Kill It With Fire

On this very gray day, this very sunny photo is looking oh so nice! I am currently stay-cationing (sort of) and visiting my parents while their house is being painted, and it is so gloomy out today. So gloomy. I don't mind the gloom, or the rain but it is SO COLD again. I can't handle it.

Anyway, the last time I was home I made a pilgrimage to Ulta and picked up a few things for myself, which you can see here, and one of the things that made it's way into my bag was the Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner. After months of looking for an exfoliating toner I could afford to plump for how well does it work?

THE SPRING CLEAN- Purging Your Polish Collection

So I am not always the most proactive creature when it comes to keeping my collections in check. So once every year I like to do a MASSIVE clear out of all my polishes to get rid of any (inevitable) duplicates and make sure I'm keeping the best my collection has to offer in terms of selection and formula.

ABOUT FACE 4_21_14| TheUnanimousMolly

Ever wonder what it's like to listen to me sit around and wipe stuff on my face every day? Sure you did!

*Insert Arch Pun Here*

Brows are a tricky thing. Don't fill them in, apply makeup as normal and you risk looking strangely unfinished. Go a little over board with the tinted gel and look like an angry cartoon character all day.

The balance between finding the right product and applying it properly can be a hard thing to find, but after 5 years of dallying with my own I think I have come to some very important conclusions.

I'm A Big Fan

Confession: I have never owned a fan brush. Of all the brushes in my beauty arsenal, they seemed to be the most unnecessary.

Then it happened. I needed to spend 3$ more dollars at Ulta to use my $3.50 coupon. So this $6.99 Eco Tools Jumbo Fan Brush slipped and fell into my basket.

A Worthy Splurge?

I don't think I experience splurge guilt any worse than when I spend a lot of money on nail polish. It is arguably, the LEAST impactful form of cosmetic application, but one we (or I anyway) spend a TON of money on.

As such: I try to stick to a few rules when splurging on fancy finger paint.

A Vast Improvement

I did not think cotton balls could be that exciting. I know everyone talks about the Shiseido Facial Cotton and how it is 100% worth $10 a bag. I'm sorry, but I'm just not going to do that. (Feel free to call me out on my bullshit in a year when I break down and buy them.)

Ok well I'm not going to do that right now. I will, however, buy these amazing Muji cotton squares again for a whopping $2.25.

Top 5: MAC Lipsticks for Spring'14 |TheUnanimousMolly

What will you be reapplying this spring?

A Nude Alternative

When I was a kid I was all about the colorful makeup. Teal, purple, green you name it, it was part for my routine. These days, not so much. 

That isn't to say I'm not adventurous in my own ways but, it is certainly not the same thing. These days though I have been playing around with a new way to make my eyes look big, bright, and awake. (I'm nothing if not consistent) 

I'm Awake. I Promise.

Sometimes its hard to even pretend to be awake first thing in the morning. The urge to roll over and give yourself "five more minutes" is irresistible some (read:all) mornings. Not to mention the internet black hole that is beauty blogs and YouTube.

 

RIP Sleep.

 

Although as a result, I have become the master of hiding the sleepless evidence.

 

Primed for Conversion

I generally subscribe to the theory that when it comes to makeup, less really is more most times. Now that's not to say there aren't days where I pile the shit on like it's my last day on earth but, generally speaking, I like to err on the side of less.

 

For this reason I tend to avoid primers. On top of never really encountering any that did anything of note, I felt like it was just one extra step, and one extra thing for a brand to sell.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen: Meet the exception.

The Spectrum: Coral

I have been inadvertently, although maybe subconsciously, reaching for ALL of the shades of coral my collection has to offer lately. Now given the weather's turn for the much, MUCH, better over the last few days this is neither surprising, nor groundbreaking.

 

I thought it would be helpful, however, to do a little rundown of the standout products that have made their way into my week (and my bag!).

 

The Repurchases #2

Sometimes a product is just so well done, that no matter how many "dupes" or alternatives you try, nothing ever quite works as well as the original. After years of dallying with other eye primers on the market, drugstore, and department store I have finally come back to Urban Decay's Primer Potion and I couldn't be happier about it. 

With one minor catch.

The Great Deo-Debate! | Blkmagicwoman21

 

This week...some thoughts on not smelling.

Goodbye Mr. Right

This post was going to go something like...

Look at these adorable $6 thrifted earrings I found at LIC Flea last Saturday! Instead...

Join me in wishing Mr. Lobe Right a fond farewell somewhere between my apartment and work on Wednesday. Sadly Mr. Right decided he was no longer interested in seeing what accessory life had to offer and opted to try his luck riding the MTA (or not) forever. I hope all of his wildest NYC dreams come true.

As for Mr. Left, well he and I are busy thinking of ways to rebuild our life together without Mr. Right.  I'm sure we'll come to an agreement that suits us both eventually.

The Great Deodorant Debate...

The deodorant struggle is REAL around these parts. REAL. 

Some backstory...

I was never really concerned about natural vs synthetic/chemical indredients in my deo until about a year ago. Out of a genuine curiosity (naturally sparked by numerous blog posts) I opted to try making my own. Recipe here - LINK! When that worked (well for a while-more on that later) I decided why not keep it up with the good for me ingredients and leave store-bought deo's behind?

Well here's why not.

Scent Satisfaction

Do you ever encounter one of those products that you love the first time you see it, but then you don't buy it right away? You're never really sure why you didn't buy it in the first place, but you go back to the nice guy at Sephora over and over again for samples until you finally cave and buy the baby version.

That's what happened with me and the new Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black Fragrance.

March 2014 Favorites! | Blkmagicwoman21

 

Sorry this is a bit late. Battling a nasty sudden bout of strep throat. Definitely not going to be in my April favorites.

A complete rundown of all the things I've loved this month. What have been your beauty picks for the month of March?

Notes On A Classic

The ultimate drugstore classic. Something about the Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder reminds me of Cinderella's evil step sisters furiously powdering their faces before the Prince arrives with his glass slipper in tow.

Smells of Great Men

Ever since my collegiate epiphany that a good candle makes a cheap apartment 1000x better I have been on the hunt for amazing, sophisticated smelling candles that don't make me feel like I'm just setting my wallet on fire once every two months.

After much consideration I landed on Etsy. Through quite a bit of trial and error I came across Henceforth.  Not only do they have a tremendous sense of humor, but they offer up a nice selection of candle scents for those of you who don't love the vanilla-bakery-icing-cinnamon-vanilla again-butter-nutmeg-more vanilla combos that are hogging home scent aisle shelves everywhere.

The Repurchases #1

A series?!

What?!

I can't say how regular I'll feature this type of post, but anytime I buy something again, or joyfully finish something quickly, you can be sure you'll hear about it.

After about 10 years of wearing fragrances I think I have finally stumbled across two that I simply cannot imagine being without anymore.

Cheap Refelctions

I LOVE a good eBay find. Now it doesn't happen to me all that often. I prefer to shop closer to home whenever possible but, sunglasses are another story for me. I am the most clumsy, ham-fisted, neglectful sunglass owner on the planet. I leave them on checkout counters, in cabs, buried under my reusable coffee mug in my purse. My rule of thumb for this very reason, is that I will NOT spend more than 10$ on sunglasses. Will not.

Like everyone else I fell in love with the Ray Ban Flash Lense Aviators that were really popular around this time last year, and went in search of the bargain basement alternative. Let me tell you, eBay is the land of the cheap sunglass. I had so many options for these and at $2.53 a pair, I almost bought every color they offered. I did refrain though and opted for the Golden Hot Pink and the Golden Green shades. The shipping was free but the statement is expensive.

I will 100% be in these all Spring and Summer long. The seller lives here if you want to check them out, although I believe these are now out of stock. You can find a similar styles here.