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Weird Label


Looks like a regular lip balm right? Yes it is. I got it for free with an order and it's a Hawaiian Tropic sunblock lip balm.

Then I read the label. "Apply generously to lips......nose......ears?... I've never seen that before. LoL. Just thought it was funny. =) I don't think I'd want to use anything on my nose and ears and then swipe it on my lips.

UPDATE: I just tried this today and it's hard and dry. It doesn't glide on your lips easily so I won't be using it again. Smells like coconut though.

And HAPPY HALLOWEEN! STAY SAFE.

To Chi Or Not To Chi?

That is the question. It's been a long time comin' since I've wanted to try out a Chi flat iron. After seeing a few videos about it on YouTube, it was time to get one. I bought the cheapest, plainest but most reviewed Chi on BeautyChoice.com and it's model number is CHI-GF1001 for $78.95. But by using the code "lauren555" (expires after the 31st of Oct), you get $10 off any order over $50. Shipping is free for purchases over $50 so I thought that was a good deal. The grand total was about $75.

By the way, I have wavy, frizzy, dry, color-treated hair.


CHI PROS

  • Small, sleek, lightweight (1" wide plates)
  • Power switch on the inside of handle to avoid accidental shut off
  • Ceramic plates and coils
  • About a 9' long swivel cord
  • Super fast heat up
  • Straightens, flips, curls
  • Adds SHINE; makes my hair more silky and smoother than my old flat iron
  • Easy to clean
  • Cools down quicker than my old flat iron
CHI CONS

  • No case/pouch
  • 9' long cord can get in the way if you don't need it
  • Cheap quality plastic; it's like a matte plastic that scratches easily
  • Cord quality is flimsy; not like a regular, normal, stiffer cord
  • May pinch your palm/hand at the back end of the iron (that really hurt too!)
  • Unstable base; tips over easily (the most annoying thing to me)
  • Can only do small strands at a time; slow-going
  • I have to go over my hair about 3 times
  • No adjustable heating
What I'm comparing the Chi to is my old flat iron. A couple years ago I was up really, really late and was engrossed in an infomercial that featured the Maxiglide. I know, it sounds like a feminine product, right? Haha. This retails for around $80.
Picture A.1

Picture A.2
Picture A.3
Picture A.4
Picture A.5
MAXIGLIDE PROS
  • Comes with a zippered case and DVD
  • Comes with 2 different removable (picture A.1) plates: 1. detangling pins; 2. smooth/flat
  • Adjustable heating
  • Steam feature (picture A.5) adds moisture and helps "tame" frizzies (use only distilled water to prevent calcium/lime build up)
  • Large 2" wide detangling plate holds more hair at one time; quicker straightening
  • Non-slip rubber strip (picture A.4) at the base (the best freaking thing!)
  • Two passes through my hair is good enough compared with 3 passes with the Chi (I think the detangling pins help with that)
  • Straightens, flips, softens (I tried curling with the smooth plate but couldn't get it to work)
MAXIGLIDE CONS

  • Heavy, big and bulky
  • Plates are ceramic COATED (picture A.2); that was not specified in the infomercial; I thought they were true ceramic plates
  • Detangling plate will get dirty like a hairbrush over time (picture A.3); hard to clean
  • Slow heat-up; takes at least 2 minutes
  • Takes forever to cool down
  • Straightens and softens but does NOT add shine; Chi smooths and shines better
  • No swivel cord
FINAL GRADES
CHI: 4 out of 5 stars
MAXIGLIDE: 3 out of 5 stars


FINAL THOUGHTS

I wish I could take the pros of each and magically make my own flat iron. But back to reality. I would definitely recommend the Chi GF1001 for straight, smooth, shiny hair at an affordable price. The number one thing I hate the most about it is that it's very unstable and it tips over easily. I have to take an extra 2-3 seconds making sure that thing won't fall over each time I put it down. But overall, I like it very much.

As for the Maxiglide, I definitely would NOT recommend it. Since trying out something better, I know this isn't worth buying because although it straightens hair, it does not make it shiny and silky.

What's your favorite flat iron? Please share your recommendations. Maybe I should of spent a little extra money and tried out a T3 or a Kyoseki. But I'm still happy! =)

Oh yeah, I was up another night watching yet another infomercial (LOL) and saw another very interesting "flat" iron called the InStyler. You guys have to check out the link and see this crazy looking thing but it probably works really well! =P

Clinique STEAL

So I caved because Clinique is having an online bonus where you can choose between 3 different sets that come in a white and silver floral wristlet. Click on the link to take you there to see what's inside each. (Hmm, and I'm supposed to be on a NO BUY. I promise I won't buy any makeup at one time over 10 bucks until MAC comes out with their Hello Kitty collection next February.) So I opted for the Professional Polish set because I liked that lipstick the best.

Then for my regular purchase, I picked up the Instant Pretty Limited Edition holiday set for $36. That comes with a full size 0.5 oz All About Eyes, which I had already purchased not too long ago and I wish I had waited because this is $27.50 by itself. It also comes with a 1.7oz Take the Day Off, Black High Impact Mascara sample, a mini Long Last Soft Shine Lipstick in Twilight Nude, an eyeshadow palette with 6 Colour Surge Eyeshadow shades and a silver cosmetics bag.

Wait! Then I got FREE SHIPPING by using the code "FALLBEST" (which expires Oct. 27) and that also comes with 2 samples: Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (which I dislike anyway) and Turnaround Concentrate Visible Skin Renewer.

So plus tax, the grand total only cost me $38.88. What a steal!...

Dust-Free Brushes



I had to make another brush holder and decided to reserve my old one for eye brushes and my new one for face and lip brushes. Yes, I'm a germ freak and a neat freak. And I don't use every single brush everyday so some of them will get dusty. After spending so much time washing and drying them, plus the money spent, I might as well take care of my brushes and give them their own dust-free home to rest in. They are also protected from any aerosol can spray like air freshener or Lysol...Oh, and spiders too. LoL. Spiders seem to pop up in my room.

I get asked all the time where I got the clear plastic box from. Well, I got it from a little craft store called Beverly's and have not seen these at my local Michael's or Joann (why are all craft stores named after somebody? LoL) It's just called "Craft Box" and the brand name is Darice. This was only $2.99 and the dimensions are about 7" tall by 4"wide. A lot of them in the store were scratched up or cracked so I had to spend some time looking for a nice one.

The clear little cylindrical-shaped beads that appear white are called Colorfill and a bag of it is around $5. It's used in floral arrangements and I give all the credit to YouTube's EnkoreMakeup.
I added some black ribbons with white polka dots to hide the top line of the Colorfill because it's a little uneven at times. I also keep the clear plastic brush sleeves on most of my face brushes. Since I didn't have enough Colorfill (I used leftovers from last time) I have to reach down into the box to get my flat top buffer brushes and I don't want to touch the bristles and add germs. So the sleeves protect them.
Have you made a brush holder yet? What does yours look like? =)

*UPDATE*
Here's a current picture of my brush holders. (June 10, 2009)


Ulta Eyeshadow Love


I love Ulta eyeshadows! I already owned 4 of them and bought 8 more and I really wished I had ordered more since they were only $1.25 each but that special is no longer going on.
I had planned on putting them into magnetic CD palettes but decided to skip on that idea. I removed various eyeshadows (e.l.f. Milani, NYX, pressed Everyday Minerals, MAC Starflash) that were in my second MAC palette and put them into my homemade magnetic palette that I got from Coastal Scents as you see below.


Then I removed the insert from the MAC palette that covers up the metal sheet on the bottom that's been spray painted gray. The sheet seems to be glued down to the plastic so I didn't need to worry about adhering that down.


Next I depotted the eyeshadows, which are about the second easiest thing I've ever depotted. Revlon Colorstay being the first and Milani singles being the third easiest. All you do is get a nail file and push down and away on the top edge of each pan. This pushes up the other end of the pan and while pushing down on one end, you grab the popped-up end with your other hand/finger. The little dot of sticky glue you see below is all that holds the pan in place.


After removing the excess glue with rubbing alcohol and paper towels, I peeled and stuck on adhesive magnets. I like cutting squares and I just simply labled each shadow by writing on the bottom of the pans with a Sharpie.


Ten Ulta eyeshadows will fit into a MAC palette with the insert taken out of it. I could also squeeze in only two regular sized eyeshadows at the bottom. They could not fit near the latch part at the bottom center.


Two stragglers had to be put into a CD palette. On the left is Dusk and on the right is Chestnut. These pans do not have magnets stuck behind them because the metal of the pan will stick better to the magnetic sheets.

Swatches in Natural Light (click image to enlarge)


Swatches with Flash (click image to enlarge)


Just a different angle. I used a Physician's Formula Color Eyes Cream Shadow Stick in Champagne as a base for the swatches.


COLOR DESCRIPTIONS

  • Aztec Gold - high pearl gold color; the texture of this is different than all the others; this one has bigger pieces of shimmer in it
  • Cashmere - shimmery camel color
  • Organza - light lilac shimmer, slightly taupe
  • Rose Dusk - light/medium pink shimmer
  • Golden Olive - shimmery olive green with a gold sheen
  • Dusk - darker version of Rose Dusk but more of a semi-matte finish
  • Luna - shimmery turquoise with a golden sheen
  • Peacock - shimmery medium blue; a true blue
  • Plum Smoke - shimmery bronzey color with a very slight and subtle plum tone
  • Mystical - shimmery darker version of Plum Smoke but has more red/burgundy tones
  • Eggplant - satin purple with cool tones rather than warm tones
  • Chestnut - semi-matte taupish-brown
I hope this helped in anyway! These eyeshadows are the same size but some of them say 3.0g on the label while others are 3.8g. I don't know why. It's not due to the different finishes neither. They are currently on sale online for $2.50 each which is a great deal because they are normally $7.00. Even with a BOGO, $2.50 is still cheaper than $3.50 so get them while the special lasts. I don't know if this special is going on in the stores also.
I have no idea why I didn't get more greens because that's my favorite color.

I also picked up the 65 piece Blockbuster Set only for the eyeshadow and the case. That post will be coming soon... =)

UPDATE! I got more...
This is my "jewel-tone" palette

COLOR DESCRIPTIONS

  • Lustre- shimmery, very light silvery taupe
  • Gold Leaf- shimmery light gold
  • Terracotta- shimmery orangey-peach
  • Radiant- shimmery light celery green
  • Verdigris- shimmery medium green with gold
  • Envy- shimmery green with blue tones, more bluish green than Verdigris
  • Brass- shimmery mid-toned bronze
  • Sapphire- shimmery royal blue
  • Night Sky- shimmery deep cool purple with multicolored glitters
(A NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Stick in Cottage Cheese was used as a base in these swatches)

Need More Space?: Tabletop Storage

I've had this setup for a while now. These were both from Walmart and the white unit was under $7 while the black unit was under $4 or $5 if I remember correctly. I needed these for extra storage since my train cases weren't sufficient anymore. I recently reorganized these items and there's more stuff underneath this table on shelves. But that's another story. =) I lined the bottom of the drawers with non-slip padding and also the bottom of each unit to prevent slippage.

I love the back compartment on the top of this. It's the perfect place to put my most often used lippies. Under the flip-top lid is where I put my MAC Colorforms brushes, my concealer palette, EDM Baby Kabuki, custom foundation mixes & my Clinique compacts that have the powder washed out of the pans. I use these to tap in my mineral powders from sample jars and then I can dip my brushes in them. (Oh and those are not passwords on the yellow Post-It note. LoL. They're just shortened book titles)

Two layers of lippies and lip pencils. I have Jordana & NYX lipliners, an NYC lipstick, Revlon Colorstay lipglosses, e.l.f. lipglosses and candy shop tins, Wet & Wild pot glosses, Clinique & Rimmel lipsticks, one Laura Mercier gloss, Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush lipglosses underneath and a MAC clear lipglass (which is sticky but the stickier it is, the longer it lasts. It's my fave gloss to put over anything to help make any color last longer. I used to eat Subway sandwiches with this over a lipstick and my lips would still look good after lunch!)

Wet n Wild & NYC eyeliners, some crappy e.l.f. eyeliners, L.A. Colors 6-color palettes, Jane eyeshadow and Be Pure Mineral Gel liner, NYX Diamond Sparkle lippie in Sparkling Dusty Rose, 3 MAC lipsticks & a script brush I got for my gel liner from Michael's, which was only 96 cents. It has a yellow handle.

The white storage unit holds about half of my Everyday Minerals collection. The top drawer houses my foundation samples and a couple concealers on the side.

Second drawer houses extra eyeshadows. You can stack two layers of sample jars or one layer of mini sized jars.

The third drawer contains more eyeshadow. Coffee Break is a blush I use for eyeshadow and in the back are extra empty jars for future use. Now the Revlon Illuminance Creme Eyeshadow palettes you see here have been reused. What happened was that the heat spoiled my creme shadows so I cleaned it out and pressed some EDM eyeshadows in there using a nickel covered with a T-shirt. They came out pretty but matte powders hold up better than shimmery ones when using the alcohol method.

Fourth drawer holds most of my blushes. The ones I use most of the time I filled into sample sized jars and put them into my daily traincase. Then I tap those out into the empty Clinique compacts you saw earlier. It's better that way so you don't contaminate lids with your used brushes. I wash out the Clinique compacts when I'm done. Check out my video on that.

And the fifth drawer on the bottom holds pressed powders, finishing powders, a jar of custom mixed foundation, and what's my one MAC Paint Pot doing there? LOL. This is an EDM storage place only. Hehe. The MAC compacts hold depotted EDM pressed powders. Notice how I put these delicate items on the bottom? I'm a klutz and butterfingers and I tend to drop things. My pressed All Smiles blush is actually shattered. =(

I also have my makeup brushes on the tabletop as well as some random makeup that fit into little glass votive holders that look like shot glasses. I'll try to do pictures of all my other makeup in the future. Hope you enjoyed! =) What does your tabletop look like?

Blush Galore: Everyday Minerals

I decided to pull out all my Everyday Minerals blushes just to see how much I have and I counted 26 (Update: 34). I don't really care for very shimmery blushes so you won't see any here, except for a couple, which I choose to use as eyeshadows instead.

I must bore the above picture into my head when I'm thinking about buying more blushes. I don't need anymore! LOL. Ah, but it's so addicting sometimes.

Most of these blushes are matte while some are sheen finishes, which have very subtle shimmer and have a glowy or dewy appearance. Peach Tree Dance and DVR Saturday are the only shimmer blushes I have and they are as sparkly as EDM pearl and shimmer eyeshadows. I can only wear talc-free blushes because talc irritates my skin. Almost all pressed powder blushes contain talc so I have to stick with EDM. (Update: I love PF blushes, also.) Even their pressed blushes are talc-free and the binder used is jojoba (ho-HO-bah). (Update: They have discontinued their pressed blushes...for now. Bummer.) I have two of their pressed blushes -one in All Smiles and the other in Best Friends, which I depotted into my old MAC Studio Fix compact. Of course I had to make that magnetic! =)

Swatches 1-16 in natural light. (Click image to enlarge)
*IMPORTANT NOTE* I think the pictures in natural lighting best represent the actual colors. I added in the flash pics to show you the shimmer.

Swatches 1-16 with flash (click image to enlarge)

Swatches 17-25 in natural light (click image to enlarge)

Swatches 17-25 with flash (click image to enlarge)

Flash washed out this pic, but all other photos are accurate.


MY DESCRIPTIONS

1. All Smiles- matte; peachy, sherbert color that darkens when applied. Don't be scared of it. My ultimate favorite
2. Summer Stoll- very subtle sheen; bright orangey light peach
3. Peach Tree Dance (discontinued)- super shimmery medium peach; I got this to use as an eyeshadow; (so do they do some kind of dance around peach tree's or something? =P)
4. Yardsale (discontinued)- subtle sheen; very light beigey-peach for a natural, dewy and glowy look; why'd they discontinue it?!
5. Weekend Getaway- matte; light peachy-pink nude slightly earthy color (lol)
6. Daydream- matte; light nudish brown color. Looks similar to Weekend Getaway when swatched but it's lighter and does not have peach undertones like WG. Looks similar to Waffle Cone when swatched but it's lighter and is matte. My fave nude color
7. Waffle Cone- between a sheen & a shimmer finish. Looks similar to Weekend Getaway and Daydream when swatched but IRL, it's darker than both
8. Everyday Bronzer- matte, dark brown with pink undertones. Lighter than Deep Wine and more brown. (This is not similar to Bare Minerals warmth, which is more golden and orangey than this)
9. Swimming Pool- matte; muted pink-brown with a slight mauve tone; my everyday fave
10. Best Friends- matte, mauve-pink. Strong mauve tones like Jump Rope and Opening Day
11. Jump Rope- subtle sheen, mauve-plum. Strong mauve tones like Best Friends and Opening Day
12. Opening Day- sheen; pinkish mauve color. Similar to Best Friends and Jump Rope but a little darker and slightly more pink than plum
13. Flannel PJs- sheen; dark rosey-mauve
14. Coffee Break- shimmer but classified as a sheen on website; dark bronzey/toffee color with a slight mauve/lilac tinge. Nice eyeshadow. Kind of reminds me of Laptop but less plum-toned15. Deep Wine- matte; dark brown with reddish tones but no plum tones. Similar to Everyday Bronzer but darker. I use this sparingly for contour. Good for darker skin tones.
16. Wet Sand- shimmer; light whitish-beige highlight color
17. Apple- matte; it's a true pink; one of my favorite pinks
18. Gameshow- matte; dark pink and more of a cousin to Plum Dust than Apple. I'm really liking this one now
19. DVR Saturday- shimmery light-medium pink; the outer edges of the swatch above is the true color and is darker and pinker than Snuggle; reswatched below
20. Snuggle- sheen; light pink with a hint of peach
21. Plum Dust- matte; not a plum color but a dark pink; as deep in intensity as Game Show but a little brighter in hue. One of my faves
22. Going Green for Pink (discontinued)- matte; muted dusty pink; slightly mauvey
23. Sunday Brunch- matte; definite orange/coral undertones; kind of "bright"
24. Nick Nack- matte, light pink. Better for fair and light skin tones
25. Fresh Air (discontinued)- matte, light beige with a hint of pink. I use this to tone down my blush when I accidentally overdo it, which is about once a week. LOL
....and finally, which is not pictured but previously posted....
26. Pink Snowflakes (LE)- shimmery light pink with silvery sparkle

These descriptions are just my opinion. Everyone has a different eye.

****************************************

*UPDATE*
I'll add all my newer blushes here.




(Click to enlarge) I reswatched DVR Saturday & Swimming Pool. EDIT: It's BoUquet
[Jeez, the flash pic looks bad but the colors are accurate. I might redo it!]


27. Time Share- matte (but it has very minimal shimmer in it) mauve-pink; dupe for Best Friends so if you have one, you don't need the other
28. Bouquet- matte; light pinkish-lilac; better as an eyeshadow with Morning Cup
29. Morning Cup- matte; dirty grayish-lilac; probably the ugliest and most unflattering blush ever - makes me look like a corpse; better as a smokey eyeshadow - pair it with Bouquet
30. Email Me- matte; light muted peach; hardly shows up on me

The first three look very similar in the jar, don't they?



31. Snooze Bar- sheen; looks more sparkly than Back To School but it's still a sheen finish; an earthy-peachy color that looks very similar to Back To School but has more peach in it
32. Back To School- sheen; a peachy-pink that looks very similar to Snooze Bar except that it has a bit more pink in it
33. Tea Time- matte (this is wrongly categorized on the EDM website in the Shimmer category because it absolutely looks matte!); an earthy-peachy-brown color that gives me a nice, healthy, flushed, sun-kissed look; a new favorite!; the flash made the swatch look brighter for this particular color so I would say the natural light picture looks more accurate, but you can see the peachy-brown tones in the flash pic
34. Once and Again- matte; mauvey-plum with a hint of pink; may be a little too dark for fair complexions
(NOTE: This is described as a rosy terracotta on the EDM site, which I think is inaccurate. A lot of their descriptions seem off so I suggest getting sample sizes to really see the true colors. I also think some of the jar pictures look off. To me, their pictures of Apple and Best Friends look switched.)

That's all for now! If I buy any more, I will continue to update this post.
 
Lady Lostris Beauty | TNB