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Tuesday, July 01, 2008 Make Up For Ever Sens'Eyes Eye Makeup Remover I was browsing makeup blogs and communities one day looking for reviews and opinions on Imju Fiberwig mascara when I happened to stumble upon a comment that said that using a Shiseido base underneath the Fiberwig would be the only way to hold a curl, and that Sens'eyes would be the only way to really get all of that gunk off at the end of the day. Frustrated with the ineffectiveness of nearly all of the eye makeup removers I'd tried, I went to Sephora and purchased both the Shiseido base and a $7 travel sized bottle of Sens'eyes, just to try it out. The verdict? This stuff is amazing. I just put a small blob on my eyelid and rub it into my lashes and skin and then wipe off the whole muddy mess off with a tissue. One swipe takes off nearly everything, including my mascara(s) which usually don't come off entirely even after a long, hot shower and a couple of face washings. After my tiny bottle ran out (took much longer than expected!) I went straight back to Sephora and purchased a full sized bottle. This is a little bit pricey at $23 for less than 3.5 ounces, but I believe it is so, so worth it. Buy it at Sephora, in store or online. Labels: cleanser, cosmetics, eye makeup, make up for ever, makeup, makeup remover 3 Comments (link) Midori |

Friday, June 20, 2008 Old Navy Suede T-Strap Pumps So now Old Navy has cute shoes?! I was looking at the website and ran across these lovely suede 4-inchers with subtle stud detailing and fell in love. They don't carry my size (I usually wear a 5.5 but the smallest they carry is a 6) but I have a pair of Banana Republic chunky heeled sandals in a size six that I bought last year (my current favorite shoes) that fit great, so I think I'll give these a shot! And at just $17.50 a pair (on sale!)? I may just get them in both grey and black. Buy yours here! All sizes still available! Labels: high heels, old navy, sale, sandals, shoes 1 Comments (link) Midori |

Thursday, June 12, 2008 The Brazilian Wax: Part One Okay so this isn't really a tangible something-you-can-buy, but it's something I've come to rely over the past few years. It's less irritating than shaving, feels cleaner, and you absolutely do not have to worry about stray hairs poking out or through of your swimsuit! So here is my story on my experiences with bikini-line maintenance, which may be TMI for some (in which case you'd do well with skipping the remainder of the post) but interesting and informative to others (I hope). The Beginnings I've been to three different salon/spas and have experienced the pain that is the pube-wax at the hands of five different aestheticians, but my very first taste of having my hair ripped out in chunks was right in my own home. That's right, me and a warmed-up jar of drugstore sugar wax. I was maybe 19 or 20 at the time and, being a poor college student, couldn't really fathom spending $50 of my library-bitch money (7 hours worth!) on a service I could do myself. Long story short? Complete and utter failure. I managed to pull out about 10 hairs total before I assumed the fetal position and cried. Okay not really, but it really freaking hurts when you try to do it yourself! Not recommended. On the up side, though, I also learned which areas hurt the most and the least. Most? Front and center. The further down you go, the lesser the pain. Seriously. Salon one My little experience scared me off of waxing for a couple years before I decided to suck it up and rip it out again, but this time I was going to go to a professional. I was graduating college and was going to to on an excursion to Hawaii shortly afterward and didn't want to have to worry about shaving or stubble for the entire 12 days I would be there. I looked up an Aveda salon (the familiar brand name was somewhat comforting) and found a place that wasn't too far away that had reasonable prices. I nervously called up the salon and made an appointment for a bikini wax. The fateful day came and I popped a couple of Advil and drove myself to the spa with all the enthusiasm of someone making their way over to the guillotine. The aesthetician looked a bit like a cleaned up Christina Aguilera...when she had that super dark tan and black hair. She left me in the room to take off my shorts and situate myself on the table with a towel over my lap. She came back and did a "check" to see if the hair was long enough to be waxed (it was) and then asked me what I wanted done. She was confused about my request for a bikini wax since apparently I'm not that hairy. I explained that I wanted everything taken off and she said that next time I should request a brazilian when making an appointment (oops). Anyway, she got to work, leaving my underwear on and working around it. I held my breath while waiting for the first rip...and holy goddamn ouch it hurt. Thankfully, the first few strips were as bad as it got and the pain lessened as she moved further down. After she was done she left me alone in the room to clean myself up. I checked out her "work" and observed that it wasn't as clean as I thought it'd be (still some hairs left) but it was far cleaner than shaving. Also, the pain was bad, but not nearly as bad as I thought it'd be. So, here's some lessons learned after experience #1 and a little advice to keep in mind: This is the time to bust out your granny panties Not only will your lacy little thong chafe your freshly waxed skin, it will get covered in baby powder and whatever oil/toner/etc. they use to clean you up. And possibly residual wax. I'd advise comfortable cotton underwear. It'll be more comfortable, plus they're a cinch to wash. Wear comfortable bottoms I was wearing shorts that were a bit binding this particular time. Not pleasant. Make sure your hair is at least 1/4" long before waxing Most places won't wax you if it's not. Some places want it even longer. I'd ask if you're unsure. Keep yourself clean! Imagine being face to face with some stranger's crotch for 20-30 minutes. Now imagine this stranger has questionable hygiene and has not showered in 36 hours. I like making morning appointments so I can just take my morning shower and go straight to the salon. I'm sure the aesthetician would appreciate it. Tip well I believe that the more "personal" the service, the more the tip should be. I generally tip 30ish percent. The cost of experience #1? $25. They were nice and charged me for a bikini wax even though I got a brazilian. I'm going to have to make this into a two-parter since this is getting way too long. More later! Labels: beauty, bikini wax, brazilian wax, experiences, salon, services, spa, waxing 0 Comments (link) Midori |

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 Urban Decay Primer Potion My eyelids used to be pretty oily so my eyeshadow would always crease like mad, especially when I went out at night. Eventually, I heard about something called a primer that would miraculously eliminate creasing and increase staying power! OMEGA COOL! So one day I was in a Sephora and remembered I wanted to try a primer. But which one? I picked the one that seemed to be the most convenient--a little $30 stick of primer that wound up like deodorant and applied like a deodorant (except I put it on my eyelids, not my armpits). The verdict? It did NOTHING! I used it several times hoping I'd see results, but no such luck. I threw it in the back of a drawer and there it has stayed for over a year. I went for several more months with no primer and lots of creased shadow. In this time I became acquainted with beauty forums and review sites (e.g. Makeup Alley) and learned about something called Urban Decay Primer Potion (often referred to as UDPP by makeup addicts). After reading review after rave after review on UDPP, I went out to Sephora to go find me some. And WHOA NELLY. It cost about half as much as that piece of wind up push pop crap I had purchased so long ago but it actually works. Creasing was minimized by 80% (yeah I just made up that number) which was good enough for me! Oh, and it helps your shadow stick, too. The other day I forgot to use my UDPP before putting on my eyeshadow, and when I went to blend almost everything came off :P I guess that means my blending brush is pretty good at picking up color (MAC 217 Blending Brush for those who are curious) but yeah, I definitely need my UDPP. I bought mine at Sephora. You can too for a mere $16 (btw, fresh no longer sells that stick primer. i think they knew how much it sucked too.) Labels: beauty, cosmetics, eye makeup, makeup, potion, primer, urban decay 0 Comments (link) Midori |

Friday, May 16, 2008 K-Palette 24 Hour Eyeliner So I picked this up at Mitsuwa yesterday on a whim. The tagline (or whatever) claims that it's like a "1 day tattoo". Now, I am not at all handy with liquid eyeliner. I don't even wear eyeliner most of the time now (I've recently become a MAC shadow addict so it's been all about shadow) and when I do, it's my MAC Technakohl in Graphblack. BUT...I decided that now's as good a time as any to learn how to use the liquid stuff :P I like the packaging and I like how the cap clicks on when you close it. I also kinda like the brush, very slim, pointy and precise. Reminds me of those brush markers I used as a kid. I used it on my lower waterline this morning. I was able to get a relatively straight, precise line (a very thin line at that, which is neat) which is freaking amazing for me. The consistency, however, was strange. Kind of watery and kind of beaded up a bit along the line. Wtf? As for the staying power, well, I just yawned and my eyes teared a bit. I pressed my fingers up to my eyes and got eyeliner crumbs all over them. So much for one day tattoo :P I'm going to give it another shot, though. This time on clean eyes (I had moisturized right before applying my makeup...wouldn't be surprised if this affected how well the liner adhered to my skin) and also maybe on my top lid as well (ackkkk...if I can draw a straight line :() I bought mine at Mitsuwa for $15 (or $15.95...?), but you can get it here for $30 CAD (but why would you do that?) Labels: 24 hour eyeliner, beauty, cosmetics, eyeliner, k-palette, makeup, one day tattoo 0 Comments (link) Midori |

Thursday, May 15, 2008 RevolveClothing.com and Tobi.com Has it seriously been that long since I've posted here? For shame! Anyway, on to the list! Shopping online can be freaking frustrating...especially for someone like me (shorter than short) who finds that, more often than not, clothes do not fit at all which makes me hesitant to buy online when I'm not familiar with the brand/designer. Enter Revolve Clothing and Tobi. Let's start with Revolve. Now what they do is tell you if a designer runs small or large, depending on the article of clothing. Now this is extremely helpful if you are familiar with even one of the designers sold on the site. Now, I own a handful of Velvet clothing including one dress and I can verify that yes, it does run a bit large and if I were to order any other Velvet dress in the same size it would have just about the same fit. I also like that they tell you what size was modeled...even though they rarely post the models measurements ;P. Oh, and their sale section has the most awesome size filter ever. So yes, Revolve Clothing is AWESOME. Now I haven't purchased anything from Tobi but I really like that they post the models' measurements and the size the model is wearing. Yay for reference points! Labels: revolveclothing.com, shopping, sizing, tobi.com, websites 0 Comments (link) Midori |

Friday, August 24, 2007 Amet and Sasha Amet and Sasha is the brainchild of indie designer Jesse Kelly-Landes who is now closing up shop after five years of business. Sucks? Yes. But the silver lining in this dark cloud is that all of her pieces (for as long as supplies last) are now 20% off. She is also having a studio sale of a bunch of pre-made pieces (meaning if she doesn't have your size, too bad for you) at even deeper discounts. Her Asymmetrical Skirt (to the left) would be lovely on a taller girl with nice legs (i.e. not me) and has been reduced from $65 to $51. Buy it here. Labels: Amet and Sasha, clothing, sale, skirt 1 Comments (link) Midori |