Leopard Skin & Scented Kisses

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the Too Faced Pink Leopard Bronzer. I was a little bummed that I just about a smashbox product that is very similar. This multi-toned bronzer uses the classis leopard print to have bronze, golds, and pinks all swirled together. Too Faced says "Creates a glorious skin brightening, all over glow with swirls of skin illuminating bronze, fawn, and golden pink pigments that mimic the exact shade of naturally tanned skin. Look like you just got back from an African Safari with this skin-perfecting combo. Being sexy has never been more fun! MEOOOOW!!"

And then I found one of my favorite perfumes in a lip gloss duo. Vera Wang Princess now comes in a double ended tube, roller-ball perfume on one end, bright sparkly pink gloss on the other. This is the perfect touch-up tool

MAC-in It

Thursday night, Jessica, Shannon and I took a trip over to Macy's and went wild at MAC. We each got a make-over and some great products to take home. We also ran into Julia from AATP and her friend. I love talking make-up with Julia, and she always has interesting tips that I never thought of. She also helped Jessica and me pick out somethings. For it me, it was the need for a liquid concealor instead of a primer to keep my eyeshadow bright and fresh looking all day. For Jessica, it was a soft gold shadow in the form of Amber Lights, and it really looked great on her. I also picked up Golden Olive pigment and Perky lipglass from the Balloonacy collection and Cushy White from the new plushglasses. I wasn't feeling the liners. The black didn't have enough pearl in it to make it standout from the standard black so I passed on it.

Time for me to rave about the plush glass. I have never been a fan of plumpers. Most are cinnamon-based and I hate the spicy tingly feeling, it hurt me. I also hated how it made my lips so red and raw looking. But not the plump glass. This was more of a minty tingle, which I love! and there was no redness. The color is a clear with a bit of pearl, and my lips stayed super light all day. I didn't wind up with crazy big lips, just a bit of umph for normally pretty decent ones. This is a must buy.

And while at Macy's, I meandered into the shoe section to get my pink Palm Beach beauties. The tragedy, they were out of my size. But I also saw another pair on sale, that they did have. My pink shoes are coming from zappos on monday.

Go Place an Order on Smashbox Today!!!

Combine this offer with todays Let's Do Lunch and that is one hell of a steal!!!

The fine print: place an order for $50 or more and use code SPRED8 to get the palette

UPDATE: I got it, lol

Gimme Some MOR

I received the MOR lip gloss that I won today, the flavor I got is Gelato. Mmmm Gelato.... The packaging is the cutest 50s-bakery style lavender tin, and the gloss is light and sweet. I also got a coupon for free shipping and the line is packed with awesome products. Chinoiserie has the most beautiful floral packaging that would look fabulous on any girls vanity. Glitterati has really pretty glosses, body shimmers and gorgeous cut glass perfume bottles. I'd love to get some samples of these. And Provincial has really elegant glass bottles. This is a really glamorous line, shop it at MOR

3 Cool Products

#1 - Light Up Lip Gloss: As seen in In Style Mag, the newest revolution in lip gloss involves mini lights in the cap. Three companys have put out these glosses, ModelCo, Liparazzi, and Victorias Secret. VS's version isn't up on the site yet. Both ModelCo and Liparazzi have 5 colors, both have a clear gloss. The ModelCo shades seem more subdued and universally flattering, while the Liparazzi's are more vibrant. Plus the ModelCo has a brush applicator versus the doefoot for Liparazzi, and brushes always win in my book. So I am going to go for Pink Sea Shell by ModelCo, pictured here.

#2 - Sparkle Eye Dust by N.Y.C. I found this cool loose eyeshadow in my cousin Gina's makeup case. This cute shadow is in a spill proof container with a built in brush. It feels so playful, and really makes putting on your makeup fun. Plus it is only $3.99. I got 14 Karat Pink and Champagne.

#3 - Neutrogena Acne Mark Fading Peel - I have been stalking every store that carries skin care since this product came out a year ago, and I finally found it at Giant today. If you have been hunting too, it is in an orange and white box. I've always thought the worst thing about a break-out is the mark it leaves after, hence my hunt for this. I was really dissapointed by the smell, it was nasty and musty and totally gross. A fresh citrus would have been great. It also has a light exfoliater in it. After one application it is hard to tell how well it works, but after a few uses, I will be reporting on how well it cleared my skin.

Balloon-itic

Oh yes, MAC Balloonacy is now up on the website, and while I thought making a list of 40+ lippies would prevent me from buying anymore for a while, that just doesn't seem to be the case. Lipglass in perky is looking pretty good. But to be fair on my part, the only other lavender lip color I have is Opal lustreglass, which is pretty sheer and works better as a top coat. We will just have to see how it looks on me when I hit the stores.

The other item I want to try is the softsparkle eye pencil. The black, purple, and white-gold colors all look awesome, so I will be taking those for a test run as well. The khaki color just isn't speaking to me.

Some other cool products:
Pigment: two purples, one mid-tone, one very pale, plus a green look great, and will really pop for spring.
Nail Laquer: if you just can't get enough of the black polish trend, nocturnelle, looks like a really nice creamy black.

Have fun with this one!!

Thursday Shopping

Thursday I went to have my nails done before going out of town for a long weekend. I have mixed feeling about the girl who did my nails this time. She is really great at getting the length and shape I like, but she is very heavy-handed with the drill, on top of that she was rushing because the salon was very busy. Needless to say, my nails look great, but I have a sore spot on my pinky. I also used Mini How High, which I really like, very clean bright light pink.

After that, I went next door to Sally to get a pair of Tweezerman Tweezers, the best on the market. I had trouble finding them, and when I asked the girl where they were, she was all "But they are so expensive" I was like "yes, I know this, but they are worth it". I couldn't believe the sales girls were so clueless about their products and don't know the value behind these tweezers. Great way to make a sale, girls!!

Finally, I hit up B&BW. I had a coupon for a free signature product with purchase. For my freebie, I got Magnolia Blossom Body Spray. This scent really surprised me, I'm not that into florals, but this one is amazing; clean and delicious. I couldn't get enough of smelling myself. It also reminds me of my godmother, so not only is it wonderful, but it has a great familiar smell of a person I love. I also got a Fresh Linen candle, again, my love of clean, fresh scents. The new temptation line is being previewed with 4oz 3-in-1's. There are 9 scents in all, two are re-releases from the fall, cinnamon bun heaven and pecan passion, the pp is to die for. I got Melon Cooler, Frozen Daquiri, Orange Freeze, and Iced Tea Twist (which smells exactly like lipton iced tea mix) the others were peach, banana, and apple.

To go with all my new hand creams, i got the True Blue Spa Beauty Queen Wave gloves. They are just like the bliss gloves that have a gel lining to maximize your lotions, but these are half the price. And lastly I got the super-cute orange and pink striped tote. This will make a great beach bag, and might also be good for toting around all my crap to work. I have this cute little orange Juicy Couture bag with gold hardware that my mom got me last year that I have never worn. I will definitly be using it this year, and the tote will match really well if I choose to wear them together.

New Things on My Radar

i just finished reading a great book Alligators, Old Mink, and New Money: One Woman's Adventures in Vintage Clothing. I can't even tell you how bad this book made me want to rush right out to the nearest vintage store. Hopefully, I will soon be able to do some serious vintage shopping. But tonight, I bought a gorgeous Gray Silk Brocade crop top from the 1940's on fashiondig that has a floral print of what looks like large roses. I will definitly post a picture once I get it, after I bought the top, the picture went >poof< off the site. You can also check out Alison and Melissa's (the authors) site at hooti couture.

And some new makeup I want:

After seeing the review on Meg's Makeup, I can't wait to get my hands on Lola The Ultimate Mascara, it just sounds so silky and luxurious.

Sephora also has what looks like a new lipliner, Maniac Long Wearing Liner; description:
What it is:
A highly pigmented, long-lasting lip liner.

What it is formulated to do:
Each rich shade glides on smooth with an intense, stay-true color that keeps your lipstick or gloss in place all day - and night.

plus it has a brush to blend, blend, blend, on the end of the pencil.

And lastly, Chanel's summer collection as seen on MakeupBag is just to die. I am so going to be stalking the Chanel counter in April so I can get my hands all over this collection.

**links to the blogs mentioned are on the sidebar, check them out**

Weekend Update

I am so going to be all over the place in this post.

1. Shopping: I got my green Nine West's on friday. I also tried on the black croc's, but they didn't feel or look so great. I ended up getting my greens for 30% off because the suede was slightly different on each shoe. It was the last pair in my size, so the manager offered me 20% off, i waivered and then asked for 30, she did some math in her head, and said sure. So awesome. My order from jaqua also arrived. The Pina Coloda is so beachy, summery yummy. It is the perfect amount of pineapple and coconut, not too sweet that it makes you want to vomit. The pink champagne is extremely light, I can't pinpoint what it is, but I guess it will be good for when I don't really want a strong scent. Also while out shopping, I saw the cutest pair of jeans. The button on front had a fluer de lis on it, and the back pockets had 3/4 of a fluer de lis patched on. Sadly, the stock only went up to a size 8, so i totally missed out. I cannot keep missing out on cute clothes because they don't have my size, so see #3.

2. Activities: We went to the Wine and Food Festival hosted by the Washington Post, and it sucked. The event was beyond crowded, you seriously couldn't move. We bailed after about 1/2 hour of trying to fight through the crowds. Lesson learned: don't waste your money if the Washington Post is hosting, since there is no such thing as the tickets selling out. $130 down the drain. Today I got a pedicure with Marshmallow, such a great white, if only I had a tan to go with it. I shaved my legs before I went, because it is so gross to have the girls touching you with 5-day stubble. But the shaving combined with the scrubs led to some minor razor burn. Note to self: remember to shave the day before a pedicure.

3. In three weeks I am becoming French. Kinda. I started reading French Women Don't Get Fat. The first stage of the program is to write down everything you eat; how much, when and where. No dieting, just monitoring. Then at the end of the three weeks you have Magical Leek Soup for Saturday and Sunday, but on Sunday you eat a real dinner. This "soup" is really just leek broth, and then for meals you eat the leeks. I guess this is the French version of a detox. After that, well I haven't read that far. I don't want to get ahead of myself and psych myself out, so I am only going to read each phase as I get there.

Maryam's Soap Nook

After hearing rave reviews (once again from Julia over at AATP) I placed on order on Maryam's Soap Nook for body butter and 2 body sprays. The body butter really is everything it is cracked up to be. The tub is HUGE, and it feels so great going on. I got buttercream, so I feel like im spreading frosting all over myself, yummy. The body mists are also nice, I got Madagascar Vanilla, which is a very sophisticated Vanilla scent, and Provence. I have this egyptian cotton linen spray from bed bath and beyond, that I LOVE, and I have been searching for a perfume that smells the same. I thought provence might be it, but no such luck. I might just start wearing the linen spray, which at $6 for 16oz would be the cheapest perfume ever. Also a note on the body sprays, since they are made it natural ingredients and oils, they go on, and have very different undertones than a spray from say BBW.

My Makeup Collection

1. Chanel Glossimer Satinette
2. MAC Lipglass Crystal Rose
3. MAC Lipglass Underage
4. MAC Lipglass Courting Rose
5. MAC Lipglass Fine China
6. MAC Lipglass Maqnetique
7. MAC Lustreglass Pinkarat
8. MAC Lusterglass Opal
9. MAC Chromeglass Chromaliving
10. MAC Chromeglass Pastel Polish
11. MAC Lipglass Body Mind
12. MAC Lipstick Screenqueen
13. MAC Lipglass Fashion Pick
14. MAC Lipstick Style It Up
15. MAC Lipglass Sweetness
16. Smashbox Spectrum Luminous
17. Smashbox Lipgloss Pixel
18. Chanel Glossimer Spark
19. Pout Gorgeous Girl
20. Lancome Juicy Tube Miracle
21. Lancome Sweet Caprice Cotton Candy
22. Mark Juice Gems Buttercream
23. Mark GBG Peek-a-boo
24. Mark GBG Tease
25. Mark GBG Honey
26. Mark Progloss Swank
27. Shu Uemura Lolishine 922
28. Shu Uemura Sweet Lipgloss Pink Shell
29. Mark Partytime blush
30. VS Pink slip
31. VS Ice Princess
32. Stila Sweet
33. Avon Glazewear Mirage
34. Benefit Color Plump Hey Sailor
35. Sephora Rosy Glow
36. Revlon Sugar Sugar Sprinkled Pink
37. Laura Mercier Petal
38. Lorac Babie
39. Jeni Lee Princess
40. MAC Cremestick Naked Rose
41. Dior Liner Heather Rose
42. Sephora Pencil 134

1. MAC Beautiful Iris
2. MAC MouthBrown
3. MAC Pink Freeze
4. Smashbox Wrap
5. Smasbox Toast
6. Smashbox Deadline
7. Smashbox Posh
8. Smashbox Tokidoki Celebrita
9. Jane Iredale Maple
10. Jane Iredale Coffee
11. Jane Iredale Natural
12. Bobbi Brown Chocolate Palette
13. Bobbi Brown Champagne
14. Clinique Starstruck/Golden Lynx SugarSugar/Mink
15. Mark Corset Cake
16. Mark Hushed
17. Revlon Lavender Unleashed
18. Mark Demure
19. Mark Heartfelt
20. Avon Chocolate
21. Laura Mercier Platinum
22. Kevin Aucoin Pink Liquid Shimmer
23. Smashbox Cavier/Thunder
24. MAC Marcoviolet
25. Revlon Smokin
26. Laura Mercier Eggplant
27. Mark Cinder
28. Mark Night
29. Mark Strobelight
30. Sephora Crayon 505
31. Mark RockStar
32. Mark Make It Big
33. Smashbox Mascara
34. Lancome Hypnose
35. MAC Prep + Prime
36. Urban Decay Primer

1. Laura Mercier Secret Conealer 3
2. Laura Mericer Secret Brightening Powder 2
3. Bobbi Brown Sunny Beige
4. Avon Mousse Foundation Bisque
5. Two Faced Snow Bunny
6. MAC Pearlsunhine
7. Nars Orgasm
8. Shu Uemura Antique Pink
9. Smashbox Frame
10. Mark Instant Vacation Bronzer
11. Mark Fizz
12. Mark Flushed
13. Mark Candleglow
14. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Sand
15. Smashbox Photofinish
16. Smashbox Publish
17. Bare Minerals Bisque
18. Laura Geller Spackle

Beauty in Georgetown

M and I went shopping in Georgetown today to stock up on Beauty Products. We started off by having lunch at J. Pauls, i got some yummy french toast and she got a burger and fries.

Then we started shopping:

first stop kiehls, I took a look around the whole store to see if anything jumped out at me, but i ended up just getting the Ultimate Strength Hand Salve. I think this will be a great treatment at night. I also got 2 samples each of cleansers, toners, and moisturizers.

Then we went to MAC, where M went all out buying stuff. I believe she got face powder, bronzer, eye liner, mascara, an eyeshadow quad, and a plumping gloss. I got Pink Freeze Eyeshadow and Sweetness Lipglass (from barbie).

Our final hit was Sephora. Where M continued her spree. So much so, that after the guy rang her up, she decided to put back some things. In the end she got Burberry Brit, a brush kit, Tarte Peep Show Eye Kit, some sephora eyeliners, a pencil sharpener, and Dior Skinflash Radiance Booster.

I got The Caudalie VinoGo Kit, which includes the foaming cleanser, beauty elixer, eye and lip cream, energizing cream, lip conditioner, cabernet shower gel, and body lotion. I also got the Oscar Blandi Dry Shampoo. I think the kit is a great value, $32, and a great way to try a range of Caudalie products.

Also, if you are skinny and have $$$ go to Wink, it is under Steve Madden, they have such cute clothes, I can't wait til I can fit into them. And hopefully it will be soon, since I just bought a pass to take classes at my community center. I plan on attending yoga 2x a week and Pilates once.

"Finer Things" Reading Material

I named by blog champagne and lipgloss because I wanted to focus on two of my favorite things, enjoying all the finer things in life, and cosmetics. Lipgloss is my favorite cosmetic item. I could not go a day without mascara, I have deep set eyes, and without it, I look horrible. But Mascara isn't fun, at least not for me, it is just a neccessity. But lipgloss is fun and exiciting, all the different colors and textures, and the surprising results you can get from layering. Plus the application is foolproof, unlike pretty much every other product.

But I haven't done much talk yet about other luxuries. I love reading and watching anything about the true upper crust, and I do not mean celebrities. The majority are middle class people who now have a ton of money. I'm talking real old-money, blue blood jetsetters, and the french because even the poorest french girl has more sophistication than most wealthy americans.

So while at borders today, I spotted Front Row, the biography of Anna Wintour, inspiration for Miranda Priestly and Fey Summers (if you don't know who those fictional women are, then shame, shame on you) and the woman who tells all those other enviable women what they are going to be wearing/talking about/going to right now. And then I thought "Heather, you cannot read the bio of the editrix of Vogue, when you haven't even read the rag in years". So of course I bought that too, and I feel another subscription coming on.

The hub wasn't able to find everything he wanted, so he asked me if I would place an order on amazon for him, but of course... This week, something very heartbreaking happened to friends of ours and I wasn't sure how best to treat the situation. I needed Emily Post!! But I haven't bought the 17th edition of etiquette, even though I added it to my wishlist before it was even published. Into the amazon cart it went. You can't appreciate nice things unless you know how to behave! C'mon rednecks in a boat aren't yachting, they're fishing.

And for a healthy dose of gallic, I also got French Women Don't Get Fat. But American Girls sure do, and this one is living proof. I'm having a hard time figuring out what I can do. I would love to start dancing again, but I just don't have time for it during the week, and one class on the weekends isn't going to do anything. So hopefully this will help me figure something out, and if not, at least it will make my inner francophile happy.

Hands Down

Being an assistant, I hardly go a day without getting a papercut. The one on my pinky wednesday was brutal, and when I got home I really wanted to treat my hands to a good cream, but looking through my basket, I realized I didn't have anything that great. So I went to Julia at All About The Pretty for some advice, she is the daughter of the potion lady after all!!
All her suggestions sound great, especially the Kiehls.

And then this morning, I got an email from Jaqua, they added two new hand creams, and they are 2 for 1. It also made me remember that their pink buttercream frosting was sitting in my desk drawer, and it is a really good cream. So now Pina Colda and Pink Champagne are on their way to me for $15( $8 for the lotions plus shipping) use the code HANDS2B (expires 3/8/07)to get some for yourself!

I'm a Winner!!

I received an email today telling me that I had won a lipgloss from MOR cosmetics through the Lucky Breaks contest. I don't remember what month this give-a-way was inlcuded in, nov? dec? jan? but I do remember thinking I wasn't going to bother, and then I changed my mind. I sure am glad I did!!

I don't know which flavor I got, there a few, and each sounds equally delicious.

It also reminded me that I received an email awhile back telling me I had won a skincare product worth over $50 for completing an Allure survey. I went to check when I received the email, 12/5/06, and they told me it could take up to 12 weeks, so it should be coming soon.

.::.giggles in anticipation.::.