in my makeup bag

1. wet 'n wild ultimate minerals loose powder in 270 fair

i used physician's formula mineral powder for a long time (which is kind of expensive for me), until i realized that it was making my winter skin look cakey. i tried this on a whim, and it makes my face look silky and smooth. i think it's the little shimmer particles in there. and um, have i mentioned that it's cheap? about $5!

2. EOS lipbalm in honeysuckle honeydew

how else can you moisturize both lips at once? this stuff is awesome. i like how it feels like it actually sinks into your lips, instead of sitting on top. i always slick this on before i go to bed, because it's not greasy and doesn't get all over my pillow.

3. rimmel fix & perfect face primer

i've posted about this before, but i apply this just under my eyes before my concealer to keep me from looking like an old lady, which i'm not.... yet.

4. ecotools brush set

my sister bought this for me for my last birthday (thanks, amy!) i use these every day! i use the big fluffy brush for my face powder (when i wear it.... sometimes i don't), the concealer brush for uhh concealer, and the angle brush for my eyeliner. i just dip the brush in my mascara excess, and line my lower lash line with the awesome blackness. i've successfully eliminated the need to buy eyeliner anymore! woot.

5. revlon colorstay active light makeup in ivory

GREAT STUFF. feels like tinted moisturizer going on, totally blends into my skin, and lasts all day. i never wanna use anything else, if i can help it.

6. maybelline great lash mascara in blackest black

you guys know how i feel about this stuff. the day they discontinue this neon tube of inky goodness will be a very dark day indeed.

7. maybelline cover up stick in medium beige

what? why medium beige? i know you've heard that you're supposed to apply an undereye concealer that's lighter than your skintone, but i always think that it only draws attention to the problem. this medium beige color has enough pigment to hide all of my darkness and looks way more natural than white under my eyes. trust me, i think i did that all through high school. eep.

8. maybelline dream mousse blush in soft plum and peach satin

these blushes are great. they blend in effortlessly, and have a touch of shimmer. super easy. i have 2 shades listed on here because i'm always switching.... if i wear blue or green, i wear the soft plum shade. i wear the peach one for pretty much everything else. am i the only one who thinks that blue, green, and teal look awful with anything orange-based? maybe it's just me....

9. mary kay signature concealer in light ivory

this is the only non-drugstore product i always buy! i think they've since changed the packaging and shade names, but this is what i still have in my makeup bag. it lasts forever, and i only need a little dab every time. it's a super lightweight liquid that completely covers little discolorations and acne. plus it's waterproof. it's $10, so a little more pricey than the rest of my items, but like i said, it'll last about a whole decade.

10. maybelline define-a-brow pencil in light blonde

the lightest pencil i can find! it totally makes my brows look natural and not too sparse. plus i just really love the green packaging. but without the cute packaging, it would still be the best eyebrow pencil i've found.

11. physician's formula baked wet/dry eyeshadow in baked sands

i've used other shades before, too. these shadows are great. they look almost metallic when you apply them wet. i use the darkest shade in this trio to line my eyes when i want a softer liner look than "blackest black." like when i want to wear really bright lipstick.

updo of the week

ok, so it's not really up, it's actually a ponytail. but it kept the hair out of my face for play practice, which is really the point.

 

 
 

i can't tell if i'm getting better at this behind-the-head thing or not. anyway, all i did was take the top half of my hair, twist it around, and pin it in place. then i took the bottom half and twisted that a lot, and jammed more bobby pins in there. 

i don't have play practice next week, because it's spring break, but maybe i'll do an updo anyway?

orly nail polish in "green with envy"

why is it that almost every nail polish brand has a shade named "green with envy" and they all look vastly different? i also have the sally hansen one and it's lime green. weird.....

well, i usually don't spend more than like $2 on nail polish.... but i saw this one at sally beauty supply several months ago (december?) and i decided i needed it.  it was $6, so a little expensive for me, but not exactly a huge splurge.

    

i think i only used 2 coats. it's very pigmented, very smooth, and will last at least 5 days on your nails. you know, depending on what you do with those nails. i like everything about it, except how hard it is to remove! lately i've been lazy (and a bit anxious, apparently) and have just been chipping all my polish off. hey, i guess that's one way to save money on nail polish remover.

wet 'n wild lipstick in "tokyo-a-pink-pink"

umm, i saw this at walmart a couple of weeks ago, and i had to buy it! it does have tokyo in the name, after all.

 

  

it looked kind of coral in the tube.... on my lips? most definitely not. more like cool-toned hot pink. i couldn't decide if i liked it or not, so i took half of it (it's only $2!) and mixed it in a pot with a too-brown tinted balm i had. now it's a pretty sheer rose-brown lip tint. and i still have half a tube of that super bright lipstick, in case i get an inexplicable urge to wear a so-bright-it's-scary lipstick to my 8 o'clock microbiology class. yeah, right.

review: noah's naturals toner mist

as i've made painfully clear, i have extremely dry skin on my face (especially with this crazy cold winter in nashville). so i've been looking for anything that will combat the dryness. this was the cheapest hydrating facial mist i could find on drugstore.com. i was planning to buy it online for about $8 and something, when i found it at walmart for $5! dude. so i had to buy it. this is what it claims:

"Anti-Oxidant Toner Mist with Cucumber Extracts

• No Parabens
• No Sodium Lauryl Sulfates
• No Propylene Glycol

Enriched with floral and herbal extracts, this hydrating toning mist provides a burst of nourishing moisture to skin any time of the day."

so does it work? well it feels really good- cooling and fresh (must be the cucumber). does it make a noticeable difference in my skin? i'm not sure. so i guess if i'm not sure, then no. i imagine this would feel really good in the summer though, on a super hot day. but i'll keep using this to see if maybe it takes a while to take effect....

more later!

updo of the week

i have a slightly intense drama director who requires all the girls in this year's musical to pull their hair back before getting on stage. i like to take style restrictions as an opportunity to do something cool. this is how i wore my hair last night to play practice: 

  

um, it's really hard to take a picture of the back of your head! lol oh well, this is the best i could do. i pulled most of my hair into a messy bun and left a few strands loose at the bottom. then i took those pieces, made 2 separate braids, wrapped them around my bun in opposite directions, and pinned them in place. 

my inspiration (although i think i like hers better):

                

photo of kristen bell: glamour.com/beauty

weird things to put on your face

seriously, i've tried all of these and they're great when your face really needs something.


1. apirin- get rid of acne
you've probably heard of this one before- it's been passed around a lot of blogs lately. you take an aspirin tablet (which is salicylic acid in solid form), crush it up, mix with water, apply to face! let it dry, then wash it off. your face will be clearer the next day!


2. elmer's glue- get rid of blackheads on your nose!
my little sister told me about this one.... we were highly curious, so we ran to walmart, bought a butt-cheap bottle of elmer's glue, spread the smelly gunk on our (clean!) noses, waited for it to dry, and then peeled it off. weird and smelly, yes, but highly effective!


3. hand soap- moisturize your poor poor winter skin
i discovered this on my own. get a hand soap that has vitamin e or shea butter (or both!), or even that dial cranberry antioxidant stuff and use it as your facial cleanser. they usually smell good, work well, and are very very cheap. i like to use the dial white tea & vitamin e hand soap that i've posted about before.


4. body lotion- chemically exfoliate your poor poor winter skin
i've also posted about this before, but you can use a body lotion with cool ingredients (like AHAs) to seriously help your skin. these will slough off the outer layer of skin and make you look brighter over all.


5. sugar- physically exfoliate
i like to mix this with my usual cleanser to use a very very cheap exfoliator. want to know how to make it even cheaper? snag a small sugar packet from starbucks (or whatever coffee shop.... or even mcdonalds for that matter) and use that! a little bit is all you need.


6. olive oil- hard core moisturizer (or just eye cream)
after you wash your face at night, rub a little bit of olive oil all over your face (or if you're afraid you'll break out or get too greasy, just rub it under your eyes). your skin will be baby soft by morning! also, did you know that olive oil is noncomodogenic? sweet.