Twinkle, Twinkle, Periwinkle

I bet you don't have this shade in your stash.  It's not a common color to find outside a box of Crayola crayons, but leave it up to Inglot to make it available for all who crave diversity in their makeup wardrobe.  And you already know that I am the diversity craving type, so naturally I had to grab a pan of Inglot's eyeshadow in 429.

#429 is an awesome periwinkle blue, which I would describe as a baby blue with the slightest touch of lavender/purple.  It is SO pretty, SO pigmented and SO buttery soft to the touch!  But did you really expect me to say anything to the contrary concerning an Inglot eye product?  This baby falls right in line with all of their other shadows I've raved about and it has a gorgeous pearl finish.

Opaque coverage and long wearing, Inglot 429 is a stellar performing eyeshadow.  When applied, it can appear somewhat as a straight, icy blue shade, but it's SO not that.  However, I suspect that with the right base more of its lavender tones would be emphasized.  Either way, it's a highly distinctive color that's very easy to fall in love with.  Ab fab, I tell ya!  Ab fab!

Inglot 429 is available at Inglot boutiques, online and at select Macy's, and retails for $6.

Va-Va-Va-Violet

Dramatic lip lovers, rejoice, for I have a deliciously dark offering to share with you that just may have you chomping at the bit!  A daring choice for summer for the more conservative... but we're not all the conservative type, are we?  So without further ado, let me bend your ear with a little ramble about Va Va Violet from Revlon.

Va Va Violet is a deep eggplant shade from Revlon's Super Lustrous line of lipsticks.  It is robust with color, has a creamy texture and feels moisturizing on the lips.  There's no discernible taste or smell to speak of and it has a Creme finish, which in Revlon-speak translates to a solid color with no sparkle, frost, etc.

When applied, there's a noticeable sheen that's imparted and ample coverage is easily achieved with minimum effort.  And for those that find the shade too striking, please remember that you can use it as a stain instead of a full-on lipstick.  A few simple dabs on the lips or on the finger to the lips will give your pout just a hint of color so there's no need to feel intimidated by such a shade at all.

Needless to say, I have no problem singing the praises of this beautiful lippie.  So excuse me while I chirp a few resounding "ooh-la-las" for Revlon's Va Va Violet.  It's just a wonderful shade I can't keep quiet about.

Revlon Va Va Violet can be found at Target, Ulta and various drugstores, and retails for $8.

Summer - Breezy Bronzes

'Tis the season for the color bronze to take center stage.  This mixture of gold and brown on the skin, whether gained via artificial means like a bronzer or directly (and safely) via the sun, helps promote an image of health and vitality.  Besides that, it can up the sexy for just about all who partake in wearing it.  So with that being said, it would only be right that we take a look at some of the options offered in this summer synonymous hue.

First up is an eyeshadow from MAC appropriately named Bronze.  It is a permanent fixture in their lineup of shadows, is well regarded by many for its beauty and texture and is, therefore, considered to be one of their classics. 

Bronze is highly pigmented and performs like a dream; it's soft and easy to work with.  A swipe of this with a little bit of liner is all you would need to bring a bit of summer sass to your eyes.  And a smoky eye?  Fuggitaboutit!  This frosty babe will more than deliver on that, and how!

What about a nice bronze eyeliner perhaps to line and bring some light to the inner rim of your eyes?  Wet 'n' Wild has a nice one from their Color Icon collection called Bronzed.

Bronzed is an alluring golden-bronze that deposits a depth of color with very little effort.  It is a smooth eyeliner pencil that boasts a wonderful texture that does not pull nor drag against the eye.  And at just about one-dollar each, you're getting more than your share of bang for the buck.

Another cosmetic staple from MAC's lineup is "O" lipstick.  This coppery, red-bronze with gold pearl is ab fab and absolutely one of my faves to wear no matter what season.

"O" is deeply pigmented, feels moisturizing on lips and carries the signature vanilla scent assigned to all of MAC's lipsticks.  The gold pearl may have it looking a little orangey in the pic, but believe me - it's definitely more of a red.  And it is one of my must-haves that I simply must have (and get) a backup for.

This bronzer I threw in for good measure because it's easily accessible and easily holds its own in the bronzing department.  It comes in three shades and this one happens to be the lightest one.  It's Vegas Strip/Light Bronzer by Physicians Formula.

Vegas Strip/Light Bronzer is a combination of highlighting strips that run from a pale gold to a mid-toned golden bronze.  This drugstore find is soft and finely milled, and leaves a nice kiss of light to anywhere it's applied.

L'Oreal's tag line is "Because you're worth it!" and I can honestly say that the phrase definitely applies when it comes to this particular item.  It is worth checking out and ultimately purchasing based on the color alone, but it also performs well, too!  I am referring to their 24HR Infallible Eyeshadow in Bronzed Taupe.

Bronzed Taupe is exactly that.  This frosty, powder-cream hybrid (which applies like a cream, but performs like a dry shadow) feels soft to the touch and yields a boat load of color with just one swipe.  On my eyes with a primer underneath, it lasted all day and did not crease at all. 

And for the nails, I have a rich, coppery bronze option that you may want to consider.  This lacquer is from OPI and it's called Romeo and Joliet.

Romeo and Joliet is a streak-free, bubble-free beauty that is laced with gold pearl.  Using my usual two-layer application of polish, I was able to achieve full-on opacity with no problem.  It has a nice texture and lasted a good while on my busy hands, which I find to be a definite plus!

So are you ready to be a beautifully bronzed bombshell this season?  From eyes to lips to even the fingertips, your options for indulging in the sexy shade run the full gamut.  The cosmetic Bronze Age has arrived and is officially here for only another month or so.  Therefore, it's time for you to heed the call, take the plunge (if you haven't already) and dive right in! 

The Age of Innocence

When I went home for my niece's graduation, I was able to scoop my little baby doll that I had when I was but a wee one.  Dressed in a homemade linen outfit I had hand sewn for him because I couldn't find his original blue pants and matching jacket, he was in remarkably good shape.  He also came with a plastic diaper and miniature baby bottle that you could actually fill with water since he was the kind of doll that could "drink" and "pee".  He was my baby boy.  I named him Richard and I loved him very much.

As I was preparing to leave, I stuffed Richard into my travel bag and made my rounds to say the customary good-byes.  My niece was chatting on the phone with the same guy that had occupied most of her free time during the two days I had been there.  She said she had met him on Facebook and gushed about how cool and funny he was, how they liked and laughed at the same things, and how he showered her with compliments.  I was witness to the latter as upon my arrival I heard him lavish both my niece and my mother with constant proclamations of "Oh, you're so beautiful!" via speakerphone.  I casually asked about this new guy and she proceeded to tell me his name and show me his FB page.  And according to his page, the guy lived in the Middle East, was in his twenties and was a practicing Muslim.  Hmm... well, we're obviously Americans living in America, my niece JUST turned eighteen and we're all Christian.   Glaring red lights of incompatibility in my eyes, but then I figured, "What the heck... She's just talking and having fun with the dude.  Chill."  And so I did (chill, I mean) and left that third day.

About a week or two later my phone rings.  It's my niece, so I answer with great expectations of hearing her normally bubbly voice in response.  But she was in hysterics.  She was crying so hard that my mind immediately went into overdrive: Was someone hurt?  Was my mother (her grandmother) OK?  Did someone die?!  Is somebody in the hospital?!  I mean, her gut wrenching crying was causing me to panic so I took a breath and try to calm the both of us down.  I told her to take her time and tell me what happened... what was wrong.

"He broke up with me," she mustered in between sobs.

I took a breath and said, "Okaaay."  I mean, she'd had boyfriends before so I failed to see why this was such a traumatic situation.  But she wasn't finished.

"He told me that he never wanted to speak to me again and then he started calling me names and said that he never cared about me!" she cried.  Her voice trailed off and she started to break down again. 

I took another breath.  The light bulb went off in my head.  I exhaled slowly then asked her whether she ever gave the guy any personal information, whether she had sent him any money and/or whether he had ever asked her for anything.  She denied the first two, but said that he was asking her to get him some type of immigration papers sent to him.  She said that he wanted her to "sponsor" him or something like that and needed her to pick up the papers for him and some other stuff.  By the time she had confessed this part of the story, my fear had turned to joy and I proceeded to tell her that he was a scam artist and how she should be HAPPY that he excused himself from her life.  I broke down how a lot of people now are searching the Internet for people to either send them money or get them into the U.S. and how blessed she was that she did neither.  I went on and showered her with words of encouragement and love and then told her a few jokes to make her laugh.  And she did.  By the time she got off the phone, she sounded a whole lot better which put my heart at ease.  I was sad that this guy's venomous words and thoughtless actions had hurt her feelings, but I was also extremely glad that she had gone through this because it would be a feather in her cap as far as learning experiences go.

My niece, although eighteen, is a very young and innocent eighteen.  She still laughs at silly stuff and sees a lot of things through rose colored glasses.  Now don't get me wrong - she knows the world can be a cruel place, but this is the first time she's experienced such darkness first-hand.  And so ends her age of innocence.  That carefree time when all seems pleasant and you think a smile is really just a smile with no malice behind it.  It's a time when you notice only the bright, beautiful flowers and none of the life-taking weeds that lurk just below as you travel down life's path. 

And please know that the irony of me having revisited and reclaimed part of my childhood juxtaposed with my niece's crossover into adulthood via her school graduation AND this ugly situation has not been lost on me.  The age of innocence is the shortest "era" in our lives as well as a period of time that we can never relive in full.  You can't un-know what you know or bleach yourself free of dark experiences.  My niece has been unceremoniously initiated.  And with that she has been shoved across the threshold and is now looking at life from the other side.

Shine Bright Like A...

It's dark, pretty and a bit out of the ordinary.  It's an irreverent choice for summer nails and perhaps that's why I was compelled to buy it.  The more China Glaze polishes I try, the more my fandom for the brand grows as they tend to last a good while on my busy hands and offer a great range of colors from which to choose.  So here's another one of their goodies for me to gush about: China Glaze's nail lacquer in Black Diamond.

Black Diamond is a deep, charcoal gray with silver pearl.  It has a noticeable blue undertone to it, too.  I had no problems with streaking or bubbling at all, however, I did find that three coats instead of my standard two was required to achieve optimal opacity.  But that's hardly a demerit in my eyes as the final result is a rewarding dose of high-gloss fabulousness!

I'm thinking of removing the solid color from my ring fingers and adding a design instead.  You know, just to break up some of the monotony of the gray.  Maybe a splash of yellow or orange?  I dunno.  Purely a creative notion, though, and not a necessity as Black Diamond looks fab on both my fingers and toes as is.   It's a color that is somewhat rebellious, especially for this time of year.  And you know me... Sometimes I just like being a little "anti-" from time to time.

China Glaze Black Diamond is available at Sally's Beauty Supply and Ulta, and retails for $6.

Aubergine, Baby!

I've seen the gamut of purple shadows and liners, but nothing I've seen thus far even comes close to the beauty of this baby.  Inglot, well known for their seemingly unending array of colors and hues offered in just about every cosmetic medium, has really hit it out of the park with this one.  It's Inglot's gel liner #74 and it is gorgeous!

Inglot 74 is a member of their matte lineup of gel eyeliners and comes sealed in a small plastic jar to help preserve and maintain the integrity of the product. 

And once the seal is removed, your eyes are met with the most beautiful shade of aubergine.  It is a deep, inky eggplant that leans more red than blue.

In character with the other Inglot liners I reviewed, #74 is super smooth and super-duper creamy.  This pigment-saturated liner literally glides across the skin during application and achieves full-on opacity in just one stroke. 

Out of all the colored eyeliners I own, I can see this being the first one I run out of.  In lieu of wearing black, I would comfortably wear and pair it with just about everything clothing-wise and not bat an eyelash because it's... well, it's a dark and gorgeous and highly versatile hue.  From far away you wouldn't even know I was rocking an eggplant cat-eye.  But imagine the reaction from someone when they finally notice it up close.  A totally unexpected dose of color that can upgrade your look with minimum effort.

So if you're on the lookout for not only an exceptional gel eyeliner, but one in the neighborhood of aubergine, I definitely think this one from Inglot is worth checking out.

Inglot 74 can be found at Inglot's boutiques, their website and select Macy's, and retails for $12.

What A Basket Case

Last week was a tad bit rough for me and I was feeling a little beside myself, so I needed a pick-me-up of some kind.  A quick prescription of retail therapy always works for me (in addition to ice-cream) so I treated myself to a nail lacquer in my favorite color - pink.  Oddly enough, I only have one other pink nail polish so this purchase of Orly's Basket Case was well overdue. 

When I saw Basket Case, I immediately thought of Barbie since it is reminiscent of her signature shade of pink.  It's playful and bright and so suitable for summertime nails.  The polish itself applies pretty well; there was no streaking, no bubbling and I was able to achieve opaque coverage with two layers.  It is has a true gloss, créme finish.

I did end up grabbing another polish as well, but I'll talk about that soon enough in a later post.  Meanwhile, this one in particular gave me a boost in the arm when I applied it to my fingertips and kept me "sane" and from going way "off the rails"... which is quite ironic since the name of this polish implies something to the contrary.

Orly Basket Case is available at Sally's Beauty Supply, Ulta and beauty.com, and retails for around $8.