Tuesday Links 4/12/11 (Dad's birthday)

First off, today is my Dad's birthday and he's pretty much the best Dad in the world. I will readily and happily admit to being a Daddy's girl. He doesn't know I have a blog and would certainly skip a beauty product blog, but happy day to him anyway!


Now, on to Tuesday's links! They are pretty paltry this week. Not much of interest in the bloggy world!

A little jolt of confidence and learning how to stop saying "Can't" from Already Pretty...Can't Wear That

Frugal Fashionista pick of the week (mainly because I'm loving her hair) Emma Roberts in Beverly Hills

For my new mom friends (or anyone who might be looking less radiant from lack of sleep) 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic's review of Make Up Forever Uplight (note, I have tried products like this before. They actually work well but you MUST keep a light hand when applying to avoid looking like you have reflective glitter on your face)

Sadly, that is all for the week! Happy Tuesday, I have some actual product reviews coming shortly...

Link Tuesday

What do you all think about "Link Tuesday"? I always see really great links to share with you in my perusal of the internet. So Tuesday seemed a good a day as any to share! So the first ever "Tuesday links" are:

How To: Beachy Waves photo tutorial from Cupcakes and Cashmere (The tip about not closing the clip on the curling iron was something I had not thought of!!)

And while we're at it...what curling iron to choose from Beauty Bets (the quick answer from the comments section...Hot Tools 1.5")

Here's a killer Nordstrom beauty gift with purchase from Beauty Blogging Junkie

My fav Frugal Fashionista outfits of the past week: Gwyneth and Nikki

And last on the beauty links, a slideshow from Glamour Mag's Girls in the Beauty dept on Spring's 5 best new hairstyles (I'm liking the long waves, but not digging that slick-back look at the end)

Unrelated beauty note #1: Grown up jello shots. Fantastic idea, IMO.

And on a totally unrelated beauty note...who has read the Hunger Games? I totally bashed (and continue to bash) all the Twil-hards, and now I'm all up IN the Hunger Games and can't WAIT for the movie. Karma's a bitch, huh? :) Anywho. They've cast the lead roles; Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss (which I haven't decided if I'm ok with or not), and now these two dudes as Peeta and Gale. Um, I'm not sure I'm feeling this. I kinda like the look of Peeta but are they going to dye his hair blond (and J. Lawrence's black, for that matter)? And the guy playing Gale was in Miley Cyrus's last movie...not a good sign in my book. What are your thoughts Hunger Games fans?

Game changer

I love products, I think they are all super fun and will test anything you give me. Rarely though, do I find something that is a total game changer. I have posted before about my shoe situation and how working from home has turned me into a wuss when I wear any kind of normal shoes. My solution then was to use First-aid tape, described in THIS POST.  Now, I still stand by this and still use it. Usually it works like a charm, but here's the problem. If the tape comes off and you get a blister, or you don't tape a part of your foot and get a blister then you can't use the tape. You can't put this stuff over an open wound, it's bad news. Usually my back-up is Band-aids, which work but can come off or not provide enough cushion. Or worse, I don't have a Band-aid on hand. Anyone who has suffered through walking with a blister knows that you would almost CUT YOUR FOOT OFF than continue to walk. Which is the point I had come to when I walked to my boss's office for a meeting the other day and asked for a bandage, cause I was dying.

Enter in quite possibly the world's greatest product (well, for feet at least). Band-aid advanced healing blister bandages. These.things.are.awesome. I put this one and almost fell over I was so happy. They are so awesome I want everyone in the world to know about them, cause no one should be denied them. Shall I go down the bullet-list of great things?

Photo: www.bandaid.com

 

 

 

 

1. They last for days. DAYS. I ran in one, showered, ran again, walked to and from work in Nash (in the cold rain), wore heels, wore flats, ran errands, etc. It didn't budge or get gross.
2. It actually heals the blister! Helpful, right?
3. They are flesh-toned, so no one will ever know you have it on. (That's the one bad thing about tape or band-aids, it can sometimes look tacky with your shoes)
4. They are like a gel, so they have much more cushion than a Band-aid or tape, so you can even wear one preemptively, say if you know you are going to wear shoes that could cause a blister. They nip that right in the bud.
5. The drugstores and basically all brands have a version, so you don't have to search. They all cost about $4.50 to $5.00 a pack and come in various sizes.

My boss said she never leaves for a conference without them. I will NEVER be without these from now on. I will continue to use tape and Blisterblock for short-term activities, but these are really the best option for work and working out (any runners out there? These are fantastic for running, guys or girls). I really can't say enough nice things. I HIGHLY recommend. 10+ stars!

Sample spree

This is the world's most boring and shortest post, BUT just an FYI, if you need anything from Sephora, order online this week and you can pick 5 free samples out of any skincare product line. They are small samples, but hey. If there is some $70 cream you've been DYIN to try, now would be a good time! Ends April 5th.

Happy Wednesday!

We need to chat about E.L.F. For reals.

Time to end the bloggy silence of the past few weeks. So I have blogged before about E.L.F. (eyes lips face), but never really got around to trying their products. For those who didn't read the old post, the premise of this company is that every product is $1. That's it. Good quality, LOOOOWW price. What's not to like, right? Anywho, they caught my eye in Target a few times, but I'm like a child in there easily distracted by shiny things (read: cheap clothes, swimsuits, handbags, candles, home decor, etc etc. You know how it goes down in Target. You know.). However, my trip Friday night I couldn't resist this nail set...for FIVE DOLLARS. 5...dollars....:
 

I mean, shut up. One BOTTLE of OPI is $9 on sale. And these colors are totally with the trends of the season (two pastels, a coral, and two purplish pinks)...FOR FIVE DOLLARS. (Obviously I'm impressed with this price point)


Anyway, I bought it. When I got home I thought, "I'll bet these are going to be crappy quality" You know what? They really aren't at all! As you can see in the pics below, the bottle width is thinner than NARS, but no smaller overall than other nail polishes. The colors on my nails below are one coat only. I apologize for the photo quality, but just take my word for it that I am DYING over the pastel blue and purple and that coral orange on my middle finger. I'm having a hard time not changing my polish daily. The brushes make an even coat, and when I did my normal clear base, two coats, and top coat on my toes with the blue, it turned out just fine. I was complimented numerous times today on my pedicure color, so that's a great sign. On my nails I might do three coats, but for the price you can afford to do as many coats as you want.

All in all, I'm impressed. I really wondered about the quality with the price point, but have been pleasantly surprised. I plan to try out some of the other products. For a dollar each, you can really try EVERYTHING and not feel the least bit bad about throwing it out if you hate it. Let me know in the comments if any of you have tried this brand! If they keep throwing out products like this, they are definitely going to have a new fan-girl on their hands!!

E.L.F. is available online and at Target.


P.S. I edited the blog text, layout, etc today. I know most people are probably reading through RSS feed, but if you aren't and the new text/layout/etc is hard to read, PLEASE let me know. I like the way it looks but the readers preferences trump my decisions! Let me know!

Not that I want you all to compete with me but...

Holy MOLY look at the giveaway from Beauty Blogging Junkie. I really want this all for myself, but I had to share. Click the link to her post HERE to read all about the bajillion things (51=a bajillion in the giveaway world) she is giving away and follow the instructions if you'd like a chance to win.

I might fall over if I win, just a heads up.

Winter vaca 2011...aka how I saved my skin

Hi all. Sorry as usual for the lack of posts, I actually have quite a few products I want to comment on, but haven't had the time! Hopefully the next month or so I will get better about it. (I do say this every month don't I? Well. Here's hoping).

Enough rambling. I wanted to share with you a pretty old school product that basically saved my face on my vacation. T and I just returned from our week-long ski trip to Steamboat Springs, CO. It was absolutely fabulous, and I am very depressed to be home and working again. However, I do feel better in being a little more prepared this year to deal with the cold, wind, and altitude change! Last year it took about 2 weeks for my skin to recover, but this year I feel normal already! Here's some tips for any winter vacations you may have in the future.

1. Get a humidifier in your hotel room. I know. Any readers outside of the south are probably laughing at me, but whatever. I am Southern through and through, and my skin, sinuses, and eyes just CANNOT handle the dry, cold air. Last year I was miserable by day 2...this year the FIRST thing I did was ask the hotel for a humidifier, which they promptly provided so I must not be the only person in need! I may complain about the humidity when my hair is in full on freak out, but I sure do appreciate it when I'm NOT in the steamy South!

2. Chapstick. Copious amounts. No brainer.

3. Visine. I had two bottles--one in my ski pants pocket and one in the hotel. Again. Copious amounts.

www.walgreens.com $5

4. Aquaphor. This is the old school product but by God, it's GENIUS. It's basically straight Vaseline on your face, but I guarantee you will wake up in the morning with all traces of windburn GONE. Lifesaver this trip. Lifesaver.







 


5. Sunscreen. Just because it's snowing does not mean you don't need sunscreen. I'm in LOVE with Neutrogena Ultra sheer SPF 70. Best. Sunscreen. EVER.








I did not have any of these items last year except the sunscreen, and I was pretty miserable with the dry skin and such by the last day. I was a bit #fail on my hair this trip, it's dry and a bit messed up now so I'm going to work this week on repairing that mess. Maybe next year I'll get skin AND hair down. :)

Now I have officially had my fill of winter...bring it ON Spring!!