Look of the Day, Buttercup, Taxicab, & Dark Chocolate

Today's look is a study in yellows.  I normally wouldn't use this much yellow, as it tends to bring out my yellowish undertones, but the addition of brown seemed to work fine with my skin tone.

Inner corner- Native Hues Buttercup
Center of lid- Native Hues Taxicab
Outer V/crease- Native Hues Dark Chocolate

If you like this look, and would like to try it yourself, you can find these colors here

Product Review: Wet n Wild Intuitive Blend Shade Adjusting Foundation + Primer

A quick trip to Walgreens this evening netted me Wet n Wild's Intuitive Blend Shade Adjusting Foundation + Primer for a cool $5.99.  There were 3 shades available, light, medium, and tan.  I opted for medium, as it seemed like a fail-safe choice.  The 1 oz tube was sealed with a safety seal, which made it impossible to see what was within. 

The back of the container says, "Breakthrough shade adjusting technology starts of white and adjusts to match your exact shade."   

The foundation indeed starts out white, and contains color beads which break up and disperse color when rubbed in.  It did match my shade quite well, but the coverage was less than great.  I think it would be a good product for someone with better skin tone.  Since I have much to hide by way of my melasma, this foundation just does not provide nearly enough coverage.  As you will be able to see in the before/after photos, there is very little difference in tone and texture, even after applying a second "coat."

I don't recommend this foundation for anyone needing the extra help that a highly pigmented formula can provide.

     

Look of the Day, Sky Blue Pink & Midnight

Today's look is a two color eye shadow combination.  I've been trying to cut my makeup time down a bit to get started a little earlier (and beat the mid-day heat).  Usually, I spend the bulk of my a.m. working on my eye shadow application, so I have been trying to simplify and still get the look I'm going for.

So, here's today's look of the day:

 

this look uses Native Hues Eye Shadow in Sky Blue Pink on inner 2/3 of lid, and Midnight in outer v and blended into the center.

These eye shadows hold up very well to activity, sweat, humidity, and the heat of the day.  The bottom photo was taken 7 hours after application and a long day of dog walking in the heat!

An Etsy Find

If you haven't heard of it, etsy.com is a great place to find one of a kind, hand crafted, or vintage items.  There are categories for just about everything under the sun, including makeup and bath items.  Artisans and crafters offer their wares in a "buy it now" style, so you don't have to hope to be the highest bidder.  And in this age of big chain stores and cheap imports, it's just good Karma to support the micro-businesses of the world.

Last week, I had the pleasure of a transaction with Morning Valley Soaps, and I can't say enough good things about the experience.  As I was browsing the bath & body section, I noticed these lovely handmade soaps.  I have to admit, I wanted to try them all.  They are all beautiful, and made with botanical, good-for-you ingredients  The one that really caught my eye, however, was a sweet mint soap.

Peppermint has long been my favorite summertime herb.  The cooling properties are just awesome.  Surviving August here in Texas is a little easier with a tall glass of iced mint tea and a peppermint foot soak.  So, I was happy to see a botanical bar soap on offer containing my beloved mint. 

The soap arrived on Saturday.  Perfect timing, as it was forecast to top 100 degrees over the weekend.  It was wrapped in a nice fabric and tied carefully with a bow.  Also included was a short handwritten note.  Now that's the kind of thing you just don't get when you buy from the big guys!  The scent of the soap is very herbal, and not perfumed, or artificial in any way.  It has a delicate aroma that leaves your skin smelling clean, but not  heavily scented.  This is perfect for me, as my husband can not tolerate perfumes or scents at all (that's why I'll probably never do a perfume review here).

After a few hours out in the heat, I decided to try my new soap.  It was every bit as refreshing as I had hoped.  The only problem now is to make sure I don't use it all up in a week and have to face the rest of August without!

I highly recommend this seller, and will definitely be back for more!  If the thought of peppermint soap doesn't appeal to you, she has so many other varieties on offer, you're bound to find something that appeals to you.  And while you're there, you might want to pick up an extra to give as a gift!

You can visit Morning Valley Soaps at http://www.etsy.com/shop/MorningValleySoaps?ref=seller_infoYou'll be glad you did.

The Bad Haircut

O.k., we've all had them.  Some of us have had more than our fair share of them.  They come in all lengths and configurations, can cost much or little, and no amount of product can save us from them.  I'm talking about bad haircuts!  The kind of bad haircut that leaves you wondering how you can get from the salon to the car, and from the car to your house without being seen.

Well, I've got a doozy of one right now, and I've grown weary of waiting for it to grow out.  All the scalp massage in the universe won't make it grow any faster, and to be honest, I'm running out of creative ways to hide it.  I can only  wear so many bandannas without looking like I have a pirate fetish, baseball caps make me look like a weird little boy, sunhats look like I'm ready for Sunday School, or just stepped out of an impressionist painting, and I've got this great floppy hat that just needs a dozen or so fishing lures stuck through it to achieve that choice "outdoorsey" look.  There's not enough of it to put up, or back, or anything other than let it exist in all its badness.  And I'm entirely too budget conscious to even consider extensions!

My husband refers to any chin length haircut with or without bangs as a "Cornelius" (as in Dr. Cornelius, from Planet of the Apes), so further clipping isn't an option.  The worst part of this bad coiffure is that tonight was my son's graduation, and there I was with my dreadful 'do.  Every picture taken on this momentous occasion will remind me of the joys of child-rearing, and the tragedy of finding myself in the wrong stylists chair.  I mean, I brought a photo for cryin' out loud! 

Bath & Body Works Shea It Isn't So Foot Cream

With the dog days of summer upon us, my poor dogs are barking!  Between the heat, swimming, and wearing sandals/flip-flops pretty much every day, my poor feet are in a sad state.

Shea It Isn't So to the rescue!  It's is from Bath & Body Works "True Blue Spa" line, and it is fantastic stuff.  At $15 for 4 oz, it's not quite so budget, but a little bit goes a long way.  It's uber thick, and moisturizes like nobody's business.  Made with rich shea butter, it works like a charm.  The thick consistency can be a little tricky, but I found that if I slather it on and slip into a nice pair of cotton socks right before bed, I wake up with nice soft and happy feet.  Applying it in the middle of the day had less desirable results (let's just say I was slipping and sliding all over the place!).

The scent is nice, kind of orangey-minty, and  fresh.  The best part is the cooling effect it has.  The minty part makes my feet feel totally refreshed, even after a long (and very hot) day of walking dogs.  This is by far my favorite foot cream out there!

Book Review: Face Value : The Truth about Beauty-- and a Guilt-Free Guide to Finding It by Dr. Hema Sundaram

I picked this gem up at the library the other day, and read it cover to cover in a little over one day.  I found the writing style of the author to be very enjoyable, which kept me reading.

This book was written by a cosmetic dermatologist, and touches on not only external beauty, but also the beauty that comes from within.  I was very pleasantly surprised to find information included on meditation, positive thinking, affirmations, and just loving and accepting ones self for who one is. 

It also looks at various cosmetic procedures and provides anecdotal case studies to bring to life the patients having these procedures done.  Dr. Sundaram writes with such empathy and understanding, I felt as if it was me having a little "work" done! 

I would highly recommend this book for anyone considering any type of cosmetic procedure, be it dermabrasion, laser treatment, acid peel, or even surgery.  It is very eye opening in that it will make you examine your motivations for wanting these treatments, and help you explore whether you truly will benefit from them.  It also offers comfort and reassurances for those deciding that they really do want to proceed with treatment.  It will help alleviate any  feelings of  guilt or vanity as well.

I have recently been considering treatment for discoloration on my face (melasma) that developed during my last pregnancy.  It has been driving me crazy for nearly 3 years now.  Although my husband said he never noticed it until I pointed it out to him, I blame that on his need for a new pair of glasses!  After reading Face Value, I feel much better about my options, and about wanting to seek professional help as well.

Native Hues

Today's look uses only the makeup that I have been working on (Native Hues).  It's so exciting to be able to put an entire look together using the fruits of my labors!  The eye liner pencil and foundation are still "under construction," but I am very pleased with how they are coming along.  I am still pretty stuck on some of my other mineral makeup (mostly from Signature Minerals, which I adore, and also PureLuxe, which has the best coverage I have seen so far), so I 'm not going to be abandoning those goodies, ever! 

This look consists of:

Eyes:  Shadows in Sky Blue Pink on the inner 2/3, and Muscadine on crease and outer 1/3, liner pencil in Blackest Black

Foundation: Tan

Lips: Barbie Girl Liquid Lipstick 

My New Obsession

O.k., I know that I haven't been updating as much as I intend these days.  The truth of the matter is that I have been spending all of my spare time (and money) working on a new makeup project.  It's just about ready for unveiling, and I wanted you, my dear readers, to get the first peek!

As I may have mentioned, I am in love with mineral makeup!  I think it's the makeup miracle of the century, and can't say enough good things about it.   In fact, I am so in love with it that I have been researching it for some time now, and learning as much as my beauty brain can hold.  There are so many great companies and gorgeous colors out there that I nearly didn't even consider starting my own line of cosmetics.

The thing that really helped me to decide to create my own makeup was that there just isn't much out there that doesn't come in loose form.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE loose makeup.  I love the feel, the blend-ability, the amazing selections of shades, hues, tones, and textures, I love it all!  But what really has me concerned is that as I learned about the components of the makeup, I realized that every single ingredient came with warnings that read "Do Not Breathe Dust;" or "May Irritate Lungs;" or things of that nature.  EEEK!  So, if each item is dangerous to breatheon its own, then how is mixing a bunch of these goodies together and dusting them all over my face good?  And when I'm in one of my creative makeup frenzies, I stir up a bit of dust to be sure.  Now, I'm not saying that loose mineral makeup is dangerous, or bad, or anything negative about it at all.  I still love it, and I love the mineral companies that I do business with.

But this got me to thinking, number one-what do the insides of my lungs now look like? (mind you, I'm pretty health conscious, no smoking, good nutrition, exercise daily, etc.) and number two-how can I possibly live without my minerals?!   So, I've been working like a mad scientist to come up with the vibrant colors, good for the skin ingredients, and the spectacular coverage that I love in a pressed form.  So far, I have created those colors that I enjoy most, but I realized that I should share these gems with other beautiholics like myself.  So I will continue to add to the line on an ongoing basis, to suit many tastes and preferences.

I am focused mainly on eye shadows and liquid lipsticks at the moment, although I have now formulated a great pressed mineral foundation for my own use, and am loving it!  It has been so much fun applying all that I have spent so much time researching, and tapping into my creative side to do it.  It's like a right AND left brain endeavor, kind of an art meets science experience!   

Here is that sneak peek that I mentioned.  These are just a couple of the eye shadows that I have created; and they're not yet labeled in this photo.  You will be able to find the full collection on offer at    http://www.etsy.com/shop/nativehues sometime next week.