Best Beauty Brands (BBB)

According to me.

This post will temporarily be without photos. I am taking a quick break from work so I will have to upload photos later. I just found some new favorite lippies and wanted to keep a record of my old favs. I am seriously considering on stocking up on some of my old favs since I have sadly had to say goodbye to many favorite discontinued items.

So here are some of my favorite brands when it comes to beauty and the products I would not choose to live without.

Dior
Dior Addict Lip Glow
This was a tough one. It was down to the lip glow and the lip balm. I chose the Glow because I have already ran out of one and purchased a second. It gives my lips a nice shade of pink without feeling thick on my lips. The only downside is the slighly bubble gummy scent. Plus I adore the packaging.

YSL
Volupte Sheer Candy
This is a new favorite. I do find that the different colors have different wear lengths. The Tangy Tangerine shade will last through eating a big burrito, while the Fig shade will fade quicker. They all feel like silk on the lips and don't leave a strange ring around the mouth. I think the orange shade is more worth the money because of the staying power. Also the packaging is pretty, not as cool as Dior though.

Chanel
I don't have a top one in this category. I tend to like the majority of their products from skincare to makeup. I am not a huge fan of the glossimers but I tend to favor this brand anyways.

Tarte
Lip Surgence
I really like these. Super moisturizing, great crayon like packaging. I find these super handy and the color is amazing when I want a great berry or a nice pink. Staying power is pretty decent for a glossy balm.

Josie Moran
Argan Oil
Yes I love the Argan oil. I tend to like the majority of her products from the hair stuff to the stick balms. I do not however care for the pot balms or most of her glosses. I found them too thin. The oil itself is amazing though. I put it on my hair, face and body. I have had to repurchase a new bottle, and am considering splurging on the jumbo size in the future.

Wen
Pumpkin replenishing mist
I actually like both pumpkin and tea tree. I will definitely be repurchasing more replenishing mists. I would not consider myself a "wen" girl since I use shampoo still. I find the actual cleansing conditioner to be OK. I did not get the excellent results they rave about. I do love the replenishing mists. If I haven't had a chance to wash my hair, this helps. I spray it on my face when I need a pick me up or am running out the door. Best stuff ever, hands down:)

Cadaulie
Vinoperfect Day Perfecting Fluid SPF 15 PA++

and
Firming concentrate
This is a tie. I love love love the day perfecting fluid. I got this as a 500 point perk before from Sephora. I am still using it and will have to find it for cheaper in the future. My skin is amazing from this. I also love the scent. Ditto with the firming concentrate.

Jurlique
Day Cream
I tend to use this at night. I like the thick cream and it works great on my elbows and chest too.

Signature Club A
Essentials Creme for face and eye
This is more of a daily moisturizer for me. It absorbs in my skin really fast. Love love it.

Lush Cosmetics
Soft Coer
Sorry if I spelled that wrong. I love the smell of this massage bar. I feel really pretty when I wear this. Definitely repurchased it and savored every bit.

Thi Cosmetics
Cream shadow in Soy and Lipgloss in Lan
I am super sad that both of these are now discontinued and I can't find it anywhere:(

Clarins
Hydraquench lip (old white package version)
Luckily I purchased an extra one, so I won't run out anytime soon. Still searching for more so I can really stock up. Love the way it feels on my lips, love the look of the golden lip balm when I squirt it out of the tube. Love the way it smells, love this product.

and

Lip firming contour cream
Awesome lip miracle worker. I think my lip color is actually slightly pinker.

Goals

I have decided to make some work/school and personal goals. I realize that it is not new years but I think this is as good a time as any.

Personal

1. Begin purging out house of things I don't want. This week I plan on going through the kitchen and my bedroom. I will throw away things I consider garbage, and donate or sell things that are worth selling or keeping. I will stash these things in my bedroom corner. If the items do not sell within two weeks I will donate or give them away. I plan on completing the purge by Christmas.

2. Research Lasik surgery and choose a doctor by end of November. Visit my eyedoctor during the month of September.

3. Add to my excercise regimen. I currently do some excercise at lunch and when I wake up in the morning. I will now do a min of 15 minutes of jumping before I make dinner and end my days with another 15 minutes of weight excercises before bed. Thursdays I will continue my zumba class. Next year I may join a dance class at a nearby studio. (this depends on cost) I am only committing to 15 minutes for the time being. I am hoping to up this to half an hour and then 45 minutes.

4. Keeping a log of what I eat and also not feeling guilty about what I eat. I think keeping track of what I eat will at least help me gage how much I am eating. So when I eat something that is junk I can at least keep most of what I eat, healthy,  and grooming myself (especially face) I want to make sure I at least take care of my  upper lip and eyebrows on a regular basis and not just when there is an event coming up. This also means taking care of my hair and skin.

5. I want to begin keeping my bathroom tub very clean. I know I will be moving but I want to continue to allow myself relaxation during the weekend or on friday nights by taking bubble baths or soaks.

6. Keeping better track of my finances. I will create a spreadsheet and keep tabs on by bills similar to the way I keep tabs on recurring bills at work.

7. Vacuuming and getting rid of fleas. This means making sure Mouse has his flea medicine too. George can help me with this one.

I am going to keep it at these seven goals for now. I will begin now after I list my work/school goals.

 

Work/School

1. Begin studying for CPA exam at the beginning of the year.
2. Complete three remaining Courses.
3. Speak to Marla about CPA exam and studying for it in January.
4. Study clients at the end of each work day and during billing projects. Get to know the clients better.
5. Create consistency between clients.
6. Keeping my office space clean.
7. Creating a better school schedule. (not leaving stuff till the weekends)

Food Diary

Breakfast: Wheat bagel (I think) and plain cream cheese. 
Snack: Orange
Lunch:
Dinner:

Weekend and Plans

So my weekend went pretty well. I was still recooperating but we surprized my dad on his Bday this saturday. Kathryn was able to get us tickets to Cavalia where she works. It was a pretty amazing show. Plus my dad was really surprized. I also did some homework. I will have to spend my lunch hour doing more homework today because I didn't sleep very well. I think I am going to need to rest some more when I get home. On top of that this week I believe we might be having dinner with Karine, Joseph and george's parents. Then on Friday I am meeting up with the girls for dinner again. This weekend I might go to my parents house or stay home and study. I have  to study ahead of time because I need to get work done before our trip to Roberta's and for the wedding. It turns out that I have a midterm right smack during my trip to Hawaii. Sucks!!!

feel like death

So the terror has begun again. Some moronic super annoying bug has bitten my feet. I even had George vacuum the house while I went to get some afrin for my stupid stuffy and runny nose. Despite the vacuuming some evil doer took a bite out of each of my feet. I am now sitting at work trying very hard to not think about the itch in my feet. I am annoyingly totally failing at that.

Moving cubicles

So I was notified today that I will be moving cubicles :( I am slightly sad about this because I have started to get acquainted with my spot. However I will be moving to a cubicle with a window:) and I will at least still be next to Jennifer. Sadly Anne will be moving far far away. Ok so granted everything in the offices are not far away. But still, I was about to start decorating my area and making the place more "mine." I am apparently luckier because my space is not only by a window but also not smaller (I think).

Also Zeba is being interviewed at my company tomorrow. I hope they like her and things go well. I hope so especially now that I gave her my recommendation. I am hoping they adore her like they did me. We will be in diff departments so we won't be competing. She seems a little worried because it is a temp position but mine is as well.

Also my days are going to be super busy. Tomorrow after work I have Zumba class. Then on Friday I have lunch with Anne and going to Zeba's to celebrate her belated bday. Then Sat I am going to my parents where I will have to get silver shoes for Christine's wedding and figure out how to get to the wedding. Then next week is Christine's wedding. We also have to get around to arranging the bach party for Roberta and the speech as well as figure out the dance moves. Yeep!

I love Aerosoles

Today I spent the day with Shabana. She took the train up to the hillsdale station and I hung out at the mall with her. It was nice catching up. George and I also watched HUGO today. I actually really liked the movie. I thought it was going to be only ok but I really enjoyed it. Finally I started looking for some shoes to wear to the weddings. Sadly I need three different shoes because they all want me to wear different colors. I was searching for shoes that I could rewear again because it would be a total waste of money to only buy them for the weddings. Sadly I was unable to find shoes that would be appropriate. It looks like I am just going to have to either hope Roberta's silver shoes work, or buy a pair from Payless. Finding shoes for Marvie's wedding might be difficult too. I did however find some awesome shoes by aerosoles. I seem to favor this brand because I already own several of their shoes.
I love these shoes for several reasons.
1. They make my feet happy
2. They have rubber soles ( less chance of twisting my ankle because of the grip they have on the ground.)
3. Uber soft footbed (it feels like my feed are sitting on pillows)
4. shorter heel
5. Some of the shoes are very vintage inspired
6. Reasonable prices. On sale some of them are as cheap as 20 bucks. When they are pricey they are about 80 bucks which is still not horrible for a really great pair of shoes. Most of the ones I have are around 30-60 bucks.

 These last ones I could wear to Roberta's wedding. They might be easier to dance around in than my super cute Kate Spades.



End note: I had to include a picture of this yellow diamond ring. Drool.

Diamonds by Lauren and this one is very similar to the Tiffany co one but this one is less than 7K while tiffanys is 33K. Both are insanely expensive but you can tell they are both great diamonds. I love how warm the yellow diamonds with yellow gold are.

Here is a cushion cut diamond that is simply gorgeoui

So Vegas was friggin awesome! I had the greatest time ever. Sadly the trip was super short. While in Vegas Farida, Zeba and I were walking around and looking at the expensive shops. We went into tiffanys and tried on these rings.
this one was my favorite.

Yellow diamond bezel set ring. This ring costs about 32K

this one was farida's favorite.

They were so much better looking in the store and on our fingers lol.

I also saw this awesome bamboo gucci bag

Just some thoughts

Last night I ended up taking my final exam. I was getting tired of doing algorithms and kept thinking about it. I got 100 on the final but for some reason it shows that I have 99% for a final grade. What the heck is up with that?? I am tempted to go in today and do some more of the algorithms to bring my grade up. I guess it depends how I feel when I get home.

It is gonna be a very busy weekend. Kathryn's graduation is tomorrow. Yippee!!! I figure we will have lunch with them afterwards and come home in the early evening. Sunday we have to take the poor cat in to see the doctor. Mouse is going to be very unhappy with me. We pick him up in the early afternoon and then we will head down to my parents for Kathryn's graduation/bday party. We have a pretty busy weekend. Good thing we have Monday off. I fully intend on lazing around that day. I almost forgot we need to hit the dollar store and pick up some Bride things for Marvie's Bachelorette party. I figure I'll grab some stuff for Roberta there too.

I am getting super excited about Vegas. Because we have Monday off, I only work three days next week. Thursday we have a staff meeting which makes me a bit nervous. Apparently people need to prepare for this meeting. I have nothing prepared. I think we have to report on what projects we are working on etc. I pretty much only have one project so far. I have been getting to know some of the clients. I now have a total of 8clients. Some of those clients have multiple entities though. One client has 4, another has 2 and one other has a whole bunch more. I am still trying to learn the clients and recognize what to do with each. I have done a couple AP runs but I don't think thats anything super exciting to report. I have to start thinking of some things to bring up. Like maybe I should mention how we should go about changing the way we code things or which reports should I scan for company use only and which ones do I scan in for clients. I figure I'll spend a little time on Wed to figure out some things to bring up in the meeting. I think I will be a little nervous about it because I have yet to attend one of these meetings. I seriously cannot wait till Friday morning when I arrive in Vegas with the girls:) We have tons planned. We are going to watch "Thunder down under" and have a limo ride. Unfortunately I am only there for a couple days. I am arriving Friday morning and leaving Sunday morning. I figured I would need a little time to rest before starting work again. I am still new at work so I don't feel ready to face my day exhausted from a trip.

Ciate, my fair lady

I really want this color. I think it looks gorgeous on the nails. It is exactly what I like a great nude and high shine.

looked at

my toes today.
They are hideous.
I have decided that I have got to put polish on my toes even if I leave my fingers bare. Especially if I wear any type of open toe (including peep toe) shoes.

 Normally I don't like the thong type shoe. But this shoe has some support in the middle and a strap so it might be ok. These shoes scream "I want colored toes!" I think a great light pink or even a glossy gold and silver look might work well. Maybe gold with silver hearts on the big toe.

This made me think of shoes and my need for some more formal suit attire. I've decided I love my Michael Kors blazer, even though I am still kind of mad at him for opting out of the Macys discounts. I am going to keep the blazer and look around for other similar blazers.

I saw these and thought they would be perfect. Hopefully the somewhat midsize heel is comfy. Now I realize that these are probably about 2 inches and considered a short heel for some, but for me they are higher.

Also talked to Roberta and we are thinking of a sisters trip. Sometime before Christines wedding and after George's bday we were thinking Kathryn and I can drive down to Roberta's. this way we can spend the weekend checking out the sites and spending some time together and doing a psuedo bachelorette party. We can do a nice dinner when it is closer to the wedding and invite all the bridesmaids and a couple of girls from Armans family and call that the bachelorette party. With all these plans coming up my schedule is going to be pretty busy. Poor George is not a part of any of these plans lol.

Too Faced lip insurance review

Last Christmas Grace recommended this product claiming that it really worked and helped lock in her lip color. It seemed to work really well on her.

Sadly after using this for 4 months I have discovered this does not work at all. In fact I feel like it might even make my lip color last less. Maybe I just talk too much or eat too much or because I am constantly drinking water. This sadly did not work for me. The nice thing is that it does feel pretty nice on the lips. Sadly for someone whose lips are always flapping, I cannot recommend this.

Top Five Beauty Splurges

Number one on my beauty splurges is what inspired me to come up with this post. I may never be able to live without this product again.

1. Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait De Gloss in Impertinence #59. I also liked Emoi 

This product is amazing. It is super moisturizing. I have always been a balm girl because of my super dry lips. This makes me feel like I may never need a balm again. Unfortunately it runs at $32 a pop at Nordstroms, but I believe it can be purchased for less on ebay or elsewhere. However even at that high price, this product may just be worth every penny. I am currently wearing this color over Chanel aqua crayon lip colour stick in spice #12.

This product is supposed to be waterproof. Combined with the gloss I get the perfect color. I can put it on heavier and get a really bold lip, or I can go light on the liner and end up with a perfect sheer wash of color. The best thing about the lip gloss is that my lips feel fantastic and when it wears off I still have super soft, perfect lips. The lip liner is nice but is not among my top splurge items. I don't believe I will be willing to wear any other gloss again. (compared to glossimer, this gloss is far more pigmented and it comes in a great glass container.)

2. Josie Moran Argan oil moisturizing stick

I love the argan oil, but the stick to me is a better splurge. It is easier to carry around (totally purse friendly.) I can still use it everywhere and even on my hair. I own this in the oil but do not own the stick yet. At $22 bucks it is much more budget friendly than $96 for the jumbo 4oz of the oil. I do think that perhaps the oil may still be worth it but most likely the stick is what I will be purchasing in the future. My skin feels so good when I put this on. I love using this after a shower on my face, legs, arms, stomach. The only place I didn't love this product is the lips. Josie has a lip balm and gloss that I don't really love. The gloss is a little too shiny for me and the balm feels too watery. The argan oil however gets an A+

3. Edward Bess All over seduction in Sunlight

 

This has been the perfect replacement for my thi cosmetics soy cream shadow. The more I wear this the more I think it is worth the splurge. At $38 this is by far the highest splurge so far. I recently purchased stila kitten cream shadow in hopes of being able to replace this. It did not. I am still debating on whether I am willing to keep the kitten or if I need to return it. Most likely it will be going back to sephora. I would rather save my money for the all over seduction. The texture does not compare. Edward Bess is smooth and silky and buttery soft. It gives just enough sheen without being too glittery. I use this on my lids, cheeks, and cupids bow.

4. Urban decay lash primer and mascara ties with Buxom mascara

I will never again live without these products. Gorgeous lashes, here I come. I think they run around 20 bucks I say 19-22.

5. Philosophy Purity Made Simple

$32 for 16 oz. Although I think 40 bucks for the 24oz is a better deal. I have not made that splurge yet. I have not however found a face wash that is better than this. For a contact wearer with sensitive eyes this is a must. I can wash my entire face including my eyes and this takes off everything. I do find that I need to wash my eye area twice but I do not purchase any makeup remover. I simply use this and vaseline.

Love these jewelry looks

Huge canary ring

I love the huge size, this makes a great cocktail ring.

copper and turquoise earrings

Dangle earrings

I love these earrings. They are definitely look at me I am stylish earrings.

 

opulant ring

My interview suit

I wore this suit to my interview with my black ankle boots. I will probably re-wear the jacket with a different top and my skirt for the second interview.

Sorry for the sideways view. I can't seem to get it to rotate.

Makeup look

Here is me with my fabulous mascara and new lipstick.

Eyebrows

• It cosmetics

Eyes

I was hoping the lashes would show well in photos. FAIL

• Edward Bess highlighter
• Urban Decay Primer
• Urban Decay Mascara 

Cheeks

• Stila convertible color in poppy
• Origins sun stick
• Edward Bess
• Laura Geller contour 

 Lips

• Revlon lip butter in Red Velvet (blotted)
• Smashbox o glow (golden peach)

beauty reviews plus more Jewels

So this post is going to be about some beauty products I have tried and a couple more pretty sparkle pieces.
I will rate the products on a scale of * for the lowest and **** for the highest recommendation.
Mascara
1. Benefit They're Real mascara *

I own this mascara and have tried it out on a number of occasions. I have come to the conclusion that I do not like this mascara and will not be purchasing it again. It is one of the clumpiest mascara's that I own. It does make the lashes look long and I like the blackness of this mascara, but the tarantula lashes is just not for me. The small round ball on the end does help get to the small lashes but it does not go on clean and over the course of the day it leaves smudges around my eyes.

2. Josie Maran *

I also own this mascara. I got this mascara in a kit which was actually a great purchase. This mascara also tends to clump. However the mascara has argon oil infused in it so I feel like I am putting something good on my lashes. I also find that when I remove it my lashes are still nice and soft. So I find this to be only marginally better than Benefit.

3. Urban Decay Lush Mascara ***

I have decided that i like this mascara. It is similar to the Buxom lash mascara. It is not as jet black so it is more an everyday mascara. It does have good for you ingredients in it so I also feel not bad about putting this on my lashes. My favorite part is that I have super separated lush lashes.

4. Buxom Lash ****

Still my favorite mascara. It leaves my lashes super separated, dark black, and actually curls the last few lashes at the outer corner of my eyes. Plus this is also vitamin enriched. 

Eyelash Curler

1. Shu Eumera ***

This has been my favorite curler up until now. It no longer sells in stores so I am not including a photo. It looks like a standard silver curler. I have experienced no lash loss and had very few pinching incidences with it. 

2. Shiseido (however you spell it) lash curler

This is by far the best curler for my flat eyes. They don't pinch. My lashes don't fall out. Love love love this. I am a little mad that I did not discover this earlier. I mean I thought the Shu Eumera one was the best, turns out it was not.

Fragrance
(not including picture because I included it in a previous post)
1. Coral by BLV **
This was nice and crisp at first, but I got tired of the fragrance after a while.

2. Green Tea by blv ***

If I wore fragrances, this is probably what I would go for. I have never actually purchased the fragrance but I do like the shower gel and lotion.

Oils and Serums
1. L'Occitane Almond Supple Skin Oil ***** (so great its worth an extra star)

I absolutely love this oil. I wish it was cheaper or at least huge. I used this on my stretch marks and it has helped to fade my marks. It also makes my skin super soft. While my stomach still looks horrendous it feels super soft and smooth. I have started to use it on my legs and arms since they are getting a little ashy. I just feel like I am wasting it when I use too much. But I love this.

2. Josie Maran Argan Oil ***

I actually love this. Sadly it is way too pricey. I like that it makes my skin soft and hair shiny. Plus this is great oil that can be used from head to toe. Unfortunately with the small sizes and really high price, it just isn't cost efficient. I use this pretty much only for my face and hair since the price is too high.

I am a little tired of reviewing for now. So I will just put in a little sparkly.

Judith Ripka

Pretty Flower

Love the standard channel set eternity band (preferably with princess stones)

Minimal Make up

http://youtu.be/PH1az2Ebng4
I love this look. I also like her accent.

Beauty stuff I am interested in

Fragrance
Omnia in Coral

Ive always like the original Blvgari omnia fragrance. Partly because I like the packaging. But this one is supposed to have a crisp fruity smell. Next time I am at sephora I will be testing this out.

Tool
Shiseido eyelash curler
I heard this is great for women with flatter eyes. it is supposed to be even better than Shu Uemera

Tweezerman Harajuku lover tweezer in Love
this is the red one. I only use their tweezers but like the cute design on this one. I actually like the red one but could not get the picture to work.

Lashes
Urban Decay lash primer
this is said to not only condition but also lengthen and help curl the lashes

Urban decay Lush mascara
this one I have tried and really like. it does not clump:)

The next item is not really beauty but I had to post it. I saw this bag and immediately fell in love. I have been searching for a bag like this forever. It is called the Hung on you bag by patti. I actually like it in the yellow but obviously prefer either neutrals or blue, pink, or even purple. I love the hands free slim lines of this bag. I also like the fact that it is larger but doesnt seem to overwhelm the body.

Everyday makeup look

Ok so it appears that the makeup does not show that well in photos. I probably need more makeup for photos. I did not retouch my makeup for this picture and I did not re apply my lipstick. I am still searching for lipstick that actually stays for more than an hour. I have not been successful.

Eyes
1. Edward Bess highlighter thingy on lids all the way up to my browbone.
2. Buxom Mascara

Face
1. Contoured my cheeks and chin with laura geller contour thingy
2. Josie Moran Argon color stick on cheeks.
3. Edward Bess highlighter on top of cheekbones and above lip

Lip
1. Lancome in love lipstick
2. Smashbox o gloss (golden one)

Walaaa that is it!

I realized in movies they seem to have the group of four girls a lot.I was watching pretty little liars and thought of which girl best represents each of us. The above photo is from my bday. I will eventually have a better picture of us when we go to Marvie's wedding.

Vanessa: Emily
She is the sportiest of us all. She can definitely chat it up with guys easier since she follows sports and likes cars. While she is not lesbian she is currently the single one. She says she isn't picky and guys do not hit on her, but I think she is holding out for the right guy and I think she probably gets hit on all the time but may not know it. 

Marvie: Aria
She is trendy and has definitely had a rocky time with relationships but now she found the one.

Me: Hanna
I think I actually make a great Hanna. I am nice and can definitely relate to being fat. I also have the bf/husband who is a little ghetto.


Zeba: Spencer
I think brain wise she is probably the smartest, being head prefect at her old school and almost always being at the top of the class. She is also really nice but can be tough when she needs to be. Plus she seems to have the more sophisticated older bf (which for some reason I see Tobey as being older.)