Recommitting

Oh hi, it turns out I suck at keeping up with this blog. There's a girl that started a cosmetics blog a few weeks before me that now has...426 followers. Bahaha! Thank you, 20 or so people who are following this blog.

I'm working in cosmetics now, so I should be more diligent about this right? That's my plan. I've got nothing for you today, I just wanted to let you know that I'm re-committing.

Contest Winners

Remember like a month ago when I decided to do a giveaway and nobody did it? Haha!! Thank you, Seslie, for being the only person to help me promote my blog. You're the best! Anyway, the winners are:

Seslie Mendoza
soccermom1
Megan Keller

The funny thing is that I was going to choose 5 winners, so I'll give Seslie a double prize since she shared my link on Facebook (which is basically the nicest thing a person can ever do). Winners, send me your mailing address to my email, jessica.stodtmeister@gmail.com, and I'll mail you your prizes!

I'm planning on doing an Urban Decay giveaway soon but I'm going to wait until I get a few more followers since you guys obviously don't like free things :)

Tarina Tarantino Dollskin Cheek

I must admit I have been intimidated for a very long time of TARINA TARANTINO. Just look at that name. I never bothered to pick up or look up any TT products because it's scary to read things in all caps. I thought TT was for tough girls. Notice I don't like spelling it out, it just looks mean. In fact I used to not even read the whole name because I saw the alliteration and the long second word and instantly decided it was a foreign language and I didn't want to irritate myself with words I don't know the meaning of, especially when they're yelling at you. It's silly, but I probably would have been interested in TT a long time ago if it weren't for the ALL CAPS TAELKJ TAKADLEKOOI. Intimidating, no? Then one day I chanced the irritation of actually reading it and saw, for the first time, that it actually wasn't an obnoxious word to pronounce. No, just  Tarantino. What a relief.

As I was combing through Sephora's clearance online as I so regularly do I came across some TT blush for $15. Initially I thought it was probably a small size but to get an idea of the size I compared it to NARS and saw that it actually has a teensy bit more than their blush (note: it's okay for NARS to be in all caps because it's short, like a small dog yap. TARINA TARANTINO is long, like a howler (Harry Potter, get nerdy)).

To avoid the shipping charges I just popped into my local Sephora to pick one up. I found the blushes, there were 4 or 5 colors which was fantastic because otherwise I would have taken all day and my husband (who prefers to wait outside Sephora most of the time because he hates it like I hate football) would have wanted to kill me; or worse, not let me buy one.

One of the colors, Parasol, looks very similar to NARS' O.  Yes, O.  I'm sorry, it's just I think my little sister reads this so I don't want to spell it out. If you're a makeup person, you definitely know what color I'm talking about because it's probably about as famous as Luna Lovegood to HP fans (so not the most MOST famous thing, but everyone's at least heard of it). Suffice it to say it's a beautiful coral color with gold flecks in it that looks good on almost any skin. The difference with TT's Parasol is that it doesn't have gold flecks, just a matte coral flush. It's beautiful though and if you're thinking of buying O just save half your money and buy TT Parasol (unless you have your heart set on sparkles). I would have chosen Parasol today except I already own O.  Instead I chose Feather, a milder coral/rose color. Another thing, I like the texture of TT blush more than NARS blush and that's a big deal because NARS... is a big deal. I would venture to say that TT blush is milled a little finer. Smaller particles, yes.

If it looks like I took these pictures with a phone and not a Canon Rebel, it's because I did. Because I don't own a Canon Rebel.

Designed at the Sparkle Factory in Downtown LA? So right between Narnia and Snow White's castle?

One layer

Two layers! Buildable!!

Yay! I love my new blush and I'm glad I finally tried TARINA TARANTINO!

Urban Decay Haul

I just did a naughty, naughty thing but I promise you it couldn't be helped. Dang you Urban Decay and your "ten dollars to free shipping!..." temptations. I got my cart up to $36 which I feel is reasonable for such a grand sale as UD is having, sometimes I hate that I automatically start doing math because I reminded myself that with the 6 dollar shipping on my order I would only be 8 dollars away from free shipping. So I might as well spend another 14 dollars, right... and get free shipping? Right? Perfectly reasonable and responsible. Right... RIGHT? Urban Decay agreed, and told me so. And besides, Jacob said I could (not even legitimate since he'd let me get a pony if I really wanted it). So I caved as I normally don't but everyone has to be retail weak sometimes. I'll make it back this weekend, my subconscious echos. Naughty, naughty Jessica. Reasoning and rationalizing with her frivolous purchases.  Tomorrow I will be angry at myself, but today I'm not. And that's what matters. Also, I am a grammar person but I DO believe wholeheartedly in beginning sentences with, "and". And you can't stop me! And if you don't like that, I invite you to leave now!

Urban Decay, by the way, currently has everything on their site at 20% off... and that includes clearance which is my favorite favorite favorite favorite because it's CHEAP!(...er than normal). But really, I got a couple lipsticks that were originally priced at $22 for $2.40 each. I'm sorry, but that's unbeatable. Voldemort can't even beat that and if you don't like Harry Potter, I invite you to leave now.

A conclusive list of my prizes:

Lipstick in "confession" and "pistol"
Reg: $22 each, Sale: $3 each 20% off- $2.40 each
(seriously if I bought these at full, full price it would have been $44-amazing. AMAZING I TELL YOU.)

I'll just say it. This picture is making me feel a little less guilty about this purchase.

Don't even worry about it mom. It's actually kind of an eggplantish purple when it's put on. Not gothic. And yes, I know I'll probably wear it twice or three times ever but I'll make them count- promise.

Pore Perfecting Primer

...because I know I'm biased in favor of Philosophy and I couldn't pass this deal up... so it happened.

Reg. $31, Sale $16, 20% off: $12.80

Vintage Eyeshadow: Midnight Cowgirl

Reg: $17, Sale: $6, 20% off: $4.80

Big Fatty Mascara
Reg: $20, Sale: $5, 20% off: $4 (I bought two)

Rollergirl Palette

Reg: $32, Sale: $13, 20% off: $10.40

Skull Shadow Box

Reg: $36, Sale: $12, 20% off: $9.60

I saved: $149.60

When my goodies arrive I will host a giveaway (and no I don't mind you knowing how much I spent on this giveaway, obviously). I'm torn between giving away the Rollergirl Palette or the Skull Shadow Box. I might just see which one I feel I can part with once they arrive. Any opinions?

Brown Sugar Scrub Recipe

In my not-so-extensive experience, exfoliation seems to be the most widely skipped step in people's skincare regimen. I don't understand why... because it is most definitely the most rewarding step if you're looking for results of any kind (be it acne, dry skin, aging skin, etc.- it is essential for any skin type and any skin goals).

Why is exfoliation needed? Because at any given moment your skin has approximately 10-15 layers of dead, dull, lifeless skin just waiting to be sloughed off. "Scrub us! Scrub us all off! We are gross and we want you to be ugly!" those skin cells say. When you are only using a cleanser you are not extricating those pesky, pointless nasties. Unless your cleanser is a supercleanser, like mine.   

Some people say there are two kinds of exfoliation- physical and chemical, but I (and other estheticians) think enzymes should have their own category because they works a little differently. Physical exfoliants are your scrubs; yes, your apricot scrub (which you need to stop using because behind that scrubby goodness it's secretly evil for your skin). That isn't to say that all physical scrubs are bad, St. Ives just gives them a bad name (I'll tell you why in another post eventually I'm sure, this one will just be long enough as it is). As you can probably guess they have scrubby things in them that you can feel as they scrub your grossness off. Chemical exfoliants are your AHA's and BHA's, you can expect them to be a little (or a lot) stronger than physical exfoliants for the most part. They break up the stuff that glues your skin cells together (sounds unnerving but it's not scary) and then they basically escort your skin's crap out... and then enzymes. Enzymes break down keratin (protein in your skin, nails, hair, etc), they have a kind of dissolving effect on your icky skin leaving clear, bright, and fresh skin- except they're more amazing than I just made them sound.

Even among people who are good about exfoliating their faces, we find people (like me) who neglect the rest of the skin on their bodies. Exfoliating agents are not cheap though and treating your whole body with the same stuff that you use on your face would be extremely pricey and frankly quite wasteful. A cheap alternative to buying a body scrub (which are, in my opinion, grossly overpriced.), is to make your own.

...and now for the moment that you're actually reading this for...

Brown Sugar Scrub Recipe (Body Polish)

1 part brown sugar (may be substituted with white for a less-abrasive scrub)

1-2 parts olive oil (depending on how scrubby you like it) (olive oil is the closest in composition to our own natural oils, making our skin more receptive to it)

Rinse off body, scoop up mixture and scrub everywhere. Rinse. For gross feet, use in conjunction with pumice stone. Enjoy the effective/amazingness of this any-budget recipe. Can be stored in a jar although it is better just after it's mixed as the sugar does slowly dissolve and become less scrub-tastic). A great help on awful chappy mid-winter lips.

Brown Sugar Scrub is both a physical and chemical exfoliant. Physical because you can feel the amazing scrubbies, and chemical because it does have traces of glycolic acid in it; which, as I've stated in a previous post, is derived from sugarcane. Ta-da! Natural and awesome. You can expect softer skin and a nice glow. The oil will be pretty moisturizing but you may want to load your skin up with some good-quality lotion or body cream afterwards if you're feeling thorough.  

Happy Birthday from Sephora

This post will be short, I just want to make sure everyone knows that if you become a "beauty insider" member with Sephora (which is !FREE!, and you can sign up here or in stores) you get a free birthday present every year which is usually a deluxe sample (a sample that lasts longer than a normal sample).

Last year I missed a Philosophy Bubble Bath because I kept procrastinating but the year before it was eyeshadow and a mini mascara and THIS year it's a sugar lip treatment duo by Fresh (which is, in my opinion, a lovely brand). One of them is a tint in rose (just a tint, it brightens you up but it doesn't look like lipstick... great for indifferent days). The other stick in the duo is a clear lip conditioner and I absolutely love it. Yes, I've tried it because I went to Sephora on January 1st of this year and told them that I missed my birthmonth and they gave me this year's present (so I'll be getting a duplicate on my real birthday in December).

I would like you to note that it is now the end of September and I'm only about halfway through my lip treatments (not that I use them every day...but fairly often), Sephora's birthday gifts are legit. Even if you're not a Sephora person you might as well sign up and get something free in your birthmonth and then if you don't like it, it can become part of your emergency present supply for when that random person gets you a Christmas present and you don't have time to get them something without looking like you didn't get them something.

Anyway, thought I'd share with you all because there's nothing like free things.

Another cool free thing that is totally irrelevant is a free monthly chocolate from Godiva (even without purchase) when you join their customer rewards club, which is also free. So if your mall has one you might as well join it even if you don't like chocolate, because you do know someone that does. 

Good, Better, Best: Mineral Foundation

One thing I want to get clear about makeup in general is that it's not good for your skin, even if it's advertised as something that will help your condition in this way or that. No. Not even mineral makeup. It may have ingredients that target conditions and help in some ways, but the very weight of the makeup on your face likely counteracts any "good" it's doing. If you want to get rid of your acne don't wear makeup for a few weeks. Painful, I know, but your primer and foundation will only go so far and it's a faster solution than waiting for your makeup to magically improve your skin in real life. It's better for your skin AND your brushes if dedicate yourself to a makeup fast until you feel that any acne-ness is under control. Your skin wants to breathe, if you continuously pile stuff on it will likely get mad at you and retaliate with vicious breakouts to see if you'll learn your lesson.

Good: Maybelline Mineral Power Powder Foundation (seriously, who named that?)

$10/ .28 oz

Pros: cheap, preservative free, talc free.

Mineral makeup on a budget. Don't bother with the brush (it's extremely coarse), I can't imagine it not irritating any skin type. 

Blendibility: Okay

Buildablitly: Meh

Cancer, allergen, and toxicity hazard (based off ingredients): moderate (don't let that scare you, everyone's going to die of cancer at this rate anyway).

Better: Mary Kay Mineral Powder Foundation

$18/ .28 oz

Pros: nice texture, non-comedogenic, long-wearing

Blendibility: good

Buildability: not as good and "effortless" as advertised. Still, not bad

Cancer, allergen, and toxicity hazard: moderate

Best: bareMinerals SPF 15 Original Foundation

$27/.21 oz

pros: lightweight, good coverage, good value (yes, I really think so), paraben free (don't know about preservative free...), non-drying

Blendability: the best

Buildability: very good

Cancer, allergen, and toxicity hazard: low

I know, it sucks when the best product is also the most expensive but I still feel like $27-30 is a good deal for how effective bareMinerals' foundation is. I was reluctant to like it and have avoided trying it for a long time because I prefer being cheap but I can't deny that this powder uses its power for good, not evil. This is definitely on the cheaper end of the foundation spectrum if you're a makeup counter shopper, but on the more expensive end of the spectrum if you're a drugstore foundation shopper (not that you're going to find this at Target, mind you). One thing I've noticed a TON with mineral makeup is how dry and irritated it can  make your skin feel after a couple hours, I would venture to guess that happens because some of them are formulated with certain sulfates, which bareMinerals is not. If you refuse to go on a makeup fast to clear your skin, I would recommend this foundation. Although I SWEAR the product itself won't improve your skin (as the advertisements suggest), it won't necessarily be bad for it and you may see improvement in your skin if you have a solid skincare regimen. 

P.S. if you are relying on the SPF that is advertised on your makeup, stop it. Get a real sunscreen.