• Friday, December 28, 2007

    The Battle of the Best Drugstore Mineral Makeup

    As I was researching an article I am writing that considers the pros and cons of the new trendy "must have" beauty product, minerals makeup, I came across this excellent article comparing the value and quality of the drugstore brands as an alternative to the more expensive cosmetic lines.

    Although I have not jumped on the minerals makeup bandwagon, since I am usually up in the middle of the night, I have been tempted by the lure of the intense hype surrounding minerals makeup that has found me with the phone in my hand ready to place an order. Me, my credit card, infomercials or the home shopping networks on television can be very dangerous.

    Then I remember my budget and the stockpile of my beloved Adrien Arpel makeup foundation that I have used for as long as I remember . . . I'll do a blog about her in the future . . . she is one of the ladies I most admire in this world.

    If you have tried minerals makeup, but found it a bit too expensive for your budget, check out this article for some bargain values that may work for you. I've said it before, it is not always how much you pay for a product, it is the value of what you pay for . . . sometimes you are just paying for the expensive packaging, marketing costs associated with the brand name and not the quality of the product at all . . . apparently, that applies for minerals makeup too!

    Get those kabuki brushes back out . . . minerals makeup can be affordable!

    Monday, December 24, 2007

    Are you makeup obsessed?

    You should be if you are not since I don't care who you are . . . none of us was born perfect and we should always try to look the best we can. It is the one single thing in life that can make me feel better instantly . . . pampering myself and putting on the makeup even if it is just for me. Your mirror should reflect back the most outwardly beautiful person you can be, it will just make you feel better if you do that for yourself.

    I'm one of those women who has little stashes of make up bags here and there . . . you can never have too much makeup. My belief is that you don't have to buy expensive makeup . . . drug store makeup is just as good . . . REALLY, with the exception of foundation. In my opinion, good skin care is what is important.

    I made my own glittery lip gloss that is just as good as my glittery Lancome lip gloss that cost $20+ . . . the base was clear lip gloss from the drug store that cost me maybe $1.50 for the entire tube and I added my own loose makeup glitter to it. The best deal at the drug store makeup counter of no name makeup are the eyeliner and lipliner pencils . . . they are awesome and so cheap.

    As a young adult, one of my ambitions was to be a famous makeup artist to the stars . . . I so wanted to do that. However, when I went to beauty school I discovered that touching strangers grossed me out . . . but beauty school was a blast anyway. I'm still an awesome makeup artist though . . . and I'm always going through the internet looking for new looks, techniques and makeup products.


    Some of my favorite makeup blogs . . .

    NecessaryMakeup.com


    The Makeup Bag

    The Makeup Girl

    Click here for an awesome tutorial on how to achieve that cat-eye look from Temptalia.



    I have lots of favorite make up blogs and websites . . . will be sharing them with you . . .

    What's your style?

    I'm a funky flower child who loves sparkle and Hollywood glamour with a punky twist. Fashion trends . . . I follow them very loosely, adding my own creative touch so I maintain my uniqueness.

    My mom taught me the lesson of being unique while trying to help me "fit in" with the rest of my teenage friends wearing designer clothes my parents could not afford. Since she was a seamstress and taught me her trade . . . as I learned the lesson in being uniquely fashionable, I was the designer of the clothes I wore. In the end, I was one of the best dressed kids at school and was respected for my flair to be different.

    As an adult, I have learned different ways of unique style with accessories and have made my own jewelry and hair accessories. Especially now, since I buy and sell mainly vintage costume jewelry and jewelry findings, I have boxes and boxes of a wide range of jewelry and supplies to play with. I love mixing the old with the new, like taking an element from an old pair of earrings and adding some new findings to come up with an entirely different look that I need to match an outfit or a mood. I've made my own purses or reinvent an old one to look new to match an outfit . . . I love to play with shoes too.

    Although I am most influenced by the look of the 80's, I can best describe my style as glamour with a punky twist. If I think I can get away with it, I add rhinestones to whatever . . . I love the sparkle of rhinestones. Reminds me of the Gwen Stefani glam fashion look that I love so much and the sparkle and glamour of Cher.

    Don't be afraid to experiment with your style, be bold and please don't look like everyone else . . . that reminds me of a herd of sheep . . .