just in case....

oh, my forgotten beauty blog. i bet nobody is even still reading!

let's catch up.

i'm a cosmetologist now, which means i do hair, nails, and makeup. i love what i do, and i'm always looking for new things to try. i didn't go organic. i'm not sure if i should feel guilty about that.

however, money is tight. i don't get to try things out as often as i would like. i never gave up my $28.00 Dior mascara, but i have fallen in love with a few products that are easier on the wallet.

i'm in the middle of a divorce, and i have a three year old. I work at a salon, and i'm involved with the local theater company (stage makeup and hair!) i have a lot going on, but i'd still like to blog sometimes.

anybody still out there?

too chicken to go green??

having a baby makes you think about your future. it occured to me that maybe there were some steps i could take to make my life better and longer, and maybe some of that had to do with the products i use!

before you roll your eyes, i'm not a tree hugger. maybe it will make me sound like a jerk, but this wasn't about the environment. it was about me! i already knew that a lot of what i was using had a lot of chemicals in it. i also knew that there is an increasing amount of products out there that were catering to people like me, with a new awareness of what we are smearing on ourselves. many companies are developing cosmetics that are more natural or even organic, in a market where the pickings used to be very slim. the more natural products always had strange textures and smells, and usually cost more.

i was ready to start my new, greener path. still, i already knew that i couldn't switch everything. i wanted to change my beauty regime, but there are some products i'm not ready to give up. my mascara, for instance. for me, nothing will ever top my beloved Diorshow Blackout (unless it's another improved Dior product!)i'm also pretty attached to my hair products. having curly hair, it's difficult to find that perfect combination that gives the results i want. my eyeshadow primer will always be Urban Decay-nothing makes my makeup stay put like their Primer Potion.

so, i made a list of products i'd be willing to switch. on it, i ended up with:

-body lotion
-body wash
-foundation/concealer
-blush
-lip gloss (maybe)
-moisturizer

of course, this isn't every product i use on my face and body. would it even make an impact to switch only some of what i use to more organic products? would the fuzzy feeling of doing something good for myself only be in my head? is a switchover an all or nothing deal??

i discovered quickly that labels are SO deceiving. not everything that advertises itself as healthy and natural for your skin is telling the truth. even products with some natural elements can have a lot of chemicals in them.

the longer i debated, the more hesitant i was. i want to put better things on my skin...but there are so many cosmetics to love. could i really give that up?

i've decided to use up what i have. it just doesn't make sense to go guy all new products when i have money invested in so many items now. when the time comes to replace the items, then i'll check out the options for more organic cosmetics.

maybe i'm just not strong enough to go organic. i see a makeup counter gleaming with vibrant colors and glittery textures, and i can't stop myself. i'm trying to be more aware....but it's hard!!

spring cleaning

in my determination for a new look, it's time to clean house. or...clean makeup trunk.

i have a decent stash that i'm proud of. combine my evil shopping habit, my lust for cosmetics and the fact that i used to work at sephora, and you can start to understand what sort of monster had been created.

here's the problem-i hoard makeup.

i have makeup that i've picked out and purchased. however, i also have a ton of "free gift with purchase" and "gratis" items. some of it is really good stuff that you might pay a pretty penny for, so it's hard to part with. i talk myself into keeping it.

lots of foundations that are now too dark? oh, i could use those to sculpt cheekbones!

lipstick that's too dark or frosty? i could always mix it with another one to create a new color, or dilute it with a gloss!

to be honest, not everything i've kept suits me. i look best in things with cool undertones, and i've outgrown a lot of my products that have tons of glitter (my nightclub days are behind me).

i know there are websites where people trade makeup....but more than likely i'll just give it to some of my friends who are always complimenting me on mine. it will be good for my karma. maybe someone will give me some new makeup to fill the gaps from what i sorted out!

that doesn't really help me clean out my makeup case, does it?

recreating me

it's time for a new look....

being a new mom with a new job requires a new look. i swore i'd never let a child dictate my amount of self-maintenance, but it's happened. i already cut four inches off my hair because he likes to pull it and i have no time to fix it.

what kind of look am i looking for? good skin, lashes and lips. that's the minimum. of course i'll still put on the glam for special occasions, but i'm going to create a quick routine that i can do in the wee hours of the morning.

unfortunately, i also have to cut back the cosmetic budget. the sad part is that i'm very particular. it's been a long time since i've purchased drug store makeup, and with some things i fear there can be no substitute. can anything really stretch my lashes like my $28.00 Diorshow mascara? i may have to find out, as much as that pains me.

i also haven't hit the perfume counter in a long time. though i still have tons of bottles on my dresser, i feel that i've outgrown some of it and i'm ready for something new. and on perfume, i refuse to follow a budget. i can smell cheap a mile away.

a new chapter, a new me, and hopefully soon...new makeup!

my eyelashes have left the building

among the lengthy list of unattractive side effects that pregnancy brings, one that bothers me a lot is what it has done to my eyelashes.

as a side note, the hair on my head in thicker and more brag-worthy than it's ever been. i hear it may go back to it's former state after i deliver. boo.

anyway, my eyelashes are shorter and sparser than they were nine months ago. my deep-set eyes rely on big, fat lashes and some manuevering with an eyeshadow brush to keep them from looking recessed and exhausted. not only am i actually tired all the time...i look it! even a swipe with my regular mascara doesn't hold the same magic that it used to.

i'm too nervous to try Latisse, the prescription medication that is supposed to grow lashes, due to the side effects. i simply won't risk putting brown spots on my blue irises, especially when it's permanent.

then there's L'Oreal's Renewal Lash Serum, which doesn't necessarily spark new eyelash growth as much as help you keep your lashes intact. basically, it stalls the shedding process.

hopefully my eyelash woes mend themselves after the baby arrives....i've had several months to plot and plan a new "hot mama" look, and having decent eyelashes is definitely part of that!

product test drive: airbrush tan

for my wedding, i had my first spray tan experience.

i had expected what i had seen from my big-city experience: a booth that you go into, raise your arms, and get hosed. what i actually encountered in a much smaller town was very different.

after calling around to the various businesses in the area, i found that there were no spray tanning booths. what i finally found after LOTS of digging was a lady who did a type of airbrush tan, with a gun she sweeps across your body while you stand there wearing...not much.

that was a concern i hadn't counted on, because in a booth nobody gets to see your pale goodies as you get sprayed. you have privacy. however, if you are standing in front of a girl with an airbrush, she is all up in every bit of your untanned junk.

this gal was nice, don't get me wrong. but she took me down into her unfinished basement and had me strip down to my unmentionables, and then gave me the chills while she sprayed and powdered me. it was a little awkward for a pregnant plus-size chica.

the end result was better than i expected, color-wise. i wasn't orange, since i asked her to use her lightest formula on my already-pasty skin. i felt like my chest got a bit tanner than the rest of me, and it didn't cover my swimsuit straps as well as i wanted, but it did help them blend. i felt like i looked pretty natural, and i think my pictures turned out well. the first day i kept smelling the formula, but that wore off.

what i didn't like was how it came off-in chunks! then again, i was on my hawaiian honeymoon, sweating and frolicking in the ocean for a week. but the color would start to pill off of me, like an old sweater, and it would make a big streak when i wiped it. this happened mostly on my legs and chest. it made me feel dirty, and i started to wonder how much people could tell that my tan was fake.

i don't regret having it done, but i probably wouldn't do it again.

just for kyl....my wedding face blog

okay, in an attempt to wash myself of the guilt and shame of being a horrifically inconsistent blogger these past few months, here goes a shout out to kyl about my wedding makeup....

even i was surprised by what i ended up using. being pregnant has caused my skin to really throw me for a loop, making my normally oily skin into a flaky, dry foreign thing. i fight oil my whole life and buy products to combat it, and on the most important day of my life, i end up having to wear something...moisturizing? i wore Stila Illuminating Liquid Foundation, which would have been an absolute no-no if my skin were acting normal. i find it so hydrating that my face would generally turn into an oil slick within minutes, but not so on my wedding day. i topped it with Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil, just to give it a nice finish.

My blush was Cargo blu-ray blush/highlighter in pink.

i had my eyes planned out for months. of course i used Urban Decay Primer Potion to start, because your wedding day is the last event you want your makeup to slide on. i used Cargo's 2008 Holiday Palette, and i wish i could tell you the colors, but the package doesn't state what they are. It was in a retro satin case, and had a palette of silver eyeshadows, a highlighter blush, a silver glitter pen, and a silver eyeliner. i created a muted silver smokey eye from the palette, lining my eye with Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Jet. i lined the inner rims with the silver liner from the holiday palette. i covered my under-eye circles with Benefit Erase Paste.

here was a big disappointment...my mascara. i was all pumped up about using Dior Blackout Waterproof. i'm a HUGE fan of the regular formula, but since i didn't want to cry it off on my big day, i decided to try the waterproof. it didn't pump up my lashes nearly as much as i wanted, and i found that it flaked off fairly easily. i put in on top of Lancome's Cils Booster XL as usual, but i didn't have the glam eyelashes of my dreams. on the upside, it didn't come off when i cried.

i stuck with an old faithful for my lips...my Bourjois Lip Stain (which is getting harder and harder to find....). i topped it with Chanel Glossimer in Constellation (which i don't think they make anymore either). i got so caught up in the day that i forgot to reapply after the initial application and there was quite a bit of kissing, so i can't blame my lip stain for bailing after about three hours. i also think that my husband still looks dashing with a little bit of glitter on his lips from me ;).

i'll post pics of my wedding face soon, and i still need to tell everyone about my spray tan experience.....