Cosmetics 101: Building Your Arsenal

A few weeks ago it was my friend’s Birthday and we had a big party planned for her. As part of the planning prep I invited her to come and hangout at my house to get ready before hand. We got to have fun girly time I flat ironed her hair and did her make-up. We got to talking about how she feels overwhelmed shopping for Make-up. I think this is a common problem for a lot of women. Those make-up sales people can be hit and miss with their advice sometimes. Check out this post by my friend The Wonk for a great example of how annoying these trips can be.

I don't claim to know a lot about makeup but I do know how to shop for makeup. I like getting my makeup done by the ladies at the counter. It is like a free spa.. well free if you don't blow an entire paycheck on mac eyeshadows (unlike me). My first job out of College was Assistant Manger of the Cosmetics Department of a large department Store. I didn't work at the counters I basically had to deal with the catty cosmetic counter fights about commissions and schmooze with the account reps. It was probably the Best and the worst retail job I have ever had. I did learn a few things about makeup application during that time though.

Which brings me to my first Lesson in a New Series I have creatively named Cosmetics 101.

Lesson 1.
Before you apply your makeup you need to remember these basic things:

1. Always apply makeup to clean skin (follow the routine appropriate for your skin type).
   
   
2. Make sure you have all the appropriate makeup tools and products you need.
   
   
3. Apply makeup in a well-lighted area.
   
   
4. Use a magnifying mirror to check your blending and overall smoothness

I think a lot of people skip step two. Most gals just don't have a good brush set. You can purchase all the coolest most amazing makeup in the world but if you don't have the correct tools to apply it then it won't look help. I recommend that ever girl invest in a good brush set.

Sephora has a deal on makeup brushes right now. A ten brush set for $72, this might seem expensive since you can pick up a brush at the drugstore for a couple of dollars, but these brushes will last you if you car for them properly. You can also buy a good brush cleaner spray at Sephora to keep your brushes healthy.

The Sephora website also has these helpful videos telling you how to use your newly purchased brushes!

Next week: Foundation and Concealer.

Discount Thursdays!

Discount Thursdays is a new feature to the blog. Every Thursday I will try and list a Sale or Coupon for your weekend shopping splurges. Plus it helps you get through the last day before Friday the happiest day of the week!

This week I will start with an Earth Day Related Discount. Today thru Sunday you can take your old T-shirts into a Barneys Location and get 20% off a Loomstate. Your old t-shirts will be recycled into new, limited edition shirts, with proceeds benefiting 1% for the Planet.

Also there is a huge clearance Sale on Pimperlime. Pimperlime is the online shoe retailer owned by Gap. The site is alot like Zappos.

Click here for the super clearance sale. Enter PSST at check out for an additional 15% off. But remember all sales are final! If you get the shoes and they don’t fit or aren’t what you wanted you will have to just sale them on EBay or give them to a Fashionista in need.

Happy Shopping!

www.piperlime.com

Earth Week Continued

Continuing with the Eco theme for the week I found a few more brands for you to get your sustainable groove on with. First up is Gentle Souls, a brand by Kenneth Cole that’s goal is to combine fashion, comfort and care for your feet. But not only does it have few cute pairs of shoes that I would actually wear and are good for planet, but they are also supposed to be super dooper comfy. Hence fulfilling my goal of only buying shoes that I can trek a mile in and not want to saw off my bloody stumps of feet at the end.

The shoes have a Deerskin lining that they claim is “Supple and breathable” and they “provide softness and comfort while conforming to the shape of your foot”. Not only that but the shoes also have “Flaxseed Memory Pillows” embedded in the footbed of every shoe to mold to the shape of your foot and provide cushioned support. The padding under the deerskin lining is a memory foam developed by NASA; Poron. Apparently those Science guys got bored with Space exploration and focused on Woman’s Shoes. They are Smart!

Anyway these shoes sound amazing. I might have to skip down to Nordstrom’s and try them on! The “Oh Girl” pair shown here retail for $195.

The next two paris of shoes are from Terra Plana . Terra Plana uses a variety of eco-friendly materials in their shoe construction, like Chrome free and vegetable tanned leathers, recycled materials, pure latex soling materials, recycled rubber soles and recycled foam foot beds (but are they from Nasa? Or does Mr. Cole only have that hook up jk!).

Terra Plana also introduces an eco revolutionary leather by-product, E-leather. It is a unique blend of leather and textile fibers intimately 're-woven' and finished to look and feel like good quality leather. E-Leather is produced with closed loop water usage and best practice pollution prevention methods.

The styles shown here are Aquilla and Ursa. I really like the Aquilla, it comes in a few other colors but the red makes me want to go Salsa dancing. The Terra Plana shoes are all in the $160 range. Still cheaper than Jimmy Choo! According to there website they don’t have any retailers in Portland currently otherwise I would defiantly add them to me to try on list. I will have to do a shoe shopping post with pictures soon!

Earth Day Fashion

Well fashionistas it is Earth Day, and in honor of that I am going to post about some environmentally friendly fashion designers.

I love these bags by Ashley Watson which are made from recycled leather coats. This Junco Bay retails for $320. You can find it at local Portland Boutique Olio . I love the blue. Ashley Watson has some really cute bags in great colors!

While you are looking at these lovely bags on the Olio United website check out some of there other offerings. There are some really cute dresses and accessories featured at the boutique, all are made from sustainable natural materials. If Olio sounds familiar to you that is probably because it was featured in Lucky last month. It is also 4 blocks from my office!

Another Eco Brand is Loomstate. Eco conscious clothing aren't just for hemp wearing hippy's anymore. Loomstate has very stylish clothing for men and women. Loomstate was founded as a casual brand dedicated to creating demand for certified organic cotton using socially and environmentally responsible methods of production. But is pricey. Loomstate clothing can be purchased locally at Mario's

Remember though if you don't thing you can afford the pricey Enviro Designers, you can always shop at thrift stores. Recycled Fashion can be just as good as New!

Bringging the Fug!

So while "working" today, I took a break to look for stuff "i need" for my trip to Mexico. So of course I start of looking for shoes. As part of my search I think I found the uglies shoes I have ever seen:



Dr. Scholls even went so far as to name it the Dance Clog. Perhaps the Silver strap gives it a disco edge and evokes memories of waiting in line at Studio 54 to the clearly now geriatric in taste Dr. Scholls designers.

All this Fug reminds me! Go check out the March Madness final four over at Go Fug Yourself.

I am rooting for Bai Ling and Posh for final two! Go cast a vote and enjoy the Fug!

You gotta Love him...

"If I gain more than two or three pounds, like I have right now, I’m going to eat vegetables tonight. I don’t ever cut out vodka and tonics. My trick is that if I eat vegetables at night three or four days in a row, I quickly snap back to my ideal weight." --Tom Ford to Prestige magazine

You gotta love the guy. I mean he made Gucci into the Brand it is today! The Tom Ford Diet sounds like my cup of tea.. well almost.. there needs to be chocolate too.