Pretty/Fancy

February 11, 2010

Thursday

Filed under: Makeup, food — by prettyfancy @ 10:42 am

I’m allergic to shrimp! I found out the hard way – just as I discovered my scallop allergy… The good news with an allergic reaction to food that results in hard core vomiting… I lost 3 pounds! FINALLY cracked through the weight loss ceiling! I fear I am going to gain it back when my appetite returns, but here’s hoping!

Have been under a lot of stress lately. Steamrolled by stress. Anxiety. And my constant adversary – the desire to avoid everything. Confronting your inner demons, the root of all of your character flaws… it ain’t easy work. Especially when what you are working on is your desire to AVOID uncomfortable things… but by doing so, you’ve made yourself even MORE uncomfortable.

I did manage to go into Sephora yesterday and NOT BUY A SINGLE THING. How is that possible?! With Laura Geller 30% off and Cargo 50% off?! Though, could those testers be any more unsanitary?! Ewwww… Tip. Be sure to use the alcohol on any product you are wanting to test, and scrape the top layer of any product to be safe. Who knows what kinda cooties are in there!

Also, facing this recession I am attempting to do my own nails… I bought one of those “salon” electronic nail file do-hickeys yesterday… and for $9.99 I am super pleased with it! The buffing tool is fantastic. I took off my artificial nails, and it really got out a bunch of the horrible ridges. I just cannot afford to spend that much on my nails anymore. As much as I love it! I’d rather be able to go in and just get a simple mani/pedi… versus the artificial fills, etc.

Another purchase? A St. Teresa medal necklace from www.saintsforsinners.com They are awesome! Medals from Italy, hand painted in New Orleans! Can’t wait to get mine! Greg Behrendt turned me on to these folks, and he never leads me astray!

I also finally figured out how to do my webcam… so maybe you’ll see some video entries or beauty tutorials. We’ll see how brave I feel!

February 1, 2010

Tan in a Can: Part Twooooo

Filed under: Makeup — by prettyfancy @ 10:32 am
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Ok. So I see my picture of South Seas Tahitian Tan Mist did not show… so, go here for a purdy picture of their yum-a-licious line: http://www.southseasskincare.com/South-Seas-Spray-Tanning-and-Body-Care.asp

Seriously, it smells soooo good. People will look at you weird cuz you are smelling your arms and such.

So far, I am SOLD on this product. YES, it is spendy at $24/can. But you get a gorgeous, natural looking BROWN (NOT ORANGE) color… and NO STINK! The product just continues to smell good! And it dries hyper fast!

I would recommend, with any self-tanning product, to do in the afternoon/early evening. Shave, exfoliate/scrub yourself clean… apply the product (I recommend in the shower)… chill in your nakedness for a bit… then if you choose, throw on some comfy, loose clothes that you don’t care about (in case the color comes off)… and enjoy your golden glow! That way, you can shower in the morning (avoid loofah, duh) and any self-tan smell will be off of you. Use a moisturizing soap and/or lotion to prolong your canned tan.

South Seas also has a whole line of spa worthy skin care items AND airbrush machines.

January 31, 2010

Tan in a Can: Part One

Filed under: Makeup — by prettyfancy @ 7:53 pm
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I’m a pale girl. I grew up, like most pasty American girls, wanting to be tan. I remember the girls at the Country Club who would get so brown the bottoms of their feet looked an entirely different shade than their cinnamon skin body. I was the kid who occasionally had to put on a t-shirt because I was already getting sunburned, but wouldn’t get out of the water. Later in life, I committed to fake baking myself tanorexic in tanning salons… I turned an awesome orange color… with those tell-tale white rimmed eyes… and don’t you dare lift up your arm (or butt cheeks for that matter)! My fellow tanners know this phenomenon… bright white underarms and, er… undercheeks. You can see it on pro-wrestlers too.

Well, somewhere in there I realized my elaborate skin care routine of products and such was at odds with the body charring I was doing. But I still like the healthy color! Sorry folks, everyone just looks better with a bit of bronze…

So… I am trying all the latest fancy self-tan products. I know in the end, I will finally commit to my own airbrush machine… I don’t think airbrush is the end all, be all in makeup, but it is a good tool to have in your arsenal…. I DO think it is going to be the end all, be all for even body color.

But til then…

The first product I tried…

Comodyne Self-Tanning Towelettes…

Pros:
Great, natural, even color
Mess free!!!!
Easy to use
Convenient single-use packet
No initial smell

Cons:
While the towel is easy to use at first, as you continue, it sort of bunches up on itself.
Each towel is only good for half of the body (I did not try this product on my face), so you use 2 towels each time. So $15 = 4 tans.
Smell develops later, typical “self tan” dirty foot smell

Overall, I am not really a fan of this product, but I don’t hate it either. I will say, I LOVE Comodyne’s makeup remover towelettes. I recommend the Oats version for sensitive skin. Claims to replace cleanser, toner, and moisturizer. I wouldn’t toss all your products, but I do like to use them immediately when I get home from work to clean my face. Then I do my night time skin care routine before bed. They are not the cheapest makeup remover towels (compared to Ponds, etc)… but they are a far better product. My skin cannot tolerate whatever is in Ponds. Comodyne’s is available at drugstore.com, or at most pro-beauty supply shops (ie. Frends, Naimes, etc)

(Aside: my other favorite makeup remover towellette? BOOT’s, in the blue container. Available at Target)

Tanning Product #2:

So, I just sprayed this on, so I cannot give a full report… other than my hopes are HIGH, and it SMELLS delicious!!! Like a full on beach vacation with fruity umbrella drinks.

More to come.

Hopefully without Ooompa loompa results.

January 20, 2010

Hairy Scary

Filed under: Makeup — by prettyfancy @ 10:46 am
Tags: ,

I was talking to my shrink yesterday (so LA!) about my dream of going to school to be an esthetician, and we were discussing the pros and cons of full-on cosmetology school… like, would I want to learn to do hair as well?

I was thinking about how much pressure there is on hair dressers, especially for the ladies. Unless you are going in for a wee bitty trim, or to add some layers… most women going to a salon for a change are really hoping for a bigger change than a hairstyle. They want a whole new THEM. I know, I tell the year by what hairstyle I have in the picture. I change my hair all the time. Always have. It is usually a fun experience, though I am really hating this growing out process.

I digress… we hold our hairdressers responsible for making us look like our ripped out magazine picture… whether or not we bear any resemblance to Megan Fox or Jennifer Aniston or Halle Berry. My freshman year of high school, I brought in a picture of Linda Evangelista with her edgy, English school boy hair cut. When my awesome hairdresser put down the scissors and twirled me around I started CRYING. It was exactly what I asked for and “wanted”, but I wasn’t suddenly transformed into supermodel Linda Evangelista. I was the same girl who had to go back to High School (in small town midwest, mind you) with a haircut no one would understand, least of all me! My brother called me Sinead O’Connor for the rest of the year. It was horrible.

And who did I blame? My hair stylist! Even though she just did what I asked for. Even though I was just one small part of her work day. She should have talked me out of it! (As if anyone could talk me out of anything!)

I don’t want that kind of responsibility!!!! Would I like to learn to give hair cuts and color? Sure, but it really isn’t my passion. I have cut and colored friend’s hair, but it is under the guise that I really have no training and it is all just from my own experimenting on my own hair through life.

I think hair stylists are brave, brave people. Hats off to you! Figuratively.

I’d much rather make your face pretty, help you relax, and get rid of unwanted face/body hair…

January 19, 2010

Cheapy

Filed under: Makeup — by prettyfancy @ 10:28 am

My favorite new cheap-oh (read: recession) product – -

E.L.F’s All Over Color Stick in “Persimmon”

It is a gorgeous blush that glides on and blends beautifully. Not sticky or tacky, and has a nice, subtle scent. 

And the cost? A whole dollar! ONE FRIGGIN DOLLAR!

Comes in a bunch of very wearable shades.

Sometimes (rarely) you get much more than you pay for!

AND… cruelty free!!!

January 14, 2010

Psssst

Filed under: Makeup — by prettyfancy @ 10:33 am

HUGE Urban Decay sale at www.hautelook.com… all under $10!

January 13, 2010

Product Whore

Filed under: Makeup — by prettyfancy @ 6:48 pm

I went to Frends today… (www.frendsbeautysupply.com) and made some purchases for my kit. I am super excited to try them out!

I really went in for two things…

Embryolisse… the 24 hour miracle creme I’ve heard amazing things about. From the tiny bit I tried my skin is soooo soft.

and…

Z PALETTE!!!!

Pure genius. Magnetic palette with a CLEAR COVER! Yeah, tonight is going to be spent depotting my makeup in front of the tv.

I also bought two La Femme glow-on blushes… in Dusty Pink and Nectar Peach. I cannot believe it is so amazing (and it IS and in so many makeup artists’ kits!) and cheaper than anything in a drugstore! $4.75!

This magic gem:

And there was a 50% sale on Mario Badescu!!! WHAT?! So I got the Revitalin Night Cream and the Dermonectin Eye Cream.

Another interesting tidbit? Was compared to Julia Stiles. I’ll take it!

December 18, 2008

Mmmmm… Makeup.

Filed under: Makeup — by prettyfancy @ 2:59 pm
Tags: , ,

So, I am thinking of getting a part time job doing makeup. I have done  a bit of free lance make up here and there for about 3 or 4 years, and I think I would just enjoy having a part time job while I am in school… doing something I love to do, learning new tricks of the trade, and getting some beauty discounts. We shall see. No one is hiring until January, so I have time to put a portfolio together and work on some skills. I am going to pick my friend Gloria (of TLCs “Get Your Face On) brain a bit. She is a genius makeup artist, and a great gal to boot. www.GloriaNoto.com

I think what I love most about makeup is teaching people about it, and how to use it properly… as well as doing it. I think it might be a fun thing to do in my spare time.

I think I’ve mentioned before that my NARS Rapture palette is my most favorite item in my personal makeup kit. Because it covers everything. So many times palettes include a few unwearable shades. Like… really? This bright coral lipstick? Their palettes are well worth the money… I find when I travel, I just bring that, concealer/foundation, mascara and eyeliner, and I am good to go. Makes packing in this horrible travel time (paying per bag, what?!) so much easier. They have a bunch of palettes on their site that look equally as awesome for most women. It’s $70.00, which is actually a bargain. This is my favorite.

 Available at  www.narscosmetics.com

One thing that a lot of makeup consumers don’t know is that some of the “luxury” brands are really just private label items. Meaning, you want to start a makeup label, you buy this standard stock makeup, and put your name on it and jack up the price. Just sayin’… be careful. You might as well by the private label eyeshadow for $5 bucks vs. $25.

I am loving bare minerals foundation, for myself. Linda mentioned loving the brushes. I am loving the Maximum coverage concealer brush, and I think the handy buki brush is one of the best out there. I am not sold on their other brushes yet, and like most mini brushes… their mini brushes that come wish some of the kits are useless.

I am still on the hunt for the best mascara.

I used to be addicted to Dior Blackout mascara… but now I want to wear something lighter. Don’t get me wrong, if you are wanting a going out, out to THERE, holy shit nice eyes mascara… Dior is your go-to in my opinion. But for everyday, I feel like I am lifting weights when blinking.

That’s the thing to me… I don’t know that I could ever be loyal to ONE line. They all have strengths and weaknesses.

How ’bout you?

July 6, 2008

Sheridan’s Summer Must Have: #1

Filed under: Makeup — by prettyfancy @ 3:36 am
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The look of California Cool:
Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer, SPF 15

I received this product the other day from Mark’s fantastic friend Stacy at Allure… and I am such a fan! (Well, of Stacy, Allure, AND this product)

To me, nothing says summer beauty better than some sun-kissed, dewy skin “sans” makeup. Your tan is the perfect excuse not to wear your foundation, but never an excuse to be without some SPF.

Most tinted moisturizers are either too much “tint” or too much “moisturizer” with absolutely NO coverage. I really hate to put on sunscreen under or over my makeup, but I also don’t want to JUST wear sunscreen… trust me, EVERYONE looks better with a little bit of coverage.

So, this baby packs a four-way punch… 1. Moisturizes 2. Evens out skin tone, with a light to medium coverage 3. Luminizes (aka, looks like you “glow” a bit, as there are flecks that catch the light) and 4. Has SPF 15 built in.

I apply a little concelear on any blemishes and under my eyelids after applying the TM, a smidge of bronzer or blush, and always the lip gloss. Paired with a C&C tank top dress, some flip flops, and some ray bans and you are my perfect vision of summer in California.

 

 

stila

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