on full alert

getting up yesterday was harder than usual. maybe it was because of the long weekend or perhaps I was still in a thanksgiving-food coma. throw in the really warm apartment factor and getting up was a total nightmare. i was groggy, couldn’t focus and i desperately wanted to get back in my bed. instead i did the responsible thing and got in the shower. i bypassed all the yummy-smelling stuff and selected the Bare Escentuals Peppermint Shower Gel—i feel like i should add a little disclaimer that says i don’t work for the company, i just love their products because they are made of awesome—and it was absolutely the perfect choice. it was the perfect tingly feeling (I think the bliss one is too full-blast and if you leave it on too long, it hurts a little). so energizing and invigorating, I almost forgot to grab my morning coffee.

you can never have too many

i am obsessed with beauty products, but the worst of it probably has to do with my desire to acquire as many lipsticks and glosses as humanly possible. if you saw the makeup bag i lug around every day you would probably faint and then judge how many lipsticks and glosses i carry with me EVERY SINGLE DAY. regardless of brand, color or my particular face that day, they all go in the bag. and this includes a couple of lip palettes too. if there was a serious world lipstick and gloss shortage or unexpected lip emergency, I am your girl. so you can imagine how I nearly swooned when I saw the LÉVRES MULTIFACETTES DE CHANEL—or CHANEL lip palette, for the rest of us. seriously. it’s gorgeous. perfect little squares filled with tempting shades of sinfully luxurious color.

get your own now!

the new twinkle in my eye...

i think i love urban decay’s heavy metal glitter eyeliner so much i invent reasons to wear it. it will make me look wide-awake! it will put a gleam in my eye! it’s so damn pretty! (especially in pyrotechnics.) you can put it in the corner of your eyes for a little glitter, wear it alone or with your favorite eyeliner. i wear it out at night, i wear it to work, i even wear it when i need a little pick me up. sparkly things makes me happy. i’d been looking for something like this a while ago, but could only find glitter eyeliner in pencil form so I’d pretty much given up on a liquid version. then a few months ago, my friend JU told me about it and it’s been in rotation ever since. this will be especially pretty during the holidays when you want to rock that glittery, winter sprite look.

get your own now!

taking inventory

if eyes are the windows to the soul, who wants to have a decaying facade? Not me. i am all about eye cream—use it religiously—and am always looking for one that works better than the last. personally, the creamier the better because I don’t like gels. i don’t think they are moisturizing enough. I like a heavy-duty cream, especially around the eyes where there is no moisture. i’d been using the prescriptives intensive rebuilding eye cream (free sample and then purchase) a while ago and really, really loved it. i am pretty sure it "eased" a little line i had under my eye, but i stopped using it during the day because it was slipping into my contacts (at night it is perfect though). the best part of this eye cream (aside from finding it in the bathroom all over again)? while i’d been rotating it out, it doesn’t seem like that little line has bounced back with a vengeance. which is very, very good. don't you hate when you stop using something and it seems like the apparent benefits of the product have completely disappeared? well, this is not the the case with the prescriptives intensive rebuilding eye cream.

i love that moment when you find something and you know that you are going to keep using it and it will be a definite repurchase or eventually become a holy grail. but there is something to be said about rotating products, trying something new and then rediscovering it all over again. it's like receiving a surprise phone call from an old friend and realizing how much you missed that person.

get your own now!

get in the shower!

i hate getting up in the morning. HATE. GETTING. UP. not even the thought of my face of the day can get me out of bed. there's something about the comfort and safety of my bed that makes it impossible to get out of it cheerfully. thank goodness there's philosophy's 3-in-1 shower gels. i've been obsessed with these for longer than i can remember. a perennial fave is cinnamon buns, with its super rich lather and beyond delicious smell. right now i am in love with pumpkin pie--i always break this one out during the fall. it's so perfect for the season. it has an indescribable sweetness followed by a spicy, little kick. it's the perfect, tempting treat to lure you out of bed and energize your senses for the long, long day ahead.

get your own now!

the first time

the day lancôme discontinued beige esquisse rouge absolu was a sad, sad day. i don't remember much else about it except i was really, really angry and wondered how i was going to replace my favorite lipstick. i am a reasonable person, things like that shouldn't be so upsetting, but it was "THE FAVE." my friend K and i started calling it that because it was perfect and it went with any look; you could wear it with any eye shadow, you could pair it with a smokey eye or rosy cheeks. you could wear it to an interview or even use it on those casual, but still want to look polished days. "THE FAVE" was perfect (i know i said that already, but it's true). it was this beige-y, pinky color that looked good on everyone.

i think it's about this time that i realized i was a beauty junkie--that products were my crack. i've always been obsessed with products; thinking about what works, what doesn’t, what could work, what i want to try next. what i am dying to try next, actually. and I am always dying to try something new. i love to know what people are using, what is working for them and if people ask (let’s face it, even if they don’t), i love to tell them what i am using and what works for me. it's like being a kid in a candy store (actually, i think as a kid i might have preferred looking in my mom's makeup bag instead).

but the day i found out it was discontinued--i made it a practice to buy two or three at a time so i wouldn't have to worry about running out, which makes the whole thing a little bit ironic--something changed. it was like i had to go out and try even more things so i would never be blindsided if something i loved was discontinued. i'd be able to bounce back, ready with 2 or 3 products in my arsenal.

it's been years since "THE FAVE" was discontinued and i've been lucky to find some shades that have come pretty damn close to the perfect hue, which has taught me to not have beauty prejudices. the must-have product doesn't always have to break the bank to be perfect, but if it does, then it's certainly worth it!