slow detox

The other day I mentioned I'm on a bit of a health kick; that includes good exercise, good eating, and also, a little bit of detoxifying life in general.   You know, all those sneaky toxins that you never really pay any attention to, like the ones in cleaning products, nail polish, and yes, deodorant.  It's actually a little scary once you start looking into it.

What to do about it...

smoke it

I have discovered the easiest, most fool-proof, flattering, fabulous and quick way to a smoky eye.  Easy, foolproof and quick because it's just two beautifully formulated products (3 if you count the brush), fabulous and flattering because of the magical color.  It might sound like I'm exaggerating a bit, but honestly, I've become addicted to this as my new lightening quick makeup routine.

Check it out...

sampling

Do you have an entire drawer filled with product samples?  As you can see in the photo above, I certainly do.  But this month I finished up my usual moisturizer and, partly out of laziness, partly out of a half-assed desire to save some money, and partly because the thought of taking the samples with me when we move across the seas is appalling, I've been steadily going through them and using them up.   To my surprise, some of them are actually pretty stellar products and I might go out and buy a full-sized version once my supply of samples dwindles.  Guess that's why it's successful marketing.

Some winners so far...

on my face - travel edition

I traveled quite a bit over the last few months, including a month-long trip to the States and a little weekend getaway, so I had to do some careful thinking about my makeup essentials.  I pared it down and managed to fit everything into this little makeup bag (which, by the way, is the absolute best for travel, each little compartment velcros out so you can customize it as you like or just grab one little pouch, and the whole thing weighs about as much as a moth).

Here's the final edit: everything you need to look and feel fabulous when you're away from home without being overloaded or deprived.  It will get you through everything from casual cups of coffee to family dinners to glammed up nights out.

See the details...

last minute lite

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Still doing your christmas shopping?  Yeah, me too.  And if the last gift guide seemed a little too dignified and mature, if you want a little more frivolity in your choices, here's another bunch of ideas to make sure everyone on your list ends up smiling...

last minute

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Still plenty of time to find the perfect gifts.  The folks I still have to shop for are always the hardest; I'm sure everyone as a few of them in their life. 

Here's a handful of ideas to help you fill those gaps...

on my face - november

I swear, I did not wear all this makeup at once.  But the cold weather and the grey rainy days make me want a little something more on my face, a deeper smoke on my eyes or a berry wine on my lips.  And of course, a variety of blushes.  (I am obsessed with having the perfect blush color for any given day, does anyone else out there have this problem?)

The details...

a moisture fix

I ran out of my favorite winter daytime moisturizer.  Like, really ran out, as you can see by the ravaged bottle on the left.  This was a real disaster because I can't find Boscia products anywhere here in Madrid.  Usually I stock up on this stuff when I'm in the states, but this summer I thought, come on, there's got to be decent moisturizer in Spain.  Right?  So now of course I had to spend days researching, reading reviews and recommendations on beautypedia (I totally trust Paula) and makeup alley, and trying out all the samples I could get my hands on.  (I may have mentioned it here before: I'm a chronic researcher.)  But this is a tough one, it had to have the right spf for rainy grey winter days, it had to be lightweight but still moisturizing, it had to have a natural matte finish that leaves you neither shiny nor flat, it had to be gentle and non-comedogenic for my sensitive and acne-prone skin, and it had to deal well with sweat so I could get through my morning ballet class without any weird meltdowns.  That's a lot to ask.

But I found it!  And in case any of you out there have similar requirements I thought you might be interested.  Big thumbs up to MAC Studio Moisture Fix, it does everything I wanted, plus it smells so lovely and fresh it makes me just a wee bit happier in the mornings.

on my face - october

For someone as beauty and product obsessed as I am it strikes me as odd that I don't talk about it here more often.  I could probably fill a small suitcase with all my cosmetics, and I woud have trouble parting with any of it if it came down to it.  On the other hand, at any given moment in time I'm probably only using a handful of products.  I go through phases of absolute obsession, and then suddenly I will look in the mirror and realize, That blush is all wrong.  Luckily there's usually something else in my drawer to replace it and freshen up my morning routine.  For now, for the summer-to-fall transition, these are my go-to products.  Just a little complexion cleaning, a touch of color on the cheeks, and fairly neutral eyes.  Nothing that screams makeup, but still a bit more polished than those hot summer days we're leaving behind.

See the details...

counting sheep

I am smitten with this cozy sheep sweater from Oysho.  I'm not usually a fan of cutesie animal prints, but this one got me.  Also love the boyish boxy shape, I think it would be perfect for layering over a button-down (with a pop of color on the lips)

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A few more greys from what is easily one of my favorite spanish fast-fashion labels...

beach essentials

I'm back!!  Almería and Málaga were ridiculously beautiful and relaxing, and through it all I ate like a champ and rested like a pro.  I'll tell you more about the trip later (with a few recommendations in case any of you find yourselves in Southern Spain any time soon), but for now I thought I'd post what turned out to be my beach essentials.

1. black bikini - ok, mine's from H&M, but I dream of having a luxurious yet basic Eres swimsuit like this one day
2. kindle - loaded with tons of fiction and nonfiction, something for every possible mood
3. baseball cap - again, mine's from H&M, the men's department, but anything to block the sun while you're napping face up will do.
4. a coverup - this sheer cotton shirt from Zara was perfect (especially since, unlike the model here, my legs are not 5 ft. long, so it was much longer on me), both for when the sun was hitting too hard, or when the wind was sandblasting us.
5. sunglasses - these, picked up in Madison last summer, are still my favorites.  My other countless pairs are feeling neglected, but I'm trying to reduce object-induced guilt.
6. sunscreen for your face - this one by Kiehl's is still my go-to here in Spain, but in the US I also swear by Peter Thomas Roth
7. peshtemal - turkish bath towels are the best for the beach; they take up very little room in your bag and are great for laying on, drying with, and wearing as a wrap.
8. notebook - for recording all the ins and outs of your trip, your thoughts or dreams, or for planning that novel that you're gonna write, one day, you swear,
9. sunscreen for your body - something with a high spf, applied liberally, every few hours.  That's how I went from Snow White to Beyonce.  Ha!  Seriously, I came back with what I thought was a savage tan but literally NO ONE noticed.  Just goes to show you how very very pale I was to begin with.  Now I just look normal.
10. a favorite pen - not your father's cherished mont blanc fountain pen, just a good solid fat pen that makes you happy, that you can scribble with even when you're weakened by hours of sun and sea.
11. flipflops - havaianas for me, always.  They never give me blisters.  But that part about them not getting hot in the sun?  Lies.  Nevertheless, I love them.

decals and stickers

Here's a whole new category of questionable beauty innovations: face decals.   For your eyes:

Dior adhesive eyeliner patches.  Really?  And they're reusable?  I honestly don't understand.  If anyone's tried these please report.  Is this ingenuity or insanity?

And for your lips:

Violent Lips temporary lip tattoos.  Available in all kinds of questionable patterns.   Again, all I can ask is, really?  I don't mind a little zebra on my nails, but on the lips it just seems wrong.

images from makeup for life, beaute report, and the beauty scoop

Would you?  Have you?  I'd love to know...

latest beauty buys

I got a coupon in the mail the other day for 10% off my next Sephora purchase. Let's be honest here, 10% is nothing. That's not a real discount. What it is is a trick to get suckers like me into the stores buying more stuff.  And it works.  Well done marketers! This is what I picked up the other day.

Yes, that's my fuchsia lipstick there, and in case anyone's curious, I'm wearing it much more than I'd ever imagined and am loving it more and more each day.  I also picked up one of the new Make Up Forever liquid liners, in this gorgeous sparkly eggplant.  I love the way it goes on and the color is amazing, but to be honest I'm not convinced this is the best liner out there.  I've worn it a few times and it seems to flake off towards the end of the day.  I'm still trying to work out if there's some way around that.  If anyone out there has any insight I'd love to hear it.

Checking online on the US site I see that they don't carry these little spray scents in their bath and body line, which is too bad for you guys over there because they really are wonderful.  They're super cheap and smell delicious and clean and light, and are the perfect thing to throw in my dance bag for a little freshening up throughout the day. 

Also missing online are perhaps the most exciting part of this sephora spree: the nail stickers.  They're similar to the Sally Hansen ones that people are going crazy over.  I cannot wait to try out my leopard nails!  Definitely had to wait until after I visited my grandmother though...

fuchsia

I recently took the plunge and bought myself a brilliant fuchsia lipstick. 

I originally had my eye on Nars Funny Face, but the idea of spending real money on a lipstick I wasn't sure if I even had the balls to wear was sort of off-putting.  So I did a little research and found some dupes, L'Oreal Color Riche No. 288, and Sephora Collection Mr. Lover (R10).  As far as I can tell, they're all pretty much the same.  In the states the L'Oreal one is probably the cheapest, but in Spain the Sephora lippie had the best price so I went with that.  I have no regrets.  And by the way, yes, it turns out I do have the balls to wear it.  Not only that but when this color fades, it does so evenly and leaves behind this gorgeous even pink stain.  Here's a more accurate shot of the color, laid on thick and rubbed out to a stain:

I highly recommend it.  Anyone else out there pushing personal beauty boundaries?  Fashion boundaries?  Life/love/work/adventure boundaries?  I say we attack this summer with reckless abandon in all things, big and small.