My job is hard on nail polish. Nitrile or latex gloves are a must and we are constantly changing into fresh pairs. The constant off and on of the moisture sapping protective layer, as well as liberal use of hand sanitizer, leaves nail polish chipped and worn. Sometimes you can get lucky and have your polish last 2-3 days looking lovely, but usually it’s only a matter of hours until your polish that you painstakingly applied the night before is looking like a mani you received a week ago! The search for a nail polish solution is never ending at my workplace, and I’m out to find it!

I follow Zoya polish on Twitter and keep an eye on their specials. When they anounced a BOGO sale I decided it was finally time for me to step up and try some out for myself. I admire Zoya’s commitment to a good quality product as free from extra chemicals as possible. They also have a selection of colors that is mindblowing, with 300+ regular colors and numerous other colors from collections. You’re sure to find whatever color you’re looking for, plus several that you just HAVE to have. Along with some fun new colors, one of the items I added to my cart was the Anchor Basecoat, since a good base is the logical first step in  getting decent staying power. Read the rest of this entry »

The economy has been hurting and companies are getting creative with savings!  Besides the awesome 30% Friends & Family deal over at Urban Decay, I wanted to post about a great deal that is being offered at a favorite online skin care store, SkinCareRx.

Click on the this link, read through the President’s Letter to receive your GiftCard SkinCareRx code and save yourself a serious chunk of change! Right now you can receive a $40 GiftCard to be used with any purchase of $100 or more (yep, $40 received from $100 would equal a 40% savings)!   So any of those high-priced, high-tech cosmeceuticals that you have been drooling over but couldn’t afford are now at a more favorable price tag.

Tis that time of year when our favorite cosmetic companies start dangling “Friends & Family” promos in front of our makeup-lusting eyes!

And just in, Urban Decay announced their 30% off Friends & Family sale, good now until November 20th. From their 24/7 Eyeliners to their newest Surreal Skin Cream To Powder Foundation, 30% off is too good to pass up!  Just use the code “FNFW1″ at checkout and hit REDEEM COUPON on the Urban Decay site.

Let our latest reviews of Urban Decay be your guide:

Fall Trends a la Jen

Trends for fall, or, Welcome back COLOR!

Shop responsibly and be gorgeous!

This week my 15 year old daughter Amanda came running to her momma for skin care advice.  She had developed a deep, painful zit on her mid-forehead and was feeling beyond frustrated.  Before coming to me, she tried to extract it, which resulted in more inflammation, redness, damage to the skin around the blemish, and morphed it into a monster zit that closely resembled a “third eye.”  Although it was Halloween, she did not want this new and enhanced feature to be a part of her costume.

After delivering my “do what I say, not what I do” lecture on not squeezing at a deep pimple, I sent her to my bathroom closet for a few of my favorite acne spot treatment remedies. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the things that gets us going here at MBB is honesty. I mean, finding the truth behind claims about products is pretty much what we’re all about. It’s right there in the name, “Mythbuster”.  We do our very best to research ingredients and try everything out for ourselves rather than just regurgitating PR blurbs and reciting the company line that we’re handed. I think it’s readily apparent that if we don’t think something is effective or worth the price tag we’ll say so, and integrity is a core principle around here.

Another thing we feel is important is finding and supporting independent businesses, those companies who also believe honesty and integrity are priceless commodities. I have been very lucky to meet(virtually at least) bloggers and business owners who work their tails off everyday to do the right thing and present a product worthy of putting their name on. A lot of time, sweat, and tears have been poured into mixing, formulating, and fine tuning products until they’re just right for consumers. Nowhere I have I seen this in such force as in the mineral makeup(mmu) community. Custom blends, new products, and limited edition collections are a lot more work for an independent business owner than it is for a huge company with hundreds or thousands of employees at its disposal. The time and information I have received from some of these business owners is truly amazing and much appreciated. So when I started hearing more and more rumblings online amongst mmu lovers, I sat up and began to take notice. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m sure you have all heard that getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night is optimal for your health. Sleep is our bodies’ way of renewing itself and recuperating from the stress and the daily wear and tear of life. I honestly try to get my full 7 to 8 hours, heck, and I’d love 9 if I could manage it, but realistically women have many responsibilities that don’t always stop when the lights go off.  Between pets, kids and toys that spontaneously start *bleeping* in the wee hours, we often don’t get what our bodies need.

I recently received a letter from a busy mother of four even busier children. Becky writes,

Dear Jen,

I have a question for my friend the beauty blogger….what can I do about these puffy, dark eyes that I have? (Thanks in large part, I am sure to my beautiful new daughter! ) Do you have any ideas? I am currently using a Bobbi Brown eye moisturizing cream, but it does not seem to be doing the trick. I’d love any ideas.

I completely understand Becky, the one place that really shows the lack of sleep (and our age) are our eyes. Read the rest of this entry »

Lest I leave you all hanging through a whole weekend with nothing to drop your hard earned coin on…
Sephora’s Friends and Family sale! Through November 2nd use code FF2009 for 20% off.

Might I suggest:

Urban Decay’s 24/7 super stash
Aquolina’s Pink Sugar fragrance (always a winner at work)
Too Faced Shadow Insurance(good time to stock up on basics)
TheBalm’s Shady Lady eyeshadow pallette
Or splurge on something really great and treat yourself to a Clarisonic or ThermaClear

What are you eyeing for YOUR friends and family discount?

Okay, I admit it, I’m cheap. Sometimes this works in my favor and sometimes…well, not so much. When I’m in the mood for a cosmetics splurge I will wander the aisles of my local drugstore looking for a cheap way to sate my cravings. It was on penny pinching prowls such as this that I found a couple of my  not so guilty pleasures…

First, Jordana lipstick. Yeah, Jordana, that generic display of plastic containers that you walk right past without a second thought. I was desperate for a new lipcolor but short on funds when I decided that it was worth the risk for a buck fifty and picked up “Hot Cocoa”. While the color wasn’t perfect, it covered well and stayed much longer than I expected, and with a little gloss to tweak the color it works well. I went back and snagged an “Iced Pink”, a lovely light pink with a touch of golden shimmer. Now, it’s not perfect, much as you’d expect from an inexpensive mass market brand. For one thing, the lipcolors are very waxy and they’re liberally dosed with fragrance, reminding me of strawberry lip balm from my childhood. But the color lasts well and is awfully cute, and with such a small price tag I have to say that you definitely get what you pay for, and then some. If you’re looking for something fun or a way to try out a new color, this is the way to do it without breaking the bank.

My new go to lip gloss is e.l.f’s Liquid Lipstick in “Pink Lemonade”. It’s a shiny touch of color to perk up your smile, with just a hint of minty tingle. I really like the applicator, which stows nicely in my pocket for touch ups while at work. And it’s only, get this, a DOLLAR.  At only a buck I went out and bought several for some of my friends and coworkers, since the color works well with all skin tones.  As we read recently on Bionic Beauty, e.l.f products will be available at all Target stores beginning Nov 1st, so you can get yours just in time to stuff stockings and give thanks to the lovely ladies in your life. Honestly, there is NO reason to spend 10 or 15 dollars on a gloss when you could get the same thing for just a single plus tax. This is a must try gloss at a must try price.

Because sometimes you can be sassy AND a spendthrift! Don’t keep it to yourself, fess up, what are your favorite cheap finds?

Some of my favorite curly hair products come from the award winning DevaCurl line (follow the link to learn more).  I personally use both the No-Poo and the One Conditioner from the DevaCare collection, because they are products specifically for color treated hair.  Sometimes just the washing with the No-Poo is all I need for lightly-conditioned bouncy curls, and this or the Low-Poo are the products I would recommend for finer haired folks.  When my hair feels fried, I will add in the One Conditioner, and apply it usually just on my ends and let it sit for several minutes before rinsing.  All of these products have a bright and natural orange smell – leaving your hair smelling so yum!

The newest product addition at DevaCurl is their “MirrorCurls.”  A finishing serum that can be applied to wet or dry hair, is 100% silicone free, and is meant to add moisture and incredible shine.  Leaving your hair so bright they say, “that you can see your curls in it.” Read the rest of this entry »

So I’m sure you heard already, but Max Factor is discontinuing sales in the US. This means that a nice chunk of shelf space in some major retailers is left  open and waiting to be filled with something else fun and enticing.  At WalMart (at least in our local area), I was happily surprised to see this space filled with Hard Candy Cosmetics, a brand that’s been so difficult to find in recent years that I’ve heard many people asking if they’re even still around. Not only are they still here, their offerings have expanded greatly and the price point is exceptionally reasonable, averaging 6 bucks with a few slightly more expensive products.

After hemming and hawing a bit I finally decided to adopt a Walk The Line liquid eyeliner in Night Sky, a silvery gray liner loaded with multicolored glitter. The packaging claims two things: Dries fast, and stays put. I wouldn’t say I’m 100% behind either of those statements. I applied this liner as I usually do with a liquid liner, and by the time I left for work 20 minutes later it still wasn’t dry. I ended up with a line on my upper eyelid and I was not pleased. Next time a shot of cool air from my blow dryer will definitely be called for. If you have time and patience this could work better for you, but I work at 4 in the morning and thus have very little of either. I have to say that the glitter did seem to last pretty well, though the silvery base color faded quickly. Perhaps a regular liner not loaded with glitter would stay better, but I wasn’t what you’d call nuts about this one at all. Read the rest of this entry »