BEAUTY REVIEW: Essie in Fiji and A Cut Above

SOURCE:  Essie website

I am back with another nail polish review. I polished my nails in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I think everyone has known someone close to them that have been afflicted with breast cancer. One of the secretaries at work was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years ago. She is married with two sons and courageously and successfully beat it. She is now in remission and grateful. She proudly pins a pink ribbon to her blouse every day this month as a badge of courage and a statement of strength.

Pink is the color for breast cancer awareness and many have been donning pink this month to show their support towards finding a cure. I've noticed NFL and MLB players with pink gloves, socks, or shoes. Just a little touch of pink to show their support.

The National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. notes the following:

• One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
• Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women.
• Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women.
• Each year it is estimated that over 220,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die.
• Although breast cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,150 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 410 will die each year.

I was tweeting with a follower the other week who loves makeup and nail polish as much as I do. She told me that OPI has a special nail polish set for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The set includes a bottle of pink polish and a bottle of pink glitter polish. The pictures were beautiful and I was so tempted to get the set, but the little shopping angel on my shoulder gently reminded me about the constantly growing stash of nail polish I own. And then I remembered that I own a bunch of pink nail polish as well as a pink glitter polish from Essie. I decided to save $16 and use what I already had on hand to duplicate the look that OPI created.

Essie's Fiji with Essie's A Cut Above

I used Essie's Fiji with Essie's Lux Effects line in A Cut Above. What do you think? When I posted this picture on Twitter, a follower loved it and suggested that the next time, I apply the glitter overlay with a ombre effect. Good idea...now, just to figure out how to apply an ombre look. Hmm...

THE PROS:

• APPLICATION:  Fiji is opaque and creamy with a glossy finish. I only needed to apply two coats. The polish did not streak upon application either. A Cut Above consists of small and medium flecks of pink glitter. I only applied a single coat of the glitter overlay polish over Fiji. For application of A Cut Above, see Cons below.
• AVAILABILITY:  Fiji is a popular polish shade that is part of Essie's permanent line of polishes available at most major drug stores.
• AFFORDABILITY:  Essie polishes are not cheap, but they are not crazy expensive either. For the quality, you get a solid product at a reasonable price.

THE CONS:

• APPLICATION:  The first nail I applied A Cut Above to, had more glitter than the subsequent nails I painted because there was more glitter on the brush from sitting in the bottle. Thus, my index finger of my left hand appears to way more glitter than my ring finger, as seen in the picture.

I really like this look. So much so that I ended up buying the OPI glitter nail polish. I know... I'm a hopeless nail polish addict. Sigh...

SHOPPING THERAPY: Eye Shadow Haul

NYX 'Butt Naked' Palette
SOURCE:  Nordstrom.com

I told myself that I would abstain. I didn't need anymore eye shadows. I had more than enough in my makeup drawer. In fact, my drawers were filled with eye shadows that I didn't even TRY yet! I thought I was being pretty good. I've remained on the wagon for a while now, but I've also been busy with work, so that was a beneficial distraction for me. In fact, I walked into Sephora at least three or four times WITHOUT buying any makeup products for myself. So, just when I was ready to pat myself on the back for a job well done, I fall off the wagon and become the owner of some more pretty eye shadows! ARGH! Maybe I'm am too easily suckered into the pretty colors or susceptible to clever makeup ads in the stores.Whatever the case may be, just stick a bulls eye on me and label me "target consumer" across my forehead.

Last night I was browsing around Nordstrom Rack; not looking for anything in particular. My boyfriend wanted to pick up a gift card for a birthday present and some socks for work. While he waited in the checkout line, I decided to browse the makeup area, which is located near the checkout stands. I casually looked through the nail polishes (did you know that Nordstrom Rack has Butter polishes?) and Urban Decay stuff, but nothing caught my fancy. I looked through the NYX collection as well. Just as I was about to conclude that I didn't see anything, I found the the NYX 'Butt Naked' Palette! I couldn't believe my eyes! I always wanted to try this palette, but always talked myself out of buying it off of Haute Look or the NYX website. I watched the beauty gurus rave about this palette, but as the owner of the Urban Decay Naked and Naked 2 palettes, I kept reminding myself that I didn't need another nude palette. Plus, I already own a whole bunch of NYX ten color 'Runway' palettes as well as a whole bunch of single shadows and trio sets. But, how could I resist? There it was right in front of me. No shipping and handling to worry about. No waiting for it in the mail. It was right there in pristine condition. So, I did what any sane makeup loving gal would do, I bought it, and just in a nick of time too because I found my boyfriend had already made his way up to a cashier. Score! No waiting in a long checkout line either. Seriously, it was meant to be, right?

L'Oreal Colour Riche Shadow Quad in Rose for Romance
SOURCE:  Drugstore.com

My next eyeshadow purchase...well...I have no excuse for that one. I was at the drugstore the other day and discovered that L'Oreal cosmetic products were all 30% off. I'm a sucker for sales and L'Oreal is one of my favorite (if not top) drugstore brands. L'Oreal has revamped its Colour Riche Shadow Quads recently. In fact, I've noticed that L'Oreal seems to be phasing out the HIP line of products. I don't see as many HIP Shadow Duos anymore. I bought two quads--Rose for Romance and Sultry Seductress.  I haven't tried either quad yet, but intend to do a Beauty Review for each as well as the NYX 'Butt Naked' Palette, so stay tuned!

SHOPPING THERAPY: Forever 21

Long time no blog!  I know...I know...where in the world have I been all this time?  Well, pretty much keeping up with life and all that life throws at you.  I think at a certain point, I just got too lazy to keep updating this blog as well as my food blog.  I started these blogs as a creative outlet, but I lost interest somewhere down the line.  Although my interests may stray, they don't go on a permanent hiatus.  So, here I am logging back onto this blog (I admit I had a hard time remembering my password!) and posting my first entry in MONTHS!  I am going to refrain from making promises to keep up with this blog on a more regular basis because I just don't want to be riddled with guilt later, like today when I realized it has been forever since I posted anything on this blog.  Instead, let's just say, "Hello again, friend!  So nice to blog with you again!"

SOURCE:  Forever21.com

And with that introduction, let's just jump right into things, shall we?  I haven't been buying too many beauty products recently.  My drawers are becoming full of products that I haven't used yet.  Instead, I thought I would submit a shopping therapy post since (1) I haven't done one of these in a really long time; and (2) I've been doing more clothes shopping lately than shopping for beauty products.

I admit that I rarely if ever go into Forever 21 and if I do, it is a super rare occasion that I actually buy something from there.  I don't know what my hang up is about the place.  Perhaps it's because the original Forever 21 at the mall I frequently shop at was always such a mess.  Clothes were poorly displayed or mismatched on the racks due to the small store space.  I also didn't think that the clothes were all that great.  You kind of get what you pay for -- meaning that the quality of the clothes was...well...rather cheaply made.  Plus, I was starting to think that I had fallen out of the the store's target age bracket.  But then, Forever 21 got a bigger two-level store space at the mall with plenty of room to nicely display their merchandise.  Because of this, I was able to actually browse through the racks and discover items that I can wear without looking like I am desperately trying to cling to my 20s even though I am well into my 30s!

SOURCE:  Forever21.com

The other night, I was at the mall with a lot of time to kill before meeting up with friends for dinner.  I decided to pop into Forever 21 and take a peek.  I mean after all, just because I browse through the racks, doesn't mean that I am going to buy anything!  (Yeah, right!)  Well, as you can already predict, I ended up finding a cute blouse and dress that I can wear to work.

The first is a cream chiffon blouse with contrast black short sleeve cuffs and rounded neck and self-tie.  I usually pair this top with a black pencil skirt and wear it either tucked in for a neat, polished look or out for a fun, flirty look.  The other is a sleeveless navy polka dotted chiffon dress with a floral crocheted waistline.  I usually pair this dress with a cropped white three-quarter sleeve two button blazer that I got from Banana Republic years ago.  I love how the skirt of the dress is flirty, but you must be careful on windy days because it has the potential of flying up.  This dress does have a drawback.  The skirt length is a little too short.  Look at where the skirt length falls on the model in the picture.  Since I am short (5'3"), the skirt falls a little longer on me than on the model's long legs.  However, it is still a little short for my personal comfort zone even though my coworkers insist that the length is fine.

So, am I hooked on Forever 21?  Only time will tell.  I am still a faithful Macy's shopper.  After looking through the entire store, I can say that I would wear about 10-15% of its inventory.  By in large, I still fall outside of its target age group.  Gone are the days of teeny short shorts and tube tops.  I can't be forever 21.  Sigh...

BEAUTY REVIEW: Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen in Blackest Black

SOURCE:  Drugstore.com

I've been doing a lot of nail polish reviews lately, so I thought I would shake things up a bit by selecting another type of beauty product to review.  I am still in the process of slowly cleaning out and reorganizing my beauty products.  I admit that I've kept some of these products way too long, but only for the purpose of posting a beauty review before tossing them out.

Revlon's ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen is one of those products that I have been keeping to review.  As you all know, I am a fan of the felt tip liner.  For some reason, I'm not very good at applying eyeliner with a brush tip unless its the Physicians Formula's Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum.  Perhaps with more practice, I will be able to apply my eyeliner with a brush tip like a pro, but until that happens, I am more than satisfied with using a felt tip eyeliner.  Thus, Revlon's ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen seemed to fit my criteria and I had to try it, especially after some of the beauty gurus on YouTube raved about this product.

THE PROS:

• Application:  The felt tip liner applies the product smoothly across the lash line, but I suggest using this product for only your upper lash line and using a pencil eyeliner to line your bottom lash line.  I use short small strokes along my lash line to apply the product.  The felt tip allows you to apply a fine to bold line depending on the look you want.  This is also a great product to easily achieve a cat eye look.
• Availability:  Revlon cosmetic products are widely available at all major drugstore chains.  However, this seems to be a very popular product so stores tend to run out of this product fast, especially when Revlon products are on sale.
• Price:  The felt tip liner retails for about $9 to $10, which is a deal considering the price of other high end eyeliners.

THE CONS:

• Performance:  The eyeliner formula is not as dark as I would like it to be, even if it was in "blackest black", but it is darker than some other black eyeliners I've used before.  A huge drawback for me was that it is not waterproof.  It tends to smear on my lids, especially around the corners of my eyes where moisture tends to collect.  I also noticed a little bit of smearing under my bottom eyelid area.  Boo hiss.  I am not a fan of raccoon eyes.
• Variety:  This eyeliner only comes in three colors:  Blackest Black, Black, and Blackened Brown.  Even though I usually use jet black eyeliners, having a wider variety of colors would probably make this product even more attractive.

Again, I have more pro points than con points, but the performance of a product is an paramount factor in my book when it comes to eyeliners.  I don't hate this product, but I am not totally in love with it either since I have other eyeliners that I feel perform better than this one.

BEAUTY REVIEW: OPI Nail Lacquer in Chicago Champagne Toast

SOURCE:  Drugstore.com

I am trying my best to stick with my plan to make use of all the nail polishes I have accumulated.  Honestly, what is the sense in buying all these lovely bottles of polish without ever using them?  Every time I see big displays of OPI, Essie, or Sephora polishes, I am overcome with excitement.  I slowly feel my willpower cave in and my body being magnetically drawn to the display.  My eyes are dazzled with all of the pretty shades.  It's actually really sad to realize that I am such a vulnerable and gullible target consumer.  But, I digress.

During a recent sidewalk sale at the mall (again, I am such a sucker!), I picked up a couple of OPI polishes, including this classic favorite in "Chicago Champagne Toast".  I've been a fan of this color for a long time.  In fact, it was one of the first shades I used when I sported my long acrylic nails.  Yes, I used to have acrylic nails when I was a poor starving law student until I realized that one of the reasons I was a poor starving law student was because I was spending money every two weeks to get my nails filled, filed, and polished.

"Chicago Champagne Toast" is described on the OPI website as a "fine pink champagne with an understated shine".  I'm not sure if that description is totally accurate because the polish looks more peachy than pink to me and the shine is pretty frosty.  Well, you be the judge by looking at the picture of my finished nails.

OPI's "Chicago Champagne Toast"

THE PROS:

• Performance:  This polish is opaque and I found that only two coats are sufficient.  I used a base coat (Revlon's Quick Dry Base Coat) and a top coat (Seche Vite) to complete my manicure.  Due to the frosty finish, you need to make sure that you apply your polish carefully.  The polish stands up to the daily wear and tear and usually lasts on my nails for about one week before noticeable chips and cracks.
• Affordability:  OPI polishes are not cheap, but cheaper than some of the high end polishes, such as Butter, Chanel, and Nails Inc.  For the quality, you get a solid product at a reasonable price.

THE CONS:

•  Color:  I am not sure whether my issue with color should be under its own separate category or lumped under the performance category.  However, as much as I love this color, I swear that the color in my most recent purchased bottle is different from the color in an older bottle.  Maybe it is just me, but I remember "Chicago Champagne Toast" as being on the nude side rather than pink/peachy.
• Availability:  OPI polishes are only available at salons.  However, now that OPI also makes the polishes for Sephora, you can find OPI polishes at any mall or outlet mall.  My biggest complaint is that OPI has so many limited edition polish lines that unless you fall in love with a color that is part of OPI's Classic Line, you may need to wait and find a dupe in a subsequent collection.  Luckily "Chicago Champagne Toast" is part of OPI's Classic Line.

Hmm...so with two pro points and two con points, it looks like a tie.  However, as I stated before, this is one of my all time favorite OPI polishes and therefore, this polish receives a thumbs up from me!

BEAUTY REVIEW: Essie in Lilacism

SOURCE:  Essie website

Recently, I've been making a conscious effort to polish my nails.  I keep buying bottles of pretty nail polish shades, but never get around to polishing my nails.  Thus, I am making an effort to get off of my lazy butt and start polishing and manicuring my own nails.

As part of my effort, I am also trying to use all the colors that I currently own.  I bought Essie's Lilacism several months ago at my local drugstore.  I was looking for something pale/neutral with a hint of lavender.  Even though Lilacism looked a little darker than what I had in mind, I thought that I would give it a whirl.  So what did I think?  The verdict is still out.

Perhaps it is because I am so used to neutral, pink, and red shades on my finger nails.  Or, perhaps I am used to a polish with more shimmer.  Whatever the reason may be, I am just not totally head over heels for this shade.  The polish is opaque, which I like because I find that many of the Essie polishes are sheer.  I only needed to apply two coats of polish to achieve my desired finish.  Lilacism does not have any shimmer or sparkle to it, but leaves a very shiny opaque finish.  A plus for this type of finish is that your application does not have to be super straight.  For a little more desired sparkle, add a glitter top coat.  The application was pretty easy; no noticeable streaking, which Essie is also known to perform.

My nails with Essie's Lilacism

THE PROS

• Availability:  Essie polishes are now widely available at more large retail drugstore chains, including Target and Walgreens.  I remember the days when we needed to visit the salon to get our hands on Essie polishes.  In fact, I didn't even hear about Essie polishes until about five years ago.  I got this bottle at Longs Drugs.
• Affordability:  Essie polishes are not cheap, but they are not crazy expensive either.  For the quality, you get a solid product at a reasonable prices.
• Performance:  As stated above, this polish is opaque and does not streak on application.  I used the Revlon Quick Dry Base Coat; two coats of Essie's Lilacism; and Seche Vite top coat. I did my nails on Sunday night and after five days, I don't see any noticeable chips; just a little wear and tear on the tips of my nails, but that is due to typing on my keyboard at work.  Since Lilacism is a lighter shade, little chips in your polish isn't very noticeable.

THE  CONS

• Color:  Despite a good performance, I am not crazy about the color.  The lighting in the picture above lightens the actually color of the nails.  It is very lavender; almost the shade of an Easter egg.  In fact, after I finished polishing my nails, I thought that perhaps I should wear this shade for the Spring rather than the Fall.

One would think that after three pro points and only one con point that I would give this product a thumb up.  However, the color point really weighs heavy for me.  I don't dislike it enough to give it a thumbs down.  After all, if I really hated it, I would have taken it off and changed my polish.  I am going to keep Lilacism in the rotation, but perhaps I will revisit it when the Spring rolls around.

RAMBLE: More Than a Number on a Scale

SOURCE:  WKBT website

October is National Bullying Prevention Month.  While every month seems to hold great importance towards the prevention or awareness of some worthy cause, bullying is a topic of much national discussion.  No longer is bullying reserved for kids on the school yard.  Bullying has transcended to college, the work place, and especially online.

Just recently, WKBT News 8 This Morning anchor Jennifer Livingston bravely went on camera to address an email she received from a viewer.  In the email, viewer Kenneth Krause writes:

"Hi Jennifer, It's unusual that I see your morning show, but I did so for a very short time today.  I was surprised indeed to witness that your physical condition hasn't improved for many years.  Surely you don't consider yourself a suitable example for this community's young people, girls in particular.

Obesity is one of the worst choices a person can make and one of the most dangerous habits to maintain.  I leave you this note hoping that you'll reconsider your responsibility as a local public personality to present and promote a healthy lifestyle."

Rather than allow these words to get to her or merely brush these words off from an obviously rude viewer, Ms. Livingston decided to publicly call him out by addressing his email on air.  The video is below:

 

Hooray Jennifer!  Hooray for your bravery!  Hooray for standing up for yourself!  Hooray for believing in yourself!  Hooray for knowing who you are!  My favorite part of this video is when she said:

"You don't know me.  You are not a friend of mine.  You are not a part of my family.  And you have admitted that you don't watch this show.  So you know nothing about me but what you see on the outside.  And I am much more than a number on the scale."

We are ALL much more than a number on the scale and for Mr. Krause to believe that she owes the public a slim figure (after three children) at all times is ludicrous.  I doubt that Mr. Krause feels that he should be defined by his weight, so why expect the same from Ms. Livingston?  He is the one that is perpetuating our society's warped beliefs that you have to be thin in order to find happiness.  It's hurtful remarks like these, which are masked as pieces of advice and help, that cause many to forget that what you are inside is truly beautiful, remarkable, and powerful.

Mr. Krause, you are a bully.  Your remarks, regardless of your offer to help Ms. Livingston, were intended to be hurtful.  Your remarks and response to Ms. Livingston's video indicate your insecurities and weaknesses.  Mind your own life before taking jabs at someone else, especially one that you know nothing about.