Kat Von D for Sephora looks disappointing, but I love my Clarisonic, BeautyBlender and Nail Polish

I watched the video about Kat Von D's new Sephora-exclusive makeup line. Man. I was starting to get excited about it when I heard it was in the works, but now that I've seen it I'm disappointed.

The colors shown in the video look very blah, the packaging is probably the only thing Kat designed (well, I guess she chose the names too...), it just looks cheap and pretty much exactly like Sephora's house brand stuff, which is terrible.

What's worse, is Kat's makeup in the video was awful. She usually looks amazing, but for some reason she had bleeding lipcolor, unblended eyeshadow, striped blush, what appeared to be nothing but black smeared around her eyes, and no mascara!!!

You just can't take MAC away from a girl. It's a crime.

Have I mentioned how much I love my Clarisonic? Cause I love my Clarisonic. A lot. Maybe too much.

I also tried out my Beautyblender yesterday and I'll just say it's the king of all makeup applicators. It's nothing like any sponge or foundation brush I've ever tried and it really gives the most absolutely flawless finish ever. If you wear foundation, you need one of these. Seriously. This thing is insane.

What else... I have worn a few of my China Glaze Eco polishes and, well, blah. Boring. I hate the formula. It's gooey. Stupid Big 3 Free polishes. Give me back my chemicals!!!!!

I'm more impressed with the OPI India ones than I thought I would be. I wore Royal Rajah Ruby and it's a fantastic color, somewhat similar to Midnight in Moscow. I like those dark-but-not-black shimmery colors. I broke down and bought a few more India polishes- Elephantastic Pink, I'm India Mood for Love, Curry Up Don't Be Late, Charmed by a Snake and and Moon over Mumbai. I have a problem.

Today I'm wearing CND Toxic Perfection because I've been craving all things coral. Coral blush, coral eyeshadow, coral lips, coral nails... Not all at the same time, but still. Coral. I really like this color, but I think it needs something. I'm probably going to add some Gold Lang Syne over it in a little while.

This is the first Creative / CND that actually dried in under 24 hours. I think it was completely dry in 8!!! Wow, it's a new record!

OPI India Collection, China Glaze Eco Collection and Everyday Minerals.

I got my OPI India and China Glaze Eco polishes today.

They're pretty cool, but I haven't worn any of them yet. Unplugged and Recycle look really awesome, though. I don't want to paint my nails right now. I'm still enjoying yesterday's manicure of Sally Hansen Glossy with OPI Man of La Mancha on top. I really love the old formula OPIs, I wish they'd go back. And I'm really getting sick of the ProWide brush that I used to love so much.

I also got one of those Beauty Blender things.... I haven't tried that, either. I used mineral makeup today.

I'm going to sound like a total heretic here, huge Bare Escentuals fan that I am, but I tried the Everyday Minerals Try Me kit and I think I'm in love.

They offer different formulas, which I like. I am wearing the Intensive one, which offers way more coverage than my beloved Bare Minerals, using less product.

The color match is nearly spot on. I usually wear Light or Fairly Light in Bare Minerals, but for some reason the last two refills I've purchased have been much darker and pinker. I even have an old jar to compare, and they're definitely different. I am wearing the lightest shade in Everyday Minerals (on the cool spectrum) and it's perfect. Not pink, not orange, not white.

I'll have to keep using it to see if it does anything weird to my skin, but so far, so good!

Orly Rock Candy: Miracle Worker

Yesterday's manicure was OPI's Make Love. I don't know what inspired me to pick that color. It's an opaque milky pink. It really stands out on your nails. I just wasn't feeling it. At times I loved it, other times I wondered what I was thinking.

This morning I debated removing it, but since it was still perfectly pristine, I thought maybe I'd modify it instead. I originally planned to layer OPI Pink Ulta-Matum over it, but then another polish caught my eye. Orly Rock Candy. I'm glad I went with the Rock Candy. It's perfect.

Rock Candy is a sheer somewhat shimmery iridescent sort of color, with mostly blue-green overtones, but layered over the top of Make Love, it looks like mother of pearl. I was trying to figure out what the color reminded me of, and that's it- the inside of seashells. Really pretty and interesting at the same time.

I broke down and ordered the three OPI India polishes I had my eye on, and decided to throw in the China Glaze Eco collection in with them... to keep them company. I'm actually more excited about the Eco ones than the India ones. Finally, a grey nail polish that's not gunmetal or silver.

I also can't wait for the China Glaze Ink collection... I love bright colors, and I can't wait to be wearing that purple one.

I'm still in a makeup rut. It's painful.

I got my MAC Fafi stuff, and I'm really disappointed that the special Fafi packaging is just stickers/plastic overwrap. How lame. I don't get this Fafi stuff. Meh, whatever. When Heatherette comes out I'll be able to rave about that.

Makeup rut, awesome Clarisonic and glitter goth nails on Valentine's Day.

Arrrrgh. I'm in a makeup rut. A bad one. I can't come up with any looks, I can't seem to make anything look good.... I've lost my creativity. Like writer's block but with makeup.

It's depressing. I need something to snap me out of it.

I love my Clarisonic. I look forward to washing my face every day. It's so cool. Totally worth it.

My Valentine's day makeup and nails were pretty boring. Eyes were Urban Decay Sellout and MAC Mothbrown, with a slight cat eye in black liner. Booooring.

Nails were (and still are) a very Junior High-ish combination of China Glaze Ruby Pumps and Lubu Heels, french manicure style, with star rhinestones on the ring fingers and opposite color on the middle fingers. It actually looks really cool, but it makes me feel like I'm 13 again.

At least I'm really looking forward to the MAC for Heatherette. So excited. I want everything.

Reviews: Clarisonic, Ardell Lash and Brow Growth Accelerator and Bremenn Labs Lumedia.

Couple of reviews I want to share...

First on the list, the Clarisonic Skincare Brush. I had been seeing it advertised here and there, and for no reason at all I had to have it. Seriously. I didn't even know what it was, but I knew I wanted it. It's absurdly expensive, but I had a gift card (score!) so I went for it.

OH MAN. This thing is cool. Basically what it is is a giant Sonicare toothbrush for your face. I used it for the first time tonight and I already love it. It feels amazing. It has a program built in and it beeps every few seconds to tell you what to do. I think it's 10 seconds on each cheek, 20 seconds on your forehead and 10 for chin and nose? Something like that. I just kind of ignored the beeps and did my own thing.

My skin got cleaner than I thought possible. I have been using toner lately (DDF 10% Glycolic), and usually there's a little bit of makeup residue on the cotton ball when I'm done, but this time there was NOTHING! My face feels soft and smooth and not dry and it's positively glowing. I can't wait to use it again.

Best impulse buy ever.

Next up, Ardell Lash and Brow Growth Accelerator. I did something very, very bad. I used waterproof mascara for about a month and my lashes paid the price. I now have a bunch of broken lashes and two bald spots. I had to do something about it, and I saw this on sale at Ulta and figured, what the heck, it's like $3, I'll try it. I've been using it for a week and I'm actually seeing results. The bald spots haven't grown back, but my lashes definitely look longer and thicker. I don't know if it's because they're actually growing, but it's probably the result of them actually being conditioned. They are hair, after all. I'm going to keep using it until it's gone and then see what kind of results I have. So far, so good.


Last on the list, Bremenn Labs Lumedia Facial Brightener. I got a nice size deluxe sample of this from Sephora and used it regularly until it ran out. It worked immediately. I love products that give results. It's a hydroquinone-free spot-fader and skin brightener. If you can't already tell, I'm totally into the skin-brightening products. I really do love my hydroquinone, but one, it smells like rotting assholes, and two, I don't know if it's entirely safe. So.... I needed an alternative. Lumedia is a really light texture, almost like a serum. It doesn't smell gross at all (smells pretty nice, actually) and it gives me that brightness that I crave. It didn't fade spots as fast or as well as a hydroquinone product, but it works right away, unlike hydroquinone.

There's my reviews for the day.

I am trying to be excited about the OPI India collection, but I just can't. It's so freaking boring. I might get Yoga-ta Get This Blue or Royal Rajah Ruby, but otherwise, BLAH. Come on, OPI, how many bland pink and red cremes do we need?

Disappointed with Chanel, Cargo, MAC and broken nails.

That whole Azur over Blue Satin thing.... Not really digging it. I mean, yeah, it's blue and sparkly... It's just not 'wow'. Blue Satin really just looks black unless you're in direct sunlight and Azur loses its coolness layer over it.

I broke my left ring finger nail halway down the nail bed today. I was trying to pry open the frozen shut back door so I could put my chicken soup in the snow. Yep.

I tried that Cargo Blu-Ray High Definition mattifer. It actually seems like your average silicone-based primer with a really dark tint. It's a very dark apricot, almost brown. Like bronzer. It didn't seem to mattify. It didn't seem to do anything, actually, besides clog my pores.

One last comment: I really hate my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural (Light Medium.) It's dry and chunky and chalky and doesn't do anything for me. I'm so disappointed.

Cargo Blu Ray High Definiton Makeup Collection Review

I'm trying out this new Cargo Blu-Ray High Definition BS makeup whatever stuff.... I'm not sure why I bought it, but it seemed like a really great idea at the time. Drunken Sephora ordering, FTW!

Here are my first impressions:

The powder seems like any normal pressed powder, but the color is way too dark. It only comes in one shade and I feel like I'm suffering serious floating head syndrome. The finish seems nice enough, but I can't be absolutely sure, as I'm wearing it over MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural (which I'm pretty sure I don't like.)

The blush/highlighter is pretty nice. Actually, really nice. It's a neutral pink shade with what appears to be a bit of shimmer. The texture is absurdly soft, so be careful. I tapped my brush onto it and sent a giant cloud of blush dust everywhere. That's how soft it is.

The mascara is freaky weird, but effective. The applicator is basically a paddle with a really thin comb on one end. It absolutely will not clump and gives decent length, but I couldn't build much volume with it. I need volume. It's also a little messy to apply because you have to press so hard to deposit mascara from the weird comb onto your lashes, and you get mascara flecks on your eyelid as a result.

The glosses seems nice so far. I used the one in the lower left hand corner. Shade is nice, nothing special. The formula is nice and smooth, not the least bit sticky. It has a slight mint flavor and cooling sensation, but nothing dramatic. It's your average gloss, I guess.

I didn't try the mattifier because I don't need one and it would probably make my skin look dry. Can't report on that. Maybe next time.

Now I'm off to remove my awesome Amp'd Up manicure to try Chanel Azur over Blue Satin. I hope it turns out cool.

LaVanilla Vanilla Coconut and Estee Lauder Youth Dew

It's a snow day and I have nothing better to do, so I'm gonna blog.

Lavanilla Vanilla Coconut healthy body butter is just so good... I can't comprehend how perfect it is. I've used half of the 8oz tube already and I never finish things!

The scent sticks with you all day. Even after I've washed my hands a bunch of times I can still smell it. The formula is great, sinks right in, isn't sticky or greasy and actually leaves a velvet sort of feel to your skin.

I'm in love with it. I need to buy the EDP, but I was waiting for the roll-on to come out. I already have Vanilla Grapefruit and Pure Vanilla, and neither of them are half as good as Vanilla Coconut. It's definitely bottle worthy, so I might as well just get it. Maybe I'll wait until they do the two pack EDP and body butter like they have with the others.

I think I'll talk about perfume a little bit. I'm wearing Estee Lauder Youth Dew on my wrist right now, and I know that probably seems shocking. Youth Dew is one of those bad reputation fragrances that is really love or hate for most people. I don't know why it gets such a bad rap most of the time. It actually smells quite nice when applied lightly, but I definitely understand that it's a very dated smell, very "grandma" if you will. The scent reminds me of my Grandma's bathroom, or her clothes or some smell associated with her, and it's quite comforting. It's definitely a scent that a grandma would wear, and that's probably why most people see it as an "old lady" fragrance. Personally, I like it. I don't know if I would wear a full application of it, but spritzed lightly on my wrist it's a great comfort scent and I think it smells nice.

I went to vote with my mom yesterday and she told me that my Bois Farine smelled like baby powder. What's up with that? Why do people think everything smells like baby powder? I think it smells like sandalwood and flour and flowers and wood.

My mom thinks everything smells like Chanel or baby powder or hippie, and sometimes bathroom air freshener. I love my mom.

Right now I'm loving Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Glowing Vulva at Ryogoku Bridge. Wow, that sounds weird. If you can get past the name (I think it's great) it's an incredible scent. I really need a second bottle before it disppears.

Time to make more coffee. Then more blogging. I know, you're all just so excited.

Oh, by the way, googlers, I believe that the spray foundation Carmindy uses is Classified Cosmetics Era. You can get it at Sephora. Dior makes one, too. You can get an actual airbrush and airbrush foundation from MAC Pro, but the stuff in the can is cheaper and easier to obtain.

Lancome L.U.C.I - W.T.F ?

I keep seeing people saying that the Lancome L.U.C.I stuff is too dramatic and weird, so allow me to say something based on my use of the product:

It's not. Really. At all.

Seriously. It's not "photonic", it's pink. The special "photonic" shadow is just a pink/white duochrome. Like MAC Helium pigment, but chalkier and sheerer and smaller and crappier and not as cool.

Here's what Lancome says about it:
Light Color in Motion Eye Shadow Duo
This stunning shell-shaped eye shadow compact holds two shadows, a beautiful bronze and a photonic shade -- new technology pigment shadow. The iridescent color, like that found on a butterfly’s wing or a bubble, is the result of an optical phenomenon where hues of an object change color based on light interference and viewing angles. Use the photonic shadow over the bronze color to create a unique third shade, or use the photonic shade on its own to create a luminous look.
Right, like a bubble.

I fell for the advertising hype, and now I have a useless but cool looking eyeshadow sitting on my desk.

Color Club Ampd Up With China Glaze Wireless Holographic Topcoat

Ok, here's some pics. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. It doesn't look neon or holographic and I can't figure it out. It looks cool in real life... Am I using the wrong lighting? Frustrating.

Anyway, Color Club Amp'd Up with one coat of China Glaze Wireless Holographic Topcoat (and Seche Vite).

Flash (just for fun)


No flash:

Urban Decay New Releases for 2008, China Glaze Wireless Holographic Topcoat and Lancome L.U.C.I

I remembered what else the Urban Decay lady said was being released... Colored mascaras, and I believe she said it was the Big Fatty formula.

I had to post because I just tried out my China Glaze Wireless Holographic topcoat. I have a very loud manicure right now. First, a quick review of the topcoat: Sparkles.

It's very pretty, but not really all that noticeable. I used one coat, but tried two coats on my left thumb. It's not really in-your-face holo, but the effect is just gorgeous.

Since I was faced with the prospect of making any holographic color I wanted, I decided to make a color that I know doesn't exist: Holographic neon orange. Hell yes.

I used Color Club Amp'd Up as my base. Let me talk to you about Color Club. It's dirt cheap, has a huge range of colors and the application is a breeze. Sure, it's not OPI or China Glaze, but that doesn't mean it can't be good. Almost all the colors I have are completely opaque in one coat, and I can't say that about many of my pricier polishes. If you can find them, you should definitely pick up a few.

Once my camera is charged I'll try to take a picture, but I'm a really terrible photographer, so I can't promise the pictures will be good.

I got a chance to try my new Lancome things.

First of all, the L.U.C.I. Eyes Ray of Apricot Light is incredibly disappointing. It's not iridescent, it's not light-reflective or photonic or whatever... it's just crap. The texture of the coppery colored shadow is nice, but it's nothing special. The "special" white/pink shadow is extremely chalky and is just a shell pink with white chunks. It does come in a very cool shell shaped compact, but I think you'd be better off trying it before buying it. If you're interested in the "iridescent" shadow, you should try MAC Vex. It's cooler, has more depth and the texture is like velvet. MAC has lots of nice duochromes with fabulous texture and the price is way more reasonable.

The Juicy Tubes Julie Verhoeven in Pink Muse is beautiful. It's a sheer, barely-there pink gloss with a small-size diamond glitter. It's not glittery, but it really lights up when the light hits it. Very pretty.

The Juicy Tubes Star Shower is puzzling. I don't see why it's called Star Shower. There's not really any shimmer or anything. It is pretty, but, huh. Star Shower?

Urban Decay New Releases for 2008 and Cover Girl Nail Polish

I ran into a representative from Urban Decay while I was out shopping yesterday! We stood around and talked for almost an hour, and apparently there will be some new products coming out soon.

She said three new 24/7 Liners, new lipsticks with charms on them for the fall, a new bronzer, a new product similar to Hard Candy O-blot-erate and there was something else... Hmm, what was it? Oh, 24/7 Lipliners!

That was exciting. I asked her if they were ever going to do nail polish again, and she said she heard rumors but she doubts it. I told her I want more palettes, more Deluxe shadows and a more purple Ink liner.

There are also some new products out currently, like the loose pigments and the brow boxes. I bought a brow box, but I haven't tried it yet.

Apparently she lives near me... how cool is that?

Speaking of being near me, I found out that one of the beauty supply companies that I order from online is less than 10 minutes away from me. I had no idea. I decided to try to find it, and went looking for it last night. Lo and behold, there is is, next to this disgusting dive bar that everyone seems to go to.

Since I had just ordered from them online, I decided to drop in and see if I could pick up my order. It was sitting right up front, ready to go out! They let me pick it up and even took the shipping charge off for me! The couple that owns the store is super, super nice. The store itself is amazing. It's small, cramped and PACKED wall to wall with PRODUCT!! I ended up walking out with another bag full of stuff in addition to my order. It was so cool. I'll definitely go back (during the day) now that I know it's there.

Another cool beauty find.... I was at Meijer at midnight looking for felt (random, yes) and decided to take a look in the health and beauty department to see what they had. I found a bunch of cool nail polish.

Satan, you better check the thermometer because I'm going to do something very rare... Rave about a Cover Girl product.

It's Cover Girl Boundless Color or something like that, glitter topcoats. It's a combination of fine glitter and big round multicolor glitter in a slightly tinted base. It's perfect for mixing and layering. You know how I was undecided about my Zoya Angelina manicure? I slapped two coats of this glittery stuff over it and it's now super cool. It's gold glitter with multicolor glitter circles and it actually brings out the brown in Angelina. Yes, it's flashy and I like it that way.


I love glitter.

Zoya Angelina, Chanel Azur, and random beauty babble.

My manicure today is Zoya Angelina. I don't know, I really like this color but I don't get it. In the bottle it's clearly brown. A very dark chocolate brown, like my favorite Valrhona Le Noir Amer 71%... Mmm.... Dark and bitter, it suits me well, no?

However, on the nails, it just looks black. It's an interesting effect. It's black, but there's something different about it. It's softer, not as harsh... In the right light you can see that it's actually brown, but otherwise you can't tell. It kinda makes my fingertips look red.

Another color I don't get: Chanel Azur. I admit, it was an impulse buy because it looked soooooooooo cool in the bottle, but now I don't know what to do with it. By itself it's not strong enough to make an impression. Sure, it's really cool looking, but you have to be under the right light and looking right at it.

I think it would be great for layering, but I don't know what to use with it. I tried it over China Glaze For Audrey and it just made it look blah. I'll try it over Blue Satin, or some other dark blue, Zoya Indigo maybe? It might enhance the sparkle. Hmm. We'll see. Any ideas?

This week I've changed my nails every day. Monday was Clarins 230, Tuesday was Zoya Creamy, Wednesday was OPI Pretty at the Premier (blah), Thursday started out as Essie Decadent Diva but then I changed to China Glaze OMG, which was chipped this morning so now I have Zoya Angelina. I think I have manicure ADD.

Nothing in the makeup world is really all that interesting right now. I am a little excited for Heatherette for MAC (or other way around?) but I haven't seen any pictures. It's Heatherette, it has to be good.

I did acquire some new makeup this week. Lancome Color Fever Gloss Photonic in Rainbow, which didn't really live up to the hype. L.U.C.I. eyes duo in Ray of Amber Light, Juicy Tubes Sparkling Night in Star Shower and Juicy Tubes Julie VerHoeven Pink Muse, none of which I've used yet, so I can't really review.

My Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab collection has reached critical mass. I have no place to store it. I need to go box shopping. Without counting duplicates, I have 214 bottles and 310 imp's ears. That's 524 unique scents from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab alone. I won't stop until I've tried them all! Gotta catch em all!!!!

I need some sort of box organization system... I used to keep all my limited editions in one box, lunacies in another, general catalogues in another and all of my imps are alphabetized in ammo boxes and the duplicates are in a huge ziploc bag in my nightstand. Now my nightstand is completely covered in bottles and imps that no longer fit in their designated boxes. I'm afraid I'll knock them over or something.

I want to keep them upright, but I want them protected. No shelves. I label the tops of the bottles with stickers, so I don't need to see the labels. A box would be ideal, or multiple boxes to avoid risk of tragedy.

I'm going out to the garage to get myself in trouble come up with an idea.