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.

Back That Thang Up!

If I have learned anything during all my years of shopping for things, from clothing to food to makeup, it's that if you absolutely love it then you better buy more than one.  Yes, my darlings.  Companies are so quick to discontinue, redesign or "limited edition" the heck out so many of your faves - especially cosmetics - that it would behoove you to grab an extra one (or two) of these items to save yourself from possible frustration, lamentation and an onset of depression upon hearing that your beloveds are no longer available.  After suffering a few heartbreaks of my own, I became a quick study of the retail game and have even added certain foods to the list of things I buy in multiples.  But for now, I'll share with you some of my makeup faves that I've made a concerted effort to get backups for.

To anyone that has read my blog early on, this item should be very familiar.  In fact, it's one of the first eyeshadows I reviewed.  It's L'Oreal HIP's eyeshadow duo in Sassy.

I focused primarily on the taupe side of Sassy in my earlier review, but the duo as a whole is ab fab.  If you love taupes and you don't already own this, you need to get it.  I absolutely LOVE taupes!  Therefore, I had to get a backup.  Birthday Boy unknowingly bought a second backup to win some favor in my eyes.  Well, it didn't work.  But I digress.  To the victor goes the spoils and now I have two backups of my beloved Sassy taupe.

CoverGirl's Ebony Bronze bronzer from their Queen Collection had my heart when I first laid eyes on it then sealed the deal when I applied it to my face.  It is a gorgeous, deep brown without the spectacle of sparkle and I grabbed two backups when I saw it on sale.  Sadly, the other one shattered, but is still useable... and use it I shall!

The next item is a very pretty blush from Wet 'n' Wild called Berry Shimmer.  If you're at all familiar with Wet 'n' Wild products then you know that they are a fairly inexpensive drugstore brand so procuring a backup for this number was not too heavy an investment.

Berry Shimmer is a reddish-pink with subtle gold pearl.  It's a finely milled, high-perfoming blush that totally belies its low price point.  If you haven't given WnW's blushes a try, I urge you to do so.  This one in particular is awesome.

I missed out on this one when it initially became available with one of MAC's limited edition collections so when I saw it later at The Cosmetics Company Store (a discounted makeup outlet) I grabbed two.  It's MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish in Brunette.

MAC's Mineralize Skinfinishes are frosty highlighters that bring a veil of color to the cheeks as well as a shimmering glow.  They come in many variations and color configurations, but it's the Brunette that I really wanted.  It's the only Skinfinish that I own thus far and I am lovin' it!

I saw this beauty in a magazine ad and nearly broke my neck to get to the nearest drugstore to get it.  Of course, my store hadn't received the item yet.  So after mercilessly stalking the store for a few days I finally hit pay dirt.  At long last I was able to get my hands on Revlon's limited edition Illuminance Créme Shadow in Eternal Summer.

I have a lot of the other Revlon cream shadows in my stash, but it was the colors in this one that made it a "must have" for me.  And of course it being limited edition made the situation all the more dire.  I had to have it.  And so I bought two of them before they disappeared forever.

With the collection of several lukewarm reviews and nearly retina-burning neon swatches, I honestly didn't think this lipstick would work for me.  It can be a tricky color to pull off and the unforgiving, drier texture doesn't help in the least, but I took the plunge.  And when I got it and played around with it a tad... I ended up being besotted with it.  Therefore, I was compelled to get an extra double dose of MAC's Viva Glam Nicki lipstick.

Viva Glam Nicki is one of those lipsticks that looks one way in the tube (a bright, yellow-pink), but can apply as a totally different hue.  Depending on how you play it up, it can go from straight pink to pink-coral to a subdued salmon and that's what I like about it.  It has a satin finish so it applies smoothly, but will lay on and expose every crease, crack and crevice on your lips so exfoliating prior to application is a must. 

Another favorite of mine that I've spoken about in an earlier post is MAC's Brown Script eyeshadow.  It is super smooth and super pigmented.  Got my backup for this at a discount from The Cosmetics Company Store.

And this one I just could not resist, y'all.  No, it's not limited edition or anything, but if you read my post gushing about it then you know that a girl simply couldn't help herself.  This LORAC Front of the Line Pro liner is so ab fab that I had to get a backup.  I had to!  What if for some reason LORAC stopped making it?  What if all the stores that carried this liner spontaneously and simultaneously combusted, thus bursting into flames and ruining any chances of me buying another?  Crazy?  Far-fetched?  I dunno.  It could happen... Not probable, but certainly possible.  Regardless, I got me a backup, so there!

So I list all this and say all this to say... no, to implore you that if you really, REALLY like something, whether it's a pair of shoes, a bangin' top or outfit, and especially if it's a cosmetic item, please back that thang up!  It'll save you miles of legwork in trying to find a dupe or reasonable substitute for an item you know deep in your heart can't readily be replaced or duplicated.  Companies are way too fickle to remain lax on this.   Securing multiples of your beloved items early in the game can save you from a heap of heartache later on.  It's a savings in time and effort that can't be aptly quantified.  And it's a savings that I most earnestly pass on to you.

Ace of Base - Eye Essentials

A good eyeshadow primer is an essential tool for creating a vibrant, long lasting, professional looking eye.  Unfortunately, I wasn't privy to the power of the primer when I wore my first ever eyeshadow look.  I had seen a starlet with a beautiful smoky eye paired with a nude lip on the cover of an Essence magazine, feverishly looked up the makeup credits on the inside and bought every item listed for that look.  For my birthday I did up my face, put the dark purples on my eyes, spread the flesh nude across my lips and headed out the door, loving how I looked.  Well, I left feeling like a fierce fox only to return home hours later looking more like a raggedy raccoon because all the shadows had left my eyelids and migrated to the circumference of my eyes.  Some research later revealed the key ingredient I was missing: primer.  Lesson learned.

Primers, as I also found out, are a very personal thing.  What may work well for one person, another may not find as effective in keeping oily lids dry and shadows intact.  The following are three that I have on deck with one recent addition that I have yet to use, but am anxious to try out.

Too Faced Primer Insurance was the very first primer I'd ever bought.  I had heard so many good things about it that I decided to give it a try.

The primer is a cream colored base that applies and dries down clear on the eye.  I find it to be effective in keeping my shadows on, however, I have noticed that I sometimes have to work harder to blend them out as Too Faced tends to grab the shadows and have them stay put exactly where I initially applied them - like a stubborn blotch of color on the lid.  Also, the formula is susceptible to separating, dispensing an oily mess instead of a solid concoction from time to time.  So while it is a good primer, it's not my favorite.

Next up is a base that needs no real introduction.  Urban Decay's Primer Potion is the preferred primer for most and has a legion of faithful devotees.  I have a mini one.  Actually, I have many minis since they come free with most of their palettes so I've never had to invest in the full-sized version.

Shaped like a vertical genie's lamp and equipped with a doe foot applicator, this cream colored primer dries down virtually colorless as well.  I have no real qualms with UDPP; it works well on my lids, but I don't think it lasts as long on me as Too Faced.  But it is a good one.

Now NARS' Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base?  O.M.G.I.L.O.V.E this!  Ok, where should I start?  This is my absolutely favorite eye primer, hands down.  It is beyond fabulous, y'all.

This stellar primer is an off-white marvel that dries down clear.  Not only does it keep my eyeshadows in place, but this is the first base where I actually noticed an increase in the color vibrancy of my shadows.  Not only that, it lasts all day on my oily lids with no hint of fading at all.  Applying, blending, maintaining - it's a high-performing gem that's left me helplessly devoted and thoroughly impressed.

Last, but certainly not least, is LORAC's Behind the Scenes Eye Primer.  My sister has this one and loves it so, naturally, I have to give it a go.

This creamy, beige primer dries down to a color-free base just like all the others.  I have yet to use this, but I have been so enamored with a slew of other LORAC products that I feel pretty confident that this will be more of a "hit" than "miss" with me.  Very excited to try it in my next look and I will be sure to follow up with you guys on this one!

So, as stated earlier, finding a good, reliable eyeshadow base is a personal journey every makeup maven must take.  But with all the options, ranging from liquids and creams to paints and even concealer for some, you're bound to find a product (or two) that works exceptionally well for you and fit your individual needs.  And if you've already procured your holy grail(s) then that's fantastic!  But if you have yet to do so, I hope this helps you on your quest.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance ($20), Urban Decay Primer Potion ($20), NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base ($24) and LORAC Behind the Scenes Eye Primer ($21) can all be found at Sephora and beauty.com.

Eve Lom Cleanser

So here I go again, trying out something else new.  This sample facial cleanser has just been sitting around in my stash so I finally decided to break it open and see what it's all about.  Well, that was three days ago that I first started using it and I must say that it is very different from any other facial wash/cleanser I've ever been exposed to.  And that's part of its charm.  Let me bend your ear for a moment so I can tell you a little bit about the Eve Lom Cleanser.

I had never heard of Eve Lom nor her cleanser, but was intrigued by Vogue magazine's bold declaration of it being the "best cleanser in the world".   It's touted as performing the duties of three products as it not only cleans, but exfoliates and moisturizes all in one application.  And it comes with its own special setup and specific instructions to help fulfill such claims.

The sample came with a packet of the cleanser as well as a small muslin cloth to be used for the process.  I normally wash my face with only my hands, but was fully willing to implement the Eve Lom approach to skin care. 

The muslin cloth is about the size of my hand and is very light on the skin.  Its purpose is not only to help clean, but also to exfoliate and encourage blood circulation.

The cleanser is not your run-of-the-mill, lather & rinse type of fare as it comes with unique instructions that support optimal efficacy of the product.  In fact, it's not a bubbly, foaming cleanser at all, but rather a topical treatment that relies on a combination of hot and cold water applications to manipulate the pores as it cleans, tones and moisturizes.

 

Now I was really excited to put this product to work!  I mean, with such detailed instructions for a facial cleanser I naturally inferred that its ingredients must be pretty upper crust... that is, until I read the back and saw that the very first or primary ingredient listed is mineral oil!  WHY?!  Why would such a cheapo ingredient be included in a higher priced product such as this?  I sucked my teeth, but was determined to push on anyway.  Determined to continue with the trial sample, but keeping in mind this may not work out for me and my face.

The actual cleanser itself kinda reminded me of tapioca pudding upon first glance as it appeared to be somewhat thick and bumpy looking like it had small beads in it.  However, I believe it was just some of the oils that had naturally congealed as the heat from my finger (and later my face) changed it to a thinner consistency, causing the "beaded" oils to all but disappear.  Also, I found it to have a strange smell, which I attributed to the various oils it comprises.  It wasn't exactly off-putting, but it wasn't exceptionally pleasant either.  I don't know how to describe it other than it smells like a mixture of raw, natural oils.  It does eventually dissipate, but I thought it was worth noting for those who are extra sensitive to smells.

"Melted" cleanser

Well, like I stated earlier, I have been using the cleanser for about three days now and guess what?  I have had NO breakouts as of yet and my skin actually feels and looks great.  My face feels clean after using and moisturized once dried.  I've only been using it at night and refer back to my Boscia during the day, but I am very pleased with the results so far.  Won't be changing out my rock star lineup of products for this since it's a little on the pricier side and I'm not in the market for a new cleanser, but I am enjoying the sample, nonetheless. 

Best cleanser in the world?  Not too sure about that.  But it is (so far) a very, VERY good one indeed.

Eve Lom Cleanser can be found at beauty.com and comes in various sizes, including 1.6fl oz., which retails for $50.