The demise of a makeup addict.

Some believed it would never happen.  Like a cockroach, they thought my makeup addiction would out-survive us all.  For a while, I believed this to be true.  Then, as if awoken from a dream, I one day began to see things clearly.  Makeup, while a fun expression of one's self, is a complete waste of money.  The marketing is just far too good, making you think you need all these new limited edition colours, when really, you already have them, because they've just repackaged and renamed ones from two years ago.  And you probably didn't even need those, since you already had something similar enough from the regular collection, which you probably also didn't need, since, HELLO, you're never going to wear that colour.  Ever.  Don't lie.  You know it's true.
I was worried that if my makeup addiction dissipated, there would be nothing left but a hole in my heart, a place I would forever associate with my love of makeup and what could have been.  I worried that, without such a girly obsession, I'd become too masculine, doing only a martial art in your spare time can have that effect on you.  I worried.  I'm a worrier.  Says so in my horoscope.  My worries were irrational, since, regardless of what I'm doing with my spare time, I love glitter and fairies, and that will ALWAYS make me girly.  But the hole?  In my heart?  It's been replaced, in a BIG way.  After the passing of my mom, I had some rough days, days when I didn't see much point in anything I was doing.  What's the point when you just die?  I kept thinking about both possible scenarios: knowing you're going to die, or not knowing it and death coming as a surprise - I know, really healthy thinking, right?  I was consumed by this really dark presence, and all of a sudden, something magical happened.  I started drawing.  I hadn't drawn in years, but always wanted to start again, I just couldn't.  It was like my writer's block, I'd face a blank sheet of paper and feel petrified.  But miraculously, all of a sudden, I was attacking that blank piece of paper, drawing all the time, and feeling great!  In fact, it was the only time I COULD feel great.  And so I didn't stop, and haven't stopped.  I have this silly idea in my head that my mom is responsible for this.  She was a wonderful artist when I was a child, and we all always thought she would have been a working artist if she'd been born to another life.  She wasn't able to follow through with her talent, but here I was, randomly drawing following her death.  There's something magical about that, if you ask me.  I feel like she's given me this gift, and I don't care if I only ever draw in my art journal, the feeling I get when I'm painting is better than any notoriety actual "artists" get.  While the rest of my life may be falling in ruins around me, I'm at peace with a pencil in my hand.  It's my zen place.  I've finally found it.  :) Giggle.

FOTD: Silver Grey Eyes

So today I decided to take some inspiration from Gossip Girl whilst applying my makeup - Jenny, to be exact.  No, not the panda eyes she wore last season, the somewhat toned down grey smokey eyes she's been rocking this season (when they randomly include her in the show).  I decided to make mine a bit more on the blue grey side, and added a bit of sparkle, cause that's how I role.  I really love the main lid shadow I used, I bought it ages ago, and unfortunately, it was discontinued.  But have no fear, there are plenty of alternatives to this shadow out there.

PRODUCTS USED:

- Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in "Skinny Jeans"

- MAC e/s in "Pandemonium" (lid), "Silverthorn" (tearduct) and "Wedge" (crease)

- NYX liner in "Grey" (actually a silvery-grey, in waterline)

- Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara (LOVE)

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Review - Four weeks of use; Vichy NormaDerm

I have been wanting to try the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair for over a year, since I heard another blogger rave about how amazing a product it is.  I resisted purchasing it only because I don't often get around Lauder counters, but I wandered into the bay a few weeks ago and decided that was my  sign that it was time to give it a try.  I've now been using it for four weeks, and here's my review of the first four weeks.
Initially, for the first week or so, I didn't notice much of anything, despite the fact that I believe they see you'll see a difference right away.  Perhaps I just take a little longer to ripen.  After two weeks, I started to notice some great changes in my skin's texture.  My pores SERIOUSLY look smaller, no word of a lie.  There's only one problem: I'm also using these two products as part of my new routine.

Vichy Normaderm Triactiv Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care and NormalDerm Nuit Chrono-Active Anti-Imperfection Care.
I started using all of the products right around the same time, so who knows which one is responsible for what?  Or could it be the zinc I've been taking?  I'm no scientist, determining correlation and causality, all I know is that if something's working, I gonna keep doing it.  And this is working.  My forehead and the centre of my face look so much less congested, more radiant, smooth, and, like I said, my normally large pores are significantly smaller.
MY ROUTINE:
I wash my face with my Clean & Clear Finishes Pore Perfecting Cleanser (which could ALSO be responsible!), this is after removing makeup if I have some on, and then I tone with a Clear Clinical Toner (I got this from a dermatologist/spa that I went to a while ago).  Next I wait a tick, let all that goodness sink in, and apply the Advanced Night Repair (if it's night, obviously), and after another few minute wait, I apply the NormaDerm.  If it were morning, I'd use my Tea Tree Oil Toner from the Body Shop and the Triactiv lotion instead.  If you have combination-oily/acne-prone skin, this might work for you.  I realize it's a more expensive routine, but I'm the type of gal who alternates things pretty regularly, so I'll eventually go back to my 5% Benzoyl Peroxide gel at some point, this is just what's helping me out now.

FOTD: Rock Show Makeup

So today I went to a concert and decided to do something a little different with my makeup.  I ended up doing a dark liner-type look, but with the help of my Sleek Storm Palette and some "Rock Star" glitter from Bare Minerals, I made a grey liner a lot more interesting and fun.
PRODUCTS USED:
- UDPP and "Soft Ochre" PP for base
- MAC e/s "Mylar" on lid and under brow bone
- Sleek Storm Palette: the med. matte brown, dark matte brown, shimmer deep green, light frosted beigey yellow and matte black
- Bare Essentials Eye Colour in "Rock Star"
- MAC e/l in "Phone Number" and "Pale Yellow"
- Benefit Bad Gal Lash
BRUSHES:
- Quo Crease Brush
- MAC 224
- Bare Minerals Smokey Eye Brush
- Stila Angled Liner Brush
- Smashbox #3

Lipgloss Review: Covergirl Wetslicks AmazeMint

I can't say how much I love these Covergirl Wetslicks AmazeMint lipglosses!  They are offered in a good variety of wearable shades, some more opaque like the top and bottom pictured, and some more sheer and shimmery like the middle pictured.  The best part is by far the minty fresh smell and taste, but these are also great because they are absolutely stick-free!!  I find the colours are just amazing, I have rarely found lipgloss colours I've liked so much.  These don't have the staying power of some of the stickier brands on the market, but I'm totally willing to reapply a little more often if it means I get to forgo a lot of the hair in gloss incidents, or worse, dirt/bugs in gloss fiascos ('cause you're still going to have to reapply, and ON TOP OF THAT you might be walking around with a teeny fly in your gloss).  The value is great, these run about $7 in Canada, and are very frequently on sale at most drugstores where they can be purchased.  Like the Fruit Spritzers, I really can't say enough good things about these glosses!

Lipgloss Review: CoverGirl Wetslicks Fruit Spritzers

The CoverGirl Wetslicks Fruit Spritzers (try saying that name five times fast) are an excellent value for money product, running about $7 Canadian (and most likely $5 American - which is SOOO annoying when the Canadian dollar is at/near parity with the USD!!).  They come in a good selection of colours or 'flavours,' and offer a sheer wash of colour and shine, while giving your lips a lovely smell.  These aren't sticky at all, which is a huge plus for me, and there is a bit of variety in terms of coverage - some are really sheer, which some do deposit a bit of colour on your lips.  These are a great product to carry in your purse for on-the-go touch-ups, as they don't require any sort of skill or care in their application.  Worn alone or over a stain/lipstick, I find these a great, indispensable and most importantly AFFORDABLE product!

Lipgloss Review: Stila Lip Glazes

Next in my "Lipgloss Series" are Stila Lip Glazes.  I own a number of these, almost all of which I purchased in some form of kit.  These run quite expensive at Sephora - $22 online for US and I think perhaps $24 in Canadian stores - but they're almost always available in some sort of a kit, particularly around the holiday season (which apparently starts in October now?!!).  The pluses of these are by far their smell and the shade selection.  The negatives?  Well, they are numerous and pretty much ruin the product for me.  Firstly, I dislike the packaging - it's the sort you need to twist to get the product, and you almost always get too much product.  It's a brush-type applicator, which I do like, but I don't like it when it's full of lipgloss.  Secondly, the lipgloss is really sticky, I mean SERIOUSLY sticky.  And, though they smell great, they don't so much taste great.  There are just too many great lipglosses out there for me to repurchase ones that aren't absolutely worth it, and to me, these aren't. (pictured here are "Watermelon" and "Apricot."