currently loving...

spring is in full swing...isn't it fabulous?

mornings are still cold, but the days are getting warmer, longer, and i'm so inspired by all of the new and gorgeous things in my life that are making the season so much more splendid...

fresh blooms!
i love fresh flowers, and seeing them everywhere always brings a smile to my face.

a new scent!

i've enjoyed wearing Shenandoah, by Terri Michelle fragrances, a lot lately. the clean-smelling scent has floral notes, but also musks, making it sophisticated but still light. i admit, i probably wouldn't have liked this a few years ago, but i now find this to be quite lovely. this gem is perfect for the spring season with its notes of bergamot, white lily, white musk, freesia, lotus, ylang ylang and sandalwood.

pastels!

coral and mint in particular are among the eye-pleasing, happy-inducing pastel shades every beauty girl should be adding to her daily life this season. both shades are uber flattering and can easily be incorporated through clothing, accessories and beauty products. i'm loving Sally Hansen nail polish in Mint Sorbet and Revlon's Coral Reef lipgloss.

new mascaras!

even if i'm not wearing shadow or liner, i wear mascara. three i can't get enough of all happen to be made by Maybelline ~ One by One {clump-free, fabulous volume}, Lots of Lashes {amazing, glossy length and volume with a fabulous brush to get at every lash} and Illegal Length Fiber Extensions {gorgeous, flake-free length}. trust me, dolls, you need these eye-opening gems in your beauty arsenal.


what are you currently loving??

Shenandoah fragrance sent to me for review consideration; pics taken by me

review: Beauty for Real Miracle Mascara

lush, long lashes. what gal doesn't want them? these days they're definitely easy to achieve thanks to an abundance of mascaras on the market.

one i want to share with you today is Beauty For Real's Miracle Mascara. i was given the opportunity to receive this for use from the brand. it's been a little more than 2 weeks that i've been using it, and i have to say...this mascara impressed me very much.

with claims of being water resistant and smudge-free, but still easily removable with just water, i admit, i was a bit sceptical. well, this little beauty proved me wrong! it applied beautifully with no clumping. the look it created wasn't as dramatic as i wanted, but still pretty and lush. once on, Miracle stayed put until i removed it {water worked, yes, but i still used my typical makeup removal methods as well}.

key ingredients include carnauba wax which allows for the mascara to give lashes fullness but also soft flexibility. collagen and vitamin E give strength, resilience and antioxidants, promoting healthier lashes. the long-lasting formula held up against sweat, tears and the oh-so annoying lint/dirt/makeup/stray eyelash-in-the-eye events. another fab feature that i {and you will too} love is in Beauty For Real's signature packaging: a magnifying mirror on the outside of the tube and LED light in the lid! genius for precise application.

thumbs up for this mascara, beauties! visit beautyforreal.com for more info about Miracle Mascara and more info about the entire range of products.

product sent to me for review consideration; pics taken by me :)

Maybelline Volum' Express The Falsies Mascara

one mascara that had me (and many other beauty fanatics) in a frenzy over the summer was Maybelline's new Volum' Express The Falsies Mascara.

have you tried it yet?

if your answer is no, um...why not??!


this mascara has a keratin fiber formula that gives lashes more oomph and the cool "spoon" wand makes getting every lash coated super easy.


clearly the name itself is enough to draw in a mascara junkie like myself, but it's the results that have kept me on the Falsies bandwagon. in my opinion, this is almost the drugstore equivalent of Lancome's Hypnose Drama-- my absolute favorite high-end mascara-- and if the pics don't convince you to try it for yourself, i don't know what will...


before


after

you can find Volum' Express The Falsies Mascara at my favorite mass retailer, Target (where i purchased it). visit maybelline.com for more info.

xo
pics taken by me :)

Beauty on a Budget: Rimmel London Max Volume Flash Mascara and Royal Gloss

two products from Rimmel London that i have been enjoying a lot lately are their new The Max Volume Flash Mascara and one of their Royal Gloss shades, Berry Crush.

first The Max Volume Flash...



this is touted as a volume-building mascara, but i found it did give a decent amount of length. the brush is huge (which seems to be the trend with most volumizing mascaras these days), but the handle is a manageable size, so it's not difficult to maneuver through your lashes. the formula is good, not too thin of thick, and, as you can see in the pics (below), gives great volume (i think i was in a hurry, as i seem to missed the inner lashes on my right eye, LOL) with minimal clumping. ps- no flakes to be found as the day wears on! :)






Royal Gloss...





this lipgloss is silky smooth and so moisturizing on lips! enriched with vitamins A, C and E as well as royal jelly, it leaves a shiny finish without being sticky. Royal Gloss comes in 10 fabulous pearly shades, each enhanced with the sweet scents of bubble gum, chocolate and peach (Berry Crush has a bubble gum scent).

you can find Rimmel The Max Volume Flash Mascara and Royal Gloss in drugstores and mass retailers nationwide.

xo
all pics taken by me :)

CoverGirl Introduces LashBlast Fusion Mascara

happy friday my lovely readers! as you can tell from the title, CoverGirl has a new mascara. the newest sister in the LashBlast mascara family is called LashBlast Fusion.

now your lashes can have it all thanks to CoverGirl's first ever volume and length mascara. CG's global creative design director Pat McGrath (and all-around fab makeup artist extraordinaire) previewed LashBlast Fusion exclusively during fall/winter 2010 new york fashion week, including Anna Sui's runway show.


model Mirte Maas backstage at Anna Sui. image via style.com

LashBlast Fusion will be available at your favorite store nationwide come april, but good news is that you can get it before anyone else starting today, march 12th during the exclusive online pre-sale. pre-sale customers can take advantage of free shipping from today through april 5th. but hurry! only a limited amount is available while supplies last.

visit facebook.com/covergirl for a list of participating e-retailers.

tell me: are you excited to try this new mascara?

xo

Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous Mascara

mascara, as most of you know, is a must-have for me. this new one, Lash Stiletto Voluptuous from Maybelline, recently caught my eye, and i had to try it (yes, i bought it myself). while i thought the the original Lash Stiletto was just ok, i absolutely love this new version so much more.



the brush is curved, similar to my holy grail, absolutely-cannot-live-without-it mascara Lancome Hypnose Drama. the formula is good, too-- it isn't too thick, but just enough to get lashes looking full.



take a look at the before and after pics...



before



after


so, what do you think? have you tried Maybelline Lash Stiletto Voluptuous yet? you can find it at your local drugstore and mass retailer.

xo

Products I Want to Try in 2010

the new year is around the corner-- can you believe it? 2010! wow...i remember, like it was yesterday, being in 5th grade, talking with my friends-- we thought we'd never graduate high school because it was "so far away", ha!

all of that aside, a new year brings us the opportunity to start fresh, set new goals and look forward to whatever is in store for us.

and of course, there are always new beauty goodies to try!

i like to keep a list of want-to-try products, and the following products are in my top 3 right now:




i'm a sucker when it comes to mascaras. Dior's DiorShow Exstase Mascara claims to plump lashes inside and out and give lashes outstanding volume. according to my blogging pal Amber, the tiered brush is fabulous for grabbing even the smallest lashes and from her before and after pics, i must get my hands on a tube of my own.




foundation is a product i am very picky about, so unlike mascaras, i'm not always quick to jump and try a new one. Lancome's latest, however, has caught my attention. the Oscillation Powerfoundation is mineral-based and its vibrating applicator helps to provide perfect coverage.




another one of my cannot resist type products are deep conditioners. my hair is thick and coarse, but with proper care i keep it healthy, soft and shiny. Garnier has an fabulous-sounding product out called 3-Minute Undo Dryness Reversal Treatment. this formula is infused with olive, shea and avocado and promises to reverse dryness, nourish deeply and leave hair silky soft in just one use. since this is a drugstore buy, you just might be seeing my review of this very soon. :)


tell me: what products are you wanting to try in 2010?

xo

Demi Moore & Rachel Zoe Discuss Worldwide Exclusive Lash Queen Mascara

Demi Moore, as i previously shared, is the face of the new Helena Rubinstein All You've Ever WANTED fragrance. you may have already run to your local Macy's to smell it, but if you haven't purchased it yet and plan to, i urge you to run, don't walk for this: you have an opportunity to try a new mascara!

with each purchase of All You've Ever WANTED at select Macy's, you will receive one tube of the Lash Queen Mascara free. this mascara is currently not available anywhere worldwide and this promotion will be the only opportunity american consumers will have to test this exclusive product.

watch the video below of Demi and stylist Rachel Zoe gushing about Lash Queen Mascara.




xo

Beauty Girl TV: L'Oreal Paris Telescopic Explosion Mascara

L'Oreal Paris Telescopic Explosion Mascara is the brand's latest offering to the world of mascaras. if you're a mascara junkie, you see it's quite similar (and not so similar) to Givenchy's Phenomen'Eyes. so what do i think? watch the video and see for yourself!




visit lorealparis.com for more info about Telescopic Explosion. it can be found in drugstores and mass retailers nationwide, and ordered online at ulta.com

xo
pic taken by me :)

Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara

if you're looking for a new mascara, stop what you are doing right now, and go get Lancome's new Hypnose Drama Mascara.

seriously.

this mascara is AMAZING! i even tweeted about it after the first time i used it-- it's that good. it makes my lashes look incredible, every single time i use it.

two weeks ago, i was at Sephora with a friend, and the conversation went like this:

her: "what are some of your favorite mascaras?"

me: "oh, i'm loving Lancome's new mascara. it's called Hypnose Drama..." then i proceeded to tell her about a couple more mascaras i liked from both drug and department stores.

her: "what are you wearing right now?"

me: had to think a second --"Hypnose"

her: "wow! that is good mascara-- i've been looking at your lashes today thinking they look great. they're so full and lush"

me: "thanks!"

another thing that fabulous about this mascara is that it doesn't flake or clump and washes off so easily at the end of the day.


here are the before and after pics:


no mascara


with the Hypnose Drama, just on the top lashes

so if you want full, lush, amazing-looking lashes, get this. like now.

btw, i would have posted a pic of my own personal mascara (as i usually do), but my camera broke at some point between day 1 and 2 in nyc. thankfully, i took pics of my eyes before it kicked the bucket...

find Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara at your local Lancome beauty counter or shop online at sephora.com and lancome-usa.com

xo
pics taken by me :)

Beauty on a Budget: L'Oreal Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara

i love mascara. maybe a little to much, but hey, whatever. i could have worse addictions you know. with that said, it's no surprise that i was uber-excited when L'Oreal's new Extra Volume Collagen Mascara showed up on my doorstep.



this mascara contains a hydra-collagen formula (includes collagen and hyaluronic spheres) that promises to deliver full-volume lashes. the wand is big and voluminous itself, so the expectation is high-- so does it deliver?

in a word: yes!

see the pics below? voluminous, don't you think? if these don't convince you to try it, you should know that it doesn't clump, flake or smudge as the day goes on. my lashes stay relatively soft, and it's easliy removed. plus, you can get this at your local drugstore for a fabulous price-- love that!


before



after


Extra Volume Collagen Mascara also comes in a waterproof formula, and can be found at drugstore.com

xo
pics taken by me :)