My makeup routine has changed a bit due to the sensitivity of my skin lately, but I'm liking this daily look a lot!
1. theBalm TimeBalm Concealer. A great under-eye concealer, it lasts all day and never get cakey. I think it pretty much requires a good bit of under-eye moisturizer to look so nice, though.
2. Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer. I've heard that some people find this greasy or overly shiny. For a dry skinned girl, with minimal coverage needs this is perfect. I can't sub it for a moisturizer, but it goes on smoothly and sinks right in.
3. NARS Blush in Sin. Orgasm blush turned muddy and shiny on my cheeks. I exchanged it for this beauty, a cool berry color with barely there silver shimmer. It's my go-to blush these days because I don't even need to blend it. I just swipe and go.
4. Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Busy Signal. This is a pretty brown shade that lasts all day without creasing or smudging at all. It isn't too harsh behind my glasses.
5. CoverGirl Lash Blast Length Mascara in Waterproof formula. I love this mascara! I have pretty long lashes, and they're already pretty thick but this mascara makes them look perfect. And it never flakes.
6. Random lipstain. Sometimes it's Benetint, or Posietint or CoverGirl Outlast in Flirty Nude. Love them all, love that I don't have to re-apply constantly!
2/26/10
Shopping I Love: Down East Basics
For awhile, I swore off online shopping. The fit was hard to determine, I never had accurate measurements to compare to size charts and I hated paying for shipping. But, I had my measurements taken, and now a whole world of unavailable clothing is open to me! One of my current favorites is DownEast Basics. They seem to specialize in trendy pieces that aren't polarizing or unwearable. Their clothes are also downright cheap, but well made and definitely stand up to serious wear. Some favorite pieces:
The He Loves Me dress
This dress just came in the mail for me last week, I ordered it for engagement pictures and general cute wear for the spring. It's a great fit, and has hidden pockets, which I adore.
Perfect Form Dress
I've had this dress in my cart for a week now. I love the color, and I think it'd be perfect for a date night or a wedding. I have roughly a million weddings coming up, so I'm feeling like it could be an investment.
Tulle Flower and Beads Necklace
I love this statement necklace. The flower comes off, so you can wear just the beads if you want. I ordered it in both shades, and the pink beads are the perfect easter egg pastel!
Impressionist Skirt
I adore crazy prints, and I feel like, at 24, I can get away with most of them! This begs to be worn with simple brown sandals and a pretty t-shirt. Probably NOT office appropriate, friends!
Classic Plaid Skirt
I ordered this in the black/white combo. Mostly because I don't have a plaid skirt, and this one is cut to a length and fit that is far more "smart winter wear" than "Catholic school girl." Not that there's anything wrong with Catholic school! I'm pairing this with black flats and a variety of jewel tone tops. I wish they had a picture of the black and white print!
Everything I posted is less than 40 dollars on the site! Amazing! Their shipping is super fast and every service representative I've spoken to has been unfailingly kind. Check it out!
2/25/10
Etsy Love: Sterling Silver Oak Leaf Pendant
I surf etsy.com far too regularly for my bank account's health, but I rationalize it by saying that these are sellers who are small-business owners, or who work in their free time out of their homes. See? Doesn't that sound better?
My most recent love is this pretty leaf pendant. I'm dying to buy it, and wear it all day everyday.
My most recent love is this pretty leaf pendant. I'm dying to buy it, and wear it all day everyday.
It's from etsy seller Knitsteel, and I'm in love with it!
2/24/10
I'm sensitive and I'd like to stay that way
Okay, on this point, and most, I disagree with Jewel. I do NOT want to stay sensitive, at least in terms of my skin. I also do not want to stay dry and uncomfortable. Recently, I've had to get rid of numerous body washes, lotions, face washes and moisturizers to keep my skin from flaring up. And so, I'm stuck with these beauties:
1. Tom's of Maine Moisturizing Body Wash. I'm in love with the lavendar scent, and it has yet to break my skin out at all.
2. Tom's of Maine Toothpaste. Do you know what happens when you become allergic to a toothpaste? I'm going to spare you the details, actually. This toothpaste is saving my life right now. And I love the Cinnamon-clove flavor!
3. Tom's of Maine Deodorant. Once again, allergic reactions to deodorant are not pleasant. At all. BUT I love this stuff, and I get to avoid to aluminum which might (or might not) cause cancer. Again, the lavendar scent is lovely.
4. Weleda Lavender Body Oil and Nivea Body Creme. I mix five drops of the oil with a handful of the creme to make a super emollient body moisturizer. I've thought about buying several smaller jars to mix it up in a bigger size.
5. Avene Cleansing Milk. Super gentle, I picked it up first in Taiwan and have continued to order it for the winter months.
6. Avene Cold Cream Moisturizer. Cold cream does good things for dry skin, but if you have even the slightest bit of oil or issues with blackheads or acne flare-ups, avoid it. This incarnation is great because it doesn't stink at all.
7. Avene Thermal Spring Water. I have five of the tiny bottles and two of the huge bottles. I bought them all in Taiwan and I know it sounds like a gimmick but this stuff really does calm down my skin when it gets red and blotchy. I spray it on every morning before I apply makeup and every night before I put on moisturizer. I've heard it also helps set mineral makeup, which I've never tried because I don't want or need another step in my makeup day!
What have we learned? Having sensitive skin that is also dry becomes expensive and frustrating. So, when you find a combo of products that works, stick with it.
1. Tom's of Maine Moisturizing Body Wash. I'm in love with the lavendar scent, and it has yet to break my skin out at all.
2. Tom's of Maine Toothpaste. Do you know what happens when you become allergic to a toothpaste? I'm going to spare you the details, actually. This toothpaste is saving my life right now. And I love the Cinnamon-clove flavor!
3. Tom's of Maine Deodorant. Once again, allergic reactions to deodorant are not pleasant. At all. BUT I love this stuff, and I get to avoid to aluminum which might (or might not) cause cancer. Again, the lavendar scent is lovely.
4. Weleda Lavender Body Oil and Nivea Body Creme. I mix five drops of the oil with a handful of the creme to make a super emollient body moisturizer. I've thought about buying several smaller jars to mix it up in a bigger size.
5. Avene Cleansing Milk. Super gentle, I picked it up first in Taiwan and have continued to order it for the winter months.
6. Avene Cold Cream Moisturizer. Cold cream does good things for dry skin, but if you have even the slightest bit of oil or issues with blackheads or acne flare-ups, avoid it. This incarnation is great because it doesn't stink at all.
7. Avene Thermal Spring Water. I have five of the tiny bottles and two of the huge bottles. I bought them all in Taiwan and I know it sounds like a gimmick but this stuff really does calm down my skin when it gets red and blotchy. I spray it on every morning before I apply makeup and every night before I put on moisturizer. I've heard it also helps set mineral makeup, which I've never tried because I don't want or need another step in my makeup day!
What have we learned? Having sensitive skin that is also dry becomes expensive and frustrating. So, when you find a combo of products that works, stick with it.
2/23/10
What's In My Bag?
I promised ages and AGES ago to try to do this somewhat regularly. We see how that worked out. But, here we go!
I usually end up carrying a medium sized tote, with school books, work papers and necessities. BUT there are other things in there, and that's mostly what is interesting!
1. Moleskine Weekly Planner. I got this from my Mom for Christmas and have oddly fallen in love with it since. I'm not a schedule freak, but I do find that writing down commitments helps me find free time. The best part about this planner is that one side is the week and the other page is a lined note space that I use for lists, ideas, and doodles during boring work meetings.
2. Moleskine Small Lined Notebook. I try to keep a running grocery list, shopping list and to do list in this. I also have a little tab for wedding planning ideas that should probably get more use...
3. Shady Kiss Lip Balm with SPF 30. This is my favorite lip balm. It's so soft and has little to no taste or scent, which is a huge plus for me!
4. L'Occitane Lavender Hand Cream. I love the light scent of this, and it never makes my hands greasy. This is important because I have the dangerous habit of applying hand cream at stop lights. It's a No No!
5. NARS Easy Lover Lip Gloss. For my lips, this is the perfect sheer, pink gloss. I wear it everyday!
6. Microfiber cloth. I wear my glasses almost all the time, and I am obsessive about wiping them down roughly every 45 minutes.
7. Clean Well Hand Sanitizer. I'm skeevy about germs, and my office is in a health center, so I think it's pretty necessary to sanitize religiously. But, I hate the crazy scents and chemicals in the B&BW versions. Clean Well is non-sticky and non-smelly!
8. Iphone. You all obviously know what this looks like, but I love having it with me because it also syncs to my Kindle and to a website called Instapaper. Go on, sign up for free and you can put a bookmark on your browser that let's you click "Read Later" on any item. Them, put the Instapaper app on your Iphone, sync it to your account and the net content will be housed on the Iphone for later reading. Now, when I wait for anything, I just catch up on blogs, columns, and anything else!
9. Cover Girl Lipstain in Flirty Nude. I shamelessly apply this a million times a day and put it on my cheeks and lips. I have several of these lipstains, but this is the only one that I can get away with applying full strength. Thank you, Jacqueline, for the recommendation!!
10. A million brown, matte bobby pins. I recently had bangs cut into my hair, and while I love them, sometimes I end up needing to pin them back mid-day.
So, what's in your bag?
I usually end up carrying a medium sized tote, with school books, work papers and necessities. BUT there are other things in there, and that's mostly what is interesting!
1. Moleskine Weekly Planner. I got this from my Mom for Christmas and have oddly fallen in love with it since. I'm not a schedule freak, but I do find that writing down commitments helps me find free time. The best part about this planner is that one side is the week and the other page is a lined note space that I use for lists, ideas, and doodles during boring work meetings.
2. Moleskine Small Lined Notebook. I try to keep a running grocery list, shopping list and to do list in this. I also have a little tab for wedding planning ideas that should probably get more use...
3. Shady Kiss Lip Balm with SPF 30. This is my favorite lip balm. It's so soft and has little to no taste or scent, which is a huge plus for me!
4. L'Occitane Lavender Hand Cream. I love the light scent of this, and it never makes my hands greasy. This is important because I have the dangerous habit of applying hand cream at stop lights. It's a No No!
5. NARS Easy Lover Lip Gloss. For my lips, this is the perfect sheer, pink gloss. I wear it everyday!
6. Microfiber cloth. I wear my glasses almost all the time, and I am obsessive about wiping them down roughly every 45 minutes.
7. Clean Well Hand Sanitizer. I'm skeevy about germs, and my office is in a health center, so I think it's pretty necessary to sanitize religiously. But, I hate the crazy scents and chemicals in the B&BW versions. Clean Well is non-sticky and non-smelly!
8. Iphone. You all obviously know what this looks like, but I love having it with me because it also syncs to my Kindle and to a website called Instapaper. Go on, sign up for free and you can put a bookmark on your browser that let's you click "Read Later" on any item. Them, put the Instapaper app on your Iphone, sync it to your account and the net content will be housed on the Iphone for later reading. Now, when I wait for anything, I just catch up on blogs, columns, and anything else!
9. Cover Girl Lipstain in Flirty Nude. I shamelessly apply this a million times a day and put it on my cheeks and lips. I have several of these lipstains, but this is the only one that I can get away with applying full strength. Thank you, Jacqueline, for the recommendation!!
10. A million brown, matte bobby pins. I recently had bangs cut into my hair, and while I love them, sometimes I end up needing to pin them back mid-day.
So, what's in your bag?
2/22/10
Everywhere I go, it rains on me
It's raining again this morning. I don't mind some rain, but this is a full out flood of rain, complete with lightening and thunder. The dog is hiding under the bed and I'm fighting the urge to follow her. Only one thing can keep my spirits from sinking...
My lime green wooden umbrella
And, yes, this thing is just as large as it appears to be. On the plus side, I won't even bother doing anything real with my hair today!
2/21/10
New Shopping Obsessions
Previously, all my shopping energy was focused around clothes and makeup. I'd scour the web and shops looking for sweet dresses, simple shoes and the perfect lipstain. Worthy pursuits, of course, but lately my focus has changed. In May, I'll move out of my grad school house (which I share with two lovely fellow graduate students, but which was mostly pre-furnished before I got here). I'll move into a new apartment/house with my fiance, and the decorating/furnishing will begin. We're committed to buying as much pre-owned stuff as possible, from thrift stores and from etsy, but I couldn't resist buying a few things online that I just KNOW we're going to need...or want...or love.
(Shoestring Home - Porcelain Flower Votives)
Like theses precious candle holders. While I can't promise Andy will appreciate their precious look, I've already decided that these little babies are going on the top of a bookshelf or on a mantle.
In other housing search news, we're pretty certain we're going to try to move into an apartment instead of a house. For one, the search for a rental house that we both like has already proved impossible. For two, we would both like to try some "small space living" for awhile before we have to move into a larger place. Stay tuned, we're going apartment hunting in March and will hopefully have a lease by April! Until then, I'll be buying random pieces of home goods and imagining furniture to put them on!
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