Properly Made Up

And here she is…

I bought her from BlackHairSpray.com for $17.99.  She is a synthetic half wig with bouncy bouncy curls.  It’s too cute. 

Unfortunately I am very disappointed in the fact that I didn’t want anything more than what I picked up from this collection, Warm & Cozy.  I am devastated that I didn’t want anything from the All Races, Love Lace and Lilyland collections as well.  Eeeeek!

So what this means is that I am not really in a good mood right now.  I had a list of stuff I wanted and I came up with that list from looking at bloggers/youtube guru swatches and reading the descriptions of each product from the MAC website.  I went to my MAC counter and I was only able to purchase two things…YES TWO THINGS…in good faith in the fact that I will use these products for sure.  If I had bought anything else I probably would be trying to make trades or sell by the end of next month from non-use.

OK so this is what I bought and I am very happy with my purchases.  Honestly, I am still thinking about picking up 5N lipstick from All Races and that Raven kohl power pencil from Love Lace.  I may just go back and get those soon.

Spiced Tea Lipstick $14.00 and 3N Lipglass $14.00…

Swatches!  On the top it’s Spiced Tea lipstick and on the bottom it’s 3N lipglass.

Right now I WANT…

1.  Glam Princess by Vera Wang!  I must have this.  This is a new follow up to Princess (my favorite fragrance) and to me, it smells WAY better than Princess.  It smells so sexy!  I was able to get a sample of it the other day and I’ve been smelling on that card since.  It smells SEXY.  Like…a deep sexy smell (sorry I can’t explain it better) and I want it now!!!!  Macy’s has a full size gift set with just the fragrance and a train case for $72.00.

2.  Yes to Tomatoes facial scrub and face wash.  I really want to try these out “organic” face products and they will be my first once I get my hands on them.  Retail they go for $15.00 for the scrub and $10.00 for the face wash at Target (where I mistakenly bumped into this brand).  I have oily to combination skin so I would have to use the tomato formula.  Click HERE to get info about these products.

3.  Urban Decay’s Book of Shadows Alice In Wonderland palette.  I have put my MAC eyeshadow wantages on the back burner temporarily to focus my attentions on this new palette that came out last Friday.  I’m getting this palette once it hits stores.  It is definitely a must have for my collection.  I so can’t wait!!!  Price: $52.00

And I did very good this time around too.  I was happy to find everything in the clearance shelf  at Target that my wonderful hubby located this past Saturday.  Here is my haulage…

Well, I was gawking at this mascara (yep I’m late) called Telescopic by L’Oreal when Hubby came to me with this Eco-Tools brush set and my face lit up like a full moon because I love my Eco-Tools Powder brush and angled liner brush A LOT.  It was the limited edition Alicia Silverstone brush set that I wanted to get when it first came out, but I wasn’t able to find it at my home Target.  The box was a little bit beat up so I opened it up to check out the condition of the brushes and I found that the stippling brush was twisted and kind of damaged.  Hubby came back with another box and so we checked it out and switched the bad stippling brush out for the good one in the other box so it worked out perfectly.

The brush set came with a brush bag and four brushes (blush, stippling, angled shader brush and lash/brow comb brush).  I was happy to have come into this because I was debating on whether or not to purchase a MAC 187 brush which I don’t have, but need.  I have yet to try this brush out, but I hope it works just like the MAC 188 that I do have.  I don’t know the original price of this set, but I got it for $3.47!

There is also a bookmark that came with it that has Alicia’s picture on it that explains what she uses each brush for.  Included is a dollar off coupon on any Eco-Tools product.  I’m not sure what I’ll use it on…maybe another liner brush.

This brush I’m very excited about…the Eco-Tools Finishing brush (stippling) which is dense, firm and very soft.

I also picked up the limited edition Eco-Tools Earth Friendly Train Case which I love and what I’ll be taking with me on vacations.  I also go this lovely case for $3.74!

Another coupon…

Yes To Carrots…a brand I had never heard off until I spotted it on the clearance shelf.  I was able to get a stick of C Me Smile lip butter (berry flavor), a squeezy tube of C Me Shine lip gloss (flirty pink flavor) and a tube of C Me Blush lip tint (sunset pink flavor).  These products are 95% organic USDA approved (it says it on the products)…ummm ok.  LOL!  I never heard of that before.  Something is either organic or not, but anyway I am happy to try out these products.  The packaging also says, ” All Natural.  Free of  Parabens.  Three delicious and organic ways to nourish your lips.”  I’m not really into flavored lip products, but I’ll give them all a try for $2.48.

I also picked up two eyeshadows by Almay Pure Blends in Steel (a silver color) and Ivory (an ivory color) to try out because the price was so good on them. I never thought to look at these shadows before, but I’ll see what I can do witth them.  I swatched them and they come out a bit ashy.  I will let you guys know how it comes out on the eye when I get around to using them.  Price: $1.61 for both.

Swatches!  The top color is Steel and the bottom is Ivory.

Last, but not least, I got a Rimmel Shock32 Magnifying lip gloss in Amp’ed for $1.48.

I’m going to keep this one short.  NARS baby!

I figured I was in need of more NARS and since I love NARS blushes I decided to pick one up.   I swung by Sephora in my favorite mall (Willowbrook Mall in Jersey) and decided on Taos.  Taos had been on my list for a long while after I got Love Joy so I went for it.  Taos reminds me of Love Joy, but it has a brick red color in it with flects of gold glitter which is what I love about NARS - I love the shimmer and the pow of their colors.  Both blushes are different, but remind me of each other.  I was happy I made the choice to get it because it is beautiful on me and it shows up very well.  Price: $25.00

I also picked up a NARS eyeshadow.  Yay!  It is my very first NARS eyeshadow and that’s because I am a MAC eyeshadow hoarder.  I had seen this shadow time and time again and have swatched it time and time again, but never bought into it.  I know people rave about this shadow a lot so I decided to get it.  This color is goregous.  It is a deep brown color with flect of gold glitter in it.  I wore it today and it came up on me so beautiful!!!  I paired it with Glamour Check! by MAC — GORGEOUS!  The eyeshadow I’m talking about is Galapagos! Price: $22.00

Swatches!!!

I am totally in love with my purchases. 

OK so I am always passing this Goodwill store on my way to anywhere when I’m out shopping and so yesterday Hubby and I decided to swing by to see if there was anything there we might be interested in buying.  Hubby runs to the books because he loves to read old books and I run straight to home wares to see if there are any containers I can use to store my makeup, beauty and or hair stuffs.

Anyway, the make a long story short, we made our way over to “electronics” and I spotted (out of the corner of my eye) a makeup mirror made by the Clairol people back in the day.  It was brand new in the box and I had hubby test it for power and it worked!  It had never been used and it was marked $5.99.  What??  Old or not, I had to have it because a mirror like this runs at least 30 dollars at Target.

I got my mirror home and checked it out.  It came with a little instruction manual plus a “Makeup Tips From Michael Maron and Clairol”…sweet!  It’s a complete little booklet that give makeup application tips and the like.

UT OH!!!  IS THAT NATALIE FROM “THE FACTS OF LIFE” in my throwback booklet??????????? LOL!!!  Too funny!

And here are pictures of my new vintage Clairol beauty mirror which was released in 1988!!!  I was 9 years old back then.  It comes with four lighting settings (day, office, home and evening), an adjustable stand, regular and magnifying mirror and an extra outlet.

Ummm yeah…I am very happy and excited to have this mirror.  I already have another beauty mirror which is pretty, but you can never have too many mirrors on your vanity.  That’s all!

Burlington Coat Factory (some of the stores) have a great selection on costume jewelry for cheap.  The price range is equivalent to Forever VII’s costume jewelry range of $2.99 - $9.99 per item.  I was happy to pick up a few things from the bunch about two weeks ago…I’m going to need to go back soon.  Here is what I bought:

A close up of my lovely ring…

And wow…this is how my stash started and that pic was taken on July 13, 2009.  This is what my makeup stash looks like now…eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!  LOL!  100% pure love. 

1.  This is where I store all of my makeup now.  I’ve gone from a tiny Bare Escentuals kit box to this monstrosity which is pretty basic, but efficient.  I bought two 3 drawer containers from Sears for 8 bucks each on clearance over the holidays and I got the tiny three drawer container from Target for 5 bucks.  I made my own Sephora inspired brush holders and this one in the picture is exclusively my MAC brush holder.  I really need to get rid of those blue sticky tags of the front, right?  I’ll work on that.

A close up of the top of my smaller makeup storage unit. :)  That brush laying lonely on the top is my Essence of Beauty dual angled fluffy eyeshadow brush which I love and has stopped me from investing in a MAC 227.  The fact that it’s dual and I can’t put it into a holder is disappointing, but it is what it is.  I own a MAC  134, 188, 165, 168, 224, 217, 226, 219 and two 239 brushes.  I also own a 129sh (not pictured) which I love.

In my small 3-drawer container, in the top drawer, I store my lip products.  Here are all of the lip products I own :

MAC Lipglasses in Viva Glam V, IV, Liberated (Style Warrior), Partial to Pink (Cremesheen), Squeeze It (Fafi), Kitty Couture (Dazzleglass - Hello Kitty) - NYX Lip Glosses in Ice Princess (my favorite), Cady Shop - Revlon Colorstay Lip Glosses in Stellar Sunrise, Superb Sangria - Stila Lip Gloss in Brown Sugar - Bare Escentuals Lip Gloss in Eva - ELF Lip Gloss (don’t know the name - don’t like the squeeze tubes) - Maybelline Lip Gloss in Sweet Blush

MAC Lipstick in Faultlessly, NYC Lipstick in Sheer Red, Ulta Lipsticks in Mauve Shimmer, Iced Cappuchino - TNK Pure Gold

CoverGirl Lip Pencil in Burgandy (Queen Collection) - CQ Smart Liner in Berry

MAC Tinted Lip Moisturizer in Pink Fish (backup), Popster

In the middle draw I store my eyeliners and mascaras.  I own CoverGirl Lash Blast - Maybelline Colossal Volum  in Glam Black (my favorite) and Last Stiletto in Very Black - Bare Escentuals Flawless Definition mascara in black (sample - very good) - Rimmel Magnifier waterproof mascara - Stila Kaja Eyeliner Pencil in Onyx and in Topaz - Maybelline Unstoppable eyeliners in Espresso and Onyx - MAC Kohl Power in Feline (back up), Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner minis in Rockstar, Grafitti, Zero, Binge, Eldorado, Corrupt, Stash, Ransom and Oil Slick - L’Oreal Telescopic liquid liner in Carbon Black - Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen in Blackest Black.  I’m not sure why my MAC Greasepaint Stick  in black is in my eyeliner and mascara drawer, but it’s here.

In the bottom drawer, I keep my eye primers, bases, brow pencils, pencil sharpener (Wet n’ Wild) and lash curlers in it (dollar store and Borghese).  NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencils in Dark Brown, Milk and Black Bean - NYX Auto Eyebrow Pencil in brown (back up)  - NHK Eye Crayon in brown - Wet n’ Wild Kohl Brow Eyeliner in Mink Brown (2 backups - love) - Revlon Brow Fantasy dual gel/pencil in dark brown - MAC Paint Pot in Painterly - Stila Smudge Pot minis in Starry Night, Violet, Kitten and Black - Too Faced Shadow Insurance and Urban Decay Primer Potion primers.

On to the top drawer of the larger container.  I keep my costume jewelry in it.

In the next drawer down I keep my face products in it.   MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in Dark, Blonde, Brunette, Redhead, Petticoat, Perfect Topping and So Ceylon - MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC50 and NC45 - MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW45 - MAC Blot Powder in Dark - MAC Beauty Powder in Harmony (Heatherette - not pictured) -  MAC Matte primer - Revlon Colorstay Mineral Finishing Powder in Suntan Matte - BareMinerals Foundation in Golden Deep and Dark - BareMinerals Matte Foundation in Golden Dark - BareMinerals Face Color in Warmth - Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Foundation in Tan Dark - Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer in Latte Dark - RareMinerals Blemish Therapy - Stila  Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer in shade 01 - Stila Convertible Color in unknown - NARS Blush Taj Mahal and Love Joy - BareMinerals Blush in Golden Gate - NYX Blush in Cinnamon.

Third draw down I keep my eyeshadows and palettes in it.  MAC 12 pan palette full.  MAC eyeshadow pots in Haunting (Alexander McQueen), Brown Script, Glamour Check! and Top Hat - MAC Mineralized Eyeshadows in Cinderfella, Gilt by Association and Fashion Patch (quad). MAC Brushed Metal-X Cream Eyeshadow in Verdigris - Victoria Secret eyeshadow in Decadent and 24K - NYX eyeshadows in Suede and  White - BareMinerals eyeshadow in Joy - MAC eyeshadow quads: Fafi Eyes 1, Spiced Chocolate, Shadowy Lady, Stowaways, Tempting, Fascinating Ruby and 1 empty quad for travel - NYX eyeshadow trio in Tropical/Yellow/Lime Green - Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box.

My first and only MAC 15 pan palette is filled.  I need another one, but here are the shadows in it (starting from row #1 going down and then to the next row):  Plumage, Sketch, Nocturnelle, Humid, Bold and Brazen, Silverthorn, Passionate, Sushi Flower, Off the Page, Coppering, Antiqued Ricepaper, Patina, Gorgeous Gold and Flip.

The next one is my junk drawer that holds brushes I don’t use often or not at all anymore, samples, my B2M (back to MAC packaging), glitters, back ups and my wire cutter for depotting eyeshadows.

The next drawer is my Ulta Drawer.  I took everything out of my gift set and put it into this drawer.  I simply love Ulta eyeshadows because they are very pigmented and they go on so gorgeous and are eacy to work with.  The ones I have are all shimmery except for one matte color that I use for a highlight.  It came with a lot of other stuff…read about it here.

The last drawer holds all of my nail polishes.  Bruccie: 17 random colors - MAC: Fluid, Naturally Rich, Firehouse - CQ in Cherry Slush - Maybelline Express Finish in Spiced Cider - Sinful Colors: Gorgeous, What’s Your Name, Rich in Heart, Let’s Meet, Tokyo Pearl, Paris, See You Soon, Vacation Time,  You Just Wait, Out of This World, This Is It, Purple Diamond, Dancing Nails, Serena and Chloe - Zoya: Irene, Creamy, Richelle, Kalista, Freja, Midori - NYX 4 random colors - Sephora by O.P.I. in Metro Chic - O.P.I. in Pink of Hearts 2009 - China Glaze in Crusin’.  I also have hardeners, top coats and bases (not pictured).

My other brush holder (on the bottom) which hold other brushes I use from time to time.  The brands are Borghese, Essence of Beauty, ELF (eyeshadow brushes only), Studio Tools, Eco-Tools and Sonia Kashuk.

Last, but not least…some staples:  MAC brush cleaner, MAC Fix + and MAC Skin Salve (Naked Honey - it will be a sad day when I finish that off).

And that’s my collection folks!!!

My best friend was too lazy to create her own MAC account so she used mine to order her things and I forgot I had a couple of items in my checkout and she ended up buying my stuff, by mistake, plus hers.  My order came to about $50 for both things.  Yeah, MAC is high end on the low end and it’s still expensive.  Yeah, I know.  No worries.  I was happy to be getting them.

Anyway, I got a 168 brush ($32.00 I believe) and a lipstick in Faultlessly ($14.50 - from the F/W 2009 collection) which is an amplified (it goes on creamy and in true color).  This lipstick is amazing and looks amazing on me.  It has a little shimmer in it and it goes on dark, but it is lovely.  And I threw away my e.l.f. (ewww) angled contour brush because my new 168 is WONDERFUL.  I love both of my items.  Here are the pics…

Fancy Love smells AMAZING!  I also love Jessica Simpson shoes - sexy!  I originally went to Macy’s just to go and tes out the Juicy Couture fragrances and ummmm they do not appeal to me at all.  Pretty packaging, but they smell to be too loud or too fruity for my taste.  I’m more into sexy smells like Mariah’s M and Luscious Pink and my favorite Princess by Vera Wang.

So I’m going around smelling stuff…Baby Phat which smells like it has a funky undertone (me no likey), a fragrance by Jennifer Lopez which smelled sporty and clean and I don’t like those smells because that’s the way a guy is supposed to smell and many more.  I even smelled Queen Latifah’s fragrance - ugh!  I love the Queen, but I wasn’t feeling that perfume.  I then stumbled upon Fancy Love!!!

Fancy love smells like a good incense, very pretty and deep.  I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s soft and it’s not loud at all.  I just love smelling myself when I have it all.  Pure Love.  She also has another one and I forget the name, but it has a spicey smell to it and I didn’t like that one.  Fancy Love was the winner!

Fancy love came with a gift set.  I got a full size bottle of the perfume, shower gel, lotion and a handbag.  I had a choice between a burgandy or a tan colored bag and since my Grandmother was with me I let her choose.  She chose the beige one and I gave it to her.  I gave the lotion to my daughter.  I kept the shower gel and the perfume.  Nice!  Price: $59.  Pics (sorry for the darkness, but flash was a bit too flashy)…

The sales person stuck some samples (I have yet to try out fully) into my bag.  She gave me one from Guess by Marciano, Queen Latifah (I don’t like) and one by Paris Hilton.