Hair Today

Finally got myself to the salon today after a way-too-long absence. As always, the wonderful stylists and staff at Zing! did absolute wonders. Thank you! I feel like a million bucks.

Cream of the Crop

Greetings, Earthlings! I managed to get through the holiday season without too much disruption/overeating/family feuding. Have started off 2013 with a new affection for Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliners, and I look forward to getting ever more bold and beautiful with them.

As a little holiday gift to myself (of the one for you, one for me variety), I ordered the Ocho Loco eyeliner set from UD. Although I already owned two of the eight, it was still a good deal. I also decided to treat myself to a little "mystery bag" that promised extravagant goodies for $14. I think my decision to avoid subscription box services has been a good one, since my few months of Birchbox were ultimately a let-down, but it's still fun to get the occasional assortment of samples. It was a very good gamble, because among the items were a good-size sample of their new Beauty Balm, a full-size Naked lip gloss, and a 24/7 eyeshadow pencil. I've been messing around with this stuff nearly daily since, and really enjoying adding a little fun to my look with a non-neutral eyeliner on days I can get away with it. A separate post waxing about the awesomeness of the black matte Perversion liner will be forthcoming.

Today I used the eyeshadow pencil for the first time, which came in Rehab, a brown-taupe. I love the color and was amazed by the long, immovable wear when I swatched it (I did all the pencils at once, and then gave the baby a bath, marveling at how the stuff DID NOT BUDGE and had to remove it in the morning). Now I must say that I'm not the biggest fan of eyeshadow pencils. First of all, cream eyeshadows generally don't work well on me and tend to crease or fade. Second, I find the fat pencil format hard to work with. It's neither thin enough to use for precision application, nor blunt enough to get a good wash over the lid. I managed to dab it around and use my fingers for adequate blending, but it seemed like a lot of work. I think I'd rather it came in a pot or pan format. This is easy to transport, though.

I also busted out one of the Maybelline Color Tattoo shadows in Barely Beige, which I'd bought a few months ago and found a little too frosty. But Temptalia had reviewed some of this line positively recently, so I thought I'd give it another try today. I applied with a flat brush and blended with my fingers.

Results: it's 4 hours into it, and nary a crease and no fading, so perhaps I finally have gotten the application correct. I think it's important to use a base or primer of some kind and to apply the product in sheer layers and build it up as needed. Will play around with the creams and pencils I have some more, and see if I can get them to perform this well. I have a few NYX eyeshadow pencils too that I've never been able get to work well so I'll experiment and post my results.

Face: CoverGirl NatureLuxe Silk Foundation in #319 Flax and CoverGirl concealer. NYX Blush in Pinched.

Eyes: MAC Paint Pot in Painterly as base, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyeshadow Pencil in Rehab on outer lid, Maybelline Color Tattoo cream eyeshadow in Barely Beige on inner lid, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyeliner in Hustle, NYX Propel My Eyes mascara.

Lips: MAC Viva Glam VI.

Scent of the Day: BPAL Pussy (from the moths and butterflies collection, you deeves) which is Orange blossom honey, brown sugar, saffron, tonka absolute, and tobacco leaf. I've always thought of this as a summer scent, but it's working beautifully on this cold and sunny day, warm and cosy.