Everyone is doing a top 10 list this time of year, so I’m bucking the trend and sharing my 5 favorite, can’t live without, must have items from the last year. These are the things I decided I will continue to buy as long as they’re available because I love them so much that they’ve become an instinctive part of my routine. Here they are, in no particular order of preference:

1)Aquolina Pink Sugar fragrance. This stuff makes me feel so happy and cozy that I rarely start a day without it, whether I’m going to work, headed out running errands, or just staying in and cleaning house. My kids are always telling me I smell delicious and my significant other tends to agree. Another perk about this fragrance is that it is available just about anywhere I go, from Sephora to Ulta to Nordstrom. I think the simple fragrances of caramel and cotton candy capture our inner child, while the more complex bergamot, musk, and fig leaves entice our mature palates. Ive always enjoyed oriental fragrances, and I think this is oriental with a dash of fun. (more…)

A quick note from a super cool hometown friend on facebook…

Jen,

I have been looking at your website and am fascinated. I have a question. I don’t wear much makeup but have horrible under-eye circles that are worse on some days than others but never seem to completely go away. I don’t wear foundation and have tried a few concealers but then I look like a reverse-raccoon. Any suggestions? I hate that I can’t ever really cover these up.

Kirsten

Hiya my sweet girlfriend from Bloomington, Indiana! (more…)

Based solely on the items most beloved by my 20 month old daughter. No matter what I do or where I stash these she always manages to find them. She takes great delight in gouging her fingers through her favorites and smearing them in all sorts of wonderful places…generally involving freshly cleaned laundry. And so I bring you “Mira’s picks for Spring 2009″:
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So many great beauty reads, so little time!

Jelly Pong: Pong Nude And Improved – Raging Rouge explains how “this handy little pencil isn’t just a primer, but can act as a concealer too!”

Purely Cosmetics – Pure Bionic Goodness! – Bionic Beauty discovers a wonderful mineral makeup line. “The biggest difference when I applied the Pure Silk Mineral Foundation was the feel.”

Sally b’s Skin Yummies – Lemon Sage Sugar Scrub – DecoDiva cannot get over how wonderful her skin smells and feels after using Sally B’s Lemon Sage Sugar Scrub.

CARGO HOLIDAY NIGHTS! SATURDAY AT SEPHORA! – Kate might still be building her wardrobe, but one thing she has down pat, Kate knows a great makeup palette when she sees one!

90s Ladies Week: Clueless About Foundation? As If! – I laughed all the way through this post about the 90’s. Spoiled Pretty’s new favorite, Make Up For Ever’s HD Invisible Cover Foundation!

Sneek Peek: MAC Hello Kitty Part Deux… The Makeup Girl posts about newly announced release dates for MAC’s Hello Kitty Colour Collection and Hello Kitty Kouture! Meow!

New Posts from Mythbuster Beauty:

• Urban Decay’s Urban Essentials Giveaway (hurry, the deadline is 11.26!)
  
• DecoDiva: The Right Tools for Liquid, Gel, or Powder Eyeliners
• FGW: Timelapse Wands, skin smoothing in a stick?
• Sally B’s Skin Yummies: Such a Treat!
• Beauty Bubble: Using your skincare products in the right order.

Yes, you read correctly.  Any Prescriptives fans out there?!  Well if you are, this is your chance to stock up or try some Prescriptive cosmetic and skincare items.  25% off and free shipping, swweet!

Some of my Px favorites? 

Px’s Flawless Face Foundation, great build-able medium to full coverage and works well on my sensitive, combination skin. 

Px’s Vibrant-C Skin Brightening Lotion Moisturizer, as Mo will attest, this moisturizer packs a nice vitamin-c brightening punch.

Super Line Preventor Xtreme - This is Prescriptive’s Pink Ribbon Item.  I just received this skin treatment for review so I cannot vouch for it yet, but for every purchase a donation is made to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Site Unseen Brightening Concealer SPF 15 -  With one swoosh you can lighten and conceal your dark circles and complexion flaws and spots.  I really love this concealer!

This discount runs until Friday the 24th, and don’t forget to pick your free sample!

Laura Mercier’s Flawless Face Kit looks like a fabulous makeup kit and at a pretty decent price.  Allie from My Wardrobe Today mentioned that she purchased this kit for herself, and I couldn’t help but drool when I read all that is included in it. (more…)

Okay people, sit up and pay attention, because you may never hear the following from me again: I found something from Urban Decay I’m not thoroughly in love with. I know, I’m just as freaked out as you are, but if you bear with me we might all make it through okay.

I have no major gripes with Urban Decay’s brand new lipstick, don’t get me wrong.  In fact, I was ecstatic when I heard they were bringing lipstick back their line up. It was one of their original products and I’ve missed it for some time now. It has returned triumphant with a few tweaks to bring it up to date. I’m happy to see Gash in the lipstick as well since it’s an Urban Decay classic, though I miss X, which was a beautiful golden peachy pink that I remember being quite flattering. They can’t make a color just for me though can they?  Calling it plain old lipstick falls a little flat for Urban Decay in my opinion. I would’ve expected something spunky like Lip Laminate (lame yes, but I’m making it up as I go along) from the company that brought us XXX Shine and Lip Gunk. *sigh* I suppose we all have to grow up sometime.

First, the texture. Smooth and creamy, but nice and light.  Not at all waxy or thick. I tried a full coverage and a semi-sheer, but they also offer sheer colors. Or you can choose by texture; cream, sheen, or shimmer. The color was surprisingly long lasting, after several hours of chasing little ones my friend commented on the color and I happily noticed it was still in place.  And that was the semi-sheer! Some of the staying power may have been due to the exceptional lip liner I chose, but since I lacked the Bratz doll “liner only” look my best guess is that it’s a really good lipstick.

Of course there are the little touches that make it UD-riffic. The Urban Decay logo is etched right onto the lipstick, and the sturdy metal tube means you won’t be accidentally leaving it in a pocket any time soon. That’s mostly because the small gunmetal dagger sticking from the bottom of the tube poses a risk of injury and the slightly larger than average size tube is hard to fit in small spaces. The crème caramel flavor and fragrance leaves a bit to be desired.  In Revolution, a rich true red, the flavor is irritating at first though manageable as it fades, but in Vinyl, a beautiful plum, it tasted chemically and bitter.  Maybe not such a big deal, but if you happen to expend your nervous energy by licking your lips, it can get old really fast.  Who knows if it’s the semi-sheer formula or the purple color or simply my tastebuds, but it was enough to make me reconsider my desire to purchase 8 of the 22 available colors. However, with the family and friends special (ending on the 28^th) and the “Love it or Leave it” guarantee I think it’s a worthwhile risk to take. I can’t decide between Gash and Gravity though, what do you think?

Lest you think It’s  all depressing news on the Urban Decay front I’d like to mention 2 other new UD products for fall.  24/7 Glide On lip pencil and concealer. Staying true to the supple texture of the eyeliner we all adore, the lip pencil is available in 6 shades, including the all purpose clear.  Naked is a bit dark to be an all purpose nude, but Heavy is lighter with a touch of shimmer and would work well for almost anyone. This lip pencil lasts and lasts and is jam packed with all the good stuff you’d expect, like Jojoba oil and vitamin E.

The 24/7 concealer is simply amazing. This formula feels light but covers almost anything. It lasts so well that after an unexpected crying jag my eyes were still free of dark circles. I have sworn by my current concealer for years but I think I’m going to have to give it the old heave ho. The real selling point for me though is that they have a shade that is perfect for me, no small feat even in the huge cosmetics market of today.  The pencil is certainly handy for storage on the go, but being caught without a sharpener could be disastrous.  All in all a good showing for fall from Urban Decay.  They chose to keep it simple by focusing on ony a few products with superb results.

Quick thanks to all of you and to Jen for the great thing I get to be involved with here. I have had so much fun over the last months and I’m thankful for all the support I get. It’s wonderful to share the things you learn and the things you love with others. It may be a long year sans husband for me, but at least I get to share it with you!!!

Ever since reading Makeup Moxie’s review about Benefit’s new Powderflage Concealer, I cannot get this product out of my head.  I want it! 

For camouflaging dark circles & fines lines, powderflage is fast, easy, light & breezy!  Virtually weightless, this silky, light pink powder magically camouflages & diffuses.  The “flager” brush (included) conceals in 2 quick strokes.  Tips and tricks: With “flager” brush, sweep powderflage over dark circles or lines you want to diffuse.  Use alone or over makeup.

Powderflage’s $28 price tag seems high for a concealer product, but, consider that this powder can also be used as an illuminator/finishing powder and comes with its own application brush.   I would imagine this product would also have a very long shelf life. 

Seriously, any product that can conceal/brighten and disguise the fine lines around my eyes is a must try. The mini fan brush is a fun selling point too.

While browsing through Raging Rouge’s site, she mentioned that Alison Raffaele is running an online 20% discount code through Friday, August 15th. This code is only good for one more day, but better late than never.

You can receive this discount by entering the promotional code ARC20 at checkout at www.alisonraffaele.com!

My favorite Alison Raffaele products include her Face Forward Primer (Age and Acne Response) and her True Concealer (feels silky smooth and offers fantastic natural coverage). Earlier this year, MBB gave away several Alison Raffaele products in a shine busting giveaway. Alison’s line is 100% paraben, talc, oil, gluten and fragrance free.

And be sure to hop over to Raging Rouge’s site to read her Alison Raffaele Cosmetics recommendations and reviews.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity to try this truly wonderful cosmetic line! Thanks Raging Rouge!

Tarte just released a new exclusive at Sephora including some of Mo and my very favorite tarte products. 

Tarte’s skinvigoratingâ„¢ Complexion Collection, (retails for $54 and is a $153 value)

What it is:
A Sephora.com exclusive collection of Tarte’s skinvigoratingâ„¢ complexion essentials.

What it does:
Unlike products that simply hide the problem, Tarte’s skinvigoratingâ„¢ Complexion Collection includes products that help treat the problem while concealing it.  The result?  A healthy, glowing complexion–because natural beauty is always in style!

What else you need to know:
This exclusive kit includes Tarte’s Clean Slate Primer, Smooth Operator Foundation with SPF 20, The Eraser Smooth Concealer, Provocateur Pressed Mineral Powder with SPF 8, and a glam-on-the-go Kabuki Brush.

Between the Clean Slate Primer and Smooth Operator Foundation this is a fabulous deal.  I have also read fantastic reviews about their concealer, and haven’t had a chance to try their mineral powder.  But as Mo says, “Can tarte do no wrong?”  I really don’t think so!

I just noticed that this complexion kit in “light” is temporarily out of stock, but you can request to be contacted by email when they are available.