Weekly Beauty Edit: 2016 Beauty Resolutions

I love January! Usually it means lots of cold and snow and I'm a cold and snow kind of girl. Chicago area is more like the tropics right now but I'm sure January and February will bring the snow. Snow is life as far as I'm concerned.  The other reason I love January is because it's time for fresh goals, lots of positivity, and the hustle of the holidays is gone.

Speaking of positivity and fresh goals, it's time to announce my 2016 Beauty Resolutions. I did fairly well with the 2015 Resolutions, here's a link to my results. Perhaps I will inspire you!  I find the key to NY Resolutions is to be very specific. Instead of saying you will drink more water, commit to drinking two glasses of water before noon. Makes sense? I find the same is true with beauty resolutions.

Here we go.....

Make it through the year without re-organizing my lipstick storage system
My two favorite categories of makeup are foundations and lipsticks. Lipsticks, however, slay me. How is it possible to walk past a lipstick display and not buy one...or two? This is inconceivable to me. I digress. I have reorganized my lipstick collection every year. I buy gadgets, I buy acrylic organizers, I buy stacking drawers, I buy dividers. Then I arrange them by color family, change my mind and arrange them by brand, change my mind and it all starts again. At some point last year, I bought two lipstick towers. Love them. Love. I'm ordering a few more and that is it. I'm done. I'm sticking with this system. Very easy to find lipstick and you can store 81 lipsticks in what I consider a tiny foot print. Organizing my glosses....that's another story and not part of this resolution.

Zahra Lipstick Tower

Whittle down my makeup up brush collection by half
Ouch, ouch, ouch. If someone asks me, I will tell them how many lipsticks I have. No problem sharing the number of foundations in my foundation drawer at this very moment. But I will not tell anyone how many makeup brushes I own. This may be the most difficult of my 2016 resolutions.

Wear my entire perfume collection 
The older I get, the wines I like are getting lighter and the perfumes I like are getting heavier. My favorite note has always been Lily of the Valley so to find myself liking oud is startling! Jessica McClintock (primary note is Lily of the Valley) has been in my collection since it launched in 1988. I remember it clearly because it was the year my first son was born. I still love it and wear it 4 days out of 7, some weeks it is 7 days out of 7. Tom Ford has introduced me to an entirely different genre (fancy word alert) of perfume. I detested his scents when he launched his fragrance line. Somehow, as he launched more and more scents and I kept sniffing, I found myself gravitating to them. I have enough sense to know that his scents are not mainstream which means I need to use caution for daytime. I work in an office. I like lots of fragrances but I have to move away from Jessica McClintock and Amazing Grace. I love my perfume collection but every morning, I reach for Jessica or Grace. Time to crack out of my shell.

No buying single powder shadows
Just as lipstick and foundation are my favorite categories, eye shadows are my least favorite category. I reach for my palettes every day or my cream shadows. Single shadows do nothing but take up space. Last year I tried to depot but that was the resolution I failed at so at the very least, this year I will not add to the collection. Earlier today I was at Walgreens and had a new L'oreal single in my hand, Cafe au Lait. Almost bought it. Girl!

No buying under makeup primer
In my humble opinion, primer is a bunch of hooey after the first couple of hours. Keep in mind, I have very oily skin. To me for my oily skin, foundation is the key along with setting powder. I have primers to mattify, blur pores, and increase longevity of foundation. Not falling for it any more.

Use Rogaine every day
Back in the saddle again. Enough said.

Do not wear the same lipstick two days in a row
One would think this is not difficult for me to do but, alas, it is. (was that another fancy word alert?) Yet, I wear the same lipstick three or four days in a row. This is not quite so serious as my perfume issue. I own about 10 perfumes. However, I own hundreds of lipsticks. Calm yourselves, I don't own hundreds of brushes....as long as you don't count eye shadow brushes. I crack myself up!

Get a handle on all my samples
The nice thing about samples is that they are sealed which means I can in fact give them away. My mother lives in an independent retirement community.  I might start leaving baskets of samples in the common area and also taking a bunch on Saturday mornings to the food pantry that serves our community. I know this sounds insane but it is very difficult to donate single use items to women's shelters unless you have dozens and dozens of the exact same, identical product. At least it is in DuPage county Illinois.

There you have it. Do you make beauty resolutions? Have I inspired you? Let me know!

Thank you for carving time out of your day to read my blog!

Cheers,

Lulu

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Email:  luluonbeauty@gmail.com

Weekly Beauty Edit: 2015 Beauty Resolutions Year End Report Card

In my most humble opinion, I deserve an A+.  However, if a B is indicative of "above average" then I will be happy with a B.  For the record, though, for pain and suffering alone I should get that A+.

The original post with my 2015 Beauty Resolutions can be found here. For those of you in a hurry, after all it is the Sunday before Christmas, here's a quick rundown:

1. Continue buying and sampling most every foundation I can get my hands on.
2. No buy on matte lipstick
3. Recommit to using Rogaine twice daily
4. Color my roots every three weeks
5. Resist cutting bangs
6. Depot all my single shadows into a Z palette
8 .No buy on eye liners
9. Commit to using lip liner or no buy on lip liners
10. Gently pat my face dry rather than rubbing it dry
11. No buy on body wash
12. Encourage women everywhere to wear lipstick daily

Let's break this down
Continue buying and sampling most every foundation I can get my hands on: Grade A
This was effortless. I actually had to hold myself back a bit. I think the older you get, the more important foundation becomes. For you it might mean wearing less of it or more of it but either way, do not settle for anything less than perfection after you hit 40.

No buy on matte lipstick: Grade A-
I love the look of full lips with a bold, matte lipstick. Problem one is that my lips are not full. I wanted to get injections before Christmas but that's not happening due to a never ending dental issue. Second issue is that not only do I have small lips but they are also very lined. They are not dry, only deeply lined. Small, wrinkly, lined lips do not do well wearing matte lipstick. Good new is that technology moves quickly in mobile phones AND matte lipstick! Matte lipsticks have come a long way in the short span of a year. I think they were "the" biggest beauty trend of 2015, even surpassing contouring.  Within the last month, I bought a few matte lipstick and have to say, I was very happy with them, Kat Von D and Revlon's new HD one.  They did not magnify my wrinkly lips. After I finally get the injections, I'm going hog holly wild on matte lipstick.

Recommit to applying Rogaine twice daily:  Grade C-
Why is this so darn hard for me to keep up with? I have no idea. If you were to ask me about my number one beauty concern, it would be my thinning hair. I started the year off great, slacked a bit in the Summer but quickly got back on the wagon. In October I ran out of Rogaine. I'd look right at it in the hair care aisle but not buy it. This will be a repeat on my 2016 Beauty Resolution list.

Color my roots every three weeks: Grade A
Done and done. Not much else to say. Maybe I went 4 weeks a couple times this year but this is still an A in my book. Coloring my roots is my most dreaded beauty routine and I routinely stretched it to 5 weeks in 2014. 3 weeks is perfect.

Resist cutting bangs:  Grade A
As I was writing my 2015 list, I had huge doubt I would keep this resolution. No one is more shocked than me that I made it an entire year without cutting bangs. Granted, there are 10 days left in the year....

Depot all my single shadows into a Z Palette: Grade D

I took the easy way out and gave away most of my single shadows.  Of those I have left, which is still quite a few, I only depotted maybe 25% of them. I'm not putting this exact resolution on my 2016 but I will have a related resolution. Depotting is simply not going to happen unless I hire someone. Help Wanted: Shadow Depotter.

No buy on eye liners: Grade A
I had to think really hard about this to ensure I'm being truthful about giving myself an A. To my knowledge and memory, I did not buy any eye liner this year. I did buy kits and liners are sometimes part of a kit but I think I'm being fair by saying that doesn't count. I wasn't about to not buy a great kit because one of the items was a liner. I've given quite a few of my pencil liners away which made me and the recipients happy.

Commit to using lip liner or no buy on lip liner: Grade A
This girl took the no buy route. I might have bought a couple of lip liners, I have a vague memory of buying Urban Decay lip liners but can't find them in my collection. I may have given them away or returned them. Or was that 2014? When did the UD Revolution lipsticks launch? Maybe it was 2014. Why a no buy on lip liners? I don't use them but yet would buy them. I don't have an issue with lipsticks that bleed. If one does bleed, it gets tossed or returned. I've tried to slightly over line my lips to give the illusion of fuller lips. Um, no. I don't use lip liners.

Gently pat my face dry rather than rubbing it raw: Grade A
This took quite a bit of re-training on my part. At one point, I had to put a note on my towel rack to remind myself. Even after almost a year of good behavior, I still will catch myself rubbing the towel on my face. On the up side, at least I catch myself in the act! This was a tough one for me.

No buy on body wash: Grade B+
Holy smokes, Sweet Mary Mother of all Things in the Shower, this was the absolute hardest, worst, most painful resolution. The struggle is real! The struggle was weekly, 52 weeks of the year. Every Bath and Body Works order, every trip to Walgreens, every trip to the grocery store, shower gels would call my name. I'd pick them up, pat them, talk to them and lust. Their fragrance would slowly reach my olfactory senses. A tear would spill down my cheek as I placed the bottle back on the shelf promising to come back for it on January 1, 2016. Some of you dream about chocolate cake, I dream about shower gel. In 2015 temptation won a handful of times. One was a Shamu sized philosophy Lemon Custard in 64 oz. Yes, half a gallon. The other really big fall was again, philosophy. They offered a 12 piece collection in 4 oz bottle. For Pete's sake, 12 scents in one purchase. And 4 oz bottles are so stinkin' cute. Around Easter, I bought a tiny candy scented bottle at Ulta. I will NEVER make this resolution again. Ever. Am I making myself perfectly clear?

Encourage women everywhere to wear lipstick: Grade A-
I've learned that telling complete strangers they would look better wearing lipstick is not always a smart thing to do. I've also learned that even friends don't want to hear the truth. Why does anyone want to look.....fragile, sickly, plain, angry,void of life? How flipping hard is it to swipe something on your lips???? Sheesh. Buy a tinted lip balm which you can apply without a mirror. If I hear that they'd rather let their natural beauty shine through, let me be the first to tell you....don't hold your breath waiting to be blinded by that shine. Live a little! Put some lipstick on. I get it that mascara can smudge, blush is easily overdone, foundation does take time but tinted lip balm is boom and it's on.

I like New Year Resolutions. I start to plan my "life" resolutions late in October, make a list and whittle it down to my top 5. I've been doing this for well over 20 years. Over the course of 20 years, I believe I have kept 80% of my resolutions all through the year and beyond. As silly as it sounds, they have a lot to do with who I am, both personally and professionally. The Beauty Resolution are much more frivolous but I did make them thoughtfully and did intend to do my best to keep them. I scored 100% on my 2015 personal resolutions.  Giving myself a "B" on my Beauty Resolutions makes me darn proud.

Cheers,

Lulu

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Weekly Beauty Edit 11.29.2015

Well, hello there! I think Lionel Richie put this into a song. Is it me you're looking for?

I took a break. Now, I'm back. That's all. No big stories, no drama, no illness, no travel, no anything. Slowly, skipping one Sunday turns into two turns into three and then it's a habit to NOT blog.

I've had more than one shopping frenzy while taking a break. If I posted all the pics it would be worse than Aunt Betty's cruise to Alaska pictures. How many icebergs can a person look at? Right? That's pretty much how it would be except you'd be looking at lipsticks and foundations. Maybe some blush. Highlighters for sure. Not too much eye shadow. Went on a mascara bender. Nail polish, of course. Added a bit to my concealer and primer collections. Just a wee bit. I'm learning that primer is a waste in my routine. Best way to keep up with me is on Instagram, link is here.

Exciting news is that I'm starting to put together my 2016 Beauty Resolutions. I did very well with my 2015 Beauty Resolutions. Here's a link to that blog post. Maybe next week I'll do a Beauty Resolution report card for my time away. Bit of a spoiler is that I succumbed to shower gel just a few times. Staying away from matte lipstick was extremely difficult, I'd say it's the top trend for 2015! However, just recently bought a matte lipstick because they've come a long way in the last year and based on reviews, I tried the Kat Von D in Outlaw. My heart be still. What a gorgeous flipping red and it looks good on my small, wrinkly lips. It will look even better after I get my lips done. I'd like to get them done before Christmas but I'm running out of time.

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Outlaw

What else is new and exciting? I've started brushing my brows upward. I'm not one for dramatic brows to begin with but this softens them even a bit more.  Started "needling" about three months ago. That's been interesting and easier than I anticipated. Clay based masks are driving me batty and I've completely given up on sheet masks. Taking them out of the package and unfolding them makes my stomach turn. I'm really enjoying enzyme masks and hydrating masks. Another blog post!

Serge Lutens Mascara

Tom Ford Noir

The most ridiculous thing I've bought is Serge Lutens mascara from Barney's. I bet you thought they only made niche perfumes. Um, no. They also make a ridiculously expensive mascara that is average, at best. My best splurge was on Tom Ford's Noir. My taste in fragrance and wine has changed this year. I'm liking my perfumes heavier and my wines lighter. My love affair with Jessica McClintock will never end, it's on my burial list, but lately the incense, amber, heavy vanilla notes are calling to me. My burial list is a list of beauty items I want buried with me. Wow, that could be another blog post.

Love my new hair dryer. $20 at Costco, a Conair. It has changed my hair. Seriously. My hair is no longer frizzy and has a natural shine. My middle name was Frizzy. Thinning hair is getting worse but breakage has stopped thanks to a recommendation from a Facebook friend, Maria, to use Redken Extend Anti-Snap. It's a miracle.

Redken Extreme Anti-Snap Leave In Treatment

Ordered a few more lipstick towers. They are on a slow boat from China. Lipstick towers are life changing. Yes, I said life changing. It's rather like having your closets done or hiring a landscaper. Life changing. Speaking of life changing, if you don't own MAC's Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul, you must, you absolutely must buy it. It is right up there with Chanel's Jersey.  Thank you to my YouTube friend, Ruth, for finally convincing me to buy Warm Soul. How did I live without it?

MAC Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul

It's been a delight to blog again. I could write a book but enough. I will resume YouTube filming soon, in about two weeks. That's another story.

Cheers,

Lulu

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Weekly Beauty Edit 8.30.2015

I readily admit I love packaging. I feel the same way about restaurants. My husband cares about the food, I care about the ambience. If I like the look of the place, I'll eat instant oatmeal and be thrilled. Many times we've walked into a restaurant and I've looked at my husband and said, "I'm not eating here" and walked out. I feel that way about makeup and to some degree, skin care. I like pretty packaging. I've always known this about myself, not as though I had an epiphany this week. I received a piece of Tom Ford's Fall 2015 Color Collection in the mail and talk about packaging. I have absolutely no idea why, but it arrived via FedEx had to be signed for. I'm thinking the Distribution Center clerk who keyed in the shipping label had to have made a mistake by requiring a signature. Then I opened the box and wow. It was wrapped in very heavyweight dark brown wrapping paper, tied with a leather like cord and then stamped with a monogrammed wax seal. I was absolutely giddy. If you didn't know, Madonna wrote "Material Girl" about me.

It was just me, myself and I opening that box. Not as though I had a chance to flash the TF to an audience, although I sure as heck posted a pic on Facebook. It's a quick burst of feel-good, of feeling accomplished, of feeling rewarded, of saying, "You had better believe I love me!" This is a beauty blog so let's be clear, it's about lipstick not world peace or starving children.

This was my second piece of Tom Ford makeup. The first was a lipstick but I returned it, the color was not perfection. I think lipstick and foundation colors have to be absolutely spot on regarding color. You can fudge with shadow or blush, even bronzer, but wear a shade of lipstick that clashes with your coloring and you look like you have liver disease. I'm not spending $50 on a lipstick that makes me look like I have jaundice.

Tom Ford Fall 2015 Limited Edition Illuminating Powder Duo in Moodlight

EMPTIES
Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water Cleansing  Cloths. More than a few months ago, Hautelook had these ate an insanely great price and I stock up. Each is a pack of 30. I mostly use cleansing cloths for my neck before applying my night time skin care. I tend to bring my foundation down onto my neck as well as bronzer. Once I'm out of Koh Gen Do, I will go back to buying the bulk package of Kirkland makeup remover cloths from Costco.

Koh Gen Do Makeup Remover Wipes

Zoya Polish Remover

Zoya Nail Polish Remover. This was the 2 oz size which often comes with your Zoya order. I like to use 100% pure acetone but if my polish is a light color, I'll use the Zoya since I have it. This remover is excellent, a step above Cutex or store brands.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara. One of my favorites. It's an all around great mascara that does all the things I need. It adds length, volume, separation and hold my curl. Perfect mascara for the office. Mascara does not smudge, flake or transfer on me.

Philosophy Soul Owner Foot Cream. I'm rarely loyal to any one product, let alone loyal for over 10 years. However, this is one of those very rare products that has my heart. I've tried newcomers but nothing has ever compared to Soul Owner.

FOUNDATION FUNDAMENTALS
If you are new to my blog, foundation and lipstick are my things.

This week I wore Make Up For Ever HD Ultra, Dior Nude Air, Kat Von D Lock It Powder Foundation, and Maybelline Dream Wonder Fluid-Touch.

The clear winners were the MUFE and Maybelline. The more I use the MUFE, the more I like it. I think I wore it three times this past week. Each night when I stood at my vanity ready to cleanse, I noticed my skin looked great on the days I wore MUFE. Not flawless, let's be serious, but better than my face typically looks at the end of the day. Maybelline Fluid-Touch has been a winner from the very first time I wore it. It's is a serum style foundation, of which I am a huge fan.

I have a deluxe sample size of the Kat Von D Lock It Powder Foundation. It applied very smoothly, buffed out beautifully and wore a good 6 hours. I expected it to wear longer but by the 8 hour mark it was mostly gone. The color was not right which also threw me off.  For some reason, I thought this was a very matte finish, similar to the liquid version. Instead, it's more of a demi-matte, natural finish. I could see using this as a finishing or setting powder.

Dior Nude Air took last place this week. For me, this is a great short-term foundation, something that is good for a few hours of running errands or out to dinner.  It's a light coverage, buildable to medium, and decent wear time for me is about 4 or 5 hours. If I had the Kat Von D in the right color, it would be great as a finishing powder which would increase coverage and wear time. I always use a slightly illuminating finishing powder with Dior Nude Air because to me, the finish is flat. Typically, I reach for Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light or Laura Mercier Loose Mineral which also adds coverage.

Cheers,

Lulu

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Weekly Beauty Edit 8.16.2015

I think that I have found myself a cheerleader...  Isn't that the cutest darn song? Hard to sit still when listening to it. What's the other song I'm liking? Give me a sec.... Blank Space by Taylor Swift. The lyrics are hysterical.... you look like my next mistake.... I have to love that chic, Taylor Swift, she always wears great bright lipstick.

Speaking of lipstick, I'm on a lipstick bender. Oh boy. You often hear about retail therapy. For me it is the opposite. I shop when I'm in a good mood. Let's just say I've been in a very good mood lately.

Lipstick Acquisitions

Clinique Bare Pop (top), Plum Pop (bottom)

Clinique Bare Pop - This is my least favorite of the new lipsticks in my collection. I believe in the bold lip or at least a lip with some color other than that which Mother Nature gave you. This is too much like my natural lip color. I thought it had more depth or maybe even pinkiness to it but no and no. It's a nice frosty finish and it does have a wee bit of rosy pink to it. I will learn to tolerate it. Or I will return it. Could make for a good 'trip to the grocery store' color.

Clinique Plum Pop - A color I can love. A color I do love. A deeper raspberry with a satin finish. Plum makes it sound as though it leans into the purple sphere but I don't think so. It stays in the wold of berries but not at super deep. Very smooth, stays in the lines, and wears about the average time. I don't judge lipstick by wear time, though. For me, one of the best parts of wearing lipstick is reapplying it.

YSL Pop Water Glossy Stain in 206 Misty Pink - Such a gorgeous pink! The trick with YSL Glossy Stains is that you apply two layers. Apply the first, let it dry, then apply the second. I believe YSL actually encourages a third layer. Seriously? Voulez vous crazy? Two layers will help maintain not only the color but also the shine. This is long wearing, indeed. It will make it through a meal and a couple cups of coffee. The "water" line is the newest addition to YSL Glossy Stains and is set apart with more hydration than the originals and a more sheer finish. This still packs color! If you want sheer, stick to your Fresh sugar balms.

YSL Water Pop Glossy Stain in Misty Pink

Sephora Rouge Infusion in 19 Peony - I can't decide if this is a more stunning pink or if the YSL Misty Pink is. What's a girl to do? Maybe this one is. Peony is a tad brighter, a bit more lively but the YSL is beautifully glossy. This stains the lips, wears longer than most and is simply pretty. This is a liquid lipstick which is usually not my thing. Sephora Lip Infusion applies neatly, stays wear you put it, and the doe foot applicator is compact enough for my smaller lips.

Sephora Rouge Infusion liquid lipstick

Kat Von D Studded Lipstick in Lovecraft - This was a 100 point perk and not at all the color I thought it would be. This is a rosy brown with too much brown in it for my liking. I find Kat Von D lipsticks drying but thought it was worth using a 100 point perk to see if my memory was correct. I didn't even swatch it since I knew this was not a color for me. Plan to give it away to someone who envies Kylie Jenner.

Givenchy Le Rouge in 201 Rose Taffetas - The star of the show this week! I do not own a lipstick in quite this color or finish. The finish is an almost shiny satin and the color is a warm pink with zero brown in it. It's a tad lighter than usual for me and it hits the sweet spot. It glides on but after a

Givenchy Le Rouge

couple of hours, my lips felt a little dry. I reapplied and my lips felt fine until a couple hours later. It is not uncomfortable but it was surprising since it started with such a luxurious feel. Givenchy lipstick packaging is substantial, you know you are holding a high end lipstick in your hand. Yet, I'm not a fan of the packaging. It's not something I will enjoy pulling out of my purse as I do Dior Addict. Now that is luxe packaging!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy in 310 Potent - Such a pretty peachy pink or maybe a pinky peach. It is a gorgeous summer color that compliments bronzed skin. Hard to describe how it somehow brings out the bronze tones of a tan. I felt like a magazine ad, fresh, healthy, finished. This is just enough color for me and would be a great toe in the water for those that love their nudes. I wanted to go on vacation!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy in Potent

From left to right is Sephora Rouge Infusion in Peony, Clinique Bare Pop
Angled color is YSL Water Pop Glossy Stain in Misty Pink
From top to bottom is Givenchy Le Rouge in Rose Taffetas, Clinique Plum Pop and Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy in Potent

See above for color names

I have a few more coming next week. Yes, indeed, I was in a very good mood!

Cheers,

Lulu

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Weekly Beauty Edit 8.02.2015

Finally, it's August! Thank goodness, because that means snow is that much  closer. I love snow and cold and frigid temps. This lady is miserable all summer long. Sometimes, once every few years, we might see our first few minutes of a flurry in late October or early November. Three more months. Hurry up!!!!

This was a busy week in beauty for me. UPS just kept on giving and giving and giving. And Wednesday was National Lipstick Day. You all knew that, right?  I wore Lipstick Queen's Play It from her Silver Screen collection. I would post an actual pic of mine but it's still on my desk at the office. It's a beautiful pinky red in even more beautiful packaging.  Here's stock photo of it...

Lipstick Queen Play It from the Silver Screen Collection

Haul-A-Lulu

Julep Maven Box - I enjoy this subscription by the nail polish brand, Julep. The monthly subscription started out a few years ago as only nail products, primarily color polishes. They moved into nail treatments and then into cosmetics. Their cosmetics are very good! This month was a cream blush stick in Golden Guava, a gel pencil liner in Raisin and, or course, a nail polish, Caly, a very sparkly royal purple. I won't wear this color but sure is pretty to look at. I'm starting to make a bit of a stockpile for a giveaway on my YouTube channel and this will go into that loot bag.  Here's a link to my channel  Lulu On Beauty.

Julep Maven July 2015 Subscription Box

Pura D'Oro Shampoo, Conditioner and Argan Oil - I debated back and forth with myself about even posting this. As you may know (if not, you will now) I don't accept sponsored products, product placements, points, gift card, paid reviews, etc. I was very excited more than a few months ago when a skincare company contacted me to provide me with products. There was no obligation to do a review, blah blah blah. They had no idea but it was a product I already used and loved so I felt good about accepting it because I knew it would be an honest review on my part. But then I decided not to do it. I've mentioned the product in passing, it's the least I could do (Joy and Karma). Pura D'Oro contacted me a few weeks ago. If you are a woman who has thinning hair, you can probably understand the desperation to find something, anything that will help your hair grow back. That's me. This brand makes a shampoo and conditioner that kind of sort of in a round about way make that claim. It will take months and months of continuous use to perhaps see results. I already use Rogaine and the laser HairMax device. Not sure how I would know if it was the shampoo. I was caught up in my thinning hair loss state of desperation and gave them my address. I'm mentioning them because I got this for free and now feel guilty. Have not used it yet, no idea if it works, if someday I think I have new hair sprouts because of this system, I will scream it from the roof tops.

Catrice All Matt Plus Foundation - Have you heard? Ulta is now carrying Catrice, although only online. Catrice is a brand near and dear to many beauty bloggers/vloggers/YTers hearts. It's available in Europe but not in the US. As all things in life, we want what we can't have! It's a high quality drugstore priced line and is owned by the same company that makes Essence. Haven't used it yet, it's up on my rotation for testing this week.

Catrice All Matt Plus foundation and Ulta Lip Primer

Ulta Lip Primer - This may have some chops! I need a lip primer to fill in my lip lines. I have tried umpteen brands of lip primer. Most of them deposit too much color and ruin the shade of my actual lipstick. Or they are meant to plump with tons of conditioning and moisturizing ingredients which makes them too slick. This Ulta lip primer is matte yet conditioning and waxy enough that it does slightly fill in my lip lines. It has no color. I'm going to try it a bit more this week with some of my matte lipsticks which I have given up on because my lines look even worse with matte lipstick. 

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water - I believe this launched in stores today but was available to order on line last week, which I did. I'll do my best to post a review, I'm sure I'll do a YT review. First and most important message is the shades run dark. I bought medium which is almost too dark for my self tan. Second, it feels like the new serum foundations. I would say this is light coverage and slightly buildable. I imagine some might say this is sheer, and some will say it's medium. Depends on your skin! I like medium coverage, medium plus is my sweet spot. Between the color and the coverage, this is probably going to be a return. It wears well.

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water, Medium

Philosophy 12 piece 3 in 1 Shower Gel Collection - Yes, I've fallen off the wagon again with my 2015 Beauty Resolution to not buy shower gels.  Darn QVC.  12 scents in 6 oz bottles. So stinking cute and what a great way to try out a ton of scents. Even mix and match and create little scent recipes.  I have no guilt. I'm quite thrilled. I always like to mention that Philosophy shower gels are meant to be an in-shower scent experience which is one of the reasons I love them. The scent goes down the drain and does not linger on your body. I like that! I have no desire to smell like a Melon Daiquiri once I get out of the shower. However, the shower gels from their fragrance line do last beyond the shower, ie, Amazing Grace, Unconditional Love, etc.

Dozen Philosophy Shower Gels 

Philosophy Shear Splendor Shampoo and Conditioner - This is being returned. Years ago, this duo had rave rave rave reviews. But technology has come a long way in everything, not just cars and website. That includes hair care. Lots of great options out there now as compared to years ago. Philosophy discontinued Shear Splendor but recently brought it back out of the vault. I bought it this time around. Not good, particularly at the price. The shampoo is almost like a clarifying shampoo, my hair was that squeaky clean feeling when I was rinsing it. Kind of concerned me. Once I put the conditioner in, though, all was fine so I was back to being hopeful. After drying, my hair felt ok, nothing to right home about, but the frizz was out of control, I think because the shampoo just about stripped the heck out of it. 

Philosophy Shear Splendor Shampoo and Conditioner

Retin A, Careprost/Latisse, Skin Lightener/Tri-Luma - I order these from an off shore pharmacy. 

Fall clothes and shoes started arriving this week, too, but this blog is about beauty, not fashion. 

EDITORIAL

Learned something new this week and thought I would share it. I'm a huge proponent of "invasive procedures" to bring about a more youthful appearance. I've only had Botox and fillers but have no issue when the day comes to take the next step. Trust me, these hooded eyes of  mine are on the chopping block in the next year or two!

Be aware of your surgeon's credentials. I always thought that the term Cosmetic Surgeon was a true medical distinction or physician category. NOPE! That is a self-proclaimed title. Any doctor from an OB-GYN to a urologist to a pediatrician can make the claim they are a Cosmetic Surgeon. A doctor who displays a Cosmetic Surgeon title is self-taught or has taken quick courses. 

The real deal is a doctor who is a Plastic Surgeon, Facial Plastic Surgeon or Dermatologist. These doctors are medically trained or board certified to touch your face!!!  

If you see something like American Board of Cosmetic Surgery that is not the same as a medical board certified membership. I don't know that I would care about the distinction for Botox or fillers but I'm pretty sure I will want a board certified plastic surgeon when  the day comes for my hooded eyes to take a hike.

I found this interesting and wanted to pass it along. For more detailed information see New Beauty Magazine, Summer Fall 2015 edition, page 194. 

If you are looking for Mature Beauty YT Channels, here's a list I've compiled and will be adding to as I learn of new channels.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1URpJ80SK27xdqrfkTSLtxsV4k6N54ZlO4-Rb9FWAR8o/edit#gid=0

Cheers,

Lulu

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Weekly Beauty Edit 7.26.2015

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22 weeks until Christmas!!!! Have you started your Christmas List? This is your official first reminder. I start my list on December 26th, I find this is the best method. I also make sure it is on very public display in the house (magnet on the fridge) in the event someone needs to buy me a little something something during the year. Also, it's very important to email your Sephora Love List at least once a quarter to all friends and family. Don't worry that you won't have any friends left by the end of  the year. That means you have to buy yourself gifts and then you get exactly what you want. Love it when a plan comes together!

Empties
Careprost - This is Latisse but I buy mine from an offshore pharmacy and their brand is Careprost.

Clarins Radiance Plus Golden Glow Booster - I bought this about the same time I bought the St. Tropez Self-Tan Luxe Facial Oil. I prefer the St. Tropez since it is ready to use whereas you have to mix the Clarins with something like a serum or moisturizer.  I repurchased the St. Tropez which I finished a bit ago. If you don't mind mixing, then the Clarins is fine as well.

Tree Hut Body Sugar Scrub in Coconut Lime - LOVE this body scrub, love this perfect summer scent.  Winner winner chicken dinner!

Careprost aka Latisse and Clarins Radiance Plus Golden Glow Booster

Edits and Deletes
Dove Dry Shampoo - Ugh. I am not a dry shampoo fan. I realize it's all the rage to give hair texture and volume but all it does is make my scalp itch. I have tried several brands from high to low. Flexible hold hair spray works just fine. Delete.

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara - The brush on this is huge. I didn't find the formula worth going blind over. Delete.

Karora Golden Girl Gradual Tan - This was scented with some woodsy amber who knows what scent. This came in an IPSY box, I think. It was a tiny sample size tube so I thought I would use it on my face. I could not wash it off fast enough from the fragrance. Delete.

Almay One Coat Thickening Waterproof Mascara - I prefer waterproof mascara because they hold my curl better. This one did not! I tried it several times. I'd curl my lashes, apply this mascara and an hour later my lashes were stick straight.

It was also disappointing in volume and length, all it did was darken my lashes. Delete.



Mini Review 
Ulta Double Duty Powder Foundation
This is a pressed powder foundation that can be used wet for a more sheer to light coverage or dry for a medium to medium full coverage. This is a "first impression" review which means I could feel completely different about this product when I use in different weather or lighting or over a different serum or primer. But as of today, this powder foundation is getting high marks. It is so soft and creamy, it almost feels wet. There is almost no kick up of dust when I swirl my brush in it. Coverage is a solid medium and with a good buffing brush you can get it up a few more notches of  coverage. I actually used my finger to apply it to the sides of my nose and those dreaded pores disappeared. Yes, I said disappeared (using my finger was key). The finish is demi-matte at first and gets to satin after about an hour. Beautiful finish. I was mostly indoors today, sat out on  the deck for a bit. This foundation looked as good as when I applied it for a solid 5 hours. When I touched up, it did not look thick or powdery, just refreshed. I chose  Warm Tan for this season. Will buy Warm for my normal color.

Ulta Double Duty Pressed Powder Foundation in Warm Tan

 I have not yet tried it with a damp sponge which will give a light to light medium coverage.

I originally went to buy the Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation but they were out of my color. The texture of the Ulta brand felt identical but it comes in much less colors. Thankful I found a color for me. But they both felt buttery creamy smooth ultra finely milled and pressed.

I would say this can also act as a beautiful finishing powder used with a light hand as well as a true foundation powder used with a buffing brush for almost full coverage.  I know many like  to use a foundation powder as a finishing powder to give their liquid foundation a bit more staying power as well as boosting coverage. This is a perfect candidate. Regular price is $12 but it was on sale for $5. Ulta brand products are on sale all the time.

Skincare
Wednesday Night Scrub Club
REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial  

Freeman Charcoal & Black Sugar Polishing Mask
REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial

This was a sample, one time use. Flash Rinse is a gel you massage on your face, leave on as a 1 minutes mask and then simply rinse off. It is loaded with Vitamin C and its claim to fame is to leave your skin brighter. After one use, I did not see this. Maybe if your skin is grey.....

Sunday Night Scrub Club
Freeman Charcoal & Black Sugar Polish Mask
I like this as scrub. The sugar is a pretty good size but rounded so it's not tearing at your skin. The charcoal is marketing. There is barely enough charcoal to turn the gel base a very translucent grey, hardly enough charcoal to pull the gunk our of pores. You put it on, let it sit for a five minutes then scrub for 2 to 3 minutes and rinse.

Cheers,

Lulu

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Weekly Beauty Edit 7.12.2015

It was a great week in beauty. I colored my roots! The week leading up to coloring my roots is always a challenge. I'm in denial of having to go through the ordeal for the first three days, the next two days I suddenly have energy, go out, buy the box of dye and then I fizzle back into dread. Finally, when I can no longer take the two tone head, I color my roots. Then I am overjoyed at how great it looks and promise to not dread it next time. Right. One of my 2015 Beauty Resolutions was to not go longer than 3 weeks between touch ups and I have been rather true to this resolution. Reminds me, I need to do a 2015 Beauty Resolution Report Card. I've stretched it to 4 weeks that last time or two. I could almost do my touch ups in my sleep. I'm fast and I find it easy but still dread it. I think my favorite dye is Garnier but I do like Feria as well.

Beauty Lesson - Skin Care Chit Chat
Every time I turn around or flip the pages of a magazine, bam, there is another skin care product or line or claim or endorsement. Somehow all logic flies out the window and off we run to buy the latest and greatest. Flowers from the top of the Alps, water from the depths of the Hawaiian ocean, algae from the tundra, plants from the desert, tea leaves from China, snails from Japan, apples from Switzerland, always something new.

Skin care is very basic. At the very minimum you cleanse, you hydrate and for the morning, you also apply SPF. The next step up in a routine is to exfoliate at least once a week. Exfoliating is using "something" to remove the dead skin cells. When we're young, dead skin cells are well behaved and are happy to jump off the skin in a nice regular cycle. As we get older, those skin cells get tired and they stick around a wee bit too  long. Exfoliation helps get them off.

Me, cleansing my face

After adding an exfoliation step, adding some type of anti-oxidant into your routine is a good thing. I don't know the number but I'm guessing there are 100s, maybe 1000s of anti-oxidants. Chances are, your moisturizer has some but if you can step it up with a mega dose of anti-oxidants, that much better. Which anti-oxidant among the hundreds? That's another post, maybe a book. If I had to pick one, I would pick Vitamin C since it is easily found in both the drug store and department store. It's versatile and is a good multi-tasker for two of the most common concerns which are age spots and sagging.

Me, exfoliating with a peel off mask!

Time for thinking about the heavy hitters, now. Treatment products. This is where the list goes on and on and all those ads and claims and apples from the Swiss Alps come into play. What ingredient is best at treating X? Aha. You want to treat X and Y and You want it all! So do I. Does that mean you need more than one treatment product? Maybe. Like Vitamin C, some ingredients are multi-taskers. Other ingredients are very specific. For instance, retinol is "the" multi-tasker of skin care. Hydroquinone, an ingredient to lighten dark spots, is very specific and only attacks dark spots. Retinol will attack wrinkles, sagging, dark spots and texture and  a few more. Then again, retinol comes in various shapes, forms, percentages, and formulas. Additionally, the base it is in is important in determining how deep the retinol will penetrate. Sadly, not everyone can use retinol as it can be irritating. Chances are with a bit of determination, you can find a form that works. However, that takes time and the money to spend on products to experiment with. What a pain. That's yet another post....the virtues of retinol in all its shapes and glory.

There we have it. Cleanse, moisturize, SPF, exfoliate and treat with anti-oxidants or targeted ingredients or both.  The one aspect of skin care that can't be measured is time. It has taken years, decades of smiling, talking, makeup, sun, pollution and the kitchen sink to get your skin where it is today. 30 days of a new product will do about nothing. This is particularly true if you are already using decent skin care. Probably the one most game changing ingredient is retinol but even with the mighty retinol, it takes months and months and months.

Good skin care slows the clock down. It will not stop age spots. It will not banish wrinkles. It will not give you a face lift. If you could live two parallel lives, one using basic skin care outlined above and one with just cleansing and moisturizing, the first you will look younger compared to the second you. The  you will still be wrinkled and sagging and spotted. But less so. Keep that in mind. Skin care slows the hands of time, it doesn't reverse years of life. Thank goodness!

If someone asks me to only pick one thing for great skin care, it would be a broad spectrum SPF 30 or higher 365 days of the year. Sun is skin's number one enemy. End of story.

Cheers,

Lulu

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Weekly Beauty Edit 7.05.2015

Thank you. I went over 10,000 views at some point this week. There are no words. I sit here on the love seat in our bedroom on Sunday nights with my laptop, iPhone and The Good Wife or repeats, typing away. Tonight, the background noise was my youngest son screaming each time the US Women's Soccer team scored. I started this blog more for me than anything else. I needed an outlet for my beauty addiction hoarding situation. At the time, I had stopped doing YT videos so I turned to blogging. And here I am 10,000 views later. Thank you for reading my blog and sharing with your circle of Facebook friends or groups or neighbors or moms or sisters.

Where was I last week? I have no idea. Complete space cadet watching reruns of who knows what. Madam Secretary? Criminal Minds? Blue Bloods? Shopping online at Sephora and lost in giddiness? I can't remember what I did yesterday, forget about remembering what I did last week.

It's story time. I take photos of my makeup hauls and beauty products on my bed. One of our blankets is  an off white and is the background in all the photos I take. On my nightstand is a lamp I bought on a complete spontaneous fall in love must have that lamp even though I'm not shopping for a lamp moment. That had to be 10 years ago. I don't like to have matching lamps in a room. We have another lamp  in our bedroom that I've replaced 4 times in the 10 years because they were all great when I bought them but soon another came that I loved more. Not the one on my nightstand, though. It lasted every shopping spree, never to be replaced. This past week, it died. The light began to flicker, I'd hit
the lamp, it would stop. Call me Fonzy II. This lasted three nights before I decided to replace the bulb. Still flickered. Hmmm. Could it be the lamp? Are there lamp repair shops? I wasn't ready to say good-bye. When I reached to turn it off for the night, it flickered as I turned that knob thingy turn the light on and off with switch. I jiggled the thingy. The light flickered. My husband said it was faulty wiring. Maybe he actually said it bit the dust. I have a pair of my mother's lamps from years ago. She's very methodical, precise and balanced so, of course, she buys lamps in matching pairs. When she was redecorating, I told her I wanted the lamps. Apparently I get attached to lipsticks and lamps. What do they say? Any port in a storm so I went to find my mother's lamps in the "spare" bedroom aka dump everything in that room and run. It's a crystal lamp with a very frou frou shade. My beloved lamp also had a somewhat frou frou shade but this takes the cake. My mother loves frou frou. The more ornate the better.  The frilly shade has yellowed from age which means it casts a very yellow light.  Why is this woman writing about a lamp in a beauty blog? Because the yellow glow will affect the photos of my products. End of story. Wasn't that fun?

EDITS AND DELETES
Almay One Coat Thickening Waterproof Mascara -  If possible, I buy waterproof mascara because waterproof holds curl better than non-waterproof. I rarely apply a second coat of any mascara, I don't need to. I applied and applied this one and it hardly showed up. It did not color the tips of my lashes which are long but invisible, it did not thicken, it did pretty much nothing except made them look a little darker.  .

Too Faced Born This Way Foundation - I like this. I don't love it. I have other foundations in my collection that are on the "like don't love" list but this one is bugging me. Have no idea why. I ordered this directly from the Too Faced site the day it launched which makes returning it a pain. Not a pain, but it's not like going to Sephora and exchanging. Some ladies love to play mixologist with beauty products. Not me.  If I have to mix products to get them to work, I'm not interested. I will adjust the color to match my self-tan, but that is as far as I will go. I could blend this with a lighter weight foundation or a mattifying foundation and it would be better. But when you own as many foundations as I do, why bother? I will be doing a video review on this. 

Too Faced Born This Way Foundation in Warm Beige

Bessame Brightening Vanilla Powder - This is an edit not a delete. I need to edit this out of my summer routine because of the color. Although it claims to be translucent, I find it lightens my look. Otherwise, this is a great loose powder. Very silky, melts into the skin, softens pores, wonderful. Is it better than IT Bye Bye Pores Loose Powder? No. But the packaging is cuter! Yes, it has a slight vanilla sugar scent which also scores points with me. I'll be bringing this back in the Fall.

Bessame Brightening Vanilla Loose Powder

FAVORITES

Cover FX Matte Powder

Cover FX Matte Pressed Powder - I wish I was better at remembering who recommends what. I watched a YT video and the BeautyTuber said she found this on the allcosmeticwholesale site, ordered it on a whim and liked it so much after it arrived, she went back and ordered a backup. She has very oily skin and this was the best thing she's tried in ages. I jumped over to that site and in a NY minutes, ordered one. They came in shades, too! I love it. I don't use this as a finishing or setting powder but instead use it after I blot.

Sonia Kashuk Blush in Sunset - Well if this isn't the prettiest peachy coral blush! Very smooth, no dusty kick up, blends beautifully. It has a bit of shimmer which I like. I'm good with matte, satin and slight shimmer blushes.

Laura Geller Baked Shadow Duo in Petal/Earth - One stop shop! These are both satin, borderline matte, finishes with Petal being a deeper beige and Earth being the perfect muddy chocolate brown for the crease. I have used this duo all week. Unheard of!

Laura Geller Baked Duo on Petal/Earth

WISH LIST

Deborah Lippman Love in the Dunes and Desert Moon from the Painted Desert Collection - I've been off nail polish binging for most of this year but when I saw these, eeeeps! Love in the Dunes is a smoky plum creme and Desert Moon is a smoky gray creme.

Australian Gold Bronzing Mist - Found this on amazon while looking for a less expensive alternative to Guerlain's bronzing mist. I have a very hard time self tanning my neck and decollete. Don't know why, they simply don't self-tan as well as the rest of my body. The powder bronzers don't last, I'm hoping a waterproof bronzing mist will do the trick.

Fresh Sugar Lemon Perfume Roller Ball - One of my favorite summer fragrances. This girl is loving the roller ball perfumes. Easy to use, easy to carry, not expensive and just enough fragrance to last about a season.

Cover FX Duo Matte Powder Foundation - Can't believe I don't already own this. Sounds great for this oily face of mine for the summer.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Cheers,

Lulu

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