Weekend Outfit

Here's my outfit I wore today for bumping around town, running a few errands, helping my friend pack and for a late night coffee date. So something stylish, comfy, that I can pretty much do backflips and jumping jacks in was necessary.

Also I was super proud of my mad make-up skillz... check out the subtle day time cat eye. It's small steps but at least I'm going somewhere and being able to draw a straight line is a big leap.

And yes, I realize I'm only 20 and have forehead wrinkles. I blame finals week and too much caffeine, hopefully they'll fade when I start to sleep regular hours again. 

Graphic Eyes and Slicked Hair

I'm not much of a beauty aficionado. The Hispanic ladies at my work regularly ask me if I just don't have enough time to put on makeup in the morning. Truthfully, I have about seven layers on, I've just perfected the art of makeup that doesn't look like makeup, and same goes for my hair. We'll call it artfully mussed.

However these two trends I could really get behind:

Slicked Back Hair

I love this look from YSL, very clean, a little severe, it vaguely reminds me of Clara Bow for some reason. I think that it would work equally well smoothing it just straight back as well, especially with my short hair.
A straightener and some hair gel would make this a five minute hair style at most.

Graphic Eyeliner

This one I'm definitely trying out this weekend when I go out. I love the graphic liner at the Y-3 show and it seems like it would be very simple to create as well. I just need to get my hands on some primer, as if this started to smear it would definitely get ugly. Also how pretty would this look in a purple or teal?

Photos courtesy of Elle.com and Style.com

M Studio

Just wanted to give a shout out to M Studio where I got the best $35 hair cut of my life. Ever.* I had Leah as my stylist and she made sure she understood exactly what I wanted and she's an absolute sweetheart. She was very skilled and very attentive, spending an hour and a half on my hair. It looked so good when I left that I literally haven't washed my hair in four days to try and keep it looking that good, because there's no way I'm going to be able to get it so glass shiny smooth at home.

It also didn't hurt that she played my therapist while she cut my hair, so thank you Leah, I will definitely be back.

* Although with my coupon it was only $17 :) At least when I spend emotionally I also am a responsible emotional wreck.

Brazilians

Warning ladies, we're about to get really intimate over here.
Most women remove hair in one way or another, shaving, nair, waxing.... and it's not new. Egyptians used a lime mixture as a sort of nair back in the B.C. and the Romans used to shave their entire bodies after attending the baths.

So I had gotten sick of shaving. Too much effort (I'm a lazy ass, I know) and waxing seemed to look pretty awesome. What? I only have to go in once every six weeks and I'm mainly hairless for the rest of the month?
Sign me up.

And being me, I went to my first waxing session before my cruise, and I figured I'd just dive right in with a brazilian. Go big or go home, am I right?
I found it to be relatively painless, considering your ripping out large swaths of pubic hair. The only thing that cracked me up was that I have become more intimate with the esthetician Marie at AR salon than any man in my life. Ever.
While I was laying there, as a distraction, I wound up asking her for advice for future waxing sessions. She was a delightful lady, and because I love you guys so much I'll share:

The hair has to be at least 1/4" to be able to be waxed, so if you're thinking about switching to waxing, winter is really the best time to start.
Schedule your waxing session in the afternoon, around 3-5pm, as your pain tolerance is highest during the late afternoon.
Avoid the week before your period, during your period (duh) and for a few days after. Again, you're sensitive and things get messy.
Pop a few ibuprofen a couple hours before your appointment and avoid nicotine, caffeine and stress.
Make sure to take a shower before a brazilian because things are about to become very intimate.

During your wax, remember to breathe. Don't hold your breath when they pull the wax strip off, it just means they have to do it again.
Talk or bring an ipod to distract yourself. The more relaxed you are the easier the process and less painful it will be.
And remember, the first one is the most painful. Afterwards the hair grows in fine and weak, so it's easier to pull out.
If the pain becomes too much, just ask for a break. Though I tend to be the kind of person who says "let's get it over with. GO FASTER!" :)

Afterwards, avoid hot showers, sex (duh), exercise, exfoliation and tight clothing for a day or so. You want the skin to breathe and give your pores a chance to close up without becoming infected.
Regularly exfoliate (2-3 times a week) afterwards to prevent ingrowns.
DO NOT SHAVE. Marie pretty much beat this into me. The hair becomes weaker and finer with each progressive wax, and you can go more time between appointments and it is less painful. However, as soon as you shave you are back to square one.

Anyway, after all of that I think I might have this become a regular habit. It's still pretty chilly here in NY so I'm thinking about waxing my legs and pits next time with my brazilian, as it's been a few weeks and no sign of regrowth. I haven't been this smooth or clean since I was ten (hehehe sorry for the awful mental image guys).
I really do think that the five minutes or so of discomfort is worth saving all that time for the next six weeks. Personally.

If anyone is interested I went to AR salon, which is having a $17 deal on brazilians via lifebooker.

Photo courtesy of Mistee Montanye

Coming Clean

 Don't get me wrong, my apartment is spotless (no thanks to my roommates : p) and damn it if I'll let a cockroach anywhere near the premises, but when it comes to my own cleanliness I've gotten a little looser.

I wash my hair maybe three times a week. Clothes like jackets, skirts, jeans get cleaned maybe once every six months. Unless I've been sweating I tend not to use soap in the shower every single day.
Now if that's gross, I'm sorry, but I've found that it works well for me. It means my hair and skin are less dry (less money spent on conditioners and body lotion) and as for my clothes, less money spent on dry cleaning and a spray of febreze or a few days in the freezer seem to work just fine.*

Best part is, apparently I'm not alone when it comes to my hair and at least Levi Strauss's executive agrees with me on the jeans.

Now I'm curious, how clean are you guys?

*Obvs if they're stained or dirty I wash them sooner, and same goes for my hair or body if I start to smell or look greasy. But, I figure if it doesn't look dirty, why wash it?

Whole Health and Wellness Medspa

I found a ridiculous discount for a reflexology and neck massage on Lifebooker* at the Whole Health and Wellness Medspa a couple days ago, and considering  the fact that my shoulders are now officially at ear level, I figured it was time to get a massage.

I thoroughly enjoyed my massage here. It was quiet (I went on a Friday afternoon. Unheard of.) and the staff was very attentive and prompt. They didn't pressure any additional services, although my masseuse did mention that my knots were so bad that he wouldn't be able to get all of them out with just a neck rub and suggested I come back for a more intense massage. Fair enough.

My masseuse's name was Kevin. Lovely man, I highly recommend asking for him. I know when I get something done I'm polite, but I don't particularly like to chat or have someone drone on at me. He merely asked if this or that was comfortable and then left me alone to relax.
Thank you Kevin, I highly appreciate it.

*Lifebooker is a website that offers insane discounts (up to 95% off) on facials, massages, manicures, haircuts ect. To join click here.

Maybelline Superstay 24 Hour Color

I'm always lured in by pretty packaging and grandiose claims. Usually, I come to my senses and check Make-up Alley to see if the claims are true, but they weren't with me when I went to Target last week.

Due to this lack of judgement, I picked up a Maybelline Superstay lipgloss/lipstick thing, excited about the prospect of un-moveable color and perfectly glossed lips without effort (yeah right).

So.... the color stays, but only around the edges of my lips and in the cracks. Not cute. The rest rubbed off in a few minutes and dried out my lips a ridiculous amount = more cracks. I looked like I had the mouth of a 90 year old chain smoker. I was applying cocoa-butter to my lips like a fiend for the next couple days trying to keep them from peeling on me. Ew.

And just for clarification I'm talking about the one with a white cap-end  with balm and the color on the other end, I think it's the latest version. I haven't had a chance to try the one with a clear end with gloss in it, perhaps it's better?

But to all of you girls out there thinking about purchasing this... stay away from this product! Stay far away!

Vintage Nails

I really liked this little mini-trend that's been popping up, but unfortunately my lady at Bijoux Nails had no idea* what I was talking about when I asked for half-moon nails like Dita Von Teese.
What I'm talking about are these, as seen at the Ruffian show:

Hot right?

I'm more of a classic girl, so in my DIY mine came out like this:

(I apparently have very, very shaky hands first thing in the morning. That explains a lot)

In case anyone is interested, I used Essie Mademoiselle for a base coat (middle), then Opi Thrill of Brazil for the top coat (right). The color on the left is just Essie Berry Hard, and what you have before you is my entire nail polish collection.
Yeah, I'm kind of a classic girl.

If you'd like to give it a shot, I promise it's not very hard. My usual modus operandi for giving myself a manicure is dipping my entire finger in nail polish and letting the excess fall off in the shower. So if I can do it, you can too.

Here's the Youtube tutorial I used:



*It's okay, I still love you guys anyway

New Things

I don't know about anyone else, but I always feel like the new year is a clean start. So I like to celebrate a little by getting a new haircut, usually something drastic.

So about 6 or 8 inches later, we have this.
I'm still trying to remember how to actually blow-dry my hair (man, haven't had to do that in a while) so I've come to terms with the fact that it's going to look a little crazy for the next few weeks.

Anyway, here's my outfit for today. Just heading down into the village, I'm going to learn the Argentina tango today, I mean, why not?

The thing I always forget about having short hair is

1. You actually have to do something with it every day.
2. People can see your face. Which means you also have to do something with that every day.
3. They always make my chin look a little mannish. I'm over it.

I'm just never satisfied. As soon as I have short hair, I wish it were long again. When it's long, I wish it were short.
C'est la vie.

On other notes, I rescued this bag from a family friend's attic. It had been lying under a window so the leather was ridiculously bleached and cracked, but it's such a beautiful Coach bag I figured I'd try and save it.
So after two hours of polishing and a can of shoe polish, it looks pretty gorgeous. Still a little aged, but more family heirloom than junk shop.

*Tip: when trying to rescue bleached or cracked leather, don't have it re-dyed because they strip everything (dye won't penetrate past the varnish/treatment on the leather). Instead, try some leather oil and shoe polish, because both soak past the varnish into the actual leather. Also it's a hell of a lot cheaper than having it dyed.

We also went through my dad's closets (yes, plural) this vacation. That man owns more clothes than any woman I've ever known. He's just such a pack rat. 

Anyway, I rescued this cardigan from him. It's a cardigan from when he went to school at Berkley, CA back in the 70's. 

It needs a bit of de-pilling, but still. I'm a little in love. All I need is a poodle skirt and some saddle shoes : P

Cat Eye Makeup

Halloween is in just a few days! SOOOOO stoked. I have a masquerade party on Saturday, a few parties lined up for Sunday and of course I'm going to the village parade on Halloween.
My costume's all set thanks to a quick trip to Ricky's, but now comes the makeup part.

My girlfriend always bases her costume on her makeup, while I do the opposite. Probably because I'm not a beauty junkie like her (I'm a shopoholic :) ) and when it comes to make up I can do a red lip, a kohl liner and a no-makeup face. Anything else and I'm dead in the water.

So for a really dramatic cat eye like I was imagining to go with my Cat Woman costume, I turned to the internet, as usual.

There are a bunch of great youtube make up artists out there, and I found a great tutorial for a really fun, dramatic cat eye that looks so simple even I could manage to draw it on.

Amuro Cat Eye by cl2425

The music isn't bad either...

Reason #127 That I Love My Hairdresser

Spirit managed to fix that little mess I'd gotten myself into, as long as I promised I would not touch my own hair again.
Um.... sure... but I can still fix my own roots right?

But check out that color, Spirit really does a phenomenal job.

Oops

I decided to color my hair last night, in one of those 3 am whim things.
I was kind of shooting for pre-raphaelite, strawberry blonde, hoping magically the hair color would give me hair like this:

It never quite works like that does it?

Instead I managed a magic trick that turned the front part and underside of my hair that lovely red color I was shooting for, and everything else just stayed blonde.

Fml.
So I called up Spirit at Dramatics and have a "fix it" appointment on Friday morning.

She's going to kill me.

But if you need me in the mean time I'll be at work, hiding underneath scarves and hats...

TSA

I've already talked about my mission to bring on an actual carry-on this time for my upcoming vacation, instead of dealing with the hassle of checking my baggage.
Plus, I like to think that it gives me the opportunity to slim down my routine/get new solid products since I'm such a klutz.

Perfume
I'm happen to just be one of those girls who can't leave the house without putting on a signature scent. In the winter it's a perfume with notes of roses and musk. In the summer, it's oranges and white musk.
So I figure Pacifica's orange blossom solid perfume is a good stand-in for my usuals. Small, convenient, spill-proof. Sweet.

Nerola Orange Blossom

 
Sunscreen
 I'm willing to put any dime store sublock on my body, as long as it's SPF 50 or higher, of course.
For my face I'm much more picky (zits? No thank you). So this baby sunblock stick is perfect. SPF 60, hypoallergenic, oil free, fragrance free and waterproof.

Neutrogena Sunblock Stick

Shampoo
Dry shampoo is a god send. I try not to shampoo my hair much anyway to avoid damaging my color and fine hair. Of course, there's the problem with "no aerosol containers except for .... in reasonable amounts". I am NOT willing to get through the line and find that they dump my big spray can of shampoo, so we're going to go with Blow which is just a squeeze bottle. Much better. 

Blow faux dry shampoo

Everything else (toothpaste, conditioner, moisturizer...) I figure I can either find minis in CVS or just pour into 3.4 oz bottles.
But watch out TSA, I might be hiding something in my Bumble & Bumble conditioner. I'm just saying. : )

A Tune-up

A few weeks ago I needed a serious tune-up, because I felt akin to the swamp thing. So I went and booked my twice annual clean up.
I seem to go through this process twice a year, where I need a mani/pedi, facial and a haircut.
Who am I kidding, I need the pedi once a month. But everything else is only bi-annually.

Perhaps you guys remember my fastest-hair-cut-ever experience?
Well, finally I found a place that does hair cuts right (or at least to my satisfaction)
Dramatics NYC, which is often compared to Supercuts, did a fabulous job.
Polite, clean, knowledgeable. I got a little neck rub with my shampoo, my stylist (Spirit at the 57th street salon if you want to know) was super-gorgeous and actually took time to explain how to manage my mane and gave me a killer hair cut.
I give extra points that she knew what I wanted somehow with my awkward phrases and charades. She must be psychic.
Plus it was only about $40, which was expected. It is NYC after all.
So BIG thumbs up to Dramatics.

I also went to Escape Skin Care in Rockefeller center for their mani/pedi facial package deal.
BIG thumbs down.
Sure, they were competent enough, I can't complain, especially for the price. $99 for all three? Sweet.
However, they rushed me through everything. They did my manicure and pedicure at the same time which had me contorting in strange twister ways, and when they did my facial they actually just left me in the room. I thought they'd forgotten me.
I get that you're busy.
I understand that I'm not the only client there.
But can we get a little service? I feel like with salons that half of what you pay for is the experience.
So, maybe not a big thumbs down. More just an ehhh..... I'll be looking for someplace better next time.

Image thanks to Andreaschmoke

Haircut

So my hair grows kind of freakishly fast. You know how I got my ten minute hair cut back in October? That was barely as long as my chin? It's been six months and it's now almost past my shoulders.
Not only am I beast for only cutting my hair twice a year (I know, all you beauty people are gasping in horror. sorry.) but apparently I have some wicked crazy genetics, since last time I checked hair is only supposed to grow 1/2 inch a month. Go figure.
So it's time for my spring shearing. What I really want is to let my hair go wild and have it look like this:

Can we mention that I've talked about Ms. Bardot like twice in the past week? I'm just so in love with the way she looks, this look to me = eternal sexiness. Maybe toned down a little, but still, eternal sexiness. 

Fact of the matter is that, with my super fine hair, if I let it grow that long I wind up looking more swamp thing than sex kitten.

So the reality is I'm looking more at something like this:

Maybe a few shades darker, but I'm really liking the look of super blond hair for the summer.
Or we could play my fun game where I go to a hairdresser, close my eyes, and say "DO SOMETHING WITH IT!"
*shrug* I'm just saying, it's an option.

Lick Me Lashes

I have pretty normal lashes, my only issue is that I abuse them with tons of mascara every morning since I'm a blondie and like the look of thick lashes.
So I have the issue of them falling out a lot, which is great for making wishes, not so great for getting lush, "lick me lashes" (as my friend calls them) like Bridget Bardot.

While L'oreal's Lash Boosting Serum isn't going to magically transform me into Bridget Bardot (but how awesome would that be?) it did make my lashes healthier, stronger, and I think longer. If not longer at least more lush.
Basically the same results you'd get if you hadn't conditioned your hair for the past twenty years and then started using a super-conditioning hair mask.

You can pick it up at your local drugstore, it's about $15 in NYC, but it was only $11 in my hometown CVS, either way it was a little expensive for a drugstore product (yes, I bitched. I'll admit it) but I'd heard such good reviews from my friends and Makeup Alley that I decided to try it out anyway.

The application is pretty easy, just swipe it on your lashes and line your eyes every morning and night. After about a week my eyes stopped itching, and I noticed that I had more eyelashes and that they were longer after about a month.

PLEASE NOTE: this is not Latisse. It is an eyelash conditioner. If you're just looking for a little help, not miracles, this is your product.

Anyway, with that little note out of the way, I'd definitely recommend this product if you have issues with your eyelashes falling out or being spindly, or if you are just a major supporter of prevention instead of putting makeup over the issue.
I can tell you this right now, I've definitely been using less mascara to get the results I want, and if I can put any less makeup goop on my face I am a very happy girl.

Get Your Nails Did

Manicures and pedicures are something I put under "splurge". But sometimes they are just called for. Today my feet were killing me from standing for 8 hours at work, my cuticles were out of control (yes... I might've been picking them), and I just felt like a disgusting beast monster.

Yeah. it was that bad.

So I dropped by Bijou nails (417 W. 58th street) which my girlfriends had been raving about, and here's my review. It's pretty bare bones compared to the real ritzy spas, but compared to the ones that I'd been to at the same price point ($9 manicure, $23 pedicure) it was pretty luxe.

They were quick and clean, which is very important to me, and they even gave me a back massage while my nails were drying. Awesome.
They also add on little things, like I had my feet "grated" and had a paraffin wax treatment. Yes, it was as glamorous as it sounds, but if you'd seen my callouses from wearing heels it was required, and my feet are baby soft now.

However, they have a weird "tax" which I've never heard of that gets added onto the bill.
Example:

Brochure prices

$9 mani

$23 pedi

$5 "grating"

and that somehow added up to $40 for my bill, which when I asked about it they just said "Oh, that's the tax". I was a little confused, but considering the place I usually go it's $35 for a similar pedicure, I decided it definitely wasn't worth the argument.

So overall this place gets a big thumbs up from me (I will be heading back in a month or two when I become a disgusting beast again) just watch out for that hidden "tax".


photo thanks to Library of Congress

MVP

When I got out of my final today I stopped by the bathroom to wipe off the oil that without fail is always coating my face (so glamorous, I know).

But when I reached into my bag for my e.l.f. shine eraser pack, I found that it was empty. I might have had a small panic attack. Just a little one.

Thankfully I have about five more stashed in my desk drawer that I'd forgotten about, but I figured that I should let you know about this little beauty miracle.

If you have an oily or combination complexion, these are your saviors. They mop up oil and banish any sort of shininess, and they leave you with just a beautiful clean looking skin (instead of that powdery caked look foundation and powder can give you). They're easy to keep on hand and they're also only $1 each at E.L.F. (Btw Clean and Clear's blotting papers are $6 a pack. Just saying.) so you can stock up without the guilt.

Lips Don't Lie

Red lipstick is such a sexy classic, and I hate to tamper with it, but I think it's time for a change. As much as I love my Revlon "in the red" (the perfect pin up girl red for my "tawny" complexion) there's a new lipstick that has taken over the makeup drawer.

I'm absolutely loving Revlon's "Strawberry Suede" it feels a little girlier and lighter to me than my red lipstick, and I've been wearing it all week.

Although, let's be honest, I will always be wearing red lipstick on Friday and Saturday nights. Nothing has quite that same retro sizzle as bright red lips.

And for anyone who is still hesitant about lipstick ( I know most girls stick with the black eyeliner and gloss routine) check out Revlon's lipsticks, especially the Matte collection which is my favorite. They've been around since the 1930's and have sold lipstick since 1940. They know their stuff.

Their lipstick comes in a bazillion colors, goes on creamy, stays FOREVER, fades evenly and all of this for only about $7.

So feel free to dabble and experiment, that's what life's all about right?

photo thanks to SarizZzZzle.

note: the lipstick pictured isn't "strawberry suede" but the color is very similar.

Beauty Surprises

So as I told you a while ago, at Beauty Ticket you can get a "mystery bag" for $15, and since I love surprises I'd figure I'd order one and see what I got. I definitely was not disappointed.

I got:

Two little eye shadows from (I think) Joey New York, one was a very wearable light brown, the other a creamy gold color.

A Stila Bronzer compact (which is nice, bronzer is just one of those things that I didn't want to buy because I don't see the use of it. Now I'll get the chance to play around with this one and see if I like it)

A Bourjois lipstick in Beige Fievreux. I tried it on and while it definitely isn't a runway caliber nude lip, its does give a nice sheen and dulls down my lipcolor a bit.

Another Bourjois lipstick in Violet Cheri. This one is gorgeous, I've been looking for a shade like this for a while. I'm not sure about the staying power yet, but it is an absolutely beautiful burgundy/wine colored lipstick. It brings out my inner vampire :)

A Mac pencil in BBQ, although it says lip pencil on it, I'm definitely going to just use this as a brown eye pencil. It'll be a nice addition to my Maybelline brown eye pencils that have been used down to little stubs.


A Smashbox eyeshadow stick in Showcase. It's a nice highlighter, a kind of creamy white, again lovely (although I'm a little biased. I love Smashbox for basic quality makeup).

So even though there were a few duds (I'm not even going to talk about the awkward chapstick/lipstick sample I got. I didn't know what to do with that one.), just the highlighter, burgundy lipstick, and mac eye pencil made this grab bag worth it (mac eye pencils alone are $16!!).

So was it worth $15? Definitely

Would I order another? Hell yes!