The Foundation Chronicles| Bobbi Brown BB Cream SPF 35

 Man, sometimes those Sephora 100 point perks really work.

I can go for months and months and not want any of them and then all of a sudden something comes along, I try it and, I'm totally sold.

When I saw that the Bobbi Brown BB Cream (say that 5 times fast.) in the display case at check I was curious enough to ask the associate what shade it came in. 

When she said Fair I immediately blurted out "I'll take one" 

That was a month ago and I haven't looked back.

In Defense of Inexspensive Brushes

So before Christmas I did a few words on why I think sometimes it's worth it to shell out on exspensive brushes.

I mentioned in that post that I was going to mention a couple of brushes that I've gotten at a bargain price that really measure up to some of their high-end alternatives. 

These two babies came home to me after Coastal Scents had their 50% sale on Black Friday and I could not be happier with them. 

The Winter Bronzer

 

I rarely reach for a bronzer. It's not a product I feel adds a lot to my makeup experience and often creates more problems for me than it creates benefits for me. 

Until now.

Essiebutton of the YouTube variety has talked at length about the Body Shop Honey Bronzer in  Light Bronze and over the Pre-Holiday sales I picked one up to test drive.

Warm Wishes and a Thank You

 

I just wanted to drop a quick line today to wish you all a very Happy Holidays with some pictures of my own favorite festive things. 

 As well as some well wishes I wanted to extend a year end thank you to everyone who has jumped on board with my little corner of the internet and has supported me this year. 

I hope you'll stick around for what's to come in 2015. 

It's going to be great.

Watch this space.

 

Ed Note: The Christmas Manicure

 There was a time...not all that long ago in fact, where I loved me some nail art. Not just for special occasions or a little sparkle but full on leopard print, negative space, googly eyed, nail art. 

While I have moved on from the more full on nail trends; when Christmas rolls around I have a hard time trying to control myself.

I want to put glitter on everything.

Errrythang.

So I whipped up a quick and easy glitter gradient to make the festive season just that bit more festive!

On A Budget|Longwear Liner

Some of the best beauty surprises happen when you are looking for something quality but can't afford to shell out big bucks for a high end brand.

A few months ago I was looking for a nice golden toned bronze eyeliner to add to my liner lineup and after hearing so much about them I decided to try the Sephora Contour Eye Pencil 12hr Wear.

I was not diasapointed at all and, in fact, with a range of about 35 shades I have quite a long wish list.

The Solution to the Solution

Story Time!

So for the past two years all over the beauty world you've heard bloggers, models and, editors alike sing the praises of a product called Bioderma Sensibo Crealine H2O known, for short, on this side of the Atlantic as simply...Bioderma.

This is from a French pharmacy brand that has supplied the French with reasonably priced skincare for quite some time but is revving up for it's global 15 minutes of fame. Except on this side of the world it's nearly impossible to get a hold of, which is fun to think about when you get your hands on some but, less fun when it runs out and, about five times the price in USD's.

I've used it and chronicled the experience here and, everyone is right. It is fantastic. It's gentle but somehow removed everything with no greasy residue, no blurry or stingy eyes and, no panda eyes.

But having said .hat...I am a practical girl and when I tried the Body Shop Camomile Gentle Makeup Remover I suddenly felt no urge to hunt down the infamous French must have.

Smoking the Compettition

Everyone has gone on about it and as per usual I have put off trying it but, as of last Saturday the Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown (Formerly Medium Ash) is smoking my current brow products.

There are a list of pros and cons (after the jump) but really this is a damn near perfect brow pencil.

When Hard to Find Products are Worth the Wait

 Lately I have been lucky enough to score some much longed for beauty items, from hard to find brands, at really amazing prices.

While this occurrence is a rare one I think it's worth pointing out when the products you have built up in your mind end up being just as amazing as you hoped they would be. 

These two goodies really do not disappoint.

In Defense of Exspensive Brushes

 I am a big believer in budget beauty tools.

I think more is gained by putting the money into the product rather than putting money into the tool if you are in a position where you have to choose. 

There are so many budget brushes out there that are an amazing value for money.

 There is more to come on that topic from me next week but, today I want to talk about putting extra money into unique tools that will give you the results that budget alternatives can't.

I bought my first Wayne Goss brush from Beautylish on Black Friday and I am seriously in love.

Gift Guides|The Stocking Stuffer

 I think filling my family's stockings is one of my favorite things about Christmas shopping.

It's a nice mix between buying your loved ones the little things they need and special little things that are just nice to have.

At least that's how we usually do it in my family.

Everyone's traditions are different but, I thought it would be nice to give you guys a once over of all the things I like to add to my family's stockings beauty wise.

Admittedly these are inherently more feminie gifts but if you have lots of ladies to buy for this could be helpful.

If you are into men's gifts tune into TheUnanimousMolly on YouTube on Wednesday for a more in depth gift guide video!

Lip Liner for Noobs

I have been resisting this. 

Something about the whole lip liner thing makes me feel very high maintenance and like I am spending too long doing one thing.

OCC had other plans for me though. 

I added this to my cart with the rest of my Black Friday Haul goodies thinking this was a more warm toned brown pencil but in reality it is the prefect my lips but better lip pencil. 

Go figure. 

So with OCC's Cosmetic Color Pencil in Trick in hand I sat down to see how I felt about this oft neglected step in my beauty routine.

Apples of Your Cheeks Part Deux

This is not a new beauty concept for me.

The idea of Snow White-esque pinched cheeks just make me weak at the knees. In fact looking at this I think I may have doubled up on a product here...whoops. 

In fact we're just going to make this a follow up post.

Not sorry. 

Back in September I talked all about the beauty of a windswept cheek and now I'm going to do it again. 

There is nothing quite like a healthy glow gained from rushing in out of the cold. 

Faking it, however, is way less drying and way more fun!

The first up to bat is Benefit's Bella Bomba Box Powder. This puppy is a finely milled, delicately scented watermelon shade with a hit on pinky-gold sheen running throughout. This shade is nicely pigmented but not difficult to use and looks especially good on fair cool toned cheeks.I've heard wind that the brand may be letting this one go so it might not be a bad time to look into it.

For something a little bit darker I like to reach for the Sleek Makeup Blush in the shade Flushed which true to it's name gives a nice soft flush across the cheeks. This one is a satin finish like the Bella Bomba but doesn't seem to be as gleam-y which might make it more friendly to those of you who shy away from shimmery blushes.

...and finally my repeat product is the Milani Baked Blush in Bella Rose. It is a matte finish bright magenta pink. It's terrifying if you've never tried anything quite this bright before but with a light hand and a fluffy brush this can look SO pretty and effortless. For the accessibility and the price this could be a great place to try out a product like this if you are a little hesitant.

So now that I've throughly beaten this topic to death expect a more exciting dose of beauty business tomorrow.
...but I still hope you give these a try.

The Spectrum| Silver and Gold

This time of year you are never going to see me miss an opportunity to add a little bit of metalic shine or over the top sparkle to my look. 

Hell sometimes throughout the rest of the year I will make an opportunity to sparkle. 

So today on the blog I'm going to do the rundown of all the places I like to add a touch of silver, gold or, both. 

Daytime, nighttime or, both? Well that's up to you. 

That's a lie...glitter everywhere!!!

Gifts Guide|Secret Santa

I love a good Secret Santa.

Whether it's in the family or in the office it's a nice way to a gift that is thoughtful, useful and makes the recipient feel special. 

There are some beauty, accesory and home choices and while they are primarily geared toward women there are a couple of things in here I think a man might love.

Use Protection

It's COLD.

The worst part is that here in NYC it is only going to get worse before it gets better. 

Yeah there is something warm and fuzzy about the Holiday Season but come January 2nd we'll all be counting down the days until Spring.

As it is my skin is screaming for hydration and I am slowly including things into my morning routine to help defend against the painful winter winds. 

The Coupon Wishlist

Every year after the Friends and Family, VIB, and Black Friday sales Sephora sends out additional coupons to those of us that already spend way too much money there throughout the year.

My VIB status has earned me 20$ off a 50$ purchase and while I am attempting to be conservative I am so close to VIB Rouge that I can see this getting out of hand.

First on the list is the Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown. (formerly Medium Ash) My brow arsenal has been seriously lacking lately and given the way everyone raves about this brow pencil it's amazing I haven't gotten this yet.

Check out the rest of my picks behind the cut!

The Joy of Giving...To Yourself

Now this is of course the time of year to treat the ones you love to things that you know they'll love. 

Whether that means a plate of homemade cookies or an extravagant store bought item it always feels so nice to pass a little extra love around this time of year. 

...but I would be lying if I said I didn't treat myself to a few new things between gifts for others. 

With all of the sales, my inherent willingness to spend (amplified by Christmas music) and the convenience of getting things done from the comfort of my couch how is a girl supposed to resist?

On top of all that I have been eyeing up one of Charlotte Tilbury's eyeshadow palettes since her brand launched in the states back over the Summer.

This past weekend I bit the bullet and hit "checkout".

Wear All the Sparkle (And A SALE!)

ALERT! Deborah Lippmann polishes are being clearanced out at Ulta!* Not everything but a lot of cool shades are going for as low at 3$ a bottle. For a brand that normally goes for 20$ each this sale is worth checking out!

 Tis the season to wear ALL the glitter!

I used to be the kind on beauty creature that liked to wear glitter all of the time but as I've gotten older I find myself less and less drawn to it. 

The worst part is I have a big girl job and I can still wear anything I want on my nails but I usually just stick to cream finishes.

 That is about to change.