Blog Sale?

Hey Guys! Sorry I have been MIA lately.  I promise to have more posts up soon.  This is just a quick post to gauge your interest in a blog sale. I was looking at my makeup and have come to the sad, sad realization that I have entirely too much.  I think it might be time to start some purging.  If I did host a blog sale there would be a little bit of everything, mostly high end (MAC, Nars etc.) - my ask of all of you is:

1. Would you be interested?
2. What types of makeup would you be interested in?
3. What brands?
4. Price points?


Please leave comments below if you would be interested.

Thanks and have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

Christie

New YouTuber: Cortney

Hey guys, I know it has been awhile since I've posted and I have a ton of new products to share. I hope to have a few blog posts up this weekend and plan on a new one every week. I have an entire blogging list planned out. I just have to get my lazy rear in gear and take pictures / swatches etc.

Anyway, enough rambling. This is just a quick blog post about one of my very best friends. Her name is Cortney and she is relatively new to YouTube. Her channel is hair care / beauty / lifestyle focused. She is an amazing, funny, cheerful woman and I know you will enjoy her videos as much as I enjoy her friendship. Please support - a link to her most recent video is below. Check her out and be sure to subscribe to her channel.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mWCdtKrr3-M

Keep an eye out for some new product review and haul posts this weekend!

Xoxo,

Christie


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Muji Acrylic Case - 5 Drawers

I was recently in sunny California for work. I wandered outside of my hotel for dinner and came across a Muji store.  I was super excited to see it because I have heard great things about their acrylic cases. If you haven't heard of Muji it is a Japanese based store/brand.  They sell clothing and home organization items.  The theme of their products is simple and high quality but affordable. There are a few stores in the US but none near where I live.  I had heard that the three and five drawer acrylic cases were great for makeup storage but I didn't want to order them without seeing them.

I have wanted to find a new organization system for my lip products.  I had been storing them in small baskets in the bottom drawer of a lingerie chest that I use to hold all of my makeup.  It wasn't my favorite way to store them.  I found that I was only using the products towards the front of the drawer because they were the most easily accessible.

When I went into the Muji store I was on a mission to find these acrylic cases.  I was surprised at how inexpensive they were.  I want to say the three drawer system was $19 and the five drawer was $23 (I just looked at the prices online but they seem higher than what I paid).  I went back and forth on whether to buy the three drawer, five drawer or both.  I ultimately ended up buying the five drawer acrylic case and I'm glad I did because it fits my lippies perfectly.

Below are pictures of the case as a whole and each drawer.  I guess this will also be an impromptu lip collection post too:)

The lipstick holder on top did not come with the five drawer unit.  That was purchased separately at The Container Store.

The drawers are not very deep but they are absolutely perfect for holding lip products.  You'll notice that I keep my NARS lip lacquer pot on top of the unit.  That is because the drawers are not deep enough to hold it.  I really am so happy with these drawers.  I especially like the high quality of the acrylic.  The fact that this now sits on top of my dresser allows me to use all of the products evenly.

I am always looking for new makeup organization tips.  I am currently using small black baskets that sit inside each drawer of my lingerie chest.  They work well but I'm not thrilled with them.  How do you organize your makeup?  Do you have a chest like mine or even the popular Ikea Alex unit?  What do you use to organize inside each drawer?  

Deal of the Day: Sally Hansen Gel Nail Strips

I stumbled across an amazing deal today that I just had to share with you guys.  I stopped at Walgreen's on my way home from work to pick up a card.  I took a quick trip through the cosmetics section (it's just habit) and I saw that some of the Sally Hansen Gel Nail Strips were on clearance for $7.49.  There was also a Walgreen's coupon for $5 off the gel strips.  I asked the manager if I could use the coupon on the gel strips that were on clearance and sure enough...the coupon worked! Each box of nail strips ended up only being $2.49! They normally retail for $14.99 - that's just a little more than an 80% savings. Needless to say I stocked up!

Just a side note, these nail strips do require the separate Sally Hansen drying lamp. The coupon comes in the Walgreen's book at the front of the store - not the weekly circular.  I forgot to see when the coupon expires - sorry guys.  When I went in today they had a ton of colors to choose from (not every single color is on sale but a lot are) - so if you want to partake I would get to your Walgreen's sooner rather than later :)

My First Time...Sleek Blushes

Sleek is a UK based makeup company that is not available in the States.  You can order directly from their site and have it shipped internationally. I had heard a lot of good things about the brand but was just a little hesitant to try it out without seeing it in person. Being the blush junkie that I am I finally decided to bite the bullet and order a few blushes.

What was I waiting for?  Seriously, these blushes are amazing.  They are pigmented, soft and apply smoothly.  They have a great scent to them that is reminiscent of the Benefit boxed blushes.  And...the best part is the price.  At $5.99 for 8g of product they are super affordable. I am in love with the smooth matte black packaging. While they look small 8g of product is more than most standard blushes.  A standard NARS blush is 4.8g of product and a standard MAC blush is 6g.  It doesn't take terribly long for them to ship either.  I placed my order on the September 2nd and they were delivered on October 11th. 

I ordered two single blushes in the colors Pomegranate and Rose Gold.  Pomegranate is deep berry with slight shimmer that is going to be perfect for Fall.  As its name would suggest, Rose Gold is a rosy blush with a gold shimmer.  It reminds me a lot of Benefit's Rockateur blush. The only con about these blushes is that the packaging can be a little difficult to open.  I fight to open the Rose Gold blush the most.  The lid sticks but eventually opens.

Needless to say, I am definitely going to be ordering more from this line.  I am particularly interested in the blush trios.  I have also heard good things about their Pout Polish.

What have Sleek Makeup products have you tried?  Which ones do you love?

Favorite Fall Lip Products

 It is no secret that Fall is my favorite season.  I feel like I wait nine months out of the year for Fall.  The first cool night and I'm ready to break out the sweaters and boots.  I love pumpkin lattes,changing leaves, Thanksgiving and football games on cool Sunday afternoons.  Another one of my favorite things about Fall is dark, vampy lip colors. There are a lot of gorgeous products out there that help to achieve this look.  These are some of my favorites.

Revlon Lip Butters
Sugar Plum: The deep mauve color of this Lip Butter is great for those who like a little darker lip but can't quite commit to a super dark color.

Fig Jam: Hands down this is one of my favorite Fall lip colors.  It is a perfect brown-red with a slightly glossy finish.  One of the reasons that I love the Revlon Lip Butters is because they are so easy to use.  I can typically apply most of them without a mirror and they feel great on the lips. 
Red Velvet: A perfect deep cranberry red.  I am seriously obsessed with these things.  

Chubby Lip Pencils
NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Palais Royal: A deep wine color with a satin finish.  The only thing I had a little trouble with is feathering.  To help prevent feathering I used my Urban Decay Ozone lip pencil underneath as a base and it stayed put. 
Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Color in Apocalypse: One of the darker colors that I own, Apocalypse is a deep plum with a glossy finish. 
Cover Girl Jumbo Gloss Balm in Jam Twist: Jam Twist is more a wash of bright cranberry color and less opaque than the NARS and Urban Decay pencils. 

MAC Lipstick 
Talk That Talk (Limited Edition): This is a perfect deep maroon color with a retro matte finish.  
Dark Side (Permanent Collection): Dark Side is almost the twin of Talk That Talk but with a creamier texture and slightly glossy finish. 
Sweet Succulence (Limited Edition): This is definitely the darkest lipstick that I own.  It is a deep maroon that has deep purple tones. It is a lustre finish so it is the glossiest finish of the four lipsticks. 
Caliente (Limited Edition): Caliente was released with the Temperature Rising collection - it is a brown - bronze color.  It has a dazzle finish with glitter throughout the lipstick.  One thing I did not love about this particular lipstick is that the glitter can feel a little gritty on the lips.  However, that is not enough to keep it out of my favorites. 

Lip Gloss
MAC Lust for Life (Limited Edition) Lip Glass: Deep berry gloss with a lustre finish.  I hate that I love these limited edition products so much because it makes me not want to use them for fear of running out! 
MAC Liquer (Limited Edition) Lip Glass: This color is so difficult to describe - it is a bronze-brown color with hints of pink.  It is truly stunning. 
MAC Soft Serenade (Limited Edition) Lip Glass: While this is not a dark color it does look beautiful over some of the more matte lip pencils and lipsticks. It is a nude lip gloss with shimmery glitter. 
Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Bordeaux: This is a great dupe for MAC's Lust for Life. 

With any of these deep colors I recommend using a lip liner to help prevent feathering and to maintain the deep color.  I have been loving my Urban Decay Ozone lip liner lately. It is a clear liner that helps hold color and stop feathering.  I have also been using my MAC Talk That Talk lip liner from the RiRi Hearts MAC collection.  It is a dark plum from the Pro Longwear collection and it seriously does not budge.

What are some of your favorite Fall lip colors?

October 2013 Ipsy Bag

I absolutely love coming home to find packages waiting for me in my mailbox.  It is like Christmas every month.  I am currently subscribed to two monthly services; Popsugar Must Have and Ipsy.  The Ipsy bag is $10 a month billed to your debit or credit card.  Every month you receive five deluxe sample size beauty products in a reusable makeup bag.  Occasionally one of the products in the bag will be full sized. The products that you receive are personalized for you based upon a profile you complete when you sign up for the service. So, if Ipsy chooses 20 brands to feature that month you might get products from five of them that are different than the five your friend gets. It is a great way to discover and try new products.  There have been quite a few products that I have gotten as samples in my Ipsy bag and then gone on to buy (i.e. Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Scrub, Pssst Dry Shampoo).

http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-haynqrirufhk9gd

The theme of this month's bag is The Art of Beauty.  The makeup bag this month is absolutely adorable.  It is a white bag with pink writing.  The front of the bag reads "Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art." I am pretty excited about all of the products that I received this month as well.  I will list them below with a quick thought on each one.

 

Coastal Scents Medium Shadow Brush: This was nice to get - while it's not the highest quality brush it is always nice to have an extra brush in my collection.  The bristles are soft and pretty densely packed (although I noticed it does shed).  This will probably be good for packing color on to the lid.  Includes a 25%  off coupon code

LA Fresh Oil-Free Face Cleanser Wipes (10): Makeup wipes are always great to have a stash of.  I travel frequently for work so this is a great size to take with me on trips. I have never tried this brand before.  The package says they are made with "a luscious blend of aloe, cucumber, papaya, pineapple, marshmallow, jojoba and vitamins C & E".  Marshmallow, seriously?  Fun!  I am planning on doing a review/comparison of makeup wipes so I will be sure that these make their way into that post.
Includes a 30% off coupon code

Zoya Nail Polish in Neve: This is a gorgeous, full-size navy blue nail polish.  I am not a big fan of blue nail polish but given how deep this color is I might have to give it a try.  Full-size Zoya nail polishes retail for $8 so this product alone almost pays for the bag.
Includes a buy 2 get 1 free promo code 

stylesexyhair Spray Clay (1.4 oz): I am not familiar with this product but it looks to be a texturizing spray.  I sprayed a little on to my hand and it comes out like a hairspray but it has a gritty texture.  I love sprays that add texture to my hair - I am currently using the TIGI Sea Salt Spray but I am definitely going to take this for a whirl.
Includes a $5 off coupon code

Bella Terra Mineral Shimmer in Emotion: A beautiful loose pigment in deep plum with gold shimmer.  Gorgeous.  I was surprised at how much I liked this color when I swatched it on my hand.  I think this will create an awesome purple smoky eye.
Includes a 50% coupon code 

I really love getting my Ipsy bags.  I think it is a fun, relatively inexpensive, way to treat yourself to some new products every month.  Not to mention the adorable makeup bags! If you are interested in subscribing I believe there is a waiting list so I would recommend getting on it now.  I have linked my referral code below for those that might be interested.
http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-haynqrirufhk9gd