Mario Badescu

Inspired by the ever-lovely Pretty In Pink Megan, I bought a big batch of Mario Badescu skincare products last week.

My bathroom counter is now home to all of these guys:

Acne Facial Cleanser {$15}

Oil Free Moisturizer SPF 17 {$22}

Drying Mask {$18}

Drying Lotion {$17}

Silver Powder {$12}

My skin is nowhere near as bad as it used to be, but I figure a little bit of blemish-fighting power never hurt. I've been using it for about a week now, and this stuff works. I can definitely tell a difference, particularly with the drying lotion- that stuff has magical properties!

My favorite part about these products is that they smell a little bit bad. I just feel like the fact that they have a medicinal odor to them just means they're super potent. I also like the small price tag. Ulta carries the brand, so if you ever have one of those coupons they give out all the time, use it to buy some of this stuff.

* I think it's probably obvious, but I didn't get paid {in money or products} to write these things. This is not that kind of blog.

NYC Shopping

Happy Monday, everybody!

As I mentioned in my last post {can you remember back that far?}, I spent a good amount of my time in NY shopping. 

Here's what I picked up...

-kate spade-

supercalafragilipstick in "pop art pink"

This lipstick is awesome. I noticed on Day Old News that hot pink lips are en vogue, so I thought I'd give the trend a try. I am all for it.

monogram notecards

 Oh, how I've loved these notecards from the first moment I laid eyes on them at the kate spade website. It was such a triumph to buy them and not pay shipping, haha.

-sample sale-

Walter Baker dress

I love this dress that I got on mega discount at a sample sale at Chelsea Market. I can even wear it to work. Score!

-Michael Kors-

Gold watch

I had been coveting this watch for over a year, stalking it online like Pinterest prey. I finally broke down and bought it, and it was my best & worst purchase of my vacation. Best, because I've wanted it for so long. Worst, because it cost me an arm & a leg, and then did this on the third wear:

Yes, the gold is rubbing off. No, thank you, Michael Kors. You can have your ridiculously beautiful, expensive, low quality watch back. It was so sad to see her go.

-street vendor-

knock off Kendra Scott earrings

After seeing Sofia Vergara sporting something similar on Modern Family, I knew I needed a pair of my own. These $15 knock offs will do until they break & I'm forced to pony up $90 to replace them with the real deal.

So, there you have it, my little Manhattan shopping spree. I had intended to buy myself one treat, something more in line with the lipstick or the stationery, not really a whole outfit of treats plus paper goods. New York has a way of bringing out the indulgent side of me.

January Birchbox!

The creators of Birchbox undoubtedly had me in mind:

a girl who loves a good cosmetic & a nice piece of mail.

I was so excited to open up the box and see all those goodies staring up at me. Jasper was so excited he had to lay right next to those high-end beauty samples immediately.

Behold the splendor...



CO Bigelow Lavender & Peppermint Shampoo and Conditioner:

The scent is glorious and the sample size is really generous, but overall they're nothing to write home about. {But apparently something to blog about?}

Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Birchbox Pink:

 This lip gloss is basically perfect. Very flattering shade and great texture. I love the amount of shine, and it isn't too sticky. I won't be shelling out $20 for a full-size tube, but I am seriously loving on my sample one.

Zoyer Nail Polish in Megan:

This nail polish got me out of my all-red-all-the-time rut, and I will be forever grateful. Again, this sample was very generous in size, and I will definitely buy another one to replace it once I've used it all.

Instagram toenails!

Viva La Juicy Perfume:

This was definitely the greatest find of January's Birchbox. I am for sure buying this, as soon as I have some discretionary funds. {I wasn't using the pink tissue paper yet...awkward.}

Blueberry Muffin Larabar:

Love Larabars. Love this flavor. Ate this before I even finished opening the box. A little bit perturbed that I'm paying $10 a month and being sent tiny Larabars.

I was a bit disappointed in a couple of the products, especially when I see what some fellow bloggers received this month. On the whole, though, I'm definitely glad that I signed up for Birchbox and can't wait to see what future boxes will look like.

What did you get in your January Birchbox?

Tough Decisions

Question of the day:

Should I buy the Urban Decay Naked2 eyeshadow palette for $50 on sephora.com?

Pros

* I like it so much better than the first palette

* I've been meaning to buy the first palette anyway

* It comes with a nice double-sided brush

* I neeeed it

Cons

* $50 of Christmas money that I'll never see again, except in a smokey eye

* It's called "naked", which is just kind of embarrassing

* At some point, I'm going to need to stop making so many online purchases

Life is hard. #firstworldproblems

Newsprint Nails

source

step 1:

paint nails & let polish dry

step 2:

dip fingernail into vodka

step 3: 

press strip of newspaper to nail, hold, then peel off

step 4:

repeat nine more times

step 5:

apply topcoat, if desired

Happy Monday, friends!

Hair Tutorials

Last week, I was inspired by a blog post written by my real-life bestie.

There is a lot of inspirational material in that post, as in all posts prompted by Sex & the City, but I am not writing today about when a man may be ready to marry or even what it means to be a "grown up", but rather, my friends, on hair. Because we all know you visit Audrey Onassis for these kinds of deep discussions.

My hair is kind of a rough subject for me right now, because it will not grow. I am saddened by this, and my sadness has been eased by taking special vitamins to encourage hair growth. My sadness has been exacerbated by these recurring dreams in which I have long hair. There is literally nothing else happening in the dream; my hair is long and I am ecstatic beyond reason, then I wake up and realize my hair is actually awkwardly short and layered. WHY?

That was quite the tangent; I apologize.

Anyway, I usually don't do much with my awkwardly short and layered hair. If I'm feeling fancy I may blow it out or quickly apply a flat iron to it, which is why B's post really struck a chord with me. My hair is usually fine for work and play, but it is never "polished" or "fun", like Glamour had me believe it would be once I was in my 20s. 

Now would be an excellent time to introduce you to my new friend, the hair tutorial.

Observe.

Gibson Roll

I like this a lot. It looks like a schoolmarm but hot.

Top Knot

My hair is still too short for this, I think. Mine is kind of mini. Still, I like this for a casual look.

Messy Side Pony

Mine isn't that messy, but it still works. Also, don't I look heartbreakingly young in this photo? Which is hilarious since my Saturday hair experiment was inspired by someone trying "grown up" looks.

My favorite hairstyle? The one I had after I took everything out. It turns out, the key to perfect hair is to tease/straighten/curl/braid/pin/spray it into eight or nine different styles before undoing everything for the finished look. I think the same theory is responsible for why hair always looks better the day after you wash it.

Getting Fresh

I read most of your blogs in the morning on my iPhone while sitting in my car in the parking lot at work (prepositions much?). This habit probably explains why I'm so hit-or-miss with commenting. I can't help it, though. I love reading blogs, and I simply cannot wait until I get home to my MacBook to read all of your lovely words.

Some especially lovely words graced my tiny screen on Wednesday morning.

Leave it to dreamday to sweeten my boring workday with words like "free shipping" and "three samples".

It's no secret that I'm kind of a sucker for cosmetics. Surpise, surprise- I found myself on the fresh website.

The chances are nil that I would be able to afford that dreamy face cream, but even I can indulge in this fancy shampoo:

Milk + Rose = ♥

If you pop over to the "fresh" website, please let me know what tickled your fancy.

Make Up The Breakdown

All I can think about lately is make-up, which is making me feel like a bit of an airhead, to be honest. I have been scouring the blogosphere and YouTube for make-up tutorials. {sidenote: I feel like there aren't that many "normal" tutorials. There are a lot of themed tutorials like "Black Swan" or "goth" or "4th of July", and I am just not digging it. Is it too much to ask for a good Hilary Duff make-up tutorial? I mean, jeez.} I think the only solution, really, is to just buy all of the make-up I have been dreaming about. 

Just go with me on the feasibility of this nonsense.

First:

here

I actually do want to buy this brush set, but at $275, it's not exactly a go-out-and-pick-up item for me.

here

here

I thought I could go without, and I just cannot.

here

I tried this once on a ferry {yes, the ferry had a Benefit counter. It was my kind of ferry.}, but my skin was so disgusting from three weeks of backpacking that the product just highlighted my grime. I say it deserves another chance. {another sidenote: I am at my ugliest when I am traveling. Is that normal? Whether it's a whirlwind birthday trip to Seattle or a simple weekend at my grandparents', I turn into an absolute ogre when away from home. Why?!}

here

This isn't make-up.

here

MAC Blot Powder

here

Apparently my make-up lobotomy will cost $482. Plus tax. I better go look under my couch cushions. First, I should probably buy a couch with cushions. Huh.

Woo!

As I mentioned yesterday, I have a newfound obsession with make-up tutorial videos. 

It's actually kind of a love-hate relationship.

Love:

pretty products

new techniques

fun make-up artists

Hate:

how beautiful the make-up artists always are

{why are you even wearing make-up?!}

how expensive the products & tools are

Anyway, I've seen probably over a dozen of these videos now, and I have a favorite, from Pixiwoo:

I think this is just such a clean, flattering look that is simple enough for everyday, you know?

May your weekend be filled with coral lips and a good multipurpose moisturizer!

Freshening Up

With a surplus of gift cards burning a hole in my pocket, I decided to pay a little attention to my make-up collection, which definitely needed to be freshened up. When I stopped at the Benefit counter, I only meant to pick up a new concealer, but you know how these types of stories always end with girls like me...

Luckily, I love love love all my new purchases.

Play Stick in "Paper Dolls" [$34]

This foundation makes for super flawless skin, and it's fun to use, because it feels like I'm coloring my face. I use it with a foundation brush, but I'm sure it would work just as well applied with fingers.

Boi-ing in "02" [$18]

This was my second time buying this concealer. It's really creamy and works just as well under the eyes as on problem areas.

Get Even in "02" [$30]

This powder is so amazing. True to its name, it goes on very evenly & it also stays put.

Maybelline Falsies in "Blackest Black" [$5]

Though I've said it before, I think it bears repeating that this Falsies mascara rocks. It does a really good job of separating, and it doesn't clump, even if you want to pile it on, which you know I do.


What are you currently loving in your make-up drawer?

New Hair?

I don't know if you know, but I have insanely long hair. Like, I'm rivaling mermaids and polygamists here. I haven't been to the salon in almost two years, but I've been holding on to my uber-long locks because I know I will need to cut them before I get a job. I'm kind of liking these styles for my new professional look.

Love this, but I have serious bang-styling issues.

I can't get enough of Olivia's new hairdo.

I always bring a Sophia Bush pic to my stylist.

I really don't have the face for this, but I so wish I did.

What do you think?

A

Monday is for Make-up

Lately I've been attracted to very girl-y blogs. My eye has been drawn to all things pink and pretty, and my (normally somewhat composed) mind has been saying "adorbs!" and "gorg!" entirely involuntarily. The best result of getting to know all these glamorous ladies is the beauty knowledge I now have. I love when a gal finds a can't-beat-it product and shares the wealth. So, without further ado, my make-up must-haves list!

Beauty Must-Haves by atmarsh on Polyvore.com

1. MAC eyeshadow in Carbon, which is much blacker in person, and an angled eyeshadow brush. I dip the brush in water and then put some powder on it to use as eyeliner. This helps my eyeliner to look softer and creates a more smokey eye.

2. Like many a fellow blogger, I am addicted to NARS blush in Orgasm. Something about the way it goes on just has me smitten. &, as far as I can tell, it doesn't look bad on anyone!

3. CoverGirl lipslick in Daring. While I have to admit that "lipslick" is a pretty lame name for a product, this stuff is amazing. It's a mix between a balm and a gloss, so it's often saving me when I've forgotten to bring my Chapstick, which is my real beauty must-have. I lovingly refer to this baby as my Sophia Bush lipstick.

4. Philosophy Purity face wash. As the name suggests, this is a very simple face wash. It removes my make-up and makes my face super fresh. Also, it was practically made to go with the Clarisonic skin brush.

5. Benefit Kitten Classic. This shimmer powder-filled puff is so luxurious. I normally save this for special occasions, but the case look gorgeous on my vanity every day.

6. An eyelash curler, gold-plating optional. My eyelashes leave something to be desired, so an eyelash curler is a necessity. I use a cheapie Revlon version, and it does the job fine.

And, just for fun, here are the products currently residing on my "to-buy" list.

Beauty Wish List by atmarsh on Polyvore.com

1. Benefit Waterproof Bad Gal eyeliner. While I love my current shadow-brush system, this pencil would give me a bit more precision. Plus, it's won a ton of beauty awards.

2. Diorshow mascara. I found out about this through another blog, and it is fantastic! Like I said, my eyelashes are not awesome, but this mascara adds curl, length, and thickness. I need to replace mine, but I'm using up the last of my Clinique mascara right now.

3. Origins A Perfect World moisturizer. I've heard great things about Origins and need something simple to moisturize with. Has anyone used this before?

4. Chanel Coco Madamoiselle perfume. Half my love for this stems from the gorgeous bottle. Pink LouLou considers this her signature fall scent.

5. Laura Mercier tinted lip balm. It couldn't hurt to have a back-up for my Daring lipslick.

6. Chanel nail polish in Inattendu. Even though this is from the Spring 2010 collection, I think it has a sweet, subdued look that is perfect for fall.