Archive for December, 2008:
Anyone who has ever used MAC makeup knows that it has unparalleled quality and is actually a very good value for the money. Sure, you do pay the higher department store prices for it. But this is one of the cosmetics that is higher end that I believe makes a huge difference in how you look and how your makeup adheres to your face. The new limited edition holiday eyeliners are one such example. If you’ve ever read my blog before, you know I’m a fan of the MAC lip glosses because of their superior endurance and high shine.
MAC also has reeled me into being a devotee to their eyes collection now too, since I have tried one of their limited holiday edition eyeshadows that one of my good friends got me as a Christmas gift, and also two of the holiday limited edition eyeliners, the Pearlglide variety, in Molasses and Black Russian. What makes them a holiday edition is the fact the they have these subtle little sparkles in them that lend themselves to a more festive look, although it’s not in your face and not tacky.
The eyeshadows that they put out around Christmas time also tend to have extra sparkles and shimmers in them, so they’re perfect for those festive holiday parties that your office might hold, and any of those family and friends parties as well. The Pearlglide eyeliners that I bought were in brown and black colors, although the black is not a super intense, deep black, which I like because I can still get away with wearing it during the day as well.
It’s called “Pearlglide”, and boy does it hold up to it’s name. Not only is it shimmery like a pearl, but it glides on easier than most other eyeliners I’ve ever tried. It does smudge a bit, but the color is long lasting and remains very stay put and dramatic looking for hours after you apply it. I wouldn’t say it’s totally smudge proof though, but as far as a lasting effect, it gets a definite “A”.
The colors of course are rich and dramatic, as with most other MAC brand cosmetics, which is one of their signatures. The brown is perfect for a thin or thick line, for day and night looks, and it’s got that earthy look for those that don’t like blacks, blue and purples, and the black russian color is perfect for the smokey eye look or just as a more dramatic statment during the day, or if you want to wear a “power suit” and draw some attention to your eyes.
I would recommend the Pearlglide eyeliners by MAC to anyone who loves good, quality, easy to use and apply makeup.
I always think it’s fun to buy my mom and sister at least one gift that’ll be a nice little pick me up for them, and that usually ends up being somewhere in the beauty and self improvement category, since those are two categories where we tend to skimp when we’re feeling a little pinched financially.
When I buy beauty products for any of the women in my life, I always try to buy things that they wouldn’t necessarily get for themselves, maybe a nice expensive moisturizer or some sort of skin serum that feels like dynamite and makes you look amazing, but costs a little more than you normally like to spend.
Or another example which is actually what I got my mom and sister this year (one for one, one for the other) are things like the microdermabrasion home kits, and a nice chemical peel home based kit that can be done in the comfort of your own abode, without the cost and hassle of paying an arm and a leg and leaving your house. Another fun gift might be a good teeth whitening kit. Teeth whitening at home has become immensely popular, especially since coffe and tea are hugely successful drinks here in the US, and we Americans like to eat and drink very staining foods and drinks, so our teeth do suffer for that.
Perfumes are a really popular gift also. Women also tend to put this purchase on a back shelf when they’re watching their money, as many are now due to the current recession we find ourselves in. Another good one might be gift certificates to beauty websites or a Sephora store, where someone can go and pick out their beauty favorites on their own, and get exactly what they want.
Merry Christmas to everyone from My Beauty Space. We are truly glad that we got to share a bevy of beauty tips, secrets, makeup suggestions, makeup application techniques and beauty product reviews as well as hair care product reviews with you in this year. We look forward to a great 2009, and despite all the turmoil that is occurring right now and the economic uncertainty in the US and abroad, we know that things will get better and encourage you to celebrate life and family this coming holiday. Merry Christmas everyone!
My mom asked for a home microdermabrasion kit for Christmas, to replace the one she had that finally ran out (those things last forever, if you’ve never used on before), and it made me think about also getting her some of the Revitol skin care products that are made for fighting wrinkles and other signs of aging, such as age spots, coloring, sagging skin and skin tone since she has an interest in keeping her skin healthy and radiant well into her fifties and her sixties, and seventies, and beyond!
These days, we not only have some great cosmetic procedures that are minimally invasive to use in our arsenal against the ravages of aging and the environment and our lifestyle choices on our skin, but we also have perfect conditions for the innovation and creation of new skin care products that are of a clinical quality.
They use high grade vitamins, minerals and acids that used to only be reserved for the types of skin care products that cost hundreds of dollars just for one tube or bottle, and they used to be harder to come by since we hadn’t yet really experienced the full access that the internet offers us today to a wide range of products, giving the consumer the ultimate end-say and power in the types and range of products they can buy with their money.
What I like about the Revitol line of skin care products is that they use these high grade ingredients, and yet they are still reasonably priced, so you don’t have to be wealthy to be able to afford the best in skin care. Some of the ingredients I speak of that I favor for their extreme abilities to reverse the signs of aging and also to help fend off new signs of aging, are vitamin C, Alpha lipoic acid, hyaluronic acid, DMAE, and a host of other firming, anti sag and color enhancing ingredients.
Even using one of these ingredients alone can make a dramatic difference in your skin, but using them in tandem is like putting those wrinkles in a small barrel and shooting them, it’s easy pickins.
That’s right, the American obsession with appearance apparently has affected those beyond the grave as well as those here and still very much alive on earth. It’s no secret that Americans are increasingly obsessed with their appearance, obsessing over their facial features, staving off wrinkles and sun damage, pulling this and that up or down, getting their boobs bigger, getting tummy tucks and liposuction. Basicaly, you name it these days, and you can get it done in a surgeon’s office somewhere. Call it the age of vanity, or some may just say the age of perfection.
While I don’t agree with obsessive or excessive plastic surgery or cosmetic procedures, I believe that they do have their place for many in modern society who use them wisely, and don’t get too carried away with changing their features so that they become a shadow of their former selves. After all, one of the greatest things about humanity is that we all have a uniqueness that makes each and every one of of special, and some of that should be honored, since we don’t all want to look like cookie cutter versions of eachother.
Some people are opting to undergo cosmetic procedures so that they can look better in their sendoff to the afterlife, or whatever it is they happen to believe in after we die and pass off of this earth. Most likely the reasons are often that they want to look at their personal best for a wake, or that they simply want to look their best when they pass away, and take comfort in knowing that post mortem they will get the treatment they want.
Do I understand it? No, not really, but as with everything else, it’s a personal choice, and who are we to judge what others deem suitable in their lives? Naturally you can understant how this practice may raise some eyebrows though! No pun intended 
It’s the holidays again, and that means lots of holiday parties where you have the opportunity to glam up your makeup choices a bit without feeling like you’re overdoing it. You also get to pile on a little more sparkly jewelry than usual without feeling like you’ve been “blinged” out as lots of women normally would if they have too many pieces of jewelry on or if they’ve chosen brighter, more sparkly pieces than they usually would.
As far as your eyes go, the holidays are the time to get a little more dramatic and a little more bold with your color choices if it’s something you’re comfortable with. Heck, even if it’s a little out of your comfort zone, go for it anyways, you never know when a little experimentation will lead to a new favorite color of a new favorite application technique.
What kinds of colors can you expect to see in your local Sephoras and drugstore makeup sections? Well, there seems to be a lot of greens showing up on shelves near me. Greens are a great color choice, because depending on your coloring, you can choose earthier tones to make a more understated statement, or you can go with a bit brighter of a color of green, but you have to be careful with this because this may only look good on the cooler skin tones.
I’ve seen a lot of bold golds too. Golds are usually only good for women who have warmer skin tones, so I would avoid golds, if like me, you are fair skinned and have a cooler skin tone. However, if you really must try it and are cooler toned, then look for a light gold, and one with some hints of white or silver in it to offset the glittery gold color.
Purples are a fun and festive option too. Sure, they’re not really your traditional holiday color, but they can be festive when paired with the right accessories and outfit, and you can wear purples whether you have cooler skin tones, or warmer, because purples come in so many different shades that are suitable for both. You can also choose to pair it with a dark brown eyeliner or a black one, but I choose a lighter charcoal hinted black because you don’t want to overly state the eyeliner when pairing with purples – at least that’s my opinion, so that the purple stands out a bit more.
Marilyn Monroe, also known as her non-stage name Norma Jean, died an untimely death in her mid thirties, and has been remembered as an iconic figure of glamour, sexiness and recalls a time of mystery about beauty that we don’t necessarily still have today. Was she a troubled woman and sometimes tortured soul?
Absolutely – in fact, she may be the model of the cliche phrase “suicide blonde”, since she is the epitome of a woman who was trapped and limited by her own siren status, and couldn’t handle certain aspects of her life, feeling many times not good enough or sexy enough, obejctified and not valued for who she was but for how she looked.
And yet this was the image she pursued to have for years as a relative unknown until her star shone brightly when she had her first major breakthrough. Some of the earlier images of Marilyn Monroe show a clean, fresh faced and beautiful young lady who was full of life and still had an innocence about her. The 100 photos that are going on sale at world famous Christies auction house, where only the super rich go to buy art and other artifacts and memorabilia of yesteryear, are expected to fetch at least one million dollars from the lucky winner.
Fast forward a few years, and we see that she dyed her hair blond, poofed it out and wore the vampiest of makeup with the darkest of eyes and poutiest mouth. It’s as if she transformed from the girld next door, farm raised catholic girl to the images we evoke when we think of sultry nightclub singers who’ve been around the block more than a few times.
And yet, Marilyn Monroe still is one of the biggest beauty icons, with some women still emulating her look and persona today. Think of how Madonna went through her Marilyn look alike phase. Then there are some other starlets who also have modeled themselves after the sexy fifties persona, with the heavy eye makeup and vampy mouth, like Chirstina Aguilera and countless other young ladies who strive for the look of glamour and sophistication from decades ago.
We still see huge photos of the passed actress everywhere, and even some great artists have done rederings that will be around for centuries of the troubled, yet glorified actress and icon. While we’ve gone back to an earthier look, I’m sure that this glammed up, vampy look will always have it’s place in the beauty world, and it certainly will periodically circle around again, as styles do every thirty years.
Apparently a drug that is used to help fight glaucoma of the eyes, which is a clouding of the retinal area of the eye that clouds the vision and makes it hard for those afflicted to see clearly (it mostly affects us as we get older), appears to also help create fuller, longer eyelashes, something that even the best of mascaras can’t promise to do on everyone.
Might it be a new cosmetic and therapeutic drug? Maybe not, considering it is still a serious drug that is aimed to treat something specific and probably also has side effects and other unpleasant consequences of taking it.
Not so fast though, the FDA might not ixnay the use of the drug as a cosmetic enhancer, as it is also reviewing the drug for cosmetic purpose approval, so it could soon be available to those who want to take it for fuller lashes. A bit overboard? I’d say, considering there are false lashes, great mascaras, and a whole slew of ways you can make your eyelashes appear fuller very easily temporarily, without popping a drug for it.
The drug, now only used for glaucoma, is made by Allergan, and if it is approved as a cosmetic lash enhancer, it will be named something else for the different purpose. Some of the problems that occurred in patients during trials of the glaucoma/eyelash enhancement drug were eye dryness and inflammation, but it was a relatively low amount of people considering the number of those in the study.
Allergan would be able to boast that this is the first eyelash enhancement drug on the market. I just wonder if this type of drug would sell?
I’ve been getting inundated with great beauty deals in my email inbox lately from all the big online retailers of makeup, cosmetics, natural beauty products, anti aging and wrinkle product sellers and even hair care products. Heck, just yesterday I got an incredible deal from Folica.com on their Sedu hair straighteners and other high end salon styling products, I almost wished I needed one of them now to take advantage of some of the incredible deals but unfortunately I’m not in the market for any right now!
Just keep your eyes peeled and because retailers are scared about this holiday season being a bust, they are sending the deals out in unprecedented numbers, and you may be able to find some deals of a lifetime. If the next holiday season doesn’t shape up to be any better, you will likely also see these deals around this time next year as well. Unfortunately, that may happen, which means that we still would not have pulled quite out of the economic quagmire we find ourselves in now.
I’ve gotten steep discount deals and dollar amounts off, including free shipping, offers from Drugstore.com and Amazon as well as Beauty.com, which is Drugstore’s sister site that focuses only on the beauty products instead of on all drugstore items and beauty items as well. I’ve also gotten some good free offers and free shipping offers from Sephora.com, which as we all know is the beacon of all things beauty on the internet now. These retailers are telling you they want your business, and if you are not in the market for higher end cosmetics and beauty needs right now, they want to tempt you into making purchases that may prove to be a once in a very long time deal.
Most of them are throwing in free shipping with their deals too, to make it more appealing since sometimes just paying shipping doesn’t make up for the better prices because it can sometimes be pretty steep to ship things out. If you’re thinking you may be in the market for your favorite higher end cosmetics, you may not see these ticket items going for much lower for a long time unless like I said, next Christmas is identically dire straits for the retailers. Of course, if you don’t have it, don’t spend it though.
