product crush....Peter Thomas Roth Glycolic Acid 3% Face Wash!

i really want to try the Peter Thomas Roth Line. it's prices scare me a little bit, but i'm from the group that will pay extra if it yields the desire results.

all i've been able to try so far is his Glycolic Acid 3% Face Wash. it was a tie between that or Beta Hydroxy Acid 2% Face Wash. let's see...fight age or fight blemishes?

luckily, i knew that many of the ways to fight aging are just as effective on blemishes, so i chose to fight age. it's based around cell turnover-the more you exfoliate and stimulate new cells on your face, the less you visibly age and the clearer your skin will be.

i really like this face wash. you've heard my oily skin woes, so you know that not all washes are as hardcore as i'd like. i don't want a gentle face wash. i want to take a power hose to my face and make that oil haul tail! i don't mean to say that PTR's face wash is going to wreak havoc on less-oily skins, but this one does a great job of chasing my excessive oil away. my face feels clean but not tight, and it feels smoother with just a few uses. the purpose of this cleanser is to smooth and clarify, and i'm sold.

it's $32.00 for 8 oz, available at Sephora and Ulta.

there are other products that i can't wait to try, such as Lashes to Die For Night Time Eyelash Conditioning Treatment, Anti Shine Mattifying Gel, Pumpkin Enzyme Peel, and the Sulfur Cooling Mask.

have you tried any of this line?

product crush.......Pore Effect

try as we might, we will never be able to create an absolutely truly smooth face. we have products that work like industrial spackle that only give the illusion of what we really want.

it's those pores that are the problem!! they get gunk in them, they get infected, they stare our from our face sometimes like caverns (ew).

there is no miracle product that will make your pores go away. it doesn't matter what it claims to do, that's just not a realistic expectation. but what can a product do? clear out a pore and make it appear smaller, thus making your skin look smoother. the pores won't be gone, but if you get out all the junk that makes pores more visible, your face will look better.

a product i've recently discovered is Dr. Brandt's Pore Effect, a clarifying cream with salicylic acid that "penetrates follicles to clear acne, tighten pores, normalize oil production, stimulates cellular turnover, and calms redness and irritation". i'm converted!

the Pros: it's as effective as any mattifier that i've ever used in the way that it stalls oil production. also, a little goes a long way. you won't even need a separate moisturizer when you use this because it has enough hydration.

the Cons: it's super thick. because of the tea tree oil, it has a medicinal smell.

just to be safe i sometimes use Smashbox Anti-Shine on top of it, but i really don't need to. putting this product on before my foundation makes my skin shine-free for hours, and i have noticed my skin looking clearer, too!

product crush....Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask

i wouldn't have tried this product if i hadn't seen the results on someone else.

honestly? ALL lines from ALL products claim to change your life. i need to be convinced.

i work with a woman in her fifties, and i noticed during one of our conversations that her skin was glowing. she looked well-rested and younger than usual, so i complimented her. that's when she told me she'd been using Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask. ironically, she wouldn't have tried it either, except she had complimented someone else's skin.

the sephora.com site states that this product is "A frothy mask that releases oxygen into the skin, so your complexion is instantly brighter, fresher, and younger-looking". it feels strange....it foams up (without your help!)on wet skin and you leave it for about five minutes.

the result makes your skin brighter. all the holiday and work stress that shows up on your face? no evidence. it's based on Bliss's best selling facial treatment. most of us don't have the time or money to make the trip to have this done by a professional. it's nice to know that your bathroom works just as well.

i don't totally understand the science behind it, but i can tell you that it's a visible difference, and that's enough to sell it to me.

product crush...Bare Escentuals eyeshadows and brushes

my makeup personality refuses to be placed into any certain stereotype. some days, i'm doing the "sheer, fresh and pretty" thing, some days i'm feeling a little rock 'n roll, some days i'm even a little costumey. i adore dark eyes and a pale mouth, and i'm a sucker for glitter.


i used to think that Bare Escentuals didn't really fit my makeup personality. i thought that they were geared towards a sheer, more natural look.

i've been looking at it recently, and i think we might become friends. i'm not in love with the entire brand, but their eyeshadows and brushes are intriguing.

though they don't have the range of bolder colors that Urban Decay does, they do have more than just neutrals. they have some lovely deep shades and lots of shimmer. plus, all of their shadows are wet/dry. they also have some excellent kits that put shades together for you, and the brushes that come in the kits are amazing.


the individual shadows are $13.00, but it's the eyeshadow kits that are going to be painful ($32.00). tell yourself that the brush is worth it and the colors are fabulous. they often include brushes and eyeshadows in the kits that are not sold individually.


i'm excited about the release of their "rocker eye" kit, which is going to create that shimmery, smokey eye look that i crave!

application with this entire line is pretty messy. after all, it's loose powder. i generally have to do my face before getting dressed if i'm wearing BE.

do you love Bare Escentuals? any faves?

product crush....Cargo One Base

finding a good concealer can be difficult. mainly, because a lot of concealers are thick and a little dry, and a lot of the things we'd like to conceal are already dry (like blemishes we are trying to clear up!).

the wrong concealer can actually draw attention to what we are trying to hide.

i love Cargo One-Base. it's a liquid that doubles as a foundation or a concealer. since i have a healthy relationship with Urban Decay's Surreal Skin as my foundation, i needed a good concealer, and this one totally makes the grade. however, in a pinch, it can be a foundation, and that's good to know.

it's consistency is thinner than what i'm used to in a concealer, but the coverage is just as good. because it's thinner, it blends very easily into the skin. i can hide blemishes and my under-eye circles with this, and it doesn't look cakey, chalky, or un-skin-like. basically, it disappears, and you can't ask for better than that!

as a sidenote, you can use concealer on more places than just blemishes and under-eye circles. putting a little concealer on each side of your nose and around your mouth will totally brightens your face. these are areas that are most prone to discoloration and darkness, and when you want to canvas out your face (making it all one color and preparing it for your makeup), a lot of people forget these areas. it will really make a difference for a finished look!

product crush.....Too Faced Eyeshadow Duos in Totally Toasted

marketing goes a long way in cosmetics. brands have an intent to draw a certain crowd, and the marketing makes that happen.

for instance, Too-Faced has a vintage-yet-juvenile feel. it turns some people off, while the brand does have some redeeming products. they have glitter and shimmer, things that plump, and some interesting color choices.

i recently discovered that they have something that every girl ought to have in her arsenal. their Eyeshadow Duo in "Totally Toasted" is a go-to, foolproof neutral that any girl can pull off. it's the perfect eye look for someone who likes a less dramatic look, or if you want to focus on your mouth instead of your eyes. i discovered it on a co-worker who was rocking a red pout, but her eyes were perfect with the look. defined, but not overpowering. it's a combo of a bronze shimmer shadow, and a champagne shimmer (off-white) shadow. that champagne shadow goes with a billion other things that you probably already own.

you've got to get your hands on this stuff!

product crush....Nanette Lepore fragrances

for reasons i'll choose not to explain, i was dead set on hating any of Nanette Lepore's fragrances before i ever set eyes on them. and, at first sniff, i didn't love them either.

Her signature scent, simply called "Nanette Lepore", has notes of Moonstone Rose, White Peach, White Cranberry Juices, Magenta Nectar, Black Currant, Orange Jasmine, Persian Lime Juice, Velvet Violet, Amber, and Indian Sandalwood. i swore it would be too "girly" for me, but it's growing on me. it's light and feminine, and although it really has no feisty attitude that i like in a fragrance, it's simple and pretty.


"Shanghai Butterfly" lured me in before NL did. it is so close to Encanto Shine (which i like) that it's unnerving. it has notes of Lemon Slice, Mandarin, Snow Apple, Carnation, Lily of the Valley, Gardenia, Poet's Jasmine, Whisper Rose, Oriental Leaves, Green Cedar, Siberian Musk, Sandalwood. it's a clean, fruity smell that doesn't have the pretty whisper of NL, but more of a fun-loving, almost sporty smell. i don't feel like the name suits the juice, but the juice is good, so we'll leave it alone.

both of these are pretty affordable, with the smallest bottles being just $38.00. they'd make excellent daytime warm-weather scents!

product crush......kenzo vintage

i haven't been blown away by a fragrance in a while. i have purchased a few this year, and i like them, but i've been wanting to be completely enamoured by a scent.

at last, my love has come along.

Kenzo Vintage is gorgeous. at first, i pegged it for a typical oriental, but i was so wrong. i smelled it on someone else and liked it, smelled it on the card, and then smelled it on me. i can't stop smelling my arm! there is no turning back now, because i absolutely adore it.

contradictory to my usual taste, it's unisex. normally, i'm not drawn to that genre of fragrance, but this one is so different. it's musky and sweet, light and modern. it doesn't scream femininity (as expected with a unisex scent), but it's definitely mysterious and provocative. you don't want to stop smelling it...because you're trying to figure it out and because it's pleasing.

the notes are: mandarin, tonka bean, heliotrope flower, cedar wood, musk, and vanilla.

i cannot wait to own this. it may make a lot of my other perfumes jealous!

product crushes from the road!

you never know what you'll find on a roadtrip.

i'm on vacation, driving down the east coast, and i've run across a couple of items that i couldn't wait to tell you about.

-Vaseline Cocoa Butter Vitalizing Gel Body Oil. i love this stuff, from it's summery smell to it's unbelieveable moisturizing powers. if you are someone who hates greasy/slick creams, you won't like this. i don't mind it, and this one absorbs quickly anyway. it makes tanned legs look just like they are in a photoshoot, and it leaves your skin super soft.

-Styli-Style Flat Liner 24. i've never even heard of this brand. my smashbox jet set creme liner is drying out and i needed a long-lasting replacement, at least for the remainder of this trip. this intrigued me because it promised hours and hours of unbudging color. it delivered. the shape of the pencil is actually wide and flat, helping you get a better line. and, allegedly, it's self-sharpening. so far so good!

i found both of these at cvs.

product crush....kat von d makeup

Kat Von D is so interesting to me. she has a confidence that is beautiful, and i admire that she never strays from her own personal style, which is a seamless blend of rocker and pinup.

and, finally, she has her own makeup line at sephora! see it here.

the line appears to be what you'd expect...mostly smokey neutral eyes and red lips. the prices aren't scary, either! i am anxious to see it in person!