Sparkling Sand at Freddy's

As I mentioned before, PP and I took an amazing trip to Greece. I got a new camera and thought I would show off a couple of my favorite scenic pics.

Santorini, Greece

Mykonos, Greece

So, it was an awesome trip, and Greece was as great as everyone said it is. Now it is back to grind...which for me means back to the grocery store. Oh, and special shout out to Fred Meyer, who had all 16 lanes open on a Sunday with efficient, real, live grocery checkers at each one!* 

*All the other stores have decided to do the self-checkout...and for the record, NO ONE is good/fast/efficient at self check. And if I have to wait while another person asks for the code for bananas, or hear the electronic voice say "please place the item in the bag" one more time I might snap. 

After picking up a few essentials for PP, I took a gander through the nail polish aisle again and found these gems. I took these pics with my iPhone.

LA Splash Nail Polish for $3.99

These LA Splash (I agree, the name is a bit lame) polishes caught my eye because the colors are so great. And - let's be real - because they are $3.99. They have a HUGE selection, and I really like their pinks (on the right), but the glitters looked especially fun.

Pretty Jellyfish



I loved this Sparking Sand color and bought it. I have a couple of nude polishes, and I think this champagne (goldy-pink) glitter color will look awesome over the top of it. Also, since the glitter is more subtle (not huge chunks), I think it'd even look cute alone.

Sparking Sand

As a bonus this stuff is made in the USA (check labels, some inexpensive cosmetics are being made in China now, so I try to buy US when I can). It'd also be something fun for holiday parties. There you go, a bargain for under $4! 

 

Mascara Deal on Saturday

With mascara, I think it's all about finding the mascara that works for you. For some folks, the cheapies are great, and I have a friend that swears by the pink-and-green tube of magic. I've got another friend who will hardly spend a dime on makeup but insists on only buying Lancome definicils, and bribes people to go to the mall to buy it for her (she hates the mall).

I pretty much will try anything, but recently I've been loving Dior Diorshow Iconic mascara. I think the curling part of it is great for my microscopic lashes and I really like the brush.

Anywho, if you like department store mascaras, you gotta go to Nordstrom's mascara event this weekend, where you can get...

THREE MASCARAS FOR THE PRICE OF TWO on Saturday, November 5th at Nordstrom. One day only.

Yep folks, it's pretty much the only time mascara goes on any kind of sale. So go get some. Or buy one or two for stocking stuffers!

And - did you know you can spend $70 on this mascara? Let me know if you try this, and next time I see you we'll sip on bottles of Dom Perignon and eat caviar like guacamole. REALLY? $70 on mascara?

Three Blogs I Love

When it comes to blogs, I am a total nerd. I save them in my favorites, scan them regularly, and love to read the author's "about" page (does anyone else do that?).

Multiply all this nerdness by 10, and that's how I feel about beauty blogs. So many blog writers are creative, great at describing mysterious products, hilarious about the wackiness of some beauty items and ultimately, just really informative about what is out there that's good and what sucks.

I thought I would share a few other bloggers whose sites I visit regularly. I bet you'll like 'em too!

Product Girl - http://www.product-girl.com/
This blog posts regularly about tons of different products and the writer seems like an authentic junkie. She recently just got a job doing social media for Nordstrom, which is pretty cool. She's a West Coaster and uses a lot of pictures in her posts...two things I enjoy!
Good post: Trader Joe's Lavender Body Oil Spray,

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic - http://15minbeauty.blogspot.com/
I don't know how this girl has time to write, and she posts A LOT. She is a mother and full time pediatric physician (I'm suddenly feeling lazy...). Her posts are simple, I appreciate her brevity, and she's great at the "how-to's." She uses a cute little schedule: Mascara Mondays, Skincare Tuesdays...so you get lots of variety.
Good posts: DioShow Iconic - Finally a clump-free mascara from Dior, My Current Favorite Products

Vampy Varnish - http://www.vampyvarnish.com/
You know how I love nail stuff... and this blog has a lot of it. I like that she blogs about cheap polish and high-end lacquers. It's also pretty adorbs that her husband helps her out with her blog. If you only go to one page, check out her FAQ page. Such a great resource!
Good posts: Why Fake Nails Are Tacky, Revlon Glitter Review

If you've got questions, these blogs have answers...

Also, if there are any other blogs you love please share them in the comments below. I'm always looking for new ones!

Baby Soft! Laura Mercier Intensive Moisture Mask

In a recent Birch Box post, I mentioned a mask that I'd used after a recent VERY LONG plane trip.*

*This plane trip involved 4 flight legs, 5 airports, 4 taxis, 3 laps of the Logan airport, 2 decent plane meals, 1 unplanned night in Boston and no partidge in pear tree. We'd travelled for over 48 hours and were still not home.  Poke. My. Eyes. Out.

Intensive Moisture Mask, $32, 3.7 oz

In a recent GWP from Laura Mercier I'd received this Intensive Moisture Mask and thrown it in a drawer. When I dug through my stuff looking for something to soothe my plane-dried-out skin, I found it again.

This stuff blew me away! It is awesome.

I love a lot of Laura Mercier products, but haven't used much of her skincare. I would totally recommend this stuff. We're talking baby soft skin.

You smear a thick layer of this stuff on your face and leave it on for 15 minutes. That thick layer slowly gets absorbed into your skin and leaves just a thin film (At first seeing the mask disappear freaked me out!). After the time is up, you can tissue it off or wash it off.

Afterwards, your skin will feel great. I seal it all in with another thick layer of moisturizer, but depending on your skin's dryness you could adjust accordingly.

I will definitely be taking this with me when I have another long (and hopefully, easier) flight.

P.S. On my trip in Greece, these Almay Makeup Remover Swabs were AMAZING. Go buy 'em now. Best $5 you will spend --You will totally use them! Super handy.

This Is My Costume - Orly Purples

Halloween is not my favorite holiday. It's not that I don't like it, but I have a hard time getting into the costume stuff, party themes, and general gore.

This year though, I found these nail polish colors that will likely be my costume.

I know, watch out! Pretty scary! 

Orly's Plum Noir is a great plum-y purple, with a slight reddish undertone. Wild Wisteria is a cool, dark, blackish purple with more of a dark blue hue. Both are great, and I've always really liked the quality of Orly polish. I use it with my Orly bonder and it lasts for a week at least.

Since they're purple I feel like they might be as festive as I get this October. Not bad for less than $6 a pop.

At Long Last - Nars Eyeshadow & Brow Powder

Has anyone had their makeup bag/gym bag/backback/camera stolen or lost?

Yeah, it's super annoying to spend money on replacements, but the real bummer is the stuff that you'll never be able to replace.

Sometimes it's pictures, your favorite sportsbra, the hairbrush you've had since third grade. (All things I'm STILL missing from multiple car break-ins).
A few years ago, my entire makeup bag was stolen. (add dramatic music here) In it? My favorite brow powder.

Sidenote: Brow powder is what people use when their friend/loved one/relative tells them it's probably not a good idea to just swipe the mascara wand over their brows. You know who you are.

I've looked for a replacement of just the right shade for two years. I've tried tons of shades from tons of brands and never found one that looked natural. They are all too orangey or browny for me. It's clear that I'm still mourning the loss of the old, perfect, brow powder shade.

Anyway, let's breathe a collective sigh of relief. The search is over, I finally found this Nars shadow, which doubles perfectly for brow powder.

Nars Eyeshadow in Bali

If you've got black brows and light skin, this non-orangey, mostly gray, completely matte shade is perfect to fill in any sparseness, without looking like fake like most brow powders do. If it's possible to get excited about brow powder, I am.

Also, in case you need another reason to try it,  it's a pretty nice, neutral shadow to boot.  And if you're still just running the mascara wand over your brows?  Stop. And go buy yourself a nice little brow powder.

Greece Find - Korres Watercress Potent Moisturizer SPF 6

I've mentioned before that I have dry skin. So put me on an airplane for 20+ hours and my skin will pretty much look like a raisin and feel like sandpaper.

When we arrived in Greece, even the moisturizer I normally use wasn't enough, so I decided to take a gander in the cute little Greek pharmacies. I love shopping for products overseas, it's so fun to check out the new skin care, makeup, shampoos, etc. And don't think that I just shopped in one pharmacy, I might've hit a few (six?).

A cute little salesgirl found this stuff for me, after I insisted on buying something Greek. Korres Watercress Potent Moisturizer SPF 6. Really, this stuff is like buttah!

For once, when something says it's for very dry or dehydrated skin, it actually is!

I've used Korres products and they're great because they're paraben free and contain no mineral oils (among other great perks) - but this stuff is FANTASTIC. It's really thick, sorta like body butter for your face. When you put it on, it stays white for a few minutes, then soaks into your skin pretty quickly. It's not gummy and doesn't pill. My tinted moisturizer goes on great over it and the good feeling lasts almost all day, rather than just a few hours like many moisturizers I've used.

For an added bonus it has spf 6, which isn't enough but is better than nothing.

The bad news is that I'm already stressing about what I'm going to do when this stuff runs out. It looks like this particular product is not widely available in the US. If anyone goes to Europe soon, can you pick me up one? Thanks a mil.

Birch Box October 2011 - What I Got

Hi there - So I received my second Birch Box and wanted to show you what I got it!



This one is better than the last one! I'll keep you posted if there's anything I end up loving...

Cheapo Degreaser - Tresemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo

PP and I have tickets to Greece!

(Yes, financial crisis and all...)

I've already been thinking of all the fun stuff to eat -- I could live off Greek salads and pitas -- and buzzing around the islands on mopeds.

Knowing that it might not be convenient to do the wash/dry/straighten/curl combo every day while we're traveling, I've been thinking about trying a dry shampoo. I don't really have greasy hair, so I haven't ever really needed them, but I thought this trip would be a good time to give it a shot.

I ended up buy this one, Tresemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo, since it happened to be on an end cap at Target for, like, $5. They make a few variations, and I bought the one for dry hair. (They also have volumizing and smoothing versions.)

I tried it on my day-old hair tonight, and shockingly, I loved it.

I took small section and sprayed it on. When I looked closely my hair was just a tiny bit dusty looking. Then I ran a brush through it a few times, and any greasy bits on the temples and around my bangs were gone. No white powder, no dusty look. My hair smelled lightly delish, and looked spruced up. It even felt better on my scalp, ya know, a teensy bit cleaner (is that possible?).

While I wouldn't say it was brand-new hair, it was definitely fresher looking, and wearable for another day. And to me THAT makes it totally worth $5. Other similar salon-brand sprays are $15-30 so this is a good bargain.

I will say that I can't compare it to a lot of other versions, but pros include: totally works, great scent, cheapo price, no white residue. Did I mention cheapo price?

I think even the Greeks could afford this one...

Mail is Great - Birch Box

In a recent post I wrote about how I subscribed to Birch Box, a beauty sample subscription service.

Well, I received my first one and here's what I got, check it out.

P.S. This is the first video I've ever done (kind of embarrassing, but whatevs!) Oh, and I obvi need to trim my bangs!