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…)

Writing for MBB totally has its perks. Sure, all the products I get to sample is definitely one of them, but the best benefit is the people. I’ve met so many amazing women through this gig, and I am pleased to call many of them my friends. From Jen here at MBB to Jami over at Bionic Beauty, I can always count on at least one one of them for a late night laugh or well timed tweet. I follow several beauty bloggers on twitter (Name drop: Bionic Beauty, Purely Cosmetics, Older Girl Beauty, Decorative Diva, to name a few) and I eavesdrop from time to time on their twit-versations. When I saw Robyn from Purely Cosmetics dropping hints to Jami about a new product she was working on it immediatly grabbed my attention. In the interest of bringing the latest and greatest straight to you my darlings, I jumped into the fray and demanded the latest info! Okay, I simply asked nicely and Robyn obliged by sending a sample of her new Diamond Perfect Finish powder right to my mailbox, isn’t she grand?

Ever since I found Make Up For Ever’s HD powder last fall I have been obsessed with its seemingly magical powers. It smooths, it sets and it brings a lovely candlelight glow to your skin. Robyn promised me an equally amazing powder with a smaller price tag, and she didn’t disappoint. Since my first introduction to Purely Cosmetics, I have admired Robyn’s initiative and her commitment to an honest, quality product. (more…)

Jen—I’m totally building a shrine in your’s and Erno’s honor. I just got my set and IT ROCKS! I’m kinda scared of lip plumpers because I have extremely sensitive skin and I usually have an allergic reaction to them (think lip hives…ewwww), but I had no problem with this one, it just filled my lips in a bit and smoothed them nicely so I just looked fresh, not duck-like. The powder is my new favorite item. I put it on bare skin and it really brightened my complexion without feeling like I was wearing anything. This is going to be perfect for the summer months when I hate wearing foundation, but I need that little extra something. Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!   Krista

Hooray Krista!  Very glad to hear how much you are loving your Erno Laszlo Value Set.  Thank you for your feedback and enjoy (no shrine necessary, lol)! 

Mythbuster Beauty is announcing a new giveaway on Wednesday, April 15th!   We had to do something positive to offset the impeding tax deadline date…  This giveaway will be well worth your effort to enter.  So remember tax day = new, amazing giveaway at Mythbuster Beauty!

We are half way through March and things are looking up!  The promise of spring brings warmer temperatures, the appearance of flowers and leaves starting to bud.  Spring is all about renewal.

One nice way to celebrate spring is to enter for a chance to win a fabulous Erno Laszlo Value Set at Mythbuster Beauty!!!

The EL Complexion Value Set contains:

• Multi-pHase Complexion Highlighter -  Your skin will look more even and more polished, as if softly bathed in a veil of light.  Flatters every skin tone.  Who doesn’t need a more even, glowing, flawless complexion?
• TranspHuse Lip Plumper - Plumper, sexy, kissable lips?   Sounds pretty nice!
• Retractable Powder Brush - this high quality brush and perfect to use with the EL highlighter.

And this set has a total value of over $90.00!

Rules:  To enter this giveaway enter your name, email address, and what you love about Spring in the contest machine box below.  One entry per person and the deadline is at midnight (EST) Tuesday, March 31st, 2009.  One winner will be chosen and will be announced on Mythbuster Beauty, PRIZEY.Fetch, and contacted via email.  MBB will not share your email address with anyone, and only uses your email address to contact you if you are a winner.  This giveaway is open to residents of the USA and Canada only.  The winner will receive one Erno Laszlo complexion value set (highlighter, lip plumper and brush), this complexion set has the retail value of $90.

DecoDiva created a stunning Green and Silver Eye that you could create this New Years Eve, or any evening where to really want to “knock their socks off!”  This is her step-by-step tutorial to walk you through this look.  And if you are on a budget – no worries, Aromaleigh and Meow Cosmetics offer generous sample baggies of many of their products for just $1.  Now we can all afford to get a wonderful selection of cosmetics and get a chance to try this look  for ourselves!

Start with a clean, moisturized face.

1. Put on Eye Shadow Primer.  (Eyeshadow Primer and Base from Aromaleigh in Light)

2. Put some black shadow on the outer vee area and a little in the crease. I used MAC Paint Pot in Blackground.

3. Apply some silver eye shadow all over the eye area, from lash line to eyebrows. I used Aromaleigh Fume (25% off, now $6). (more…)

Well, Christmas is almost here and that means that New Years is quickly approaching. New Years parties are a great excuse to get outside your comfort zone and try something a little daring with your makeup. There is plenty of time to try out a few new looks in your bathroom before the big night arrives, and it can be really fun to sit at your mirror with all your goodies strewn before you.

If you’re looking for a few ideas on what to do for your holiday look, there are plenty of tutorials out there to help you out. Total Beauty has an entire section of videos on skincare, hairstyling, and makeup. They even include looks mimicking some of your favorite celebrities’ face and hair. The “Blogs We Love” tab at the top will lead you to scads of information from their extensive list of beauty blogs, including many of our favorites. I’m a huge fan of Marlena over there at Makeup Geek. She has an amazing tutorial section that has individual color combinations and more general instructions on things like “How to apply false eyelashes” and “How to apply eye makeup”. She’s easy to understand and gives simple instructions and helpful hints. (more…)

This episode starts with not just a product, but the great little boutique that introduced me to it.

I had the pleasure of visiting Milwaukee with my husband for a few days and we stayed in the historic Third Ward District. On our last day in town we wandered down the street from an incredible pub we’d eaten at the night before (seriously, Milwaukee has great food) and happened across Blush.

Blush is a beauty boutique with an open, welcoming atmosphere. It is well lit and airy, with thoughtfully placed decorative touches and plenty of shelves and tables packed with products just begging to be explored. They have a few major anchor lines, most notably Laura Mercier, and several other lines that are slightly less known but clearly well chosen. A Laura Mercier event was starting the day we were scheduled to leave town, of course, and an artist was teaching the staff how to apply LM’s holiday looks, but everyone was still very kind and attentive. I was assisted by a lovely and helpful woman, and I asked if she was the store’s owner. She informed me with a justified glow of pride that it is her daughter’s store and she just “helps out”. It really is a family affair, with mom Jodi supporting her daughters, Sarah (owner) and Nikki (Skin care specialist). I am dying for the chance to return and try out their brow bar! If you find yourself in Milwaukee, stop in to say hi, see what they have to show you, and tell them Mythbuster Beauty sent ya! Since I can buy the major lines here at home, I asked Jodi to show me the best kept secret in their store. She didn’t disappoint, and this is what I found:

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I idolize Ginger Rogers.  So this year I am attempting a Starlet look for Halloween.  I think I still need to kick it up a notch and possibly run to the store for some false eyelashes and a feather boa! 

Classic Starlet Features:  Precisely defined eye brows, flawless skin, dark matte lipstick, black mascara with dark top eyeliner, and beautiful cheekbones.  Its all about Glamour!

My Starlet Look:  Laura Mercier’s Bleu Marine Eye liner applied with a flat eyeliner brush, L’Oreal’s Telescopic Mascara in Black, Cargo’s blu-ray Pressed Powder (all over face and on eyelids), ECO Nvey Lipstick in Dark Ruby,  Anastasia’s All About Brows Kit, Sugar’s Blush and Bronzer duo (used extra bronzer in hollows of cheeks to emphasize cheekbones). (more…)

My summer finds, from the frugal to the fantastic

I stopped by the MAC counter recently for a fresh concealer and I just HAD to look at the new goodies. I’m actually pretty good at saying no, but the new Mineralize Blush beckoned and conned its way right into my little hands. Baked minerals (I’m seeing a new trend) have a touch of very fine pearlescent shimmer. The coverage is perfect and buildable, with smooth and even color distribution that makes it a pleasure to put on. I have been thoroughly impressed with the staying power too. Check out the color I purchased, Gentle, a raspberry tone with gold pearlescence. I think it’s a nice neutral color for all skin tones, but it brings an unexpected  hint of pink, leaving you looking happy and fresh. ($21) An added note: The counter rep told me about the “Back to MAC” program: By returning six MAC primary packaging containers to a MAC counter or MAC Cosmetics Online, you receive a free MAC Lipstick of your choice as our thanks to you. I think she said it was different if you went to an actual MAC store, but I can’t recall. Guess I’ll have to save my packaging and go find out.

Summer has arrived, and with it, the heat. I need a little extra help keeping everything in place through the day and I decide to try one of these mineral “finishing veils” that are everywhere lately. On a whim I picked up Maybelline’s Mineral Power translucent loose powder. Hey, it was on special at the superstore. It was packaged with a forgettable blush in a too bright color, but I found the powder to be a true translucent that blended right into my skin. It was very light and didn’t leave me feeling like a breaded chicken breast. No preservatives, no talc, no fragrance, no oil…right up my alley. A good, basic, lightweight, setting powder that’s easy on the wallet. This is my last step before leaving the house, but I’m sticking with my De-Slick for touch ups during the day.

Also from your local drugstore aisles is Cover Girl’s Lash Blast mascara. I will make a silly confession here and admit that I initially bought it because I love Drew Barrymore and she’s the spokesperson. BUT, since I don’t have a mascara I can’t live without (at least one in my price range) I figured it really couldn’t hurt to try it. I needed mascara anyways, right? Yeehaw, I’ve hit the motherload! I am in love with this mascara. You can use the shockingly fat brush to build and build with no worries about clumping. It really does fill in my sparse lashes quite admirably and it rinses away easily. I have had a bit of smudging at the end of the day, and the tube is really big, but overall this will be my new go to mascara unless someone can find me something better in the same price range. Long, full, fantastic.

For a fun summery eye, try Cargo’s Liquid Shadow Collection ($25). Eye shadow gel in six shimmery shades that go on with ridiculously gorgeous coverage. The staying power is pretty darn good, though it does start to fade and crease after I’ve been running and playing in the sweltering heat. You can even blend these colors, but let them set a bit before you do it or you’ll just wipe them right off.  The moss green with a kicky little outfit and heavy lashes for a night out? Show stopping. And the seashell pink with a touch of mascara and some lip gloss is perfect for sunny summer days.

 

I was lucky enough to get my hands on some of Cargo’s blu_ray collection a while back.  If you remember, this was one of the collections from the Sephora catalog I was really excited about. Cosmetic lines have really stepped up recently to create products that work in all types of light and under increased scrutiny with today’s filming techniques. These are great for television, film, and things like bridal and event photos since they are made to be versatile and have good staying power.

The blu_ray collection features buzzwords like “photochromatic pigments, optical blurring, and hyaluronic spheres,” all terms to describe the perfecting but natural effect these products have.  I personally got to try out the mascara, lip gloss quad, and blush/highlighter.

The blush is a great pink color with golden/peachy undertones.  I can’t pull off peach all that well and was a little skeptical, but with first use Cargo proved themselves to be masters of their craft. On my fair skin a soft hand went a long way, with just one swipe of color giving me a happy rosy glow. Natural is truly the word of the day here, because it was so smooth and perfect I almost forgot I hadn’t been outside all week. I think this color is great for all skin tones. I also loved that the color has good staying power, leaving me with a cheery face even in the middle of a sudden spring snowstorm. With its healthy color and subtle shimmer it has become one of my favorite cheek products.

The lip gloss claims to be plumping, but I have to confess that my lips are pretty full naturally and the effects of plumping products are pretty much lost on me. Not something I’m going to complain about for sure!  These glosses have a noticeable menthol scent and an invigorating tingle. The colors are quite sheer and every single one looked great on, even the peach and nude that left me a little ambivalent at first sight. If you prefer color these are probably not an item you’d want to use on their own, but lip liner on your whole lip with one of these glosses over it would be simply smashing.  Even when my lips were flaky and dry the gloss was smooth and even without looking heavy. It required several touch-ups throughout a busy day, which can leave your fingertips messy since there is no brush provided and the colors are softer in the pan than they first appear, goopy might be the best descriptor. Another dose of subtle shimmer leaves lips looking lush and healthy. Overall a much more pleasing natural effect than just coating your lips with some Chapstick, with not much more effort.

The brush of the mascara made me take pause at first. A small flattened comb, it is unlike anything I’ve seen in cosmetics before. We’re used to mascara products having many bristles all over for coverage and Cargo decided to buck that trend.  This isn’t change for the sake of change though. The flat edge of the comb is used to apply color to your lash, and the teeth of the comb are then used to spread the color and coat each lash.  I really liked how well it added definition to the bottom of my lashes, making them look fuller.  While I tend to steer clear of mascaras that claim to define each lash because of how skimpy and sparse my own lashes are (makes up for the lips I guess), I was very pleased with how my lashes looked.  No clumping here, as I didn’t look at myself and instantly think “mascara” I just saw alert, defined eyes.  The only problem I had with this was a small amount of flaking and smudging when it was applied to the bottom lashes.  Not everyone uses mascara on their lower lashes, in fact, many experts will tell you it isn’t ever recommended, but I find that my eyes look fuller and happier with a little something on the bottom for balance. I was very pleased with this mascara and hope to see more applicators like this in use in the future.

Jen has to interrupt to add her reviews for the blu_ray™ High Definition Mattifier and blu_ray™ Pressed Powder that are also included in this five piece collection:   

When I received this 5 piece set, I parted with some to Mo, but selfishly held onto these two!  I am always looking for a product that can mattify my t-zone, but won’t feel or look caked on.  The Definition Mattifier de-shines and blends in beautifully.  It can be also used as a primer, to diminish the look of fine lines and pores, and made my skin feel like velvet.   A wonderful primer product for those with oily or combination skin.  It reminded me quite a bit of Dr. Brandt’s “Pores No More,” and is slightly tinted so it might not work well on people who have very light skintones.

The blu_rayâ„¢ Pressed Powder is one of the most fantastic pressed powders I have tried.  Those micronized light diffusers do wonders!  They camouflage imperfections and set my foundation so nicely.  Cargo’s powder formula is very light and velvety textured, and makes my skin look flawless.  I have some guilty feelings keeping these two products from the blu_ray collection for myself, but I am really very happy with them!

Cosmetics have come a long way from the days of pancake makeup and grease paint.  They are starting to offer better coverage with a lighter feel and more natural look.  At only $59 for 5 products (extremely inexpensive and worth every penny), Cargo’s blu_ray collection is one of those leading the charge into a high definition future!