Hard Candy

Whilst waiting for my prescription to be filled I sometimes wander the beauty aisle (other times I snag a tabloid from the magazine section and get comfy on a bench).  My wandering brought me to Hard Candy.  I associate this brand with my teenage years (I checked they began back in 1995).  Hard Candy was unattainable to me then (it was beyond my Bonne Bell budget and non-pink nail polish was frowned upon by my mom at the time).

I walked away with their Just Face It (their "featherweight" foundation).  My shade turned out to be 777, how lucky am I?  Pros: For guessing on my shade, it turned out right.  A little goes a long way with this as well and it blends nicely too.  Cons: The pump quit pumping within a week...bummer, but whatev I'm not above unscrewing the lid.

I also picked up their 1,000 lashes mascara in Divine Purple.  Oh yeah, I did it...purple mascara (my inner 15 year old was stoked!).  It's really subtle, just a little hint in the right light.  Pros: Subtle enough for everyday, not at all clumpy. Cons: None that I've found.

Who do you wear makeup for?

The other day the Yahoo homepage had an article up regarding make up looks men love...curiosity got the best of me and I read the super lame yahoo article (and you can too if you like), but I will sum it up.

1. They like "au naturel" ...isn't that what most guys say?  I personally like the a natural look, but to me that means a little BB cream and some translucent powder to set it...and maybe a little mascara.  I feel like it evens out my skin tone and gives me the SPF that my skin needs.  I rarely go out without anything.

2. A "smoky eye", how vague is that? There are so many variations on the smoky eye look to even be sure what any one person means by that.

3. "Light eyes/light lips" one guy said he liked "light sparkly eye shadow" well, ok for this one I do get that Metallic shadows are on the way in.

4. "Rocker-Chic Eyes" In my opinion that would be one of the smoky eye variation I was speaking of before.

5. "Minimal Makeup" or what I would call a natural look.

6. "A bit of blush" another version of a natural look.

7. "Bold lip color" speaks for itself, okay.

8. "Subtle Glow" natural look and bronzer.

I don't know what guys they interviewed.  I don't know what the article hoped to accomplish.  I just know that when I put my makeup on in the morning I do it for me,  I want to like how I look when I walk out of the house.  If someone happens to compliment me so much the better but I'm not putting on my makeup to please these guys.

Do you care what others think of your makeup look?  What's your daily look? 

what I gave and got

For work we did the "Secret Santa" thing and I got a cozy little throw blanket and a Starbucks card, for my gift I picked up a little set Lush...unfortunately it went to the only male in our office...who opted to pass it on to his brother's girlfriend (I hope she liked it, I loved the scent of the soap and body wash and liked the idea of the scrub).  I thought it might go over better in a female centric office but perhaps next year I'll go for champagne or movie tickets. Oh well live and learn.    I think the simple fact that I'm planning on what I might do next year at the office party is a good sign, I really do enjoy my new job.

My mom got me the Sexy Little Stowaways set from Benefit, okay so I chose it but whatevs.  Minis of faves and new things to try! I like the Stay Don't Stray primer, Bad Gal Lash is always a good choice, and I've been using the It's Potent eye cream. Tried out the "Pore fessional" and Hoola (bronzer) this morning and got to say I'm a fan.  I realized just how much Benefit I've been using lately too, love their products and their cheeky packaging too.

I got my mom the Remington iLight Pro, an at home laser dealy.  We'll see how it goes.  There were super mixed reviews with this and the No-no (which was what she was originally looking at) and also the Tria.  This one seemed to have the most affordable replacement parts. 

How was your Christmas?  Best of, worst of?  Always love to hear from you!

pretty lovely lashes (updated 5/30)

Oh mascara, it is one of my favorite things to purchase and/or receive as a sample.  I love new mascara like I love new toothbrushes (I have a weird thing about new toothbrushes, I guess I like them super fresh...whatevs).

My current favorites

• Lancome's Hypnose Doll Lashes: the pointy end helps get the outside, inside and bottom lashes.
• Benefit "They're Real!": Makes lashes look super long, and has a little round end to add a little extra wherever you need it. 
• Buxom: Full and very natural looking. 

These are my yet-to-be-tried mascaras:

• Tarte's Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara, I like other Tarte products with their Amazonian Clay, so it might be worth a try.
• Benefit's Bad Gal in Plum, it's been a while since I've had a colored mascara and Benefit doesn't usually let me down.

Handy mascara tip: When you first pull the wand from the tube, gently wipe the tip on the back of your hand. This will help to avoid getting any excess on your face (like near the bridge of your nose or near the inner corners.

mascara favorites by tamorama featuring a tarte mascara

Update: Make any mascara waterproof (please note, that I have not tried this out. I just wanted to share the info)

http://www.mybeautybunny.com/anastasia-beverly-hills-lash-genius-review/