Monday, December 29, 2008

Sephora Nail Patch review (aka those nail polish sticker thingies)



I have been eying these things forever...I first saw them in the Avon Catalog years ago. How cool is this idea?! I was super psyched about it because when you have kids you do not have time to do your nails and wait for it to dry. I am also so uncoordinated my nail polish never looks good and usually starts chipping immediately. When I was at Sephora the other day, I found these nail patches
. I ad to try them!

Well, the review is in and..............THEY ARE NOT GOOD! With full disclosure, I did not take 10 minutes a nail to apply these things. I read the directions, slapped them on, and the results were complete and utter failure. They were easy to put on but hard to maneuver around the top of the nail. They ended up balling up and chipping within a few minutes of application (if not immediately). After the first several nails I decided to take more time- trimming the tops carefully with a nail clipper so there was not too much excess, but they still had too much "polish" at the ends. As you can see in my pic, they look like a 2 week old manicure, and this was minutes after application. Save your money and buy yourself a manicure. Although, for $8 (or 2 Starbucks) they are kind of fun to play with.

Monday, December 22, 2008



Before and After pics above.
So, my girlfriend kept telling me about how awesome the airbrush tan was. In my neighborhood, they cost $100 or more! My friend got hers at Aloha Sun in Marietta for $35 (or $30 if you buy a package). I sucked it up, made the drive, and boy was it worth it!! The airbrush lady (probably not her real title) did an amazing job and spent a long time getting it perfect. She puts more on the areas that get more sun naturally, like the fronts of your arms. This gives you a contouring effect and it just looks fab. I am naturally WHITE AS A GHOST, as evidenced in my before picture. I do not tan. But, now it looks pretty natural. Be prepared when you go- you have to wear loose clothing and can not go run around town afterwards because if you wear your bra and undies, it will smudge the tan. You have the choice of getting as undressed as you want. I ended up having to go full monty because I was wearing lace underwear and she said it would make a lace patterned tan...not exactly the look I was going for. Being naked in front of a stranger was not my first choice of things I wanted to do today, but she made me feel comfortable. Too bad for her she usually is airbrushing bikini models and had to look at a middle aged housewife in the buff! Supposedly this lasts up to 10 days. I will let you know if that is true. Oh yeah, no showers for 8 hours before or after (hence the hideous hairdo).

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick



I am a big fan of the natural look, and love a lot of clinique products. BUT, Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick is awful and overpriced. Not only is the color bad (just barely a purply shine), but it fades off within seconds. This product is consistently a best seller and gets a lot of rave reviews, but on my pale lips, I consider this stuff a waste of money. Bad consistency- balls up and leaves nasty little pieces of lipgloss on your lips. You will have to try it for yourself, though, because a ton of people love this. You can try it on at Sephora for free.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Local review for you Hotlanta peeps... Toni & Guy at Perimeter Mall.

I have to share with the world (or one person that reads this blog...wait, that is myself...oh, well) how AWESOME Amy at Toni & Guy hair salon is. She does cuts only...you will have to see someone else for color. But good god people, this woman can cut hair. I have been going to her for a few years now, and I have NEVER had someone pay so much attention to my haircut. She is an OCD perfectionist, and takes forever to do the cut. Which is great, because if you are a vain chick like me, you have to have a good one! Or if you are a cheap chick like me, you get pissed when you pay a fortune for a haircut and it sucks. I have been to everyone and their brother in Atlanta, and I can not imagine going to anyone else for a cut. Recently, I went in to have my super long hair chopped off so I could look like Kim from the Real World Hollywood. Or just pretend that an old lady like me is hot and 23 like her. Whatever. Here is Amy's number. Go see her and enjoy listening to her crazy Chicago accent.
PERIMETER MALL
4400 ASHFORD-DUNWOODY ROAD, SUITE 2305, ATLANTA, GA 30346
770/510-4460
Me before:my pic
Me after:Photobucket
Photobucket

And no, my "Don't Bother Me I'm Hiking" t-shirt is not for sale, so don't even ask.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

L'Oreal Bare Naturale Mascara Review


You may have seen L'Oreal's new Bare Naturale line. It is a group of products that go along with it's mineral makeup. Touting a mascara as a mineral makeup seems a litte weird to me, but who am I to judge (except some random girl who does, in fact, like to judge). Take a look here

I bought this mascara on a whim at Target (along with about $108 of other stuff I did not need, but I digress). I was hopeful for a light, clean lengthening mascara. For the first few days I liked this stuff. But after having it a week or so, it just seems to be getting clumpier and goopier and ends up all over my face and making my lashes look sort of like the lovely lady pictured above (not exactly the "Bare Naturale" look I was going for. Now if that is the look you are going for, invest in this mascara. If not, I stay stick with your current fav (I knew I should have spent the money and bought another fiberwig!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Favorite things challenge

At one of the blogs I like, Fiddledeedee, she asked readers to post their favorite thing- something that makes life easier, more fun, or more beautiful. My first instinct was to post about green smoothies, which are my new obsession recipes here . They are SO healthy and really taste good (unless you use arugula...learned that one the hard way). BUT, seeing as green smoothies have nothing to do with beauty reviews, I thought I would post one of my new favorite beauty things: pedeggrules. For ten bucks and a 20% off coupon at bed bath and beyond ( guess that would make it 8 bucks), you too can get rid of those nasty dry spots and callouses that even the pedicure people can not do anything with. You need one. Now.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Broadband light laser skin treatment Before and After

Here are the before and after pictures of my broadband light laser skin treatment. The first picture is before, the 2nd is after. These totally look like mugshots!! I wish I had a better camera or way to take a clearer picture, because the results are much more dramatic than they appear. I am SO happy with them, that even though it hurts like a mother, I would do it again. My skin is freckly and gets sun spots easy, so I was a good candidate.
Procedure details:
They put goggles on you (think tanning bed goggles), put a cool gel on your face, and the nurse stands to the side with a vacuum looking device that continually blows cold air while the doctor is treating you. Going into this, I had no clue this would hurt. I started to get worried when the doc told me that everyone jumps when the use the laser because of the sound and light that fills your sinuses (huh???!). She also told me to let her know if I needed a break, but it would only take 5 minutes or so. (uh oh, now I was really starting to panic). Let me preface the next part by saying I have a strong pain tolerance. I birthed two children and never complain about this or that hurting. Giving blood is no big deal. I couldnt even feel the botox injections I got. However, I was not prepared for the BURN sensation. No topical anesthetic was used. They turn the laser on and off all over your face. It snaps really loud and shoots the laser on your skin. It feels like a match is being held to your face. They do this a million times all over your face. It hurts. Me no likey the feeling of my skin being burned off. It is not warm, or even hot, it is a burn! OUCH! If I shell out another $350 some day to do it again, I will definitely being seeking a topical anesthetic to help a bit. Or a few pre treatment cocktails might take the edge off. The spots on your face immediately turn very dark brown. They last up to 2 weeks and then fall off, leaving nice skin. My face looked like it was dirty or just super freckly for about a week, then they all fell off. Has anyone else ever had a laser skin treatment? What was it like and were you happy with the results?


e

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Covergirl Advance Radiance Restorative Cream Foundation


CVS has a great deal this week where you can get $10 extra care bucks when you spend $20. Throw in several covergirl coupons from the paper, and you have yourself some free makeup. For more info on ECBs and how to get tons of free stuff from CVS check out http://www.moneysavingmom.com . Here is a picture of me wearing this makeup and blushberry shine lipstick. This makeup is basically for old people. It is so depressing that I am not some young teen anymore and now I have to buy the old lady versions, lol! Anyhow, with my dry skin, why not? It gives great coverage and blends very well. I used a very light touch. The only drawback is that it makes my face look a little "makeupy", whereas I like my skin to look super natural.
covergirl advance radiance

Saturday, March 15, 2008

My new skincare regimen

After consulting my dermatologist about how to look younger, she highly recommended I start using Neocutis as my skin care. They sell it at the office, but it is outrageously expensive. I found it at Caliderma for much cheaper. I have very dry skin. I sometimes even use aquaphor to get rid of my dry skin, so I was skeptical about this stuff. It takes about 6 months to notice the difference, so I will let you guys know how it goes. So far I LOVE it, though. I seriously think my skin already looks better. I use the day cream, eye cream, and product pictured below at night. I also mix the Neocutis with Retin-A Micro about every other night.
Photobucket

Friday, February 22, 2008

Covergirl Wetslicks lipgloss review

Lipgloss

I absolutely love this lipgloss. I have tried every expensive brand under the sun but this one is one of the best.

-It is silky and smooth, not goopy and sticky
-It has staying power
-The colors look so good, I rarely buy one that does not compliment me (My current fav. is Wine Shine)
-The pigment is heavy enough to actually show up, but light enough to look natural

Buy some next time you see it on sale at the local drugstore! You will not be disappointed.