Color Whisper (I love new cosmetics)

Maybelline Color Whisper
left: Petal Rebel; middle: Lust for Blush; right: Rose of Attraction

Its probably no secret to those who know me, that I am a makeup kind of girl.
I come by it honestly; my mother is a big time fan of cosmetics. I didn't really get into them until fairly later in my adolescence. Since I was a "rocker" in high school (proto-emo, to some) my makeup consisted only of black eyeliner and very matte red lips. It wasn't until graduating year that I was introduced to MAC by a dear friend (who was decidedly NOT a rocker).
I pretty much never did drugstore brands until I started watching beauty gurus on youtube and saw that some of them can be fantastic quality. I know the first time I saw a review on Wet N' Wild, I literally snorted, since my personal previous experience with them resulted in the opinion that it was pretty much talcum powder with no pigment. But, they must have improved their formula in the years that I was worshipping at the altar of MAC because when I tried a palette, I was blown away.

Oh, right, this post isn't supposed to be about MAC, or Wet N' Wild, or eyeshadow at all actually...

But it is about drugstore products. Some that I really like. I really like stuff that works great, but doesn't cost an arm and a leg. This new product the Color Whisper by Maybelline totally fits that bill.
I am not that big of a lippy girl. I never remember to reapply, and usually its gone by midmorning. But I really go for very moisturising and natural looking color. Like, your lips but better. I think there is even an acronym for that floating around the interwebs...

While here in LA, I, completely by chance, came across an ULTA, which, for our fellow Canadians who may not know, is a beauty superstore of sorts. Hair and makeup products as far as the eye can see.

I could pretty much kill a good few hours in there.

Fuschia Pintucks

     I am writing this from the comfort of a home in the harsh and unforgiving desert. I say this because not one minute after we were done shooting, a plant sunk it's teeth into the dress and stained it and gave it a good pull. Damn you, desert! That and I saw a GIANT spider dancing around. However, let's get back to the post.

     Yesterday was a day of triumph and tragedy. Triumph: Nordstrom Rack had plus size clothes! Tragedy: They were all tents. Triumph: JC Penney had an amazing plus size selection. Tragedy: A sizeable portion of my wardrobe is from JC Penney. Triumph: $25.00 USD for 5 pairs of undies at Lane Bryant! Tragedy: The Lane Collection is pretty well only online. Triumph: Park Place Mall has a Dillard's and a Macy's. Tragedy: They had the lamest plus size collection I have ever seen in the United States. It was all polyester and cut like a tent and geared towards elderly women. Perhaps other Macy's are better, but this one was quite a sad sight. Fluorescent lighting, no merchandising and nothing that makes a space "shopable." Are we really that abhorrent to retailers? Harumph!

     On the lighter side, I found 2 dresses, and 3 tops at JC Penney for $137.00 USD. Below is the choicest fruit from my harvest. It is a fuschia dress with a full skirt and pintucked detailing up around the collar. It is a 18W and CAME WITH A MINT BELT and was $40.00 USD. The earrings are from Tiffany and the bag is a sweet little Kate Spade number that came from the Rack. It was half off at $80.00 USD. It is not available online. Sowwee. The shoes are basic Cole Haan ballet flats that are no longer available. Good thing we didn't do any closeups of my shoes....because a razor nor wax has kissed my skin in quite some time. See you in 2013!

OOTD: Visit to the aquarium

top right: cuff detail; bottom left: empire-waist tie detail

A little OOTD post for you. I've been so lax in the posting department. I blame the holidays. We took a little day trip out to the aquarium today, and this is what I wore. I apologise for the weaksauce photographs, but I don't have a great camera with me right now, and the iPhone doesn't do so great without natural light.
The shirt is very very old, probably at least 5 years. I bought it at H&M to wear out for my bachelorette... I have 2 toddlers now. Times have changed, but at least I know I bought a shirt that has lasted.
I love the gathered cuff, which I think I didn't captured very well, and the tie at the back. Empire waists are a lovely thing for me, especially since my waist is SO high. A seamstress was measuring me once, and she measured and remeasured, then remarked at how short-waisted I am. It's probably borderline carnie-freak...

High-Low for the Holidays!

     Happiest of holidays to you all! I write all the way from warm and sunny Tucson, Arizona this week. Well, for the next two weeks, actually. Annually, my family boxes up all the kids and presents and lingering cough due to colds and plants us firmly in the desert. I love it here. Warm sun, pool, spa, javelinas and cheap tacos. Not to mention Last Chance. If you have never heard of or been to Last Chance, allow me, gentle Reader to flesh it out for you. Last Chance is Nordstrom's Outlet Outlet. It is wall to wall freak-a-delic bargain. Last year, I bought a pair of Bailey Button Uggs and a two freaking Adrienna Papell dresses for under $100.00 USD. God Bless 'Merica! I have also heard rumours of Kate Spade bags hiding out for $50.00 USD. I will keep you posted.
     Another gift that the States has is Target. Where else can you buy panties in a bag, Ben and Jerry's, a box of Jason Wu ornaments and find a used tampon in the change rooms all in one place? Yesterday, I bought an emergency bathing suit and this high-low skirt. I refuse to write "hi-lo"....I just do. I have a student loan the size of a small African nation's GDP and I will not cheap out on words or sell out my education. However, I will cheap out on this skirt....it was $ 19.99 USD. I bought it in an XXL, and it fit my 18W frame quite nicely. After the oink fest that is the coming week, it will accomodate my 20W body, too. Thank goodness it has an elastic waistband. Being 5'6, the front hem of the skirt hits me a few inches above the knee, a perfect length for my tastes. The longest part of the hem grazes my ankles and isn't long enough to yet pulled by my heels. I like how it skims my curves, and doesn't encase them. It is a two layered skirt; the under layer being a black stretch synthetic mini skirt with a pleated shear over skirt. Excellent item!

Desire For Things vs. Budget... score one for Desire

Remember when I posted that we couldn't guarantee we could keep up the posting pace? I hate it when I am prescient sometimes...
In my defense (I always hear Dr. Phil in my head when I say that) I have been ill, so I haven't been doing much in the personal grooming department. Presentable for general public consumption, sure, but that's it. Certainly not good enough to share with you, our Fair Readers.
That, combined with the general havoc that comes with this time of year, and yup, posts have slowed to a standstill... mine have anyway.
Here's a little one to tide you over for a while that I will file under Accessories. I guess its kind of a mini haul... wait, is there something smaller than "mini"...? MICRO... its a micro haul.

Pretty in Pink

     Dearest Readers, I found this outfit to be really fun to put together and it genuinely came from all over North America, nay, the world! I bought the dress at Old Navy in Burnaby, the cardigan at the Banana Republic flagship store in San Francisco, the necklace at Bookman's in Tucson, the shoes at Nordstrom in Seattle and the bracelet at Hermes in Vancouver. And it all was made in the same country, China! (Apart from the Hermes, which at that price, ought to damn well be made in France.)

     I found the dress while trying to shop for other people, but inevitably, I ended up picking up something for myself. At $ 12.00 CDN including tax, why the heck not! It is an Old Navy pink sheath dress made from 100% of the finest polyester $ 12.00 can buy. It is a relaxed fit  with a zippered back and 3/4 length sleeves. It is a bit stretchy and comfortable to wear. It it hits me well above the knee making it one of the shorter dresses that I own. Bend your knees when picking things up with this dress! (Or everyone will see your hoo-ha.) It is still in stores and damned cheap!

Mascara Match-Up Mayhem Day 5

     Well, dearest readers, we are here at our final installment of the Mascara Match-Up Mayhem Series. We are reviewing Chanel's latest effort, Le Volume de Chanel. I had high hopes for this mascara, because I have a soft spot for the brand. I wore Chanel gloss and lipstick on my wedding day and I am so glad that I didn't use this product that day. 

     If you are shooting for a Drag Queen "just figuring out how much eye makeup is too much eye makeup" look, you have hit the nail on the head. The ad copy claims that one will have "instant volume and intensely lush colour in a single stroke." Well, if by instant volume you mean so much product hanging off your lashes, it looks like you have been crying tar, than yes. Do you remember when you first started using mascara and inevitably would put on way too much via 50 strokes of the wand per eye? This gives you that "intense" look after 3 strokes. Comically "intense". It looked like I had wolf spiders with beefy calves tangled around my eyes. It also dries to a hard cement like substance. I am curious how it will be washing it off. Maybe it was so thick because it was fresh out of the box? I am not sure. 

   

Casual Friday (Batwing & Sequins)

Let me open with this... as we are ramping up this blog, our posts might be pretty prolific. I can't promise we'll keep up this pace. Now, onto the "fashion"...

Mascara Match-Up Mayhem Day 4!

     Hello my lovelies! We are close to wrapping this week up. I have come to realize that lux brands don't always mean the best product. Frankly, that turns my notion of how the world works up on it's head. I have also learned that at the end of the day, while the products might differ wildly during the day, they all end up smeared all over my pillow case just the same at night. 

     Let's get to today's contender. Or contenders! We are matching up Maybelline's "The Mega Plush Volum' Express" with Maybelline's "The Falsies Volum' Express Flared". While the names are completely ridiculous, thankfully the mascaras are less so. In fact, the "The Falsies Volum' Express Flared"(let's just call it Falsies for sanity's sake) is a wonderful thing. It is well under $10.00 CDN and available pretty well everywhere. I bet they even have it up in Tuktoyaktuk. The packaging is nothing to write home about. It is bulbous purple tube, Barney purple, even. Big deal. The wand doesn't look particularly special, either. However, once it licks your lashes a few times, they look amazing. So amazing, that you keep going. A word to the wise: don't get too carried away. You will end up with what looks like spider's legs glued to your eyes. The "Mega Plush Volum'" without an 'e' was nothing special. What I liked about it was that it doesn't clump lashes together. That gets a point. The packaging was a little more fun than the "Falsies", but not by much. It didn't add much length, but it didn't make any claims that it would. It promised volume, with an 'e', and it phoned it in. But! At least "Falsies" came through. Full marks!

From Pin to Post (Black blazer, light dress, black tights)

Inspiration (Left)   Interpretation (Right)

We all get a lot of inspiration from Pinterest, yes?
I figured that I might do a recurring OOTD feature in which I take a pin that I like, and try to recreate the look with pieces from my closet.
I was trying to decide how would be the best way to go about it... take a pin of a curvy girl in a great outfit  and recreate, or take a shot of a "straight" sized model and recreate that.

And here we enter into the deep dark woods of "comparison."

On one hand, no curvy girl wants to be put side-by-side with some skinny bitch (a term I use with the utmost endearment... some of my dearest friends are skinny bitches)  and be measured against her. But, on the other hand, I am hoping to show that we can gain inspiration from said skinny bitches, and still work it in our curvy way. So, here goes...

Mascara Match-Up Mayhem Day 3!

     Welcome back to the madness that is cosmetics testing. Today, I decided to leap back into the world of high end mascara. It is a world that I like to visit, but I can't live in. I come for the day, pick up some souvenirs and hit the highway back to Cheapsville. Or maybe it is Middle Class City. Either way, I covet a certain lifestyle that sadly doesn't work with twelves paws to feed. Did you know that the price of stuffed mice has jumped to 3 for $8.00? Sheesh. No wonder I could only swing a tester of today's prize fighter, "They're Real" by Benefit.

Mascara Match-Up Mayhem Day 2

     Welcome back to Mascara Match-Up Mayhem! Today we are reviewing Loreal's Voluminous mascara in "blackest black." It is a deep shade of black, however, it is not a black hole black, which is THE blackest black out there. Maybe NASA and Loreal ought to team up. NASA needs the cash and Loreal needs to tweak their formula to substantiate their claims at being the "blackest black."

     The Mascara goes on easily and comfortably. It is not a formula that stings or is chemically too strong for the eye area. I will admit, Diorshow made my lashes look thicker and longer. But for being a solid $20.00 CDN less, there wasn't that much of a difference. Voluminous didn't make my lashes look like hairy Spider's legs like Diorshow can. Diorshow also makes my lashes look like they are splitting at the tip, which Voluminous didn't. Voluminous is a very buildable mascara, without the clumping that  Diorshow left. I paid only $10.00 CDN for this little wonder tube, and I quite like it.

Mascara Match-Up Mayhem Day 1!

Today, Gentle Readers, I did some things that I would not have thought that I would have ever done. Don't worry, I did put on pants before I left the house...it wasn't that. On that very subject, been there, done that: wrote the apology letter and explained myself to the local Constabulary.
 
     In actuality, I took pictures of myself with just concealer and some eyebrow filler and posted them online for all to see. Why did I do this? For Science! Well, not exactly. I did it for my skewed version of "Beauty Science." Turns out it is more of a comparison, really. But, Science sounded like
more of an honorable call to duty. I am comparing mascaras. Each day I will apply a specific brand's mascara to my lashes and review. By the end of the work week, we will have 5 days of different mascaras deliberated and documented. By that time, we will have assembled enough data to crown one mascara to rule them all!

IGIGI for the Holidays!

     One tie that binds us all in the North American Office Worker’s experience is the Annual Holiday Party. Or “Office Piss-Up”, depending on how you look at it. Whether it is held in the kitchenette, boardroom, local casino, neighbourhood restaurant or area hotel, the same drama is attached. Will _____ shave her legs? What does _____ look like with a comb through her hair? I hope _____keeps his hands to himself! Will _____get sick in the copy room again? Well, to answer one of the above questions, I DID shave my legs, thank you very much. 

I had been looking for a solid excuse to wear my new Minnelli SequinSkirt from Igigi. That is how much I was looking forward to wearing this skirt. I signed up for spending 4 extra hours of my time with a bunch of people I avoid eye contact with if I see them on the bus.  I am an 18/20, so the 14/16 fit quite nicely. Igigi makes their clothes nice and roomy, so a size down is a good idea. When I first took it out of the box, the skirt fit a bit big, however, I quickly remedied that situation by rediscovering Cadbury’s. I wore a Marks and Spencer square necked knit top with it and a David Meister belt. Well, the belt came attached to a David Meister dress. Good enough. The best part of the belt? The underside proudly states that it is made in West Germany.  Dead stock, perhaps?

Glossybox.ca (November 2012)

In my travels across the internet, I have come across this fabulous thing. You pay a company a nominal fee every month, and in turn, they send you a box full of goodies.
While there are many of these companies out there, I ended up going with Glossybox because they had a .ca after their name. I know they actually service many countries, from the US to Australia, but anything that I don't have to pay extra shipping or duties for is all right with me.
So, after signing up in the beginning of November (the 12th I think) I received my Glossybox on November 30. Not sure if thats pretty typical, or if its just because I signed up mid-month, but from what I've read on-line, everyone received their November box at the end of the month.
I was a little worried, because I am not one to splash money around (since I don't have all that much spare floating around) and I didn't want to feel that I had wasted it. Which I would have if I got a box full of products that I didn't like.
Fortunately, I was quite pleased with pretty much everything that I got! A lot of full-sized items!