quick tip

Is your lipstick down the nub? Get the most for your money by scrapping out the rest or placing the tube upright in a shallow pan of hot water to melt, and put into a little pot with a screw on lid (a pill caddy works, too).

Melt down a bit of your favorite lip balm and mix together to make a tinted balm!

little haul

Part one of my sephora order:
La Vanilla original scent deluxe sample
Benefit Birthday gift: watts up and they're real deluxe samples
Tarte Amazonian clay blush in natural beauty
Kat Von D true romance eyeshadow palette in sinner
Benefit boi-ing in 02
Benefit erase paste in fair

Eyeshadow tutorial

A picture tutorial I found and had to share.

Mini haul

Kat Von D lip creme in agogo
Benefit badGAL mascara (trial/travel size)
Smashbox camera ready bb cream in light (trial/travel size)
Tarte Amazonian clay blush in exposed

yes to tomatoes towelettes

I picked these up a couple weeks ago to try out and I am pleasantly surprised. In fact they are now what I reach for in the mornings to wash my face gently, effectively, and most importantly with out stripping my skin or leaving a film. They contain a touch of salicylic acid (beta hydroxy acid), which is a mild chemical exfoliate ideal for the occasional breakout or up to some cases of moderate acne. The Yes To brand is cruelty free, which is a big deal to me. They believe in plant based, eco-friendly, sustainable products that don't skimp on performance, and being affordable. The only this I do not love is the smell. The scent is horrible; it's medicinal and unpleasant. Yet, the good out weighs the bad.

dermalogica

I mentioned in my post yesterday that we used dermalogica products for our facials. Well it just so happens that we capped the week of with a dermalogica rep coming in and doing a 2-hour product knowledge class. I was pretty excited about it because I was already familiar with the brand, but little experience with it. And i want to know the science behind products. I don't want to bore you with it, although I find it fascinating, I will say the company is truly innovative. Launching and introducing new ingredients to the cosmeceutical industry in addition to being one if the first, if not the first to be cruelty-free from the beginning. This is huge for me. I don't want animal-by-products or testing to be a part of the products I use or recommend. The line is plant based and many of the products are multi-taskers. And several can be used on children specific issues like cradle cap and dry patches from teething. I'll go over some of the individual products I received in my kit soon, via video with a bit of a review of those products and the ones I have/will pick up between now and then. I real am quite infatuated. It is pricey, even with a student discount, but I plan on filling in one product at a time because i am at a point in my life where I am willing to pay for things that just work. In the meantime, I will using the 'say yes to' line which I'll review later.
Another thing that I love about the company is that they are huge on business education and making sure that the professionals using and supporting the line are getting the support they need to operate, grow, and remain knowledgable in their field. In concert with this philosophy, they have a program (joinfite.org) that helps women entrepreneurs across the globe get funding to get on their to independence. I forget how lucky I am to be a woman in the western world, where I can do and be anything I want. Now, the money is already set aside from sales of dermalogica's products, all someone has to do is join fite and vote for who you want to send funds to. That easy, and instead of paying the money back, the women are asked to pay it forward to another women in start-up mode. This is a company with integrity.

quick tip

if you want your eyes to seem more open, but still definition on the bottom and don’t like use a white on the inner rim; try using a darker eyeliner on top (black or dark brown for example) and a lighter eyeliner on the bottom (like grey or medium brown).