Lazy Girl Halloween| The Pin Up Ghoul

I LOVE Halloween. 

Love it. 

But that doesn't mean I'm immune to realizing that I have no costume prepared at midnight on October 29th. 

Lucky for me this year I had plans that required a ticket so I was forced to think about it at least a week in advance and get some costume-y bits together. 

My roommate on the other hand was feeling froggy this evening and so we sat down to have a little play.

In Defense of Expensive Mascara

Of all the cosmetic products in all the land mascara is the only piece of the puzzle that very few people seem to shell out for. 

Even I've said it in the past: "I don't think luxury mascaras give any better lashes than one from the drugstore."

I may be prepared to eat my words.

The last few months I've been riding the department store mascara train and honestly:my eyes have never looked better.

The Winter Skin Saver

When the last few rays of Summer sun fall behind the clouds and it starts getting dark before you get in form work the time comes to start bracing your skin for the cold. 

I always end up surprised by it and as a result end up battling dry, flaky, chapped and sore skin for a few days before everything rebalances.

One thing I am always sure to have on hand year round and especially now is a one stop shop all purpose balm to protect and heal my skin from the serious NYC winds.

Stick With It

 If I had to guess which product I use most in my eye product stash I would have to say it is my ever growing assortment of retractable eyeshadow pencils. 

They are Monday morning heaven.

The formulas I've tried to date make for the perfect swipe and go shades but, the best part is that on mornings when you do have more time they can be layered with other shades to create a more dynamic effect and a longer lasting look.

Makeup Worth the Mess

If there is one product on the market that gets a bad rap for no real reason it's loose pigments. 

Now I get it. Using one in the morning can be more effort than you have time for but that doesn't mean you can't keep a few choice loose options stashed away for a rainy day.

They are especially nice on a night out but even for a nice weekend adventure these shades make for a lovely and in most cases stunning metallic finish on the eye.

A bonus with keeping loose items on hand is the immense versatility.

Even if you opt not to use them on they eyes you can always sprinkle some over wet nails, dab some in the center of your lip gloss, mix some into your lotion etc. 

The options are limitless and with three choice colors you can get a lot of mileage out of your messy makeup.

About Face| Barely There Beauty

I love the freedom of easy makeup days. Usually Sundays for me. Most of the time I don't bother at all. I like to give my skin the day off if I can but, whether I'm running out for coffee or to run errands there is a small arsenal of products I refer to so I can be out the door in under five minutes.

The best part?

You can apply the whole routine with just your fingers.

Ugly Pretty Colors

One thing Autumn trends tend to bring about is the presence of "ugly pretty colors." You know the pea soup and baby poop green shades. 

Things that only ever seem pretty when the air is clear and crisp and all of the scenery is blustery and warm.

I don't know quite what it is about this time of year but it makes me want mustard nails. 

In honor of the season let's match our nails to the wilting foliage! 

The Replacements|The Bathroom Counter

Now that I have my own bathroom I get really excited about things like candles and hand soap. Especially when they match.

I was at my local Target and making a beeline to repurchase my favorite Mrs. Meyers Hand Soap Scent-Radish (Yes I know I'm the only one.) when low and behold it is not in stock. 

Lame.

After a quick sniff of all of the other hand soap options (I flirted briefly with something from J.R. Watkins.) I settled on the Mrs Meyer's Basil scent and after a few days getting used to it I thought I would commit to the matching candle for a couple weeks. Just to hold on to the warm fresh summer feelings for a little bit longer. 

I will say the Basil scent doesn't quite out do my Radish-y favorite but it will be nice for a while. 

As far as the candle is concerned.

Mr Meyer's seems to do a nice candle with good throw but...the Vineyard Hills Natural Candle I had before this in Mandarin Lavender puts the Mrs. Meyers to shame. 

If you can find these (mine came from Target) They are only a few bucks and are perfect for small spaces that need a little something extra.

I realize that this isn't a strictly beauty related post but I know I can't be the only one who looks forward to re-upping the bathroom counter must haves.

Am I?

Confession: Beauty MInis

Now with holiday value sets in full swing at places like Sephora and Ulta I thought it would be a good time to share my thoughts on all of the minis the can accumulate around this time of year.

Do you actually use your mini products?

I mean they're soooo cute and all but do you use them?

I have this issue where they accumulate in my collection. I set them off to the side for when I "travel"(Lately for me traveling is my parents house a whopping 2 hour journey from Queens)but then just end up bringing my full sized products with me instead. 

So lets weigh some pro's and cons and see what minis are good and what minis are collection cluttering evil.

Capsule Wardrobe|Beauty Tools

When it comes to the beauty industry every you turn around there is a new tool or a new gadget that claims to make you beautiful in a fraction of the time.

There is seemingly no gimmick stone left unturned when marketing beauty to men and women.

It really is not that complicated. 

I think there are really only a few things I think everyone needs to put together a nicely groomed look on a day to day basis and they do not have to be expensive or electronic or from an infomercial. 

The Spectrum: Olive

One of the not so neutral neutral makeup shades to reach for when the weather starts to cool (or anytime really) is an olive green. 

Hits of color mixed with a sprinkle of gold make for a sesaonlly on point shade that is so easy to wear.

The best part? I think is a shade that comes in a really nice variety of products so no matter how you want to wear it there is a way to make it work for you.

Shopping My Stash: Autumn Edition

Now the beauty concept of shopping one's stash requires having a stash in the first place so forgive me as this post really only applies to people like me with Far.Too.Much.Makeup.

When you do find you accumulate products it isn't hard for some of them to get forgotten about in the back of a drawer somewhere. 

For this reason once a season or so I like to have a good rummage through all of my beauty hiding places and pull out all the things I once raced about that got abandoned when newer shinier things came along. 

It seems I tend to be especially guilty of this with blush products.

Head to Head: Long Wearing Liner Pens

When you hear people in the beauty community talk about the best long wearing liner pens they usually fall into one of two camps.

Either they love the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner or the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner.

After finally getting the chance to test drive both I think I know which one I will be re purchasing when the time comes.

They are both really great liners but their respective weaknesses will be deal breakers for some.

Autumn/Winter Skincare Edit | TheUnanimousMolly

So a couple weeks back I talked about my Autumn beauty edit and all of the color cosmetics that I would be reaching for as the weather starts to cool but, today we're going to dive into skin.

My cold weather foundation routine may not change but my skincare definitely does. Especially now as my mid-late twenties are approaching I am noticing pretty different textures in my skin than in previous winters.

(read:Alligator face)

So with my hydration in mind I raided my stash, made one teeny little Sephora order and have reached a verdict on my winter skin.

The Unconventional Statement Lip

Now when I say statement lip I don't mean red. Red is a whole post unto itself. I practically have a library of red lipsticks.

When I say statement lip I mean maybe a color that isn't quite commonplace just yet. Maybe some of them are getting there *cough* Orange *cough* but maybe some of them are still shades you wouldn't try in a million years.

Well you should and, I'm going to tell you why and some of my favorite ways to do it!

First up we'll tackle the orange. As this is the closest to the red family I think the orange lip is the most easily worn of the three shades I have here. 

My orange of choice is the Make Up Forever Rouge Artist Intense in shade 40. It is a true Crayola orange with a comfortable satin finish.  I love to pair warm shades with warm shades and layer up matte bronze-y tones with an orange lip. I take a matte warm brown (MAC Kid or Soft Brown are good here) and sweep it over the lid. Heavily at the lash line and more blown out near the crease. Then I layer on mascara and that's it for the eyes.

Seriously. 

Then I apply a bit of bronzer to the cheeks whack on my orange lip and call it a day. I think this is both a quick and easy way to sell the orange lip.

Next is our neon pink. This one is fun!

You have to reach for MAC's Candy Yum Yum for this. It's the perfect white based matte neon pink.

 

This is the out there shade that I treat most like a red. I like to do a twist on a classic pin up look basically by substituting a neon lip in for the red. 

I do like to stick to a nice strong winged liner and no shadow on the eyes for this though; I think it makes the look seem more effortless. 

I also like to stick with just some bronzer on the cheeks here as well. I think it's a good idea for all three lip colors because it won't compete with the statement. 

...but it's your America and you can put whatever you want on your cheeks. This is just my method.

Finally is the violet lip. This one is maybe a little more out there but once you get the hang of it you won't want to give it up! I think the blue tones wake up the face but the presence of the pink tones make it very user friendly. 

I like this with a rose gold or amber-esque shade on the lid to balance things out. I usually reach for L'Oreal's Infailliable in Amber Rush with Bite Beauty's Violet Pastille on the lips. (This is discontinued but this is a nice alternative.) Then I layer on mascara to define the eyes and add a few sweeps of bronzer to the cheeks.

I think the pairing brings the right amount of drama and balance while still making the look interesting. 

I hope this gave you some ideas about how to test out some shades you hadn't thought to try before. 

Let me know if you give this one a go!

Ed Note: The Luxury Sampler

One of the very best things about the holiday season kicking off earlier and earlier every year is the abundance of amazing luxury product gift sets coming at you left right and center. 

There seem  to be endless options between skincare and color cosmetics to keep any beauty junkie coming back for more. 

The first one that caught my eye (and it won't be the last) was the Tata Harper Purely Powerful Skincare set. Four sample sized versions of their best sellers for you to test drive for under 50$.

Swoon.

The two standout products are easily our potted friends the Rejuvenating Cleanser, a lovely creamy exfoliating wash and, the Resurfacing Mask, a rose jam looking and smelling enzyme mask. 

The Regenerating Cleanser is a nice manual scrub for the days where your acidic products are simply not getting the job done the way you want them to. It is a little more substantial than my typical cleansing oil but it doesn't feel harsh or drying. I would not likely reach for this every night but a few times a week is comes in very handy. 

The Resurfacing Mask is the best product in the mix by far. Slathered over the face and left for a few minutes this creates almost instant radiance and clarity to dull dehydrated skin. It offers a nice gentle chemical exfoliation through acids and enzymes to remove excess cells. It recommends you use every day but at 55$ a pop this will definitely be a once a week treat.

The Rejuvenating Serum and the Repairative Moisturizer are both OK but nothing to write home about and nothing to shell out the luxury price for. 

In my humble opinion.

But that is what makes these little samplers such a great value. For less than the cost of one product you can try four and only commit to the full sizes of the formulas you love.

Get them while the getting is good. This baby is limited edition and all the best kits will be gone long before the January Sales.

On A Budget: The 90's Mouth

Leave it to a Kardashian (or in this case technically a Jenner but hey, guilty by association.) to bestow upon us the next big trend in makeup. 

Well if you're me it's the next big old trend. I was alive in the 90's, albeit a bit young for makeup. 

But... you better believe my introductory lipstick was a brown toned rose mauve shade.

This time around though I'm going a little pinker an a little darker to make the 90's lip a little more user friendly.

It's Not Easy Havig a Good TIme

I have been dying to write this post for months. 

If you haven't noticed I've been dropping hints. 

Now here it is.

Fore warning. This is going to be a picture heavy post. 

September Favorites | TheUnanimousMolly

A quick (kind of) rundown of all my monthly favorites in video form. From candles to bathmats and football September was a very quick and eclectic month. What have you been loving??

The Makeup Bag| 48 Hours in Skincare

I know it's bad but my least effective packing for a few nights stay somewhere is always in the skincare department. It could be because I never really think through what I need but mostly it's because I always pack my skin stuff first thing in the morning when I'm still half asleep.

Yeah, time management isn't always my strength.

This time though, I think I may have gotten it right.

 After a few days away my skin is happy and so am I.