I've been playing with more color with my looks, today it's blue.

Eyes: UDPP, MAC Eyeshadows: Parrot, Climate Blue, L'oreal HIP eyeliner: Midnight Blue
Face: Smashbox Photo Finish Primer SPF 15 & Dermaxyl; Giorgio Armani Lumnious Silk Foundation, MAC Loose Powder, Smashbox Soft Lights: Shimmer
Lips: Bobbi Brown: Berry Mauve, MAC Soft&Slow





P.S. What do you think of my new hair cut and color? Thanks M!

Of all my brushes, I've spent the most on my foundation brushes.  Like I said earlier, I'm not spending 100s, but in comparison to my $1-10 brushes, plopping down $30 for one brush can seem high.  Since I wear foundation every day I appear in public, it's an important tool.

Clockwise from the left: Lancome Foundation Brush #2; Bare Escentuals Concealer Brush; Giorgio Armani Blender Brush (travel size); Eco Tools Concealer Brush

The Lancome foundation brush gets the most use - anytime I'm using liquid foundation, it's used.  I can't tell what's it's made from, but I"m 99% sure it's synthetic. I should wash my foundation brush more often than I do, which is about 1x a month.  Should really be 1x a week. Bad girl.  You'll know that it needs washing when the foundation doesn't spread smoothly, or becomes streaky.  Otherwise, it does a great job of helping the foundation blend into my face. It retails for $33.

The Armani brush is limited to just the Armani Foundation I have (Luminous Silk, review coming).  The SA told me that the Luminous Silk Foundation (LSF) has some micro-fil tthing that necessitates the use of a brush, which I'm all for; plus I'd heard good things about the foundation, thus I thought I'd give it a try.  Also, because of the foundation's ingredients, it's recommended that you wash it dishwashing liquid!  Who knew?  While unconventional, dishwashing liquid is readily available and it's cheap.  The full size brush is $47, but I got mine in a set with the foundation, and it's travel sized.

I don't use the concealer brushes that often.  If I'm going to a special event and want to get the red areas by my nose, I'll use a concealer brush, but it's not a staple in my arsenal.  The BE brush is $20, Eco Tools comes in with set of 5 brushes for $14.99

Clockwise from left: BE Flawless Application Brush; Lancome Brush; BE Handy Buki Brush
For mineral foundations, these are the three brushes I use. The BE brushes came in the starter kit, along with the concealer brush mentioned above and the Bare Minerals foundations.  I think the brushes are good for the money, although they seem to shed a couple hairs every time I wash them. Supposedly, the Handy Buki brush is for "smaller areas", but I find it works fine all over the face; maybe it takes a little longer for the 'swirl, tap, buff' to happen, but what's a couple extra seconds.  The Flawless Application Brush is used primarily for BE's Mineral Veil, though I suspect it would be fine for other powders.  It's hard to swirlp, tap, buff with this brush, but I find it's not as important with powder as foundation.
Mineral foundation is more popular than ever, so for all my drugstore purchases of mineral foundations, I use the Lancome Brush at the top.  Honestly, I have no idea how much this brush costs, or what it's intended for, since it was part of a gift with purchase.  It's closest to this brush on the Lancome website.  $56? I'll take free.  And yes, it does work with mineral foundations.  Not to soft, not too hard, just right.

All right, enough of the goldilocks references.

Catch up on other posts about brushes:
Natural vs. Synethic
My Personal Collection

I attended an event last Friday for The Sold Project - check out their website and preserve young girls' innocence - and this is the look I wore.  My favorite color is not purple, but I grabbed a purple shirt without thinking and thus played up the purple factor.  I tried to take pictures along the way to show the process, but they didn't turn out as well as I hoped, so I just have a few shots.

As I've mentioned the difficulty in keeping my eyelashes curled, you will notice that I have mascara on in all these shots.  I spent about 10 minutes curling, separating, and applying mascara before starting on the eyeshadow application.  This mascara is Cover Girl Lash Blast.

Here's the complete list of products used:
Eyes: MAC Grain, Warming Trend, Smoke+Diamonds, Illegal Cargo; Smashbox Hot Date Trio (liner), Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara
Face: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, MAC studio Finish Face Fowder; L'Oreal Glam Bronze Duo: Sunkissed Copper
Lips: Bobbi Brown Berry Mauve Lipstick



The look starts with a base of MAC shadows in Grain and Warming Trend


MAC Smoke+Diamonds and Illegal Cargo provide the color. Smoke+Diamonds was used just in the crease.  I did more blending after I snapped the photo.

Even though this is not the best angle, you can see the purple. You'll also note that in less than 10 minutes, I'm losing curl in the eyelashes.

I applied more eyeliner than normal.  It didn't dawn on me that I had purple liner, but discovered this Smashbox trio in my collection. The purple liner (top) completed my purple eyes.


After another application of mascara, I'm done.


Yeah...those are my eyes opened about as wide as I can get them.

Hello readers!  It appears that my readership is growing and I suspect that part of it is from the Cosmetics Settlement.  So thank you!  Please feel free to comment and let me know what you love and don't!

Much of my day yesterday was spent in line.  There was a marketing job fair or so I thought; it ended up being a 2.5 hour wait for a 10 minute conversation with a staffing agency representative.  Certainly not my idea of fun, but hopefully it will be time well spent.  I will post my makeup in a later post, which I had taken care to do since I was under the impression that I would be meeting a number of companies.  Oh wells, it doesn't hurt to look professional.  What did hurt was standing in 3 inch heels for 2+ hours. As they say, dress for the job you want, not the job you have.  In this case, it would be no job, so does that mean no makeup?  After ensuring that my resume would be at the top of their list, I realized I was near a mall, so it was time to shop for free.  What?  How is that possible?

I was at Valley Fair, where there is both a Nordstrom and Macy's, so I decided to stop by and pick up my free product from the settlement!  My first stop was Macy's, but I was rather surprised to see a long line.  I mean, the line was through the cosmetics department, out into the mall, and out the front door.  Seriously?  I didn't realize that it would be this popular!  I was beginning to think that I should have gone yesterday when everyone was watching the inaguration!  But I would not be denied free cosmetics, so I headed down to Nordstrom's.  It was much better here, where there were maybe 10 people in line; you had to sign your name saying you had purchased something from May 29, 1994 through July 16, 2003.  I did and then picked up my free product. Score.

Before I reveal what I picked up, I understand the Giorgio Armani ACM Shower Gel listed is a mystery to many people.  I asked the Giorgio Armani Associate if she knew what the ACM shower gel was and she said she "thought" it was Armani Code but didn't specify for Men or Women.  She made a point of telling me that it Giorgio Armani has little to do with the settlement and associates have been instructed not to talk about it.  I understand that it's probably costing the company quite a bit of money, so if anybody nabs it, let us know!

Okay, so what did I get?  Remember my post here? I said this:

So there you have it.  20 products, you choose 1.  What would you get?  My picks would be any of the Lancome Mascaras, the Skin Defense, or the full size shower gels and lotions.  Unless you need a travel size of the Advanced Night Repair, pass on it since Estee Lauder usually includes it in a gift with purchase.  The Clarins items would be worth a try.  And the fragrance items are way to small, especially compared to the value of the full size items.

Find out what happened after the break.

REMINDER! THIS IS TODAY!

Attention!  In 1 week, on January 20th, head to your local department store and pick up your choice of a free product.  Thanks to a cosmetics settlement, consumers are welcome to select their choice of a number of products.  Who doesn't love free stuff, especially in these economic hard times?
A couple of guidelines though. First off, you can only select one of the following products, not one from each brand.  Secondly, it's first come first serve, so plan accordingly.  Third, here are the stores you can get your free product:

• Bergdorf Goodman.Bergner’s.Bloomingdale’s.Boston Store.Carson Pirie Scott.Dillard’s.

Gottschalks.Herberger’s.Macy’s.Neiman Marcus.Nordstrom.Parisian.Saks Fifth Avenue.Younkers

I'm not sure what stores carry what products though, so if you have your heart set on something, I'd check to see if a store normally carries it.

And lastly, what can you get?  I've found descriptions for the products, so you don't have to!  Some of the products are full size, others appear to be a sample.  I've included the prices and pictures of the retail product, as I'm not sure what the giveaway will look like.

Boucheron: Femme Eau de Toilette (1 oz) sample size
1.7 oz retails for $76 at Dillard's                          
"A classic floral with an Asian influence."

Coco Mademoiselle Body Lotion (3.4 oz) sample size
6.8 oz retails for $47.50
"a modern oriental fragrance, fresh and sensual."

Christian Dior: J'Adore Eau de Parfum (15 ml) sample size
1.7 oz retails for $68 at Nordstrom's
"a brilliant bouquet of orchids, the velvet touch of damascus plum and the mellowness of amarante wood."

Clarins Energizing Morning Cream (30 ml) sample size
1.7 oz retails for $59 at Nordstrom
"An innovative complex that minimizes the appearance of fine lines and promotes skin's suppleness."

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm (30 ml) sample size
1.7 oz retails for $45 at Nordstrom
"An exceptional beauty booster which immediately eliminates all signs of fatigue: facial features appear rested and smooth"

Calvin Klein Euphoria Body Lotion (6.7 oz)
Retails for $38 at Macys.
"The Fragrance - Exotic fruits, seductive florals, sensual champaca flower and a rich creamy texture of liquid amber, mahogany wood with an addictive cream accord."

Vera Wang Princess Foaming Body Polish (5 oz)
Retails for $32 at Macy's.
"Playful. Unpredictable. Spirited. A new attitude in fragrance- it plays upon contradictions of a modern princess."

Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely Shower Gel (6.7 oz)
Retails for $28 at Nordstrom/Macy's
"Inspired by her love of layering unexpected fragrances, Sarah Jessica Parker blends a scent of pure innocence with the exotic nature of a precious oil and the sophistication of a fine perfume. Lavender, orchid and amber mingle with apple martini, paper whites and musk"

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair (.5 oz) sample size
1 oz. retails for $46.50 at Nordstrom/Macy's
"By night, it uses the body's natural rhythm of renewal to help repair visible signs of aging and speed recovery from UV and environmental damage. By day, it neutralizes environmental irritants, including up to 90% of free radicals, before they can affect skin's appearance."

Clinique Moisture Surge (1 oz.) sample size
1.7 oz. retails for $34 at Nordstrom/Macys
"Enjoy rapid refreshment and a full 12 hours of soothing moisture with an addictive by-a-waterfall feel"

Guerlain: My Insolence Eau de Toilette (15 ml) sample size
1.7 oz retails for $68 at Macy's
"This utterly adorable floral fragrance embraces innocence, grace and spontaneity."

Lancome: UV Expert 20
Retails for $35 at Nordstrom/Macy's
- Minimizes the effects of daily UV exposure, the #1 cause of wrinkles, age spots and loss of firmness.
- UV Expert with MEXORYL™ SX helps protect skin from UV rays that cause premature aging.

Lancome: Cils Design Pro Mascara
Retails for $35 at Nordstrom/Macy's
"Transform your eyes with a true false-lash effect. Create designer lashes in just two easy steps!"

Lancome: Fatale Mascara
Retails for $23 at Nordstrom/Macy's
"Sculpt your lashes with exceptional volume. Glamorous lashes to die for."

Lancome: Courbe Virtuose Mascara
Retails for $23.50 at Nordstrom/Macy's
"A Lancôme first: 100° lash curve with divine length all day. CurlGuard™ formula lengthens and holds a divine lash curve for 12 hours. The KeepCurl™ brush provides an outstanding eyelash curler effect. Long-lasting formula is virtually smudge-proof, tear-proof and easily removable."

Lancome: Primordiale Skin Defense
Retails for $64 at Nordstrom/Macy's
"Fight oxidation, fight aging! Reveal virtually lineless, radiantly touchable skin. Now, Lancôme blocks 99% of damaging free radicals¹ for visible skin perfection."
*editor's note: I'm not sure if this is the right product as I don't see a product by that exact name.  I'm familiar with the line and since it went through a name change, the actual item might be a lotion or a serum.  Whatever the case, this item would be worth it!

Lancome: Hypnose Shower Gel
Retails for $38.50 at Macy's
"Hypnôse is a captivating fragrance for a charming woman with a surprising and intriguing attitude.Slip into this luminous oriental fragrance that instantly captivates with Passion Flower, Vanilla and Vetiver notes."

Ralph Lauren: Romance Sensuous Shower Gel
Retails for $37.50 at Macy's
"Discover the sensual essence of velvety woods, extravagant florals and seductive musk. A timeless scent for all seasons."

Giorgio Armani: ACM Shower Gel
Retails for $29
"Code combines a citron cocktail of bergamot and lemon with soft notes of olive tree blossom, warmed with Guaiac wood and Tonka Bean. A sexy fragrance blend for the contemporary man in the know."
*Editor's note: I think this is for the men's product, but I can't really be sure.  There is an Armani Code for Women.  If it is for men, that's great!

Givenchy: Very Irresistible Eau de Toilette (15 ml) sample size
2.5 oz retails for $70 at Macy's
"A red carpet of rose petals illuminated by star anise and the sparkle of verbena and red berries. Elegant. Spontaneous. Irresistible. A sparkling personality. A certain innocence. An absolute original."

So there you have it.  20 products, you choose 1.  What would you get?  My picks would be any of the Lancome Mascaras, the Skin Defense, or the full size shower gels and lotions.  Unless you need a travel size of the Advanced Night Repair, pass on it since Estee Lauder usually includes it in a gift with purchase.  The Clarins items would be worth a try.  And the fragrance items are way to small, especially compared to the value of the full size items.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20