To be honest, I was floored when Avon asked if I wanted to be part of their first ever lipcast. I know Jen sent them my info for consideration, but I still feel like just a teeny tiny part of the coolest beauty blog on the web most of the time and it’s cool to swim with the big fish every now and then. This was such a cool thing to be a part of. It was a real pleasure to listen to the minds behind the product share the long hours an extensive thought that went into the newest additions to their collection. I was excited to hear the thoughts of creative color director Jillian Dempsey, and it did no disappoint.
Full disclosure here, I used to be a cosmetics snob. It’s true, in my pre-kid days I would look down my nose at drugstore brands or direct sales brands like Avon. Funny how the addition of kids to an already tight household budget makes you consider everything in an entirely different light yeah? Instead of looking at the brand name I began to focus on quality and ingredients and I soon found that there are a LOT of great products out there that don’t require your firstborn as a down payment to afford them. So it was with this fresh open mind that I gave 3 new Avon lip products a try. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve completely flipped over the newest cosmetic shades that were released this summer.  Urban Decay’s 24/7 Eye Pencil in Flipside (Bright Teal) $16 and Liquid Liner in Ecstasy (Bright Purple) $18 are beyond gorgeous for playing up your eyes!

The NARS Summer 2009 Makeup Collection includes the deepest, multi-dimensional teal eyeshadow, Tropic Single Eyeshadow ($22).  In combination with a stroke of a golden bronzer around your face, can you imagine a more amazing color duo than teal or electric purple to wear this summer?

To see Flipside in action follow this link to DecoDiva’s site where she shares her amazing makeup art skills:  Kiddie Pool, Uzi, Flipside, Electric & Sylvie FOTD.

Please discuss.

Unwanted facial hair woes keep popping up, literally!  Let’s give Carly some good facial hair removal advice.

Okay you ppl are all older than me, you see i am only 13. I have some facial hair above my upper lip and i bleach it like every 4 days. It made my hair look a little lighter, but still VERY noticeable. So my mom bought me one of those “smooth away” products, you know where u like rub the hairs away. Again the hairs are lighter then before but still VERY noticeable. No one at my school has this problem, I’m the only one and i feel so ugly Plus, sometimes ppl say something like OMG u have a moustache! I just look away, but secretly cry so much when i get home! I am sick of this….please i need help, what can i do????? comment back soon plz, thx -Carly

My two cents?  Sweet Carly, giving you all the support and positive energy I can.  Let me reinforce with you that many people struggle with this issue, including those that are 13 (you can ask my two teenage daughters and they will verify this).

Waxing and shaving are probably your best bets for temporarily removing unwanted facial hair.  Although, let’s ask others and find out what other brilliant solutions we can come up with!

Many hugs!  Jen

My latest wow product absolutely HAS to be brush protectors. I am honestly floored at how useful and simple these are.

If you haven’t seen them then just imagine a Chinese finger trap like the one you used to torment siblings when you were younger.  Unlike the brightly colored, one size, finger trap versions that you can still find at the dollar store on occasion, these clear plastic covers come in several sizes. I am beyond thrilled with these covers. They are perfect for travel, for shoving your brushes in your bag, or for keeping your brushes in shape when you have a 2 year old with curiosity to spare. You know that perfectly shaped contour brush that you spent entirely too much money on which ends up squishing into an unrecognizable shape every time you throw it in the bottom of your bag? Read the rest of this entry »

One of the best beauty interview questions ever…

“What beauty products would I bring with me to a deserted island?”

If you want to hear what my top desert island beauty picks are, jump on over to the beautiful and talented Denise’s HomeSpaGoddess website today!

Island Beauty featuring Myth Buster Beauty

Just because you have dark skin doesn’t mean you don’t have to worry about protecting yourself from the potentially harmful rays of the sun.

As more people head outside for the warmer months, dermatologists and health experts are warning men and women that there is no such thing as being immune to skin cancer.

“Pigmentation doesn’t give you a free pass,” dermatologist Dr Charles E. Crutchfield III told CNN. “It doesn’t matter what color your skin is – everyone can get skin cancer.”

It seems that some people are not taking the warnings seriously, however.  A study by Consumer Reports found that only slightly more than one-quarter (27 percent) of people with darker skin applied sunscreen, compared with 64 percent of people with lighter complexions. Read the rest of this entry »

One of my favorite beauty reviewers “Tashagogo” from Megsmakeup.com wrote a strong testimonial about the powers of coconut oil a few summers ago.  Tasha’s words and Morjorie’s physique encouraged me to try, and have since incorporated the use of coconut oil in my daily beauty routine.

Most recently my daughters and I relied heavily on using coconut oil to soothe and repair the effects of our unfortunate first-of-the-summer sunburns, drat nab!  I observed that by using coconut oil on my sunburn, not only did it heal and moisturize my skin; the peeling seemed less dramatic than in sunburns of the past.  Viva la coconut!

This is an insightful, well-articulated YouTube video of Sean demonstrating the various health and skin benefits from the use of coconut oil.  Really, really love this guy.  Enjoy!

Skin Benefits from Coconut Oil: Underground Wellness

Sean Croxton, owner of UW, is an expert Diet and Lifestyle Coach as well as a Certified Personal Trainer.

Many of us would like to use Alpha Hydroxy Acids but cannot tolerate using Gylcolic Acid (the most commonly used and considered one of the harsher forms of AHA’s).  So what do you do if you want the exfoliating and anti-aging benefits of using an AHA, but have sensitive skin?  I recently discovered a wonderful Gylcolic Acid alternative skincare line called NuCèlle.  Not only does it incorporate the use of the a gentler Mandelic acid AHA, NuCèlle has created a skincare line that responds beautifully with sensitive, dry, oily or acne prone skin.

The secret ingredient that will reveal your naturally beautiful skin is NuCèlle’s almond-based Mandelic Acid. Physicians have long recognized the powers of this anti-bacterial alpha-hydroxy to treat common skin problems such as photo-aging, irregular pigmentation, and acne. Read the rest of this entry »

A little over a year ago, tarte cosmetics was one of the first companies Jen introduced to me that I hadn’t tried before. I remember first trying their cheek stains and just falling in love with the whole concept and ease of the product. Then I tried the lights camera lashes mascara, and the light, natural look and feel of the formula made me realize tarte is really on to something.

The ’spring greening’ palette had a few nice surprises for me as well. The straw case is reusable (my son has already claimed it as the future home of his hockey card collection) and even the foam tray inside is constructed of post consumer recycled material.  It features 6 eye colors, a bamboo handled shadow brush, and 3 of their t5™ infused lipglosses. t5™ is tarte’s proprietary blend of 5 super fruits, packed full of antioxidants and nutrients, and it gives you a healthy anti aging boost in a product you were going to apply anyway. Read the rest of this entry »

When I saw benefit’s smokin’ eye kit for the first time, my gut impulse was to smile.

Five of you are going to win one of these sweet kits!

Everyone wants sexy, smoky, cover-model eyes & perfectly groomed brows… here you go! Our all-in-one kit has everything you need to create your own smokin’ eyes… 3 shadows, a black eyeliner pencil, a brightener, 2 brushes, mini tweezers & a complete lesson. Whether you’re a Mad Ave gal or an SUV mom, everyone wants to look smokin’!

The smokin’ eye kit contains:

• eye bright 0.90 g Net wt. 0.03 oz
• pink highlight shadow 1.10 g Net wt. 0.04 oz
• pewter base shadow 1.10 g Net wt. 0.04 oz
• deep charcoal shadow 0.90 g Net wt. 0.03 oz
• smokin’ liner 0.39 g Net wt. 0.01 oz
• brow zings wax (shade: light) 1.00 g Net wt. 0.04 oz
• fluff shadow/hard angle brush
• complete beauty lesson

The smokin’ eye kit sells on the benefit cosmetics website for $36.

To Enter:

Type in your name and email address in the contest machine box!   One entry per person and the deadline is Sunday June 7th, 2009. Five winners will be announced on at the Mythbuster Beauty site, 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.  Five winners will receive one benefit cosmetics smokin’ eye kit that has the total retail value of $36.