smart salvage

i think we all have at least one eyeshadow or blush that has dropped or just generally degraded to where what was once a solid is now not so solid anymore. it gets messy, dusty and doesn't go on right anymore. so i love this glamour mag recession-friendly beauty tip on salvaging those downtrodden faves. for containers for this project, i love these.

so easy that it's kind of like, why have we not been doing this since the beginning of time? or at least since the beginning of middle school...

beauty top five

do you have any favorite beauty products to tell us about? i find that there are always a standout few in everyone's arsenal, and i have five i'm really enjoying right now, and i thought i'd share...i'm talking about those gems that make you happy you have them in your back pocket (or your makeup bag).

in the scent world, i'm excited about angel oil from jean turmo in woodstock. to most people, it smells like the thierry mugler oldie but goodie angel, but to me it smells like patchouli, so its a great compromise since my patchouli-wearing has been negged, and fragrance is one of those things where you sort of have to take into account the feelings of the noses around you. the other fragrance i just love is - get this - jessica simpson's fancy love. i never get stopped more than when i wear this scent - it smells a.ma.zing.

i've gotten back into blowing my hair straight and i'm loving john frieda's straight fixation, very simply because it makes - and keeps - my curly hair straight. it's the kind of paranoid, jealous love that makes me worry about the day they might carelessly discontinue it. i'm getting upset thinking about it - definitely need to buy a few tubes for safe keeping.

for eyes, i'm so loving this l'oreal shadow called satin tutu...the perfect shimmery but not too shimmery, shell-like pink shadow. looks great with brown liner, expertly toeing the line of being noticeable but invisible. so vague, i know, but i have a feeling you know what i mean.

and lastly, these makeup eraser sticks from almay are the best thing since...the always perfect almay eye makeup remover pads. it's as if i invented this stick situation myself, and i have to say, in a way i did. when needing to clean up a stray mark, i would often fold one of the pads over a q-tip to get precision and aim. until now, because that's exactly what these sticks are for! here's a really weird use for them i've found and become totally dependent on - i have a beauty mark on my face and when i wear makeup, i don't like how light it gets - like, i don't look like me. so i use one of the sticks to remove the makeup from just that spot. done.

what's in your top five right now? i'd love to know what they are!

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spring blush

one of the changes i've made to my morning routine this spring has been a lightening of the makeup i wear to work. rather than using eyeliner and a couple different shadows as i often do, i've switched to just using a single shade of pink shadow (might actually be a blush, technically) on my eyelids. it feels so simple and light, and i like the way it looks too. the simplicity of it is what i really treasure.

do you change your makeup or routines for the warmer weather?

photo from bare faced minerals

mazels all around

mazel to all the winners of in style's annual best beauty buys...it's always fun to look around and troll for new ideas, and of course congratulate yourself on all the products you already know about and love. on that note:

of course:

i'm a recent convert to the dove beauty bar...i use the one for sensitive skin.
and although i can't vouch for these, i personally know people who swear by them.

the laura mercier tinted moisturizer:

the widely agreed upon best eyelash curler anywhere:

and here are some i definitely want to try:

how amazing does this seem?

i might have to get a bottle of this and tote it around with me:


i'll try any variation on this old classic...so nature fusion it is!


and given my love for all things aveeno, i'm curious about this too.


the BEST coral? i'll have to be the judge of that...i am intrigued by their description of the color, i will say.


and here are the things that were robbed, in my humble opinion:

revlon colorburst lipstick, specifically in lilac, soft rose and blush, a perfect shade a tiny bit darker than natural lip color.


and you know how i feel about these:

were any of your favorites chosen? are there any you think are missing?

all photos from linked sites

such a pretty (cheap) face

so, did you ever get one of those weirdo emails saying that all these major department stores were changing their cosmetics packaging and needed to get rid of the old, perfectly fine stuff for bubkes? well, as it turned out, none of that was true...BUT it did all lead to a website that's been a pretty good find. and cheap!

my favorite thing is the elements compact which i filled with four different shades of pink from the eye and face elements collections.

another thing i love is the all over stick which is great for eyes, lips and cheeks.

are these the best makeup products i've ever used? no. but they're just as good as most i've used and are so reasonably priced that they make it easy to try out all different colors and products, mineral products and brushes & applicators.

i would recommend these items even if almost everything on the site weren't each $1, but really...i mean, even the compact is $1!

all photos from eyeslipface

branded

i realized this morning while looking into my medicine cabinet that there has been one - and only one - brand to which i've stayed completely loyal since i started making my own brand choices, and it's the almay oil-free eye makeup remover pads. they're just that good. and thanks to my beauty industry insider friend, i stay well-stocked.

what brands are you loyal to?

photo from www.allure.com

vanity fare

i am a firm believer that all us girls need someplace girly and lovely to primp, even if you're not the primping type. we need a place that looks pretty and has some special objects to look at and enjoy each time we prepare to enter the world outside our own four walls.

in our last home, i had an antique wood vanity and stool in my bedroom to serve this function, but now that's a desk in our guest room (what will be my little office eventually) since our current bedroom is smaller. so i had to get creative. i decided to use what was once our key table - a colofully tiled number - and cover it with beveled mirror tiles left over from our dining room (see here).

i also hung a few of them as mirrors, along with a couple of my favorite framed pieces that once hung in a little bedroom reading nook. the final touch was a trio of cube shelves hung vertically to house my perfumes. i love looking at their bottles but lacked an abundance of space on the table itself, so this was a good solution.

some of my favorite items on the vanity itself are this glass box from my grandmother's house, particularly because my sister has one too and it feels like a really nice family connection.

and these glass jars from anthropologie that were a birthday gift match the vintage box perfectly, and they're just so delicate and feminine.

i try to have fresh flowers there whenever i can, and i love the framed picture of me at my wedding - i like how i'm listening closely to the rabbi and how i look humbled by the moment - i like being reminded of that feeling each morning as i get ready.

do you have a special place where you get ready each day? don't you think it's important?

sweet lips

so do you know about this "sweets steals" deal at sephora? it's a weekly promotion they run where they feature a different product each week for $10 or less - amazing, since i scored a lipfusion color shine for $10 when it's supposed to be $38! they're only featuring one color which is called bare, but honestly, i think it's the color i'd choose and i have a feeling it will look good on everyone.

for some reason, most of the lip color i love comes in little pots (annoying), like this sephora favorite of mine, so i'm thrilled that the lipfusion has a wand and doesn't get all over my hands and everything i touch. it's shiny but not sticky, plumping but not spicy or stinging...and it's a really lovely neutral color - it almost looks like your own lip color but with shine...but a little prettier than that :)

see you every single week of my life from now on, sephora. and thank you! run and get one! i'm told they ALWAYS sell out before friday. click here to find your local sephora store.

photo from www.sephora.com