All right, the week is half over.  What have I done?  Applied to a couple of jobs and not much else.  Hopefully your week has been more productive, but there are still two days left to make something of.  So here's my wishes.

1. In all seriousness, my house has recently had an ant problem.  I wish they would just go away.

2. I want to attend the Ellen DeGeneres show.  Being unemployed has given me lots of time and I TIVO her show every day.  She makes me laugh and for an hour, I can temporarily forget my troubles and just laugh.  I think it would be so much fun to see it live.

3. I wish there was an easy way to find a perfect foundation.  It would hide all my redness, give me a flawless complexion and match perfectly.  Why is it that department stores are so bright with unnatural lighting?  I think the lighting in stores tends to make you look lighter than usual, so before you buy: always, always, test the shade and walk outside to see how it looks.

Okay, your turn!

1. What I wish for this week. (practical)
2. What I wish for in life (hopes and dreams)
3. What I wish for in the beauty world (expensive/and or not currently available)

Over the years, beauty junkies like me have seen some products reach what I would describe as mass saturation.  Beauty editors plug this product for a period of time, so much so that the company decides to branch out and offer another version.  Today I'm going to highlight the first of two such products: Stila Kitten and Nars Orgasm.  Um okay the names are not my idea and I realize that this pairing could be construed in a number of different ways.  So it's best to just move on.  Today, as you guessed from the title, is about Stila Kitten

A bit of background: Stila Kitten first debuted as an eyeshadow.back in 1997.  A ton of people fell in love with it's neutral, beige color with a touch of pink and shimmer.  It's on the frostier/shimmery side as far as shadows go, so it may be a little much for an all over lid application, but works great as a highlighter on the brow bone.  Personally, i have used it all over since I have small eyes, and I generally use other colors as well. 

So that's what it looks like on the website:   And here it is on my hand; the frostiness really comes through here.

And now, here is how it looks on my eye - just the left side here, so you can see the difference it makes.

Normally I wouldn't wear Kitten alone, but now you have an idea of how neutral it is.  Since it is such a flattering color, Stila has released 4 other products under the Kitten name.  I have to admit, without trying them, the lip products might be too pale for me., I am unsure about how it will work with my skintone.I think it might be a good layering option to lighten up a dark lipstick or to add some shimmer to a neutral, but I probably wouldn't wear it alone.

Kitten Lip Shimmer Gloss
Kitten Lip Glaze
Kitten Silk Eye Shadow Wash

So that's the Kitten collection from Stila.  I think the other natural fit would be a nail polish, but otherwise, this is a neutral collection that most people should find pretty wearable.  All the products should be available wherever Stila products are sold.

Who doesn't like winning?  Head over to Allure.com to enter for your chance to win Lancome's Fall Makeup collection.  I have a few items from the collection which I adore (and hopefully will be reviewing soon).  The only thing that's not part of this collection that should be is the cobalt blue brush set, but that was a Nordstrom Anniversary exclusive.  The eyeshadow and eyeliners are superb in any event. The whole collection has a value of $513.  So what are you waiting for? Enter now!

Okay, it's Wednesday, I'm back to blogging, so let's bring back the wishing!  As a reminder, every Wednesday (err..some Wednesdays), I'm going to post three wishes:

1. What I wish for this week. (practical)
2. What I wish for in life (hopes and dreams)
3. What I wish for in the beauty world (expensive and probably unrealistic)

Hopefully you, my readers will be inspired to share as well.

1. A job. Where are you hiding? and Why?  Yes, i still wish i had a job.

2. I wish that I could be a more giving person.  Part of it is my financial situation, but hopefully in general, I want to be generous with my time and my life.

3.I want this Temptu Airbrush Foundation system from Sephora.  Not only do i want to try it on myself, I want to use it on everyone.  Who doesn't want flawless skin?  $225 for the airbrush/compressor plus $55 for the foundations.  Yikes!

Okay beauty shoppers, here is a website you need to know about.  You may actually already know about it since The Fairest* has been online for a while.  If you're unfamilar with it, maybe you've heard of Rue La La or Gilt Groupe?  In today's economy, we can all use more ways to save money, so head over to The Fairest to save money on beauty brands.  There's usually one or two sales a day, lasting for up to 48 hours, offering products around 50% off their retail prices.  They have a good selection of brands and tell you what sales are coming up, so even if there's nothing good at the moment, check back often!  Happy Beauty Shopping!

*If you click on the link and join, both you and I will get a $5 credit.

A bit of sad news: Prescriptives, which is owned by Estee Lauder, is being shut down at the end of the year.  I have a number of products from prescriptives including their custom foundation.  I know that many people love the custom service, as you're able to work with an artist to develop your perfect shade.  I got matched a couple years ago and the shade is currently a little too light for me, but it was a perfect match at the time.  They also have a good selection of eyeshadows and lipsticks to choose from.  So if you want anything from Prescriptives, I'd head over to your local counter or online to pick up stuff before it goes away.

Right now, you can pick up some free goodies too with a foundation  or skincare purchase of $32.50 or more.  While you can't get the custom foundation online, the All Skins Mineral Makeup is a good mineral foundation.

Why hello there! Remember me?  I wouldn't blame you if you didn't; it's been a couple months since I've posted!  Whoopsies.  I don't really have a good excuse because yes, I'm still one of the millions unemployed, so it's not like I didn't have time.  I feel like life is trying to keep me down but I keep kicking to stay afloat.  Is anybody else tired of this recession?  I am!  So while I may not be getting paid to do anything productive, my beauty routines and purchases have not gone ignored.  I haven't been able to indulge as much as I would like, but I do have things to share with you, so hopefully you'll forgive my absence as we move forward.

So what am I looking forward to most in the coming weeks?  MAC Style Black.  Admittedly, it's a collection of pretty dark...black...makeup products, so it might not be for everyone, but it's the skincare items that have me drooling.  I missed out on the Volcanic Ash Exfoliator the first time it came out (a year ago?) so I am not going to be denied this time.  Or so I hope.  I heard rave reviews about it, so I'm a little worried that it won't be all that, so I'm trying to temper my excitement a little.  There's also a mask that I'm so going to check out as well because I love masks.  Every week or so, I can be found with a mask or two on, as I treat myself to a mini-facial.  So get thee over to your local Mac counter on Thursday, September 24th to check out Style Black.

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