ELF Makeup update

So as some of you might remember, I was very excited to order some of the $1 makeup from the Eyes Lips Face line, especially after I got a discount coupon to save even MORE. Well, I received my ELF shipment yesterday, and so far have been VERY pleased. So pleased that I ordered a few more things this morning :-)

DISCLAIMER: For some reason for the last 2 days I have not been able to successfully upload images to the blog. I have to look into this, as it has lead to various half finished blogs being abandoned out of sheer frustration. Therefore, I hope to get this fixed soon, but in the meantime, you will have to settle for the extra step of going to www.eyeslipsface.com if you want to see pics of the mentioned products. :-( Sucks.

What I have tried so far:
The tinted moisturizer in Tone 1. It seems cool, I am TOTALLY inexperienced in the ways of tinted moisturizer though and feel that I will need to play around with this a bit to see if the coverage works for me.

The all over color stick in Pink Lemonade. This is nice. I like color sticks. This one is VERY shimmery, but I dig that at this time of year, and the pink color is suble but intense.

HIGHLIGHT #1: The nail polish in Nude. I went back and ordered another bottle today. It is a buck, has a great nude color and seems to be holding on well (believe it or not since applying it yesterday afternoon I have already put it through the ringer, I had a cook/clean-up night at the apt last night, which means I'm washing my hands or washing dishes ever few minutes it seems. This sort of night has been enough to chip lesser polishes within hours. This polish ROCKS!!!

HIGHLIGHT #2: The Super Glossy Lip shine SPF 15 in Angel and Pink Kiss. This gloss is EXCELLENT. Heavy but pretty, it won't be gone 5 minutes after you apply, it has sun protection, smells good, and looked REALLY REALLY pretty. I ordered some more of this too.

Still more to try, and I also ordered a few of their lip plumper glosses, 2 body lotions, and a pressed powder to try. SWEET!

WONDER OF WONDERS: Steve & Barry's

THE REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN! Steve & Barry's, where have you been all my life? Why has it taken this long for me to discover you/you to appear? Can I tell you HOW MUCH I CAN'T WAIT to check out your aisles of collections by celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker and Amanda Bynes with most pieces under $10?

Ok, so since I blogged on SJP'S BITTEN collection already, I thought I would do a little internet detective work and check out Amanda Bynes' line DEAR. I happen to think that AB always looks super cute, sexy and pulled together. Seriously, the girl never misses a beat. So..... I wasn't too surprised with what I found. Young skewing, mostly casual clothing, some of which is really cute! They also have this thing called "My Closet" on the site where you can match pieces together and save them as "outfits", which I just had wayyyyy too much fun playing with (although in order to do it you have to go through a basic "registration" process - whatev - but for DOB it only went back to 1986! AAAAAHHHH! Thanks for making me, an excited potential customer, feel like an old crone). Unfortunately, I was also not able to figure out how to cut and paste or save the clothing combos I came up with to post them here, but TRUST me, they were quite slammin. That's right.

So I would venture to guess that I will be paying Steve & Barry's a visit soon, very soon. I'll keep you posted. Has anyone been to one already? Does it live up to my anticipation?

ARE YOU THE NEXT BEAUTY GURU?

Hi all,To kick off the Are You the Next Beauty Guru? contest, Smashbox is hosting an in-store event at Sephora Hollywood & Highland (in Los Angeles, CA) where entrants will get the chance to pitch their idea live and get placed in the Top 100 online entries!

ARE YOU THE NEXT BEAUTY GURU?
Got an amazing new idea for a blockbuster beauty product?Live Auditions!
Sephora – Hollywood & Highland
Thursday, May 8th
12 – 4pm

Stop by Sephora at Hollywood & Highland to showcase your idea and superstar personality to our expert panel of judges, Smashbox cofounders, Dean and Davis Factor and celebrity makeup artist, Charlie Green, and you could get the chance to become a Top 100 finalist, have your entry videotaped and personally seen by the final judging panel!The grand prize contest winner will receive:•
The once-in-a-lifetime chance to design the official Smashbox Fashion Week Makeup Palette•
All-expenses-paid trip for 2 to LA Fashion Week for the star-studded debut of your palette•
$5,000 of Smashbox Cosmetics•
Your palette sold exclusively at Sephora nationwide

Stop in to Sephora or create a 2 minute video or blog showcasing your product idea and superstar personality and submit it online at: http://www.smashbox.com/beautyguru

BITTEN BY SJP!

Ok.... breathe..... ok. Whoa. Am I just REALLY REALLY late to the BITTEN party or what? Until this morning, I had no idea that fashionista/star extraoridinaire Sarah Jessica Parker had her own line called Bitten exclusively available at Steve & Barry's around the country. Well, you say, lots of stars have their own lines, big deal. Well, would an antire line for under $20 be a big deal!?!?!? Pretty much everything I saw on the site was $8.98. I'll say it again. EIGHT NINETY EIGHT!!!!! Wow. GO SJP. She is endlessly cool. She could EASILY have started an overpriced line and people would have bought it. You know they would have. But instead she did this. Some cute finds:

1. BIAS BIB PRINT WOVEN TOP ($8.98)

2. CUFF CROPPED CORD ($8.98)

3. FUNNEL NECK PEACOAT ($8.98)

4. HOUNDSTOOTH COAT ($8.98)

5. STRAIGHT LEG JEAN ($8.98)

(I don't know why these turned out so small....)

But anyway, wow. The only issue would be if you didn't have a Steve & Barry's near you - but I must admit I found out there is one in Beverly Hills so I'm very selfishly happy. Go out and support this collection if you DO have one near you - show SJP how awesome you think this revolutionary step in LOW priced celeb collections is!

JEWELRY FEVER!

I just realized this morning that I have not blogged about jewelry at all. So I aim to remedy that with this entry. First I will say that some cheap jewelry (costume jewelry or non) is cool, and some isn't. BUT you can find really amazing stuff if you look for it. I will totally admit to scooping up jewelry at the doller store from time to time, and very often it is the case that these exact pieces get the most complements of any jewelry I wear. I'm not kidding. So with this in mind, here are some cute pieces I found on the usual websites:

From the 15dollarstore.com

1. PARADISE PENDANT ($15)

2. TILE PENDANT ($15) I totally love this one....

From Daisymaze.com

1. COLORED WAFER EARRINGS ($2.49) I think these would be fun as a shot of color with an outfit.

2. DOMINO STRETCH BRACELET ($3.99) I know... they look like dominos, am I weird because I think this is cute?

3. SQUARE GEM NECKLACE SET ($5.99)

From GoJane.com

1. BEADED CUFF BRACELET ($5.99)

2. CIRCLE SHELL NECKLACE SET ($11.99)

3. FLEUR DE LIS DISC NECKLACE ($6.99)

4. HEART COLOR NECKLACE ($9.99)

5. POLISHED MEDALLION CHOKER ($10.99)

From Modaxpress.com

1. BROWN LARGE BEADED NECKLACE ($10.99)

With some of these, like the bright stuff from Daisymaze, no one will mistake them for nice jewelry, obviously, but I think knowing how to use this type of costume jewelry can really be fun and inexpensive. Try it!

RETURNED FROM THE DESERT AND A FAB MAKEUP DEAL!!!

From the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, CA near Palm Springs. It is a weekend that is always fun, and always tests the abilities of my products to keep my physical appearance and well being in tune (what with the sand, the wind, the 100+ degree heat, yipes! Good times). And I felt well taken care of this year. :-) My Alba night cream, especially, and my proactiv, saved my skin from turning into an overly dry and yet broken out mess. I LOVE MY FACE PRODUCTS.

On a product related note, this morning when I logged on to my email I found that one of my friends had passed on this AMAZING deal info to me - just what I was craving after a weekend of roughing it in the desert - glam makeup for $1 a pop!!!!!

"The make-up line E.L.F. ( Eyes, Lips, and Face) has been bought out by Nordstrom and will be re-packaged with the Nordstrom name on it. They are getting rid of all the make-up in ELF packaging. They are selling everything for $1. yes - one dollar. You do have to pay shipping, however, even with that charge it's cheaper than buying make-up anywhere else and it is fun to try things when you don't have to worry about the cost! They have powder, mascara, brushes, nail polish, you name it .. Just thought I'd pass along the good deal.Also, if you use the coupon code: CAROLINA you will get $7.50 off your first $15 of your purchase.Here is the site, have fun!"

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/shop.asp

I checked it out, as I have heard of ELF but haven't tried any of their stuff yet, and first things first, they are cruelty free and extremely active, even donating a portion of the sales of their "fur free" tweezer set to stop the fur trade. YAY!!! I LOVE YOU ELF! And it looks like they have some neat buys.... And for a FRIGGIN DOLLAR A POP???? Yeah.... I'm in. I also like that they have reviews for each product by users on their site (and they are real reviews, because there is a good mix of likes and dislikes with each product). This is what I think I am gonna try:

1. SHIELDING HYDRO-TINT SPF 15

"Anti-aging formula combats premature aging and protects against sun damage while leaving skin radiant and lightly hydrated". Tinted moisture will be my new thing. I swear.

2. ALL OVER COLOR STICK (I'm gonna try it in "Pink Lemonade") . "3 in 1 color for your eyes, lips, and or face! Get the color that illuminates for a healthy glow, and instantly soothes and conditions the skin for fresh and natural color all day long"

3. NATURAL RADIANCE BLUSHER (in "flushed") "Exquisite, delicate, pigment payoff that makes cheeks radiant combined with a healthy-looking glow. Infused with texturizing agents, skin feels smooth and pores are minimized". I was JUUUUUST reading in ALLURE this weekend (ok, so my roughing it desert trip involved beauty mags and a pool at one point) that blush was HUGE in this year's collections. So get those cheeks a glowin'.

4. SUPER GLOSSY LIP SHINE SPF 15 (in Malt Shake and Pink Kiss) " This Super Glossy SPF 15 formula fights environmental damage while leaving your lips with a healthy glossy glow." Lip glossy gloss. Nuff said.

5. NAIL POLISH (in Clear, Nude, Champagne, Gum Pink) "This color-lock formula and chip resistant shield gives long lasting nail color with high shine. The aerodynamic bristle design glides color on flawlessly, while the quick dry formula gives perfect application every time. Key nutrients give nails that natural shine, infused with Vitamin E for stronger healthier nails." Sounds good.

6. SHINE ERASER "These amazing little sheets instantly absorb oil, minimize pores and mattify shiny skin. Woven texture eradicates shine and keeps skin matte for hours. Green Tea Extract helps re-texturize skin, masking facial imperfections." I dunno about the retexturization claim, but these sorts of blotter sheets are great.

So that is my list. They also have bath stuff and mineral makeup, but those aren't $1. Boo. But this is good, lots of stuff to try and if I don't like it, it was a BUCK! Let's girl out and give each other junior high sleepover makeovers....

MORE TAKES ON THE LITTLE WHITE DRESS

This time from Heavenly Couture (http://www.getheavenly.com/) I found these yesterday and I love them!!! And the best part? Everything at Heavenly Couture is $17.95 or less, so each of these sweet styles is just $17.95 :-)

1. Cotton Camisole Top Ruffled Dress

This is a really simple, boho-ish style that will look good for a while I think. Everyone pulls this cut of dress out for summer. Super simple, very stylish.

2. Snow White Jumper Dress

I LOVE this kind of material, I don't know what it is called though. It looks like it is ruched all the way through. This dress is very unique looking, but totally "now", and of course I am excited about the pockets.

3. White Summer Dress With Floral Detailing

Doesn't this dress look like it would be so fun to wear and swish around in? I love the gather at the waist, so flattering and lovely.

Now, I know you are asking, but Amanda, what would you wear WITH said little white dresses? I have thought about that too. The answer is..... ALMOST ANYTHING! One of the best things about the little white dress is you can go with any color scheme, and most styles. Go brown, go gold, go red, go blue, whatever you like. NICE....