An ongoing love affaire with all things fashionable, tasty and fun

Posts tagged “make up

{Giveaway} And The Winner Is…

First, a big thank you to everyone who entered the Sephora Giveaway. I absolutely adore all of my readers and loved this opportunity to give back to the people who have been so generous with their support and kindness. I’ll plan another postapocalyptic giveaway for the beginning of 2013 so that I can treat a few more fabulous readers to some much-deserved goodies.

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Now down to the good stuff – Drumroll please – The winner of the Sephora giveaway is… Vanessa Kritlow whose response to my question was:

I’d have to say my  favorite beauty product is a good mascara. I’d never leave the house without at LEAST that on. Gym included. 🙂

Miss Kritlow, please email me your contact information – including your address – and I’ll have your Sephora bag sent out today! I’d also love to hear your thoughts on these products, so feel free to send me your reviews and I’ll be sure to include them in my next beauty products overview.

Have a great Friday everyone and be sure to stay tuned for a fun questionnaire tomorrow!


Sephora Giveaway!

After my recent Beauty Product Lovin’ post it’s clear that there are lots of ladies out there who are in the market for some new products to add to their daily routine and who like to hear “real” feedback before they buy. Since I’d like to help spread knowledge AND products I’m going to give away a Sephora bag PACKED with new makeup & beauty product samples for a lucky reader to try out.

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From sunscreen to cleanser to foundation to perfume, believe me when I say that this bag has it all! While I wont divulge the contents in advance – a girl need a little mystery after all – I will give you a sneak peek and a few hints about the brands.

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{Cartier, Sephora, Clarins Paris, Doctor T’s Supergoop, Nars, L’Occitane, Shiseido, Narciso Rodriguez, and Chanel – To name a few…}

Entering this little contest is QUICK & EASY – I promise – There are TWO different ways to enter so pick either of the simple options below and you could have some fun new products to try out in just a few days!

  1. Leave a comment below telling me what your favorite beauty product is OR what’s at the top of your Must Have list right now
  2. Leave a comment on Facebook telling me what your favorite beauty product is OR what’s at the top of your Must Have list right now

You can pick ANY beauty products – whether it’s skin care or makeup – it doesn’t just have to be something you found at Sephora. I will randomly pick a winner next Friday, December 21st & if this turns out to be a well-loved giveaway I’ll do another one in January!

* Please note that the products that I’m giving away are smaller/sample sizes not full-sized and that this giveaway is not sponsored by Sephora – I purchased the products myself


Shenanigans

As I’m sure you’ve already picked up, I’m a big fan of Fall in general and Halloween in particular {Fall Fabulousness, All Hallow’s Eve & October Round-Up}. This year I was lucky enough to attend two fabulous Halloween parties in Sacramento as well as act as American River CrossFit’s team photograph for CrossFit West Sac’s charity Breast Cancer competition.

This year I was excited to dress up twice, the first time as Wendy from Peter Pan in a vintage yellow nightgown and the second time as The Black Dahlia in a fabulous little black dress that my friend made.

But don’t worry, I’m not the only one who dressed up for Halloween this year. Bones dressed up as a CHICKEN! Again. Clearly it’s his favorite costume, doesn’t he look enthusiastic?

{Mammograms In Action – Barbells For Boobs}

And the day before Halloween I watched the exciting Barbells For Boobs charity CrossFit competition which included every shade of pink known to man and even Jessica Rabbit in a stunning red gown.

How was your Halloween? What did you dress up as? What was the best costume that you saw?


All Hallow’s Eve

As October progresses the  reminders that it’s  holiday season are everywhere – Store decorations, TV commercials, sale annoucements, magazine advertisements… Luckily for me the holiday season begins with my favorite holiday, because as much as I adore candy canes and the scent of evergreen, I’m a Halloween girl.

You get to be a kid for a day – Candy, costumes, pranks, parties, and a general feeling of nostalgia and excitement – What’s not to love?

When it comes to costumes I’ll always choose innovative & novel over skin-baring. In recent years I’ve been Holly Golightly from Breakfast At Tiffany’s, Cleopatra, a Venetian Carnival reveller, and Twiggy. I’ve seen so many creative costumes over the years that I’m at a loss for why you’d want to pick a cookie-cutter one when you could put a little effort in and end up with something one-of-a-kind that you absolutely love.

So with that in mind here are some fun links to get your creative juices flowing for this year’s costume!

The Man Repeller’s For Halloween – Her fun suggestions include: Steve Jobs, Rupaul, Frida Kahlo, Margot Tenenbaum, Larry David & Richard Harrow.

If you’re in the mood for a fashion-forward costume check out Fashionologie’s Fashion in Costume: A Look Back at Halloweens Past for great inspiration from models, fashion designers, and couture collections.

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Are you a movie lover? Check out Refinery 29’s 5 Big-Screen Halloween Costumes That Are Total Oscar Winners! I love these kinds of costumes since they’re always a little open to interpretation and this post includes gems like Liv Tyler’s character in Empire Records, Liz Taylor’s Cleopatra, Daisy from The Great Gatsby – The original or the upcoming remake – The Queen of Hearts from Alice In Wonderland, and Tippi Hedren in Hitchcock’s The Birds.

If you’re not interested in spending a fortune on your costume, want to find something wholly unique, or even if want a costume made up of pieces that you can wear again, heading to a vintage shop is a great option. Fun ideas from Refinery 29’s How To Thirft 6 Super-Easy Halloween Costumes include Martha Stewart, fisherman from The Deadliest Catch, and The Rockettes.

Doing your makeup for Halloween can be one of the most fun parts of getting ready. Whether you’re recreating Cleopatra’s famous exotic kohl-lined eyes, adding oozing sores & blood for a Walking Dead-inspired get up, or whiting your face out so you can be a Vampire or mime. The Glamourai put together fabulous tutorials to help you perfect the makeup for your costumes – Everything from the wide-eyed look of the 60’s to the glamorous white-faced Geishas to Bogie-inspired detectives – { DIY } Halloween Beauty Ideas, { Behind The Scenes } Spooktacular Beauty & { Ghoul’s Night Out }.

As for my costume this year I wanted to be the Mad Hatter… But the costume I ordered didn’t fit. Either of them. 😦

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But with a last-minute party scheduled for this evening in Sacramento and no costume planned yet I’ll be giving you hints and sneak peeks of my shopping & planning all day today… So be sure to keep an eye on Twitter, Facebook, and/or Instagram for updates!

Have you picked your Halloween costume yet? What’s the most creative costume that you’ve ever worn?


MCLV’s Makeup Bag

I’m here today to give you a peek into one of a women’s secret sources of power – her makeup bag. 🙂

I’ve always loved reading articles like this where celebrities or fashion/magazine insiders share their secrets so that I can discover new products and fun tricks to try. I swear, at this point, I’ve tried them all. Eye cream in the refrigerator, a perfume spritz on your hair-tie, tea tree oil on your nail beds, lining inside your eyes with a nude pencil, mixing multiple colors of blush to find the right shade…

My routine has been refined after years of trying new products and squeezed down to the bare essentials. Yes, I still love to play with makeup and a night when I get to do a smokey eye is a good night, but when you start work at 4:30am less is more in the preparation department.

Repeat offenders: These are the products that I use daily. It may have been all that time in Italy, but I rarely leave the house without putting myself together completely, which includes at least some of following basics: Laura Mercier Undercover Pot in UC-1, Benefit BADgal Mascara in Rich Black, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencils in Crash & 1999, Bare Escentuals Blush in Fruit Cocktail, Laura Mercier Eyebrow Pencil in Blonde & an eyelash curler.

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Other products in rotation: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Tipsy,  Tarte Liquid Liner, Chanel Inimitable Mascara in Noir, and Chanel Precision Eye Definer in Demonic or Coffee Bean.

Lotions: BagBalm, L’Occitane & Josie Maran Organic Argan Oil. I’m completely addicted to hand lotions so I’m practically a connoisseur after years of trying different brands.

Perfume: Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle – I keep a mini Coco roller ball in my purse and another in my desk. I talked about the evolution of my scent over the years here if you’re interested in learning more about how I ended up with this perfume.

In case of emergency: There are some extras I carry with me juuust in case. Who knows, you might have to run to an impromptu event after work and need to whip yourself into shape in only a few minutes. A dramatic eye is my go-to for dressing up so I always have the following extras on hand: Yves Saint Laurent Ombres Vibration Duo, Laura Mercier Eye Liner in Black Ebony, and Chanel Ombre Paupieres Eyeshadow in 747. This last one is a liquid eye base that comes in a phenomenal bronze color and can easily be used on lips, eyes and cheeks so it’s ideal if you can only fit one product in your bag. A MUST have. And last but not least, a kick @$$ red lipstick – Chanel Trois Facettes in Wildrose with the most amazing gloss ever, Chanel Levres Scintillantes Glossimer in Galactic.

I hope you’ll be tempted to try some of these, I really can’t recommend them highly enough. Now tell me, what do you keep in your makeup bag?

Also see – MCLV’s Medicine Cabinet