Beauty Blog » michelle

Let me just dive in, this is how it happened…

I have two cosmetic cases, one big luggage one circa 90’s that I picked up from Melrose and a travel sized Shu Uemura red carrier case. One day as I was bored I decided to peruse the contents of the big silver luggage one and it was a veritable graveyard of make-up faces of the past. I kid you not, I still had old Revlon brown eyeliners in there that I use to use for my eyebrows, eyes and as LINER for my chola lips! Holy Poop!

I also had assorted M.A.C. lipsticks (that smelled wretched) and fermented compacts from Estee Lauder that formed this fossilized crusty cover on the top (I assume from the old sponges and oil that was left to ferment on the surface of the makeup). Super gross to say the least…

Well obviously this stuff was way past it’s prime, but the question was posed: When should you chuck your makeup?

Answer:

- Is your mascara clumpy? Is your foundation thickening? It is difficult to know when to get rid of cosmetics because most don’t have an expiration date, and of course I understand it is hard to chuck expensive cosmetics but not doing so can actually be dangerous for your health because bacteria could literally be growing full force in your old makeup containers. Which can cause you pink eye or peri-oral dermatitis that might irritate the skin and cause little red bumps that look like acne. Yuck!

- Experts say you should go by when you first opened the makeup. Eye make-ups and liquid foundations last the least amount of time and should be tossed out after just three months.

- Powders and foundations opened more than a year ago can also cause problems and should be chucked.

- Makeup applicators should be replaced regularly as well, it is suggested that you re-fresh these supplies once a week.

- You should NOT share lipsticks, lip balms and lip glosses! They might have a strain of the herpes virus and give you cold sores. (Yeck!)

- Lastly if makeup looks old or changes texture is it a good idea to throw it out. Experts even advise to smell your makeup, an unusual odor usually means that it contains bacteria.

Eeks! Well I hope that helps ladies, truth is I was never this diligent about keeping my makeup supplies fresh. I usually purchase a few “fad” makeup items and stick to my “every day” face makeup daily. Time goes by so quickly by the time I return to the fad products they are already yucky. Talk about a waste of money. Poop! 

But I would rather chuck my old makeup then get some funky eye infection or skin rash. I hope this information helps you, it helped me.  - Michelle

Lopez partnered with perfumers Jim Krivda and Ellen Molner to come up with Deseo, which means desire, and is said to have notes of bamboo leaves, jasmine, geranium and warm amber. She is dabbling in MENS FRAGRANCES…

Blah, blah… that’s fine and dandy. What I really wanted to bring up was how “beat” JLo is looking? Right? Turns out she is not one of those chicks that can get preggos, bounce back and look smashing, seems to me those twins sucked the beauty juice out of her.

(Source of image and topic: CelebrityBrands.net)

Came across this image of Donatella Versace hocking her perfume from Blogdorf Goodman. Two questions sprung to mind:

1. Anyone smell this stuff? Is it nice?
2. I imagine it smells like tanning beds and peroxide? Ha!

While in the land of Smarter Beauty Blogs:

Tip for people brave enough to let mall make-up artists paint on your face, make-up application on paper does not always translate well on human faces! 

Our first post from the lovely guest beauty blogger Andie Smith, she embarks on her Mission for Perfect Hair!

Karley enlightens all of us about the pitfalls and perks of GLYCONUTRIENTS complex. (Try saying that word 3x fast)

I don’t know if I mentioned but I was actually out sick for the past week which is why the posts are somewhat threadbare, it is a long gruesome story that involves wisdom teeth, tweezers, chills, fevers, night sweats, kidneys and needles!

Anyhow so I am finally, finally feeling better and I went to the mall with my sister yesterday. After being in and out of the hospital all of last week and being well pretty much gruesome looking for the majority of the month, I felt the need to purchase “girly” items. Things to make me feel more like a girl again and not so much like a pin cushioned ghoul!

So I bought some new underwear from Victoria’s Secret, and I bought my favorite perfume, and I inevitably ended up at the M.A.C. counter to buy some face paint supplies (aka cosmetics)!

So here’s my beef, at the counter the “make-up” artists had a series of displayed pieces of paper with assorted make-up scenarios artfully colored in. Now I am all for them practicing their color palette on paper, my issue is when they try to apply the same format on my face!

Granted I am pretty much the color of paper, but I tell you what, your make up idea may have come to beautiful fruition on the paper but it’s a whole other ballgame on my face folks. I was feeling generous so I let the girl color in my face, but when I finally took a gander at a reflective surface I looked like a buffoon!

I guess my point is, don’t let fledgling make-up artists who can color between the lines on paper apply makeup to your face in reality, the outcome can be disastrous!

Hmmm, Paris Hilton is debuting a new scent called “Fairy Dust”…

“The ad campaign will feature Hilton as a fairy, and will debut later in the year. Neil Katz of Parlux Fragrances (the company that holds the Paris Hilton fragrance license) noted that “Everybody hates Paris, but she is on the front page” ( Source: Now Smell This Blog)

I wonder if the scent smells like stupidity, with a sprinkle of slut?

In the realm of Smarter Beauty Blogging:

Limited Edition Collectible Perfume Compacts from Estee Lauder

Learn how to give yourself the Perfect at Home French Manicure

Finally the perfect mascara - Tarte Lash Hugger Eco-Friendly Mascara

Sometimes inventions are so simple and obvious you wonder why: A. you didn’t think of it and B. what took people so long?

Maybe I am just supremely impatient (which by the way I am not denying) but have you ever waited for your curling iron to cool off after fixing your locks while you were on vacation or on a weekend warrior trip?

It happens to me all the time! Not so much curling iron as my flat iron! I fix my hair in a jiff, then I have to wait for the stinking thing to cool back off so I can pack it back up. There was this one time I thought to myself, “how hot could it be” and just chucked it in my luggage while packing back up in Vegas. BAD MOVE! I came home and the chord I used to wrap around the flat iron fused to a portion of the plate, plus some of the bristles of my favorite “blow out” brush fused to the heated mess as well.

First time, last time sort of experience. There was another time when I figured “oh I will just hold on to it until it cools off” and then stick it in my bag when it was cold. Well in the mad dash of leaving the hotel room I promptly reached for the hot end of the curling iron and screamed like a banshee. (Cue moronic drum roll please…)

Well if you have ever done any of the above or have your own tales of stupidity to share you can appreciate the simple genius of the Baggallini Curling Iron Covers!

The insulated heat and water resistant compartment holds the hot iron and protects the rest of your belongings at the same time. Comes in a variety of shades includin: red, pink red, black, orange, lime, turquoise, periwinkle, dark olive. etc.

Costs $14.95  

If you are interested in checking out or purchasing the Baggallini Hot Iron Cover, click here.

Want to shop for more discount Hair Care Products in general, click here.  

Meet Marisa Miller as she launches Victoria’s Secret very sexy Dare Fragrance!  Victoria’s Secret “dares” you to meet their newest angel, Marisa Miller. In celebration of the launch of Very Sexy Dare - Marisa Miller will appear at the Victoria’s Secret store at Herald Square to give away personalized autograph fragrances to her fans.

I can hear the  mad rush of a thousand randy men running to Herald Square!!

(Finish the full article at TalkingMakeup.com)

Smarter Beauty Blog Week in Review:

Sure celebrities have tons of MONEY, and FAME and BEAUTY and, and, and… but even they make mistakes!! Check out Celebrity HAIR DISASTERS!

Our resident beauty guest blogger Jeanie Kwak reviews Neostrata Ultra Smoothing Lotion! 

Read about tips to help your hair grow faster and stronger!

Cleopatra Eyes! The search for Kohl eyeliners that do not bleed continues …

That’s all folks! Have a great weekend!

Here’s the question, What type of 1950’s beauty icon are you?

Marilyn Monroe or Elizabeth Taylor?

As for me I am team Taylor. I love Marilyn but the whole busty, wispy voiced bombshell vibe got her nothing but heartache and premature death. Whereas Elizabeth’s stunning classic look of silky raven hair, creamy skin and VIOLET eyes garnered her endless marriages and jewelry, jewelry jewlery!!

You could almost say that the two icons are a metaphor for life. What kind of girl are you?

Well that said, I have always wanted to emulate Elizabeth Taylor’s eyes in Cleopatra. Poopy part is I am Asian so I am genetically disadvantaged from replicating the look. Plus all my life whenever I have attempted the smoky eyed look, every kohl eyeliner that I have ever tried bleeds like crazy.

Like raccoon eye bleeding! When I leave the house it’s nice and pretty and blended…fast forward 2 hours, charcoal bleeding everywhere. Looks like someone dipped their fists in firewood ashes and sucker punched me in both eyes.

Now I am not trying to achieve anything as dramatic as these two looks but in general when I attempt the swept charcoal look it always turns out a disaster.

Does anyone recommend an eyeliner, the variety that will not bleed? Or at least if it does bleed it does so gracefully and morphs into a smoky eyed deal?

Help ME!!

I don’t know if I mentioned this but I miss my long hair, and I am sick of my bangs!

They satisfied my craving at the time but now I am over them. I was looking back at pictures and I miss feeling like a girl with long hair. I think short cuts have a lot of style and spunk but nothing exudes class and femininity like long flowing locks.

Well when I set myself to something, I get really impatient and want it NOW! I hate waiting, especially for my hair to grow. The irony is I have been told that my hair grows pretty fast, especially my bangs which are always in my eyes a few days after a trim!

As luck would have it I recently had an appointment with my dermatologist about my face, but I figured while I was there and paying for the appointment I might as well ask what he recommends to aid hair growth.

Well he told me to take the following vitamin supplement:

Apparently BIOTIN aids in healthy hair, strong nails and scalp! I didn’t know that did you? Plus it doesn’t have a funny taste or smell and is quite small and pleasant to take. I take one with breakfast now, and even if it is just my imagination, I think it is working!

My hair seems shiny again!

By the way it is “yeast free” high potency biotin in a vegetarian capsule.

Retail is $25.49 On Sale for $11.48 (you save 55%)

Want to try it out for yourself? Buy Biotin Vitamin Supplements, click here.

Ugh, Mondays! Need I say more? Well I went to Las Vegas over the weekend and it struck me that I am soo over my bangs. I have a pretty face, I should stop hiding it. Plus my bangs seem to grow so fast they often go from the “perfect” length to blinding me in two seconds. One of my favorite sites to visit to scope out the latest hairstyles is “The Cutting Chair”. Check it out, it’s pretty cool, they show tons of pictures of the newest hairstyles and they even do sections about celebrity hairstyles that is funny and true. I took the following pictures from their “Celebrity Hair Disasters” page but put my own little commentary.

“I am Medusa, no matter what you say… ”

“Hmm, I bet he marks a line on his head for every time he puts his foot in his mouth at a music award shows…”

“I am actually impressed to tell you the truth, I mean that’s pretty creative to store your crack in your hair…”

“He stole the beat from Queen and David Bowie, it only makes sense that he would steal his style from MC Hammer…”

And I’m done.

If you are searching for a new hairstyle or want to read their take on celebrity do’s and don’ts check out, The Cutting Chair!

Since the beginning of time it seems there are a few fashion “faux pas” you are never suppose to question, one is wearing white after Labor Day! Personally I think this beauty rule no longer applies anymore but what do I know, :).

Well I agree with the blogger from “Hello Dollface Blog” and I don’t think you have to necessarily go pale and murky in the fall and winter seasons. Feel free to continue bronzing or mixing a hint of the good stuff with your fave moisturizer into the cooler seasons.

Finish reading entire post and great bronzer products at Hello Dollface Blog..

Whilst in the land of Smarter Beauty Blogs:

Do you have acne prone skin? Try washing your face with Evian water, sounds booshy I know but if it works, it works…

Affordable, great smelling Nivea Men’s shaving cream and balm…

Check Out! - Urban Decay New & Improved Deluxe Shadow Box