Drugstore Find: Vaseline Cocoa Butter Lotion

I loathe spending a lot of money on body lotions because I tend to use a lot - I have extremely fair, sensitive, dry skin. With Vaseline's cocoa butter line, I don't have to feel guilty! I am in love with this deep conditioning body lotion, which comes in a giant bottle and can be found at your local Target, Wal-Mart or drugstore. It's affordable (anywhere from $5-7) and isn't greasy like some cocoa butter lotions can be. The texture of this lotion is thicker than some, but it sinks into the skin quickly with no sticky residue. There is a light cocoa butter scent that dissipates with time and is not bothersome (and I am very scent-sitive). This lotion is also a great option if you have keratosis pilaris ("chicken skin" - a sign that your skin is very dry). After just a few applications my skin was noticeably softer and after a week of use, I couldn't believe the difference!

There are a few other products in this line, including deep conditioning body butter, a bath oil, and a conditioning cream made especially for knees and elbows. I have tried everything but the bath oil and would recommend them all without reservation. I also love that this product is available at convenient locations - you can find it at literally any mass market retailer. Sometimes it's a pain to have to make a trip to the mall for your preferred beauty product.

For soft summer skin, give it a try!

Back!

Hello ladies (and gents),

I'm back! After a probably-too-long break, the need to blog about lip gloss and all things sparkly has struck again. So expect new posts this week. I apologize for the ridiculous delay!

Many thanks,

K

All Apologies.

Hey guys. I'm so sorry that the blog has been neglected this week. I've had a lot going on, and I hope the below will help explain some of it.

First, we got about six inches of snow on Sunday night which left my boyfriend and I two lazy blobs on the couch. The roads didn't really get better until Tuesday afternoon. It was nice to have some of the white stuff (finally), but a hassle nonetheless.

On Wednesday morning I got slammed with two horrible pieces of news. At around 11:00 my mom (who works at the same law firm as my boyfriend) called - the firm had laid off around 17 people in all, including 6 attorneys. My mom was fortunately not one of them; but yes, my boyfriend was, though he is one of the smartest and most talented attorneys I know (not to mention hard-working). After having a mini-breakdown in my office, my mom called again about twenty minutes later to let me know that my ailing grandfather had passed away that morning as well.

You can imagine that at that point I really just wanted to crawl into a hole and not come out until summer. The rest of my week has been pretty bad, including a stressful funeral yesterday. I am trying to rest up this weekend to get my energy back, but I have to say that it's been a rough few days. I will try to make up for it with more postings next week; I was at the MAC store today and got Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft & Gentle (love) so I'll try to post a review and swatches. I should also be getting another mark. order on Monday.

I am so sorry for the lack of posting, gals, but I hope everyone understands. I'm not gone, I promise! I'll be back in full force next week. In the meantime, I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Katherine

Mark. stuff!

I got my shipment of goodies from mark. this week and was so excited to try them out. Here's what I got:

Clockwise from top left: Glow Xpert in Champagne Glow, Instant Vacation Fragrance Mist, For Goodness Face moisturizer with antioxidants and SPF 30, Hook Up with On The Edge liquid eyeliners in Lilith and Cleo, Hook Up with Glow Baby Glow Lipglosses in Peek-a-boo and Girly Girl, and Bronze Pro Bronzing Powder.

With each new product I get from mark., the more impressed I am. For the prices of these products, they are amazingly pretty. The Instant Vacation Fragrance Mist is like summer in a bottle; spritz a bit on and you immediately feel like you're standing on a beach, surrounded by plumeria and coconuts. It's wonderful for lifting your spirits on a dreary February day. And it's currently on clearance!

I've only tried For Goodness Face once so far, but I really like it. It doesn't smell like sunscreen and isn't heavy and thick like a sunscreen either, which is unusual given the high SPF. It has this really cool dispenser - it's like a pump, you push down on the top of the jar and the perfectly measured amount comes out from a hole in the middle of the top. Super neato!

My fave products so far are the Hook Ups. First of all, the whole Hook Up concept is great not only for keeping your favorite products together, but for portability as well. How great is it that you can pair up the items you want, throw them in your bag, and go? It's so convenient! Here are some swatches:

Clockwise from top left: GBG in Peek-a-boo, GBG in Girly Girl, OTE in Cleo, and OTE in Lilith

As you can see from the swatches, these products are - well, amazing. The Glow Baby Glow glosses are so pretty; the little vials are so cute and they smell like mint! The colors are gorgeous; Peek-a-boo is a sheer, sparkly gold nude and Girly Girl is a matte, sheer, "just pinched" pink. I am super pleased with the color payoff. The liquid liners are great as well; the brushes are super tiny and easily controled (I feel a ferosh cat eye coming on!) and these suckers do not budge. Once they dry, they really will not go anywhere; you'll likely need makeup remover to get them off. I particularly like Lilith - it dries to a really pretty bronzey, shimmery brown that I think will be perfect for spring and summer.

The bronzer is a staple; it's a pretty terra cotta colored, slightly shimmery bronzer that I think would work well for most skin tones. It applies pretty sheerly so is buildable; I tried swatching, but it didn't really show up (which is a good thing - I can add on layers, instead of looking like a clown!).

The Glow Xpert is a super fun product. It has a sponge tip applicator that's embedded into the twist-off cap. You dot the sponge on the places the light naturally hits your face (apples of cheeks, forehead, nose, and chin) for a subtle shimmer. I like that this product is so user friendly. Look at the cute applicator! (And pardon my unpolished, unkempt nails.)

I'm really excited about using this in some "fresh faced" looks for spring. And at $8, you can't beat the price. I tried swatching, and here's a pic, but I apologize if you can't see anything - as you know, my skin is so pale!


So there you have it. I didn't get a ton of products but I'm incredibly pleased with what I did receive. The price points of these items make them easy to indulge in as well; the Hook Up items were only $5 a piece and you get a free connector for every two you buy. Not bad at all! If you guys want to see more in depth reviews of any of these items, just request in the comments.

Hope everyone is having a great Saturday; it's a little cool and cloudy here, but I'm not at work so I'm a happy girl. :)

Katherine

Dazzleglass, Part Deux!

Photos & info courtesy of temptalia.com

OMG, you guys. I think I'm about to have an aneurysm. Dazzleglass is making a triumphant return - with seven new additions! I think the release of Dazzleglass was my favorite MAC release in recent memory, let me tell you. The first time I saw these babies in person I think I drooled on the MAC MA.

The new set of fabu-glosses is set to be released on April 30, 2009 in the US and will be dubbed "Double Dazzle." The glosses launched in the original Dazzleglass collection will return for this collection, and seven new shades will be added. I can't wait! My faves from the original release were Baby Sparks, Love Alert and Money Honey. Get your checkbooks ready, because they're retailing for $18 a piece - yikes!

(Oh yeah, there are mascaras too [Dazzle Lash, $12], but they just aren't as exciting to me.)

Drugstore: Product of the Week

Happy Friday, ladies! I hope you've had a great week. It's pretty warm here in VA, but it's clouding up - of course, today (a work day) it's clear and warm, and tonight and the rest of the weekend is supposed to be in the 40s and rainy. Pfft!

Anywho, this week's Drugstore Product of the Week is L'Oreal's HIP Color Rich Cream Eyeliner in Black. It comes with the little brush needed to apply it and goes on smoothly and easily. To get a natural, lush-lashes look, I load the brush up with the product and place it as close to my upper lash line as I can get it and then gently wiggle. You'll get the Angelina Jolie effortlessly-fabulous look, and you won't have that obvious "liquid eyeliner" line either (I hate that). Add two coats of mascara and your lashes will be outta control!

Disclaimer: I recently found out that L'Oreal (among other drugstore beauty brands) conducts animal testing. Therefore, I likely won't buy this product again; bummer!

I also got in a large mark. order today so I'll like post reviews, photos and swatches over the weekend. I got two awesome hook-up liquid eyeliners that I can't wait to try; perhaps tonight for my hot date with the BF? We're getting Mexican, how classy.

TGIF, girls!

Katherine

Oscar Beauty 2009

Did you watch the Oscars? I watched a bit - the first part, like I do with most awards shows. Then I get bored, I can't help it. I did watch all of the E! News red carpet coverage because I'm a sucker for pretty dresses. I have to say that my hands-down favorite of the evening was Natalie Portman.

From the makeup to the dress to the hair - she was complete perfection. The pink color looks great on her lightly tanned skin and the shimmer silver and purple makeup looked gorgeous.

So did you guys watch? Who was your fave?

- Katherine