The Drama Gild

I'm not much of a gold eyeshadow girl, the high yellow version especially.  I dunno - it just never appealed to me.  I mean, I do own a pan or two in the shade, but those were procured by default since they ended up being a selection in a palette.  But now that it's officially summer (Yay!), I'm ready to get my golden groove on and dress my eyes with a hint of glint to complement my soon-to-be sun-kissed complexion.  And I think I've got just the items to help me in my quest.  So if you don't mind, I'd love to tell you a bit about them both: Revlon's eyeliner in Antiqued Gold and MAC's paint pot in Genuine Treasure.

First up is Antiqued Gold, which is a sullied yellow-gold with a pearl finish.  It is one of Revlon's Luxurious Color eyeliners and comes with a sponge smudger on the end.  Besides it being a nice departure from the bright yellow variety, it glides on smoothly without tugging or pulling and leaves ample color in every swipe.  I had no problems with it fading or migrating and it stayed put all day until removal later on that night.

Next up is MAC's Genuine Treasure, which is a weathered, patinated gold with a high-pearl/mid-frost finish.  It is a paint pot from one of MAC's previous makeup collections and is not currently available; however, if you are into such colors and can either find this at a CCO (Cosmetics Company Outlet) or something extremely comparable, please don't hesitate to pick it up for it is truly a stunner in person!  Not only that, but its creamy texture wears well on the eye as a base or primary lid color, is highly pigmented and does not budge once applied.  It is ab fab, y'all!

So, there you have it!  While summer's Midas touch gilds my skin in a gorgeous glow, I'll be doing my part and imparting some of that drama to my peepers.  Antiqued Gold and Genuine Treasure are two golds that I simply can't wait to rock this "season of the sun".  In fact, I may conjure up something next week... if I have the time.  And you know good and well that if and when I do, I'll be sure to put it on front street for your perusal.

Revlon Antiqued Gold Luxurious Color Eyeliner is available at Target, Walmart and various drugstores, and retails for around $8.

Memorable Weekend

Hey, guys!  How was your Memorial Day weekend?  Besides a thunderous outpouring of rain on the actual day, my holiday weekend was pretty cool.  I wish I had taken more pics to document all my goings on, but I inadvertently got caught up in a whirlwind of events and didn't really have a chance to.  And out of the sporadic opportunities that did arise, many felt awkward because of the circumstances and people involved.  But I did manage some holiday pics (mainly the food portion with a dash of fashion thrown in).  So, without further ado, here's a glimpse of what transpired...

The weekend started off with a "bang" of sorts.  Birthday Boy sent me a surprise care package of sweets that included a box of homemade macarons made by one of his co-workers.  If you follow me on Twitter then you know that I absolutely L.O.V.E. macarons and recently found a recipe to whip some up myself!  So, I was revved up to try another enthusiast's rendition of the French pastry.  Alas, B-Boy did not properly pack the delicate assortment of sea salt caramel and strawberry confections, and they arrived in shambles... but were still edible!  I gathered up the broken, sugary shards and stuffed them into my mouth with total abandon (think I didn't when I did?  Pul-eeze!).  And I'm happy to report that they were totally DEE-LISH!

Later, I accompanied a mixed group of family and friends to one of the well-known, local barbecue spots in the area - sorta like a BBQ before the official BBQ on Memorial Day.  It's not like me to order soup as an appetizer, but that night I did and went for a serving of their New England clam chowder.  It may look a little bland in the photo, but when I tell you that the soup was hearty and lip smacking good, please believe me!  DEE-LISH, the sequel!

 
Now, I'm no BBQ aficionado and have never knowingly had brisket before, but everything from the steamed broccoli to the cornbread muffin to the baked sweet potato hidden away in foil in the upper right-hand corner tasted on point.  The beef was nicely seasoned and didn't even need the variations of squeeze-on BBQ sauces that were gathered on the table.

The next day was filled with early morning shenanigans as I was invited to attend a women's social event that was being held at a nearby country club.  Inspired by the rare occasion to get gussied up, I snapped a mirror-selfie of me in my black cloverleaf printed dress and black espadrilles.  A mirror-selfie that was ultimately photo-bombed by a little cutie that innocently wandered into frame...

And so the day, Memorial Day, arrived and my dad and I ended up going to his friend's house for barbecue.  The food was good and I wanted so badly to take pics, but I was seated amongst a sea of strangers in a small livingroom and thought it would be weird (perhaps even a bit rude) if I just started taking snapshots of my plate.  I mean, they didn't know me from Eve and when I say that all eyes were on me, please believe it.  So, please accept this delectable array of cupcakes as a consolation prize.  I took it the day after the holiday while shopping for other things.  You know me and how easily I get distracted by sugar...  And to have such a fancy selection being offered by a grocery store?  A rare find, at least in my eyes.

So, there you have it.  That was pretty much the gist of what I got into this past weekend.  I'm still in the midst of my transition/move and feel out of sorts with all my things being in tubs, boxes and bags, but the holiday was a welcomed distraction from all of that.  I got to spend it with family and met some cool people in the interim, so I can't complain.

I hope you guys, too, had a terrific holiday!  And can you believe it?  Summer has now officially begun!  Summer is HERE, y'all!  Wooooo-hooooo!  BRING.  IT.  ON!

So Seductive

I don't know what's gotten into me, but I've been binging on a steady diet of new nail polishes as of recent.  There are just so many pretty lacquers out right now that it's really hard for me to resist.  And so I give in time and time... AND time again.  So, here's my latest grab.  It's dark and lovely, and certainly warrants a praise-infused word or two.  Therefore, if you have a moment, I'd love to shoot the breeze with you about my latest lacquer from Revlon called Seductive.

Seductive is a robust, midnight plum.  It has a wonderful formula that absolutely glides across the nails without a hint of streaking or bubbling.  Generously packed with color, I only had to apply two coats to achieve ample opacity and it dried to a high-gloss finish.  Seductive also earns points for performing well on my busy hands as it kept a steady presence on my nails for almost a week (five to six days; around average for me) before showing wear and slight chipping on the tips.

This nail polish unabashedly puts the "v" in vamp for my springtime and summer, and I love it!  Now, I know that I need to slow down on my lusting for lacquers, but it's been hard, y'all.  In my defense, I will be throwing out a lot of old polishes that have either coagulated, dried up or totally turned (color-wise) so vacant slots are and will be available in my lineup.  But perhaps I should still slow down for now...

OK, that's it.  I'm going to resist temptation and not buy any new nail polishes for a while.  Nope, I'm not gonna buy any more.  Done!  Finito!  No new polishes!  No new polishes!  NO NEW POLISHES!  

(Psst!  I had my vampy painted fingers crossed behind my back while declaring the above...)

Revlon Seductive is available at Target and various drugstores, and retails for around $5.

Pink Eyes

OK, so here goes another Wet 'n' Wild purchase, however, with a slightly different experience.  This was strictly an impulse buy and it was the last one in the display, which should have given me pause.  My mother's always warned me not to take/buy the last of anything, especially food, because nine times outta ten there's something wrong with it (e.g. imperfect, damaged, tampered with, old/expired, a return, etc.).  But I didn't think about any of that when I picked it up 'cause it was on sale... and it's pink eyeliner, for goodness sake!  It still had its plastic seal intact, too.  Ohh, but all was not well when I opened my purchase Ex-Stacey from drugstore darling Wet 'n' Wild...

Ex-Stacey is a pearly fuchsia from the Fergie Center Stage Collection - a lineup of products fostered via Wet 'n' Wild's collaboration with the former singer of pop/hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas.  It has a super soft texture... perhaps too soft since my liner came with its tip completely severed from the pencil and lodged in the top of the cap!  Oh, the horror!  Oh, the frustration!  I was too through, but decided to push on anyway.  I dislodged the broken tip from the cap and managed to smoosh it back onto the pencil so that I could at least try and render a swatch from it... a swatch that actually ended up having a nice color payoff and decent opacity, by the way.

So, there you have it.  I like the eyeliner (from what I could gather, at least) and got excited when I saw it (thoughts of duping MUFE's pink liner immediately chorus-lining through my head).  But, alas, I will have to return this pencil for an uninjured one.  Hopefully, the store will get more in soon.  Hopefully, I'll be able to snag another one.  And, hopefully, the pencil will be "on point".  Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully. 

Until then, I'll muse on the pics of Ex-Stacey and think on the glorious pink eyes that might have been...

Wet 'n' Wild Ex-Stacey is available at most drugstores and retails for around $4.

Green Goodness

I've really been trying to behave and all, but with this one I just couldn't resist.  I needed a dark green liner.  I wanted a good, dark green liner.  And when I saw it, I just had to have this gorgeous, dark green eyeliner.  So, I bought it.  And now I'm gonna tell you all about it.  If you have a moment, I'd love to share with you my thoughts on Wet 'n' Wild's eyeliner in Green.

Wet 'n' Wild's Green eyeliner is a lush, hunter green and it's from their ColorIcon line of products.  The liner applies smoothly across the skin without tugging, leaving potent bands of color in its wake, has a fairly creamy texture and is easy to blend.  It has a matte finish.

I really am loving this fetching shade of eyeliner.  My makeup menu this summer is going to be full of bold, colorful hues, so this addition will certainly bode well for my plans.  The bolder, the brasher, the better!  But you're not the least bit surprised to hear me say that, are you?  And with it being from Wet 'n' Wild, it was a small indulgence that did little to break the bank - which makes this purchase of dark, green goodness even all the more sweeter. 

Wet 'n' Wild Green Eyeliner is available at various drugstores and retails for .99¢.

Cleansing the Palate

So... this was my view today.  After running around non-stop and laboring for what seems like an eternity, I was finally granted a small reprieve, which I hastily took full advantage of.  Saddled with unbridled determination, my five senses have been overwhelmed with the task of taking in every nuance of my new surroundings.  Hmm... I guess I shouldn't say "new" as I've been here before, but my previous trips had always been laden with an agenda.  Not this time, though.  This time, in lieu of taking the tourist-y route, I've opted instead for the road less traversed to hang out with some of the locals, which also happen to be family.

To celebrate my arrival, my dad and his wife took me out to an Italian bistro not too far from his home.  It was a nice little haunt with great ambiance and an outdoor seating area overlooking a man-made lake.  The day's weather was so perfect that we unanimously decided to eat outside, our bubbly and attentive waitress plying us with fresh, hot bread and herbed olive oil while we waited on our main courses.

Daddy chose well, picking his current favorite: a spaghetti dish that normally comes with meatballs.  However, after befriending the manager during his first visit then submitting a modest request, my dad now gets his spaghetti specially made with links of Italian sausage as a substitute for the meatballs.  Yep, he's cool like that... 

His wife ordered a shrimp bisque topped with croutons the size of hockey pucks and a huge salad.  I wish I had taken a better picture of her victuals, but I didn't want to be rude and hover all over her plates.  She had no idea I was documenting the meal and I kinda didn't want to blow my cover either...

And I ordered the lobster and crab ravioli topped with a bevy of portobello mushrooms.  Can you say absolutely delicious?  Can you say absolutely scrumptious?  It was awesome!  And the serving was HUGE!  I later found out that I was given the family-size dish, but I promise you I didn't order that serving.  Oh, well.  Their mistake was certainly to my benefit... YUM!

On the ride back, I took a breathy exhale.  The sun had just started to dip and the city was beginning to glow with a steady halo of street lights and a vast array of ornamental fountains.  Sometimes it's good to just get away and regroup, recharge... and cleanse the mental palate.  And this was definitely one of those times.  I may get into some of the tourist attractions later on, but this leisure time is doing me good.  The much needed respite before for my next step...

The last bridge to my final destination.

Lilac Mojo - 392

Hey, guys!  I've been kinda in the doldrums recently as far as my makeup is concerned and really haven't had the time to go all Cirque Du Soleil on my eyes like I like to.  But I believe I've found just the color to help inspire me out of my rut and help inject some interest back into my spring cosmetic wardrobe.  And so, without further ado, I'd love to tell you all about Inglot eyeshadow #392.

#392 is a soft, pinkish violet that hails from Inglot's Freedom System of single-pan eyeshadows.  It is potently pigmented, behaves well on the eye with regard to blending and interacting with other colors, and - despite it being a matte - its texture is smooth like buttermilk!

The more I look at this color, the more I'm drawn to pair it with yellow.  Yessss.... perhaps keeping it simple with a "barely there" tinted gloss along with a toasty brown bronzer sculpting the cheeks.  Hmm... the hamster in my noggin is workin' some serious OT right now trying to drum up additional contenders, but I think the yellow is winning.  Either way, I look forward to window dressing my peepers with this ab fab shade and may even throw on some falsies for good measure!  But we shall see, y'all.  We shall see...

Inglot #392 is available at Inglot boutiques and select Macy's, and retails for $7.