Escape to Coral Beach

If you're not the type to don a nicely hued highlight during fall and winter, now's the perfect time to indulge or add one (or two) to your stash of face products.  Besides the usual bronzes and golds, there are many that echo warmer, playful shades that play well across all skin tones.  I'd like to share with you one that happens to comprise four fetching colors that can be applied separately or all together.  I'm talking about CARGO's BeachBlush in Coral Beach.

Coral Beach is one of six shades CARGO offers in its BeachBlush line, which combines the benefits of blush and bronzer in one convenient product.  Like most of their cheek products, it comes in a tin about the size of your palm and is filled to the brim with four gorgeous strips of complementary shades that can be swirled together to create one.

The first color (starting from the right) is a light, golden peach shade.

The next one over is a pale pink.

The one next to the pale pink is a deep, copper-coral.

And the shade to the far left is a coppery, bronze-brown.

Every finely milled shade is highly pigmented, easy to apply and a breeze to blend out to your desired intensity.  The finish is a mid-frost and there is not one speck of glitter in sight.

Combining all the colors together will yield a soft, peachy coral that is ab fab!  With this on your apples and perhaps a darker bronzer as a contour, you will be set for the day with a radiant beach bunny glow.

If you're not too much a fan of corals and oranges, one of the other BeachBlushes may be more to your liking.  However, if you are partial to such shades then this is right up your alley.  Besides, you're getting like five blushes in one product!  I don't know about you, but that's considered a great deal of a steal in my book.  Just sayin'...

CARGO Coral Beach BeachBlush is available at Ulta and beauty.com, and retails for $30.

The Untold Joys of Spring

I walked outside to bask in the wonderful warmth and sunshine of a gorgeous spring day only to return home to find my beloved brown moccasins I was rocking looking like they were spontaneously sprouting green mold all over.  I went inside and immediately felt my eyes start to itch, which led to a violent episode of rubbing then splashing water on my face for some type of relief.  Having barely cleared that hurdle,  I felt my sinuses swell and my nose began running soon after.  I was now officially in the throes of an all out, full blown allergy attack of which I had never experienced before.  I've had small episodes of itchy eyes here and there during prior seasons, but nothing like this.  And the obvious culprit?  The unbelievably high pollen count being produced this month!  I can't remember the exact number quoted in the news, but it's ridiculously high.  And, of course, I am right in the the crosshairs of this seasonal assault.

Where I live, there are nothing but trees, bushes and endless greenery - which is normally a great thing, but this bounteous landscape (along with a host of others) has recently become quite aggressive in its efforts to proliferate.  And I get it... 'tis the season.  But this is above and beyond.  It's become monumental.

 
Not sure if you can tell, but the onslaught of pollen has covered the entire parking lot, turning the blacktop into a speckled haze of neon green.

And the cars were completely coated in pollen.  I mean, you couldn't see through the back windows -  let alone the windshield - it was so bad.

A thick coating... Pollen, pollen everywhere!  And we are breathing this stuff in and getting it on our clothes and tracking it into our homes... No wonder so many have reported intense allergic reactions.  Like I said, I've had small sneezes here and there during spring, but I've noticed that it has gotten worse as I've gotten older with this year being the worst.  I mean, I felt like a Mack truck hit me; I couldn't breathe I was so congested and my nose was a mean shade of red by the end of the night I was blowing it so much.

And as I sit and write this, a light smattering of rain is gently tapping on my bedroom window.  A small reprieve that will hopefully result in well needed relief as the rain slowly builds in intensity.  Although I can certainly appreciate the "newness" and all the "rebirthing" spring brings, I am sure I am not alone when I say that I can't wait until the whole process that spring spawns is over and I am free to enjoy the beauty of the season.

Straight to the Front of the Line

You know that moment when you've been using something for a while, thinking that it's the greatest of the great, and then come across something else that's even greater?  Well, that's exactly what has happened.  I've been using a drugstore liquid liner that I thought was pretty decent, but recently crossed paths with a liner that simply blew it out of the water.  It is LORAC's Front of the Line PRO Liner in black and it is awesome! 

Front of the Line PRO is a liquid eyeliner that is fashioned like a pen.  In addition to its narrow, mirrored, pen-like packaging and pop-off cap, it also has a narrow, pen-like applicator.

The ultra-fine tip allows for pen-like precision in creating clean lines that go from delicately thin to robust and bold, depending on your mood.  The tip is flexible, too, which helps the liner maintain contact with the skin and prevents skipping as it deposits saturated, inky black color to your eye.

This liner lasted all day on me with absolutely no smudging or fading.  And I love the fact that it has a nice finish to it that's not exactly super shiny like patent leather, but definitely not matte.  A satin finish, perhaps?  Either way, it's lovely.  Oh, and be sure to store the pen upright to prevent possible pooling of the product around the sides, which may lead to leakage when taking the cap off. 

As far as I'm concerned, LORAC's Front of the Line is ahead of the pack when it comes to liquid eyeliners.  I am all the way impressed and highly pleased with its performance.

LORAC Front of the Line PRO comes in black or brown, can be found at Sephora and retails for $23.

Into the Deep Green-Blue

Hey, guys!  How's your spring going so far?  Have you been rocking your colored greens yet?  Well, instead of an emerald or grass green, today I chose a shade in the green family.  More like a distant cousin, if you will.  It is an absolutely gorgeous color and I'm totally enamored with it.  For your review, I would like to offer up Inglot's 340.

Inglot 340 is a deliciously dusky teal that is soft to the touch and very easy to work with.  This buttery eyeshadow, like all of Inglot's products, is highly pigmented and gives full-on color with very little effort.  It has a matte finish.

Inglot eyeshadows last all day on me with no signs of fading or fallout with a primer underneath.  They blend like a breeze and work well with other colors (no muddying).

Perfect for the outer "v" or on the lash line for a punch of color, this shadow is another fantastic alternative to the usual black or brown.  And how about a smoky teal eye to liven up your look and bring some sass to your springtime ensemble?  What?!  C'mon now...  This color is just too pretty to not be inspired in some way.  In fact, its beauty has inspired me to speak about it in a whole other language: Bellissimo! 

Inglot 340 can be found at their boutiques and online, and retails for $6.

Storage: My Lipsticks

Now that I've moved, I'm still squaring and organizing my whole set up.  I have all the components needed for my layout - some bought, some improvised and some a combination of both.  The container I'm currently using to store my lipsticks is a reflection of the latter.  It's nothing fancy, but it suits my needs and keeps my lippies in order.

I went into a Marshall's/T.J. Maxx discount department store a few years ago and found this little item in the kitchen/home section.  It's an acrylic container that I believe was originally designed to hold candies and small snacks.

The dish is divided into three parts and comes with a lid.  When I first saw it, I had no idea what I was going to use it for.  But I really liked it and knew that I could and would use it for something.

As soon as I got it home, a light bulb went off.  I grabbed a couple of lipsticks and they fit perfectly in each section.  Besides, it's clear acrylic which means I can easily view the names and colors without having to rifle through the entire stash to find what I want.  Boo-yah!

The container is able to house all of my lippies... for now.  I guess I'll have to rethink my storage once my collection expands and grows bigger, but it's been quite useful so far.  And it was only a couple of dollars!  You know Dolce just loves a bargain.

So the next time you see something in the store that catches your eye, but you're not sure how you would use it... get it.  Start thinking outside the box and use your creative juices to your advantage.  Not only could it save you some money, but you could end up with a customized layout that will ultimately be unique to only you and your tastes.

Moving and Shaking

If you've read some of my previous posts, you know that I've been alluding to a wave of changes that were coming my way.  Some of these changes I've spoken into my life and, therefore, anticipated with great expectation while some I saw on the horizon and was steadying myself for.

Birthday Boy showed up bringing good tidings and mature, significant revelations that I may entertain for a little.  He is a blast from the past relationship-wise, but we've always had a great rapport which has kept the friendship constant.

And this week I moved.  And when I say "moved" I mean packing up all my fifty million pieces of crap from one place, loading it onto a truck, driving it over to another place and then unloading it.  Anyone who has ever moved knows that this can be an overwhelming pain in the butt.  And it certainly has been for me.  I HATE moving.  HATE IT!  Although I am hugely thankful for the help I received with my big ticket items, I still had to do a lot of back breaking work myself and I am suffering for it.  My hands look like they've been through a meat grinder.  I'm not kidding; I have cuts and bruises on both hands and all of my nails have broken off on my right hand.  And I don't mean chipped or simple breaks.  I'm talking about the painful breaks that occur right where the nail bed starts or lower.  Yeah, I've got three breaks like that and my fingertips are swollen from all the lifting and pushing, etc.  (I'm typing this with the two good fingers I've got left.)  Oh, and I'm exhausted so I hope this post is somewhat coherent.  My eyes keep rolling around in my head like loose marbles, but I still have so much to do.  I haven't tweeted a peep or even been online for that matter or even watched TV for almost the entire week.  Been way too busy and drained...

But I hope to have everything situated and properly arranged this weekend so I can be back in the flow of things for next week.  They say that you should be careful what you wish for because you just might get it... and, boy, did I.  It didn't appear in the package I had originally thought it would, but that's why they also say you must be specific in your wishing.  My original plan was to move to where I could dive right into the "big city" hustle, but that's not where I am.  And I think I'm OK with that... for now.  We'll see.  Right now, my task is to get fully settled in and totally acclimated to the "new normal".

An Über Umber

This past week has really been a hectic one for me.  I barely had time to do anything for myself, let alone put on half a face so I could look presentable to the world.  Therefore, my five-minute face has been in full effect for the past group of days, but in lieu of one of my favorite brown eyeliners (which I talk about here) I switched it up just a bit and went for a rich, ruddy one.  It's been just as flattering on me and just as versatile.  Yes, Stila's Smudge Crayon in Umber is in heavy rotation over here and it has more than stepped up to the call of duty.

Stila's Smudge Crayons are touted as being a waterproof eye primer, eyeliner and eyeshadow all wrapped into one.  Umber is just one of eight colors offered from the lineup.  Not only are they gel-based, but they are also infused with Vitamin E and aloe to support healthy skin.

The color of the crayon is aptly reflected on its plastic housing; it is a sumptuously dark, burgundy brown that is soft and highly pigmented.  It applies and smudges easily, but be forewarned: it dries rather quickly and is pretty much set once it does.

Although it is a twist-up, it does come with a twist-off sharpener as well that is conveniently located in the bottom of the crayon.

So far, I have only used Umber as an eyeliner and it has performed quite well.  But I can't wait to use it as a base under Stila's Barefoot Contessa shadow, which came in my Sunrise quad.  Oh, my goodness, can you imagine?  It would really make that shadow pop!  I will def post a pic once I find the time to concoct that look.

Until then, with all that I've got going on right now, it looks like I'll be using Umber as the marquee liner in my five-minute lineup as I continue to implement my much needed "quick-fast-and-in-a-hurry-makeup-no-makeup" face.

Stila's Smudge Crayon in Umber can be found at Sephora and beauty.com, and retails for $22.