The Glamour Guide Beauty Blog

Five Reasons to Love Smashbox WISH

 

For me, this Holiday Season is all about the Smashbox. I am really impressed with WISH,  Smashbox's Holiday collection. I absolutely love it.  Here are five reason that  I love the WISH collection:

1.  WISH is Comprehensive.

     The Wish line covers all the bases.  It includes an eyeshadow palette, a collection of  lovely lip glosses, a collection of primers, a collection of liners, and a sampler of Smashbox products.  The Wish line includes everything you need to create a complete look.

2. WISH is a Great Value.

     The elements of the WISH collection are an extraordinary value.  The lipgloss kit, which contains two full size lip glosses and four smaller ones, is only $29.  The eyeshadow palette, which contains twelve dazzling eyeshadows and  four eyeliners, is only $45. This is an incredible value.

 

3. WISH is Educational.

    The eye palette comes with cards that outline how to create various looks.  As  makeup enthusiast, this is worth almost as much as the makeup itself.

 

4. WISH is Beneficial.

A portion of the proceeds go to benefit the Children's Miracle Network.

 

5. WISH is Beautiful.

The colors are absolutely beautiful on my skin. I'm sure that they will be beautiful on yours, too!

 

Bliss Poetic Waxing. Indeed!

Every girl needs an effective waxing method.  Preferably one that doesn’t take forever.  I looked at the Bliss kit, but was scared away by the $45 price tag.  It certainly couldn’t be worth that, right? 

After much debate, I gave in and tried Bliss Poetic Waxing.  My former waxing method was messy and inconvenient.  All the ladies at Sephora assured me that Poetic was the way to go.  I figured I’d try it.  It certainly couldn’t be any more ineffective than my current waxing method.

I was skeptical.  I was skeptical of a wax that did not use strips.  The thought of using the microwave to heat the wax was also a little scary.

I read the directions carefully. Twice.  Three steps: clean, oil, wax. When I pulled the wax away from my skin, it was like magic!  95% of the hair was gone.  This stuff  WORKS.  If I got these kinds of results on my first use, imagine the results I’ll get once I get more efficient.

This stuff is SO worth the $45. It works extremely well, and it goes a long way (especially if you’re using it for smaller areas).  I think I’ll probably have this for a year or more.  If you are looking for a good wax, Poetic Waxing is definitely worth a try.

A few things I noted:

1. The whole cup does not need to melt.  Check the center.  It may be ready to use, though the whole cup has not melted.
2. There’s something special about what this wax does.  I think it pulls the hair out as it cools.  I was able to remove the few stray hairs that remained with my hand (no tweezers).
3. Don’t skip the oil.  Removal can sting.
4. Because the wax hardens completely, cleanup is much easier than with my previous plug-in kit.

 

Girlie Guide Rating: A+

LIVE GLORIOUSLY. LIVE GLAMOUROUSLY.

 

Urban Decay - The Black Palette

    I was hypnotized when I first laid eyes on the Urban Decay Black Palette. I had dreams of bringing out my inner rock star.  The Palette comes in a sleek and sparkly black case.  The colors are bold and very dramatic. And I was ready to rock out.

       The palette has six beautiful colors. The palette also includes an eyeliner and a small bottle of eyeshadow primer.  It's everything you need  to create a rich look for the eyes. 

Here are the colors on my skin:

    The colors are beautiful in the pallette, but they aren't very impressive on my skin.  This morning, I tried these colors on my eyes and I looked like I've been in a fight... and lost.  Of course, the Urban Decay's Primer Potion is always on point.  I also have to say that this eyeliner pencil is the best I have ever used.  It is SO soft, and SO smooth that even I can achieve a nice look with this pencil.

When it comes to the colors, though, it simply isn't a good look.  It might work better on lighter skin.  The Black Palette is not my favorite.

 

Girlie Guide Rating: C

LIVE GLORIOUSLY. LIVE GLAMOUROUSLY. 

 

 

 

 

 

Power Base

 

On a recent trip to the Mac counter I learned a secret that has changed my life.  I learned the power of the base.  I'm not talking about primer (though I am adamant about its use!), I am talking about a neutral eyeshadow that you use on top  of your primer but underneath your selected colors.  Why the extra step?  Because: it's all about the canvas, baby.

This is my base, it's a color called Brownscript.  It is almost my skin color. Having a base that is close to your skin color is key.  I use it after my primer to create a perfect, uniform canvas on which to apply my color.  I'm not sure about you, but my eyelids are not the perfect canvas.  There are dark spots and light spots.  When I apply Brownscript, everything is the same shade. When I apply colors to a uniform canvas, my colors appear more even. 

Initially, I wasn't convinced by the artist at the MAC counter.  I went home without it.  Then I tried applying eye shadow without my base and I realized what a HUGE difference it makes.  So back to the MAC counter I went.  Trust me, it works wonders.

Brownscript is good under most colors, but I like it best under silver. A word of caution: a color this dark tends to mute sheer shades, so you'll have to use more.  Still, I don't know how I got along without it.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!

 

LIVE GLORIOUSLY. LIVE GLAMOUROUSLY.

 

All Hail the King of Skin!

 

On my last trip to the Lush boutique, I was introduced to royalty: King of Skin, one of the body butters from Lush. Like many Lush products, it is 100% vegan.

To use, simply rub it on your skin after you wash, rinse gently, and pat dry. You’ll feel like you’ve been given the royal treatment!

King of Skin is formulated with cocoa butter, shea butter and coconut butter, bananas, toning essential oils, jojoba and almond oils, fresh avocado and oatmeal.  These ingredients come together win regal harmony, leaving your skin soft, smooth, and well moisturized.  As an added bonus, King of Skin doesn’t have much smell so it won’t compete with whatever fragrance you choose to wear.

It’s a little pricey, $13.95 for 3.3oz. But as someone with dry skin, I think it’s worth it.

Girlie Guide Rating: A

 

LIVE GLORIOUSLY. LIVE GLAMOUROUSLY.

 

Dior - Five shades of sparkle

 

Last week at Sephora I made an amazing discovery: Dior's  5-Colours Designer Eyeshadow Palette - 808 Pink Design.  5 color palettes are not new to the Dior line, but these had a more streamlined and chic look.

The colors are not what they appear to be, the colors seem to be really light and really sheer.  I usually don't go for sheer colors.  These colors are the exception. Against my skin, the color creates a very elegant sparkle.

 

This palette retails for $58, which works out to about $11.60 per shade.  Not too bad when you look at it that way.  For me, though, it's not worth the money.  I am pretty sure I can get elegant sparkle for less than $58.

Girlie Guide Rating: C+

My Top Five Cruelty Free Cosmetics

 

The more I learn about makeup and beauty products, the more I appreciate the defining characteristics of each brand.  I think I am slowly becoming an animal activist.  I've come to the point where I love seeing that pink bunny on the back of my packages. So today, I am highlighting some of my favorite cruelty free companies.

• SMASHBOX - Smashbox does not engage in animal testing of its products.  Some of their brushes do have natural hairs blended in, but no animals are harmed in the process of making the brushes. My current favorite SMASHBOX product: creme eyeshadow in Lava.

• Too Faced -  Too Faced makes some of the funnest makeup anywhere! Their makeup is trendy and innovative.  Their motto: "Why be pretty when you can be gorgeous?"  This is my kind of makeup! My current favorite Too Faced product: Too Faced Lash Injection

• Urban Decay -  Urban Drcay bears the PETA Cruelty Free seal.  Urban Decay does not test finished products, formulas, or ingredients on animals. My favororite Urban Decay Product: Eyeshadow Primer Potion.

• Bare Escentuals - Bare Escentuals makes Bare Minerals, a well regarded line of mineral makeup.  PETA lists Bare Escentuals as a Cruelty Free company.My current favorite Bare Escentuals product: Buxom Lash Mascara 

• Hourglass Cosmetics - Hourglass specializes in intense, luxurious makeup. PETA lists Hourglass as a Cruelty Free company as well.  My current favorite Hourglass Product: Film Noir Full Spectrum Mascara.

In order to earn the Cruelty Free seal a company must not test its products on animals at any time. This means that no animal testing can be done at any stage of production. For more cruelty free companies, see peta.org or see leapingbunny.org.

LIVE GLORIOUSLY. LIVE GLAMOUROUSLY.

Holiday Sets are out at Sephora!

Great news!  The Holiday Gift Sets are now available at Sephora

In addition to their dazzling array of normal merchandise, the gift sets for the Holidays are now in! I've already gotten the Urban Decay set (review soon to come), but I have my eye on a few more. 

Gift sets include items from Urban Decay, Stila, Smashbox, and of course, Sephora.

Hurry in and see what you like!

This public service announcement has been brought to you by The Girlie Glamour Guide.

LIVE GLORIOUSLY. LIVE GLAMOUROUSLY.

Smells Like Vegas

This is what Las Vegas smells like.  To me, at least.  See, I discovered this little gem of a fragrance at the gift boutique of the Wynn Las Vegas.  One whiff and I fell madly in love. 

It is called Ellenisia, and is made by Penhaglion's.  Penhaglion's is a perfumery in London that uses only the finest and rarest ingredients.  In my estimantion, Ellinisia is a masterpiece. Ellenisia is a very feminine, very dainty floral. The head notes are mandarin zest and violet leaf.  The heart notes are gardenia, rose, tuberose, and jasmine.  The base notes are plum nectar and vanilla.  All of these blend to achieve a beautiful, but delicate, fragrance.

The word that comes to mind for Ellenisia is: sophistication. It is a very sophisticated fragrance that announces a woman's presence.

My least favorite thing about this perfume is the lotion.  The smell is slightly different from the perfume and that slight variation makes a huge difference to the nose.  The lotion smells like a nursing home.  The perfume smells like Vegas.

 

 LIVE GLORIOUSLY. LIVE GLAMOUROUSLY.

 

 

Friends and Family Sale at Sephora 2010 – 20% off coupon code

via www.temptalia.com

WOW! Sephora fans rejoice!  Sephora is celebrating its junkies shoppers with a 20% off coupon!  It's online ONLY, so you'll have to order it, but there's free shipping with any order over $50. 

The coupon code is above.  I found it at www.temptalia.com (a great beauty blog, by the way) and this sale is all over twitter.  I don't want anyone to miss out on this.

Go get your fix!

LIVE GLORIOUSLY. LIVE GLAMOUROUSLY.