What's in my purse?



Hello:

Today I bring you another way to get to know me and my beauty predilections a bit better, via Video!!
Now please forgive my poor editing skills.  My camera will only film 10 minutes at a time and I had to splice 2 videos together.  I'm slowly but surely learning how to use YouTube's Video editor. 
So please be a kind audience ;) But constructive criticism is totally acceptable! 

Also I love how the thumbnails for my videos are always me with my mouth open. 

So what do you carry to get you through your work day?

Jasmine

Ooh la la Lips - Pixi Rosy Red

Hello:

It's time again for ooh la la lips!  This week I used Pixi's Tinted Brilliance Balm (it's like Revlon lip butters, just in crayon form) It does not really leave a stain, and lasts about 2 hours.  But ease of use for me usurps longevity, I can put it on without a mirror, and I like the glossy-ness.

You can get Pixi at Target for $16 and it comes in 7 different colors.

The only flaw I see, is that because it's a sheer balm that does deliver a punch of color the "color" tends to stick where ever your lips are dry as you can see above.

Before

 

 

With oh la la lips!  What a difference a bit of color makes!  I would really suggest this a stepping stone to full on red lips!  There's a red for everyone!

 

Jasmine

 



Like a hole in the head...

Hello!

I recently picked up some new polishes at Jewel/Osco (a grocery pharmacy chain), CVS and Ulta.  I need these polishes like I need a hole in the head.  Seriously, it's just greediness at this point.  But on to the goodies!

The first 3 I got at Jewel/Osco for 1/2 off!  They were about $2 each, the blue Milani is called Blue Print and green is Green Sketch, because I do so much nail art (said no one ever).  But if I DO I am ready!  The Revlon is #092 Blue Lagoon, I am so drawn to pastels lately!  I guess I can't wait for spring!  The Spoiled colors I got at CVS, they are much better looking in real life.  The blue is Use Protection (what? What kind of name is that?) and the rose gold is Jewelry Heist (now that makes sense).

Then at Ulta I picked up my first essence polish - the bottles are so cute!  It's called "date in the moonlight".  I also got Essie's Marshmallow so I can make Jelly Sandwiches.  I saw a post on glitter sandwiches done with Marshmallow on KellyGonzo.com and I really wanted to duplicate it.  The Spoiled polishes I got at CVS should work nicely. 

Sorry about the crappy pictures...I have been meaning to grab some nail wheels to do swatches, I promise a better polish post in the future!

Jasmine

NOTW - China Glaze Spontaneous

Hello~

This week I noticed a lot of purple/lilac polishes catching my eye.  And because I am a bit pale and light lilacs can make me look like I have hypothermia, so I opted for a deeper lavender.  Spontaneous by China Glaze.

 

Spontaneous was part of the "what's your color" collection, which assigned a color to each sign -Libra: Spontaneous Nail Polish - Lavender, acts a as a tonic, balancing the mind, body and spirit. Somehow, you keep everything together, even in crazy times. 

I had no idea that was the inspiration behind this polish when I got it, and it just so happens I am a Libra - CrAzY.....

 

 

And here's how the manicure turned out -

 

 

On the left is daylight and on the right is indoor lighting, I actually added a sparkly accent nail as I had a Love & Beauty polish from Forever 21 that matched very well.  Sometimes I think I'm too old to have a "trendy" manicure - but clients thought I was 29 the other day so maybe it's ok.  :)

 

What color have you been "feeling" this week?

 

Jasmine

 

 

 

Sunday Social

Hello:

Once again I am linking up with Neely @ A Complete Waste of Makeup for Sunday Social!

Here are this weeks questions:

What is your ideal way to relax? - A day at home alone, laundry done (fresh sheets on the bed) so I can just pour myself a Diet Coke on ice (crushed), and read and nap all day.

My cat will most likely be napping with me.

Where is your favorite place to be? - See above :)

Who do you consider your biggest role model? - Martha Stewart - that woman turned a catering business into an EMPIRE, she went to jail and still didn't loose her business and came out classy as ever.  I've met her and she is 71 and looks amazing and just has a presence.

What does your life look like in 3 years? - Seriously, I haven't a clue, and I'm glad.  I'm not on a schedule.  I want to take life as it comes at me.  I don't have kids or a husband so life is just there for me to enjoy being me :)


If you could go back and change one decision what would it be? - I would have taken more time choosing a major and went with something more practical (archaeology - not so much), and really researched colleges and fond one where I could enjoy the college experience instead of paying 100K and just being bored out of my mind.

What is your biggest accomplishment in life thus far? - Getting to exactly where I am today.  Every little accomplishment eventually leads to a bigger one and we never know what those may be, so each day I just give it my all, leads to successes I wouldn't even have thought of.


That's all for now ... I'm curious who other peoples role model's are?

Jasmine

Presents to myself - OCC Lip Tars

Hello:

Hope you all are having a good weekend!  As a make-up/skincare consultant I am working and today is actually my Tuesday.  But because I'm doing what I love, it always flies by and allows me to buy presents for myself like this gem!

Is that 5 new Lip Tars for me?  oh yes!  I got it from Sephora and usually the Lip Tars are $16 each, but this full sized set was only $49 and it came with a full size lip brush - Score!

The five colors are (from left to right) Pretty Boy, Stalker, Vintage, Grandma, and Melange.  I love OCC's names - like Grandma is totally a coral that older ladies like to rock with a modern edge.  I had to look up Melange - it's either rock formations or it can mean a literal mixture of things.  I just saw Sephora now has some of the Metallic Lip Tars so you know I'll be workin hard for the $$ this weekend so that can be my next gift to myself.  :) 

They are all amazingly pigmented and you need so little product, that these may last me my entire life.  The full size lip brush that came with them is really nice as well.  Also they are "made to be mixed" so I think Grandma and Stalker need to meet :)

Do you have a favorite Lip Tar?

Jasmine

Review - Victoria's Secret Hypergloss Eye Shimmer

Hello!

Today I wanted to show an interesting product I recently got from Victoria's Secret Beauty.

 
It's the Hypergloss Eye Shimmer.  It can be used alone to give your eyelids a bit of sheer color and a lot of sparkle.  Or over an eyeshadow to give it a  bit of sparkle. 

 

I purchased 2 colors the gunmetal is Star Light and the one in the gold tube is Golden Lights.  I would say the are a charcoal grey and a champagne color repectively.

Here are the colors swatched (I did a dot of color and then a dot smoothed out) in "indoor" light on the left and daylight on the right - the daylight picture is more acurate and yes my arm really is that pale.

I'm on the fence with these, at the store I was like "so pretty, so SpArKly" and now I'm like "hmmm"  but I think it's good to incorpate a little extra sparkle into your look now and then, so these will get used and the colors are pretty neutral. 

How would you use the Hypergloss Shimmers? 

Jasmine

 

 



Inner Beauty Fiday - Book Club!

Hello!

I am once again linking up with Heather at Blonde...Undercover Blonde for Book Club!



This week I read "The Shadowy Horses" by Susanna Kearsley :


Here's the synopsis from Goodreads.com: "Archaeologist Verity Grey has been drawn to the dark legends of the Scottish Borderlands in search of the truth buried in a rocky field by the sea.

Her eccentric boss has spent his whole life searching for the resting place of the lost Ninth Roman Legion and is convinced he's finally found it—not because of any scientific evidence, but because a local boy has "seen" a Roman soldier walking in the fields, a ghostly sentinel who guards the bodies of his long-dead comrades.

Here on the windswept shores, Verity may find the answer to one of the great unsolved mysteries of our time. Or she may uncover secrets someone buried for a reason."

Duh duh DUH!

My thoughts - Its an easy read, and the characters a predictable.  I actually got my degree in Archaeology so that's why it piqued my interest, and they actually described the technical aspects pretty well.  Archaeology is not glamorous, it's a lot of paperwork.  And I wish all the archaeologists I knew were hot Scotsmen and we were on an illustrious dig - not so much in real life.  But it was an ok book and kept my interest!

Until next week!

Jasmine

oh la la lips... Palladio Juniper lipstick

Hello!

Once again it's time for some RED lips!  This week I tried Palladio Herbal Lipstick, which I got at Sally Beauty supply for $5.99

This lipstick comes with all sorts of benefits:

Improves lips surface and combats aging

Reduces appearance of fine lines

Creamy rich coverage

"Palladio Herbal Lipstick is enriched with peppermint for fresh breath. Added herbs like Green Tea, Chamomile, Ginseng, Ginkgo Biloba, Aloe Vera and Vitamin E to improve the lips surface and combat aging to reduce the appearance of fine lines.

Prevents the lips from drying or cracking, providing the natural humectants needed for a healthy look. Enriched with peppermint for fresh breath."

I will agree with the lip smoothing - but I don't know about the fresh breath, I'm going to bet if I ate some garlic-y pasta you would still know!  But it does feel nice on.

It looks like it would be much darker than NYX's Bloody Mary (reviewedHere), but it's just a tinge darker, still a blue based red, just not quite as bright.

And now for the happy girl wearing red lipstick picture!  And I am telling you there is a red for everyone!  I should change this post to "On Thursday's we wear Red (lips)!"

I already have a glossy red picked out for next Thursday!

Jasmine

Review - Victoria's Secret Plump Pout Tinted Balm

Hello!

Today I wanted to show a product I picked up before Christmas at Victoria's Secret.  It's part of their Beauty Rush collection - usually you can find them right by the register and they're usually 5 for $20 or something like that.

They also have glosses, and gloss "chubby" pencils.

The packaging on these is pretty flimsy - I think you can tell in the picture below that the plastic tube looks like it will crack pretty easily.

Now you can see on the tube it says "tinted balm" - here's the swatch:

Hmmmm, not quite what I was expecting.

Above are my lips before....

And here they are with the balm on...

It does have the plumping "tingle" but I didn't notice a big difference.  I still think there is nothing better than DuWop Lip Venom if you want real results.  I think this will go into my car for cosmetic emergencies. 


Do you have a favorite lip plumping product?

Jasmine

Things that work - Goody Spin Pins

Hello~

Today I wanted to share a hair related item.  This will be one of the FEW hair related posts you will ever see from me.  I am not good with hair, and so I wear mine up a lot. 

I got these Goody Spin Pins in my Beauty Blogger Influenster Box (Info Here).  And although I am blonde and I got the one for dark hair you barely see them so it doesn't matter a bit.

On the back there are directions, but it's quite simple.  Grab your hair in a ponytail, twist around into a bun and twist the spin pin in. 

They show using both pins, but I have very thin hair about two inches past my shoulder and I only need one.  And it holds all day!  Plus it makes my bun look a bit fuller, which is nice.  I sometime have to stick in another bobby pin if a little bit of hair pokes out but other than that it's like 3 minutes and no more bad hair day!

You can see the top of the spin pin in this picture and the bit of hair I need to pin down on the top right.  They retail for about $7.99, but I have found generic ones at Sally Beauty Supply (but the aren't as well made).

Have you tried spin pins?  What is your bad hair day saviour?

MOTW - Sinful Colors Island Coral

Hello!

This week's Manicure (hence MOTW - Manicure of the Week) is brought to you by Nat from Gl0ssy, who has wonderful taste in nail polish and many other things, so check out her blog! 

Nat had asked me about the consistency of Sinful Colors nail polishes and I said they were hit or miss, I would love your comments below on what you think about Sinful, because I can't make up my mind.  She also reminded me that I had posted Island Coral (Here) in my summer nail polish haul and what was it like... so here it is!

I got it at Walgreens and I'm pretty sure I paid $1.99.

It is definitely a "pink" coral  I traditionally think of coral as more like this:

 

But since it's "Island" coral maybe that's different :)

 

 

On the left is "daylight" and on the right indoor lighting, so the color is pretty similar no matter the light.  This particular polish was a little thick going on and it took three coats to achieve full opacity.  Like I said Sinful is touch and go for me, I tend to only get it if I LOVE the color because I know it's not the best formula but it's cheap and pretty, and I can make it work. 

 

So what's your Sinful Experience?

 

Jasmine

 

 



Sunday Social

Hello!

I am doing Sunday Social again this week:

1) Top 3 Favorite Kinds of Food - pastries, candy & cheese

2) First 3 Things you do in the morning - wash my face, bathe & put on all my lotions and potions

3) Last 3 Things you do at night - Wash my face, put on my lotions and potions and read

4) 3 TV shows you NEVER miss - Well actually I miss all of them, I only watch TV on the Internet, but current favorite shows are - The Mindy Project, Project Runway & New Girl

5) 3 Places you want to visit - The UK, Japan and Turkey

Hope you are having a great Sunday!

Jasmine

Milani Eye Tech Liner

Hello!

Today I want to share an eyeliner I really like - Milani Eye Tech ( I got mine at Target for $6.99). 

 

 

 

Although gel eyeliner is my preferred eyeliner, this is a very close second.  It has a very nice felt tip, and it is extremely black. 

 

 

You can create both thin and thick lines very easily.  It doesn't smudge, or flake and it stays true for about 6 to 8 hours. 

 

 

So if your looking for an alternative to liquid eyeliner, that can create a skinny or winged look, this may be right up your alley. 

 

Have any of you tired eye tech before?

 

 

Jasmine

 





Inner Beauty Friday - Book Club!

Hello!

Once again I am linking up with Heather at Blonde...Undercover Blonde for Book Club!

This week I read Siddhartha by Herman Hesse:


The Synopsis (from Goodreads.com)~ "Born into wealth and privilege, Siddhartha renounces his place among India’s nobility to wander the countryside in search of meaning. He learns suffering and self-denial among a group of ascetics before meeting the Buddha and coming to realize that true peace cannot be taught: It must be experienced. Changing his path yet again, Siddhartha reenters human society and earns a great fortune. Yet over time this life leaves Siddhartha restless and empty. He achieves enlightenment only when he stops searching and surrenders to the oneness of all."

My thoughts:  This is a short book but my copy has a whole forward section about the author which was really interesting. Herman Hesse (a German) wrote this book right after WWI and it would have been full of very foreign concepts to most.  In fact it wasn't translated into english until the late 1950's.  While the book may be a quick read (technically) it makes you think, and it has a lot of foot notes so you can understand the Hinduism references.  I really liked it because it reminds me that no matter where you are in time, or what religion we practice, the inner I is always searching for a certain peace.

Until next week!

Jasmine

25 Random Facts tag!

Hello!

The lovely Christine at Little Red Bow tagged me to to a 25 Random Facts post.  First and foremost you should check out her blog, she is stylish, can rock a red lip and always has great posts - then you can read about my nonsense :)

So here are 25 Random tidbits about me -

1) I can speak Spanish, BUT I really can only hold a conversation about skin care or vacation-y stuff.

2) I can't draw to save my life (well maybe like stick figures)

3) I really like to cross stitch

4) I read before I go to bed every night, mostly fiction and non-fiction.  I have a widget on the left side of my blog from Goodreads.com so you can always see what I am reading!

5) People either tell me I seem really serious all the time or that I'm really funny.  Actually I'm like a mean 75 year old lady yelling about "kids these days" on the inside.

6) I love naps.

7) I have a rare sleeping disorder (major sleepwalker) I also see things that aren't there (while half asleep) and have conversations about them.

8) My dream job would have been to be a Soap Opera star.

9) I think if I went on the Price is Right I would win big.

10) I am naturally blonde, but in the last three years I have had red and then black hair.  Fortunately, my amazing hairstylist can make this happen without a lot of damage.

11) Obviously I look very different depending on how much makeup I am wearing.  Seriously, it's like being 2 different people.

12) I have lived in 5 different states (MN, IL, WI, MT & WA)  and thus have taken the driving exam 5 different times.  And the tests are different, which makes no sense to me, shouldn't driving laws be standardized?

13) I question a lot of things, and if you ask me what I am thinking about at any given time it's probably pretty random.

14)  I prefer cold weather to hot, and cloudy to sunny days. 

15)  I want to live in New York City for at least a few years.

16)  My cat sticks his tongue out when he's relaxed and I always take pictures because it cracks me up.

17)  I don't have an Ipod, Iphone or any of that business, I'm just not into it (because I'm an old lady inside and don't like "new fangled technology") Actually, I just don't use my phone that much and I rarely listen to music and I don't need an "app" for everything I do.

18) I really struggle to take pictures of my makeup looks for my blog - I can't figure out how to get my eye make-up to show up "True to life" and not all washed out.

19) I take my skincare very seriously, and I always wash my face before bed (and apply eye cream, serum and moisturizer), no matter how late, if I've been out drinking (rare), or I'm traveling.

20) I love candy, (like Swedish fish, Sprees, sour straws and jelly belly jelly beans) not so much chocolate unless it's dark.

21) If you give me a recipe I can cook it, if it involves baking, maybe not so much.

22)  I make delicious deep fried pickles.

23) I am a night owl (if you ever see an early post by me, it was prescheduled).

24) I'm thinking about getting an esthitician license

25) Creating this blog was one of the best decisions I ever made.


So there you have it - a lot of really random things.  I know I love reading posts like this so I'm going to tag some ladies I find very interesting (but feel free to do this if you like) and if I tagged you and it's not your thing it's ok too. It's all cool, this is a safe place.

Martha @ Quick, Cheap & Pretty
Pang @ BeautyRedefined by Pang
Amy @ Small Budget Beauty
Katie @ Katie Alyse
& my Canadian mind twin (who will remain unamed becuse you KNOW who you are)

Thanks for reading!

Jasmine

Hello Kitty Charmmy Eyeshadow Stick Set

Hello:

Today, I wanted share one of the gifts I got myself with my Sephora gift certificates for Christmas.  I went in to Sephora not knowing what I wanted and found these Hello Kitty Eyeshadow Pencils, I swatched them but they didn't have the color I wanted.  I went to Sephora.com and low and behold they had a whole set of 6 ($38) for the price of  2 1/2 sticks ($16 each) - Score!

When they came I was surprised at the plain, plain packaging - I mean this is Hello Kitty!  Usually there's a pink fuchsia color explosion - no big deal, just thought it was odd.

I really like these shadow sticks they have good color payoff, the are creamy and the colors are really usable.  And they must be good because I usually don't like ANYTHING Hello Kitty - I'm more of a Sesame Street person - sans Elmo. 

I took pictures booth indoors and in the daylight.  The colors are (from left to right) Kimono, Cotton Candy (why is the dark purple called Cotton Candy?), Overalls, Teacup, Friendship, Cream Puff.

They were still available online as of January 15th. 
Have you ever tried these before?

Jasmine