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Thursday, July 21, 2011

Tuesday photo shoot, plus Sumikoshop review

Tuesday a dear friend of mine had me over for a photo shoot, and we had an absolute blast. It was my first time doing something like that, so I was a bit nervous and really didn't know what I was doing. However, I love the way some of the photos came out.
Photographer: Annalee Davey of Paix Studios






Shoes: Aris Allen- Herringbone Mary Jane Wedge (my favorite swing dance shoes!) 
http://www.dancestore.com/Aris-Allen-Herringbone-Mary-Jane-Wedge/productinfo/211-HE/

Skirt: Cheryl Creations, purchased at a vintage/costume shop

Top: The Gap

Necklace: Forever 21

Hair Pins: Sumikoshop on Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/Sumikoshop#)

Face: mine, but it also has the following on it-
Maybelline SuperStay 24 HR Concealer in Cream
Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation in Warm Ivory
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Black eyeshadow from Wet n Wild's Blue Had Me at Hello palette
Benefit Benetint
Brazen Cosmetics Passion Pot Lip Gloss in Floozy


I really love the hair pins I got from Sumikoshop, and am planning on purchasing more in the future. I got the three pictured with a Heartsy voucher, and they were 6 euros each. They arrived quickly and everything was beautifully packaged.





There is currently a "Christmas in July" sale in the shop- you get 15% off with the code SS2011 until July 31. I'm pretty tempted to pick up a few things. I have a weakness for beautiful vintage-inspired things.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Smoky Ravenclaw

I don't know about you, but I'm a big fan of Harry Potter. I wouldn't consider myself a fanatic, but I certainly have an appreciation for the series. I went to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2, and had a blast. I was lucky enough to get tickets to the double feature, so I got to watch nearly 5 hours of Harry Potter goodness that night, starting with the Deathly Hollows Part 1.

For my eye makeup, I used the Wet n Wild 8-pan palette in Blue Had Me At Hello. I wanted to do a blue-infused smoky eye in honor of my favorite house, Ravenclaw. I used the browbone and eyelid colors from the left side of the palette and the crease color from the right side of the palette. I also used Too Faced Shadow Insurance and Maybelline One By One Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara.



I also went with a Ravenclaw manicure, using Wet n Wild's Fastdry Nail Color in Saved by the Blue and The Gold and the Beautiful.


I layered the gold shade over the blue on my ring fingers, and ended up looking quite green in photos. In real life, it looked much less green.

I also decided to get my craft on the afternoon leading up to the premiere, making a pygmy puff friend to join me at the movie, a deathly hollows necklace, and shirts for my sister and myself.

The back of my sister's shirt- a glittery snitch!

And mine:

It's a bit hard to tell from this picture, but the front of my shirt has a lightning bolt created by putting bleach on the shirt.

I think I'm going to put my dvd of HP 6 on as I keep working on posts and avoid packing. Yep, I'm moving AGAIN. Sometimes I think I should only allow myself to own what will fit in two checked bags and a carry-on and never unpack.

I can't believe how behind I've gotten!

I'm not sure where the past week went, but it absolutely flew by. I have so many posts to make! My computer is full of pictures for reviews, swatches, and EOTDs.
I'll leave you with a teaser while I work on cranking out some long overdue posts.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Burt's Bees Summer Grab Bag Now Available!

Hello lovelies!
I really meant to get a look done and posted today, but unfortunately my doctor's appointment and pulmonary function tests took hours longer than anticipated. The good news is that my lung function is fine despite all the wildfire smoke out here in the desert. I'm pretty proud of the fact that my lung capacity was 120% of the predicted.
Anyway, enough about my lungs.

In case anyone's interested, Burt's Bees is offering grab bags for $25 here.

If I'm remembering correctly, they have this deal every summer. I have not purchased it in the past, but I decided to this year. Why? A few reasons.
1. I have tried very few Burt's Bees products, and would like to try more of them.
2. Of the few Burt's Bees products I have tried, I have enjoyed all of them.
3. I have a weakness for grab bags.

If you decide to grab one, you can also use the code JUNE11 for $5 off a $25 purchase.

Now it's time for me to head out to test some more products while swing dancing. Tonight: foundation. I've been avoiding this one for a while because I rarely wear foundation while dancing. When I do, it usually doesn't end well. I'll let you know how this one goes, the formula does claim to be sweatproof.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Top 10 Blog Award

A few weeks ago, Krystal of Power Femme gave me a blog award and I'm finally getting around to posting about it. Thanks for the award, Krystal! I admire her blog so much- I'm always a bit surprised that she has such lovely things to say about mine!


Top 10 Award:
1. Thank the person who tagged you and link to their blog
2. Put the Top 10 Award logo on your blog
3. List your top 10 cosmetics
4. Choose 10 bloggers to tag, link to their blogs, and let them know

My Top 10:
1. Too Faced Shadow Insurance- This is a must have for me, especially for working with loose shadows.  It helps my shadows stay put day and night.
2. Too Faced Full Bloom Powder Blush in Who's Your Poppy?- I love this peachy blush and its lovely golden shimmer. It makes me look glowy in a subtle way.
3. Brazen Cosmetics Passion Pot Lip Gloss- I can't choose a favorite shade, but I'm currently obsessed with La Femme, Make Out and Floozy.
5. Nars Super Orgasm Blush- This peachy blush is packed with somewhat chunky gold glitter! I love all the glitter in it, but I know some people don't love disco ball cheeks like I do.
6. Too Faced Shadow Insurance Glitter Glue- I like to use this for glitter or for glittery shadows to really bring out the glitter.
7.  Urban Decay Preen/Show Pony Palette- This palette is great for travel, as it has neutrals and peacock-like shades for pops of color.
8. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil in Sin- I typically use this to brighten my eyes by applying it to the inner corners or lower lash line. It can also be used as an all-over lid color.
9. Meow Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Toucan- TOUCAN. Need I say more?
10. Brazen Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Tease- This is one of my favorite pinks of all time.

10 Bloggers (in no particular order)
1. http://lillianfunnyface.blogspot.com
2. http://a-crazy-peach.blogspot.com
3. http://silhouettescreams.blogspot.com
4. http://www.makeupzombie.net
5. http://glittersandbubbles.blogspot.com
6. http://sparklingluna.blogspot.com
7. http://vulcanbutterfly.blogspot.com
8. http://themoonmaiden-blix.blogspot.com
9. http://megageeksinc.blogspot.com
10. http://ohsillymng.blogspot.com

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Brazen Floozy Swatches

If you've read my other posts about Brazen's Passion Pot lip glosses, you already know that I'm a bit crazy for them. And if you didn't already know that, you know it now. The glosses are $4.99 here.

I've been hoping that Brazen would come out with an even redder gloss than Cherry Bomb or Make Out, and Floozy did not disappoint. I love a strong red lip. Floozy isn't a pure, pin-up red, but it's pretty close.

Swatches in natural light.








The only thing that could make this gloss better would be for it to be in a tube rather than a pot so I could touch up on the go! I seem to be forever on the hunt for the perfect red lip product. I need one that I can apply easily to touch up between songs while swing dancing, and the germies on my hands from dancing with others aren't going anywhere near a pot of lip gloss!

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Secrets of a Swing Dancer- Mascara Review #1

For my first official Secrets of a Swing Dancer review, I picked up the One by One Volum' Express Waterproof Mascara in Very Black from Maybelline. It's available in most drugstores and stores like Target and Walmart. It's $7.99 on the Ulta website.


The packaging promises "Big volume, lash by lash" and "Clump-free, big volume."
The brush, which the packaging refers to as "the lash catcher", looks like this:
Recently, I've been more fond of plastic-y brushes like this, rather than the bristle-y ones. The package says, "Exclusive lash catcher brush catches, coats and de-clumps every single lash for our most refined volume from root to tip."

Now for my lashes.

Natural lashes, no mascara.

With mascara.


Initial thoughts:
I wasn't blown away by the volume at first, but once I stepped back and looked at my lashes from a greater distance (rather than a few inches from my makeup mirror), I liked it more. It also does a nice job of lengthening. My lashes are naturally curly, so I can't comment on how well it holds the curl from a lash curler. Although I like the way this mascara looks, it did make my lashes a bit stiffer than I would have liked. You have to work quickly with this mascara- if you let it dry between coats it will clump. The packaging does say, "For best results, hold brush against lashes and sweep from root to tip. Repeat until desired look is achieved. Do not let dry between coats." The first time I applied the mascara, I didn't work fast enough and I saw a lot of clumpage. The second time, I furiously applied it until I liked how it looked. It was probably about 3-4 coats. I usually only use 1-2 coats of mascara, so I felt like I was applying a ton in order to get the look I wanted.

Testing:
I really tested the limits of this mascara. It was about 95 degrees that day and I danced for nearly 4 hours, only sitting out a few songs. I was swea-tay. Salt crusted in the creases of my eyelids sweaty. Gross, but true (and to give you an idea of how intense the testing was).

Results:
This mascara can hold its own in the world of charleston, swingouts and swivels.
I didn't see any flaking, smudging, or other indications of wear. By the time I got home, it looked the same as when I first applied it. Even when I rinsed my face off with water, the mascara didn't budge. Sweatproof, waterproof, danceproof. That's what I like to see in a mascara for lindy hopping.
This mascara did not disappoint, but it didn't make me want to start a new religion or anything. Probably because of the stiffness of my lashes with it. Otherwise, a very good mascara.

This product gets my Lindy Stamp of Approval!