the eyeshadow, it may be a bit more summer, but still good stuff!

Lash Visor - Brown: Haven't tried this yet, but looks like pretty standard mascara to me.

Plumping Lip Glaze - Minty Mint: Hm, ok so I'm a little indifferent on this one. Applying is a little messy...and wear is a little messy. It does that whole burn-your-lips-plumping thing like it's supposed to, but I don't think I'll purchase again.

Long Wear Lip - Flushed: I like the lipstick and the way it feels, but not a huge fan of the really light pink...but I wasn't given the option on the color, so oh well. I plan to mix with a darker color, and it should be fine. Feels nice though, almost like SoftLips chapstick.

Pressed Powder - Medium: Cute compact. Plain powder, nothing really special.

Lip Rouge - Pucker: Ummmm....yeah. Not a fan. This I will probably just throw out. It's like a marker, seriously. And the color is this whacked-out fuschia, which just doesn't work for me. And they don't say it but it STAINS your lips...and I mean use make-up remover to get it really off.

Eye Pencil Sharpener: Standard. My old one got lost though, so hey. Not a bad throw-in to the mix!

So. Winner? The powders and eye shadows. Losers? The lipsticks, especially that strange stain.


Disclosure: I bought this myself from Sephora. Pics from www.stilacosmetics.com

Shamelessly stealing...

Ok, so I had to share/steal Amber from Beauty Blogging Junkie's recent post, Advice I'd give to my high school self. Hilarious. She's 29, so she graduated in 1998. Graduating in 1999, I'm right there with her. #1 especially...I was so TRAGIC in high school with my skater-punk-Gwen-Stefani wanna be attempts at clothing, makeup, and hair. In fact, it took me all the way through college to get an ounce of decent beauty and clothing sense. I would post a pic but a) I don't have any electronic at the moment and b) I'm not going to demean myself like that.

Advice to my high school self?
1. Do not cut your hair above your chin. Twice. Trust me.
2. Your jeans do not need to cover your shoes.
3. Don't get your hair cut in M'ville (see #1). And haircuts cost a lot to be good, so pony up the cash.
4. Invest in a cleansing routine BEFORE college and stick with it. And I'm not talking Clean and Clear, hon, I'm talking Clinique. Yes it's expensive...there's a reason.
5. CK One is not the only perfume on the planet. And stop buying your boyfriend Drakkar Noir.
6. You're going to marry the boyfriend at the end of high school, and you know it. So be sweet to him.
7. Buying numerous pairs of Doc Martens will not make you cool like the kids in London. No matter what you think.
8. You can lay out til you can't lay out anymore. You will not be tan...it's your fate. Now get that SPF 30 out.
9. Wet Seal is really not the best store in the mall. Neither is Hot Topic.
10. You wear a size small. Not a large (or worse, XL). This is along the same lines as #2...it's amazing what clothes that fit can actually do for you.

Advice for your high school self? And thanks to Amber for the great idea, I can't take credit. She really has an awesome blog...so check her out!

The many uses of aspirin

So. We know that small doses of aspirin can help those with heart problems. And it also helps those aches, pains, and had-a-little-too-much-wine situations. But, I saw on the Today show this week that it can also be used on zits! Here's what you do.
1. Take the aspirin and grid it up (or I guess you could get Goody's that's already powder).
2. Mix it into a paste.
3. Apply a small amount of the paste directly onto the blemish.
4. Leave for a few minutes, then gently rinse off.

Could work. Aspirin is anti-inflammatory, so it would reduce any swelling. I don't think it's meant to clear the bacteria and grime that CAUSE blemishes (you need salicylic acid for that), but could reduce the appearance when you need it. I may try it out!

Sephora Friends and Family

Sephora is having their friends and family sale from Oct 19-Nov 2. Use code "FF2009" to save 20% on your total purchase. This is good timing...I need some new eyeliner (Stila is my fav brand currently, if you are curious!)
Happy shopping!

Stila Gift Set...AWESOME VALUE

So this came in my email this morning...and I gotta say this is a great deal. I'm thinking about purchasing. I like Stila and use their eyeshadows. ONE eyeshadow trio is $28 just for comparison on this deal. I tell ya, sometimes those annoying product emails really do highlight a great deal. Free shipping this weekend as well.

Uh oh...NARS Holiday

This could be dangerous for me. Rather than repeat, I'll link you to Beauty Blogging Junkie. Those soft touch pencils and eyeshadows are callin my NAME people. Oh NARS why must you do this to me??

Dandelions and Under My Trench Coat

First, try ever so hard not to be uber-jel of my no makeup-wearin, pageboy hat hair, just got home from a road trip, bad laptop camera look. K? Thx...just pay attention to the products..

So some sweet friends got me Sephora gift cards for my bday in August and I FINALLY spent them last weekend. I got Under my Trench coat...which may be my fave fall nail polish of all time. Seriously. It's kind of gray, kind of khaki and goes with every outfit I wore last week. Every one. I have it on my nails in the pic, hopefully you can see the color...if not I previouslt discussed it here. There's a better pic on the Stephanie's Closet blog. It was $9 at Sephora.

Second, I bought this blush called Dandelion from Benefit. It's actually more of a brightener than a blush. It's very light pink. I had it a year or so ago in a little sample kit from Benefit and have been meaning to replenish it ever since I ran out. So I did! It's nice in the fall because it brightens up skin when things get kind of dull and such out. In the summer it just adds to the normal glow. It's $28 at Sephora, which may seem pricey for blush. But the box actually lasts a long time (my sample size, which was 1/4 the size of this one lasted almost a year!) and it comes with a brush.

I also finally got a small travel size of Living Proof for curly hair to test out. So far the verdict is good. I wore it all week, and my hair stayed pretty wavy and looked decent with little curling iron effort in the morning (I only had to touch up the ends before leaving the house). I don't have a pic at the moment. I recommend buying the travel size if you really want to try this brand (they have straightening stuff too) because it is a little expensive...$14 for the travel size alone. But so far, I'm impressed.