New Beauty Purchases (and Organization!)

CVS is having a few good deals this week on most of the major drugstore beauty brands. Spend $10 on Physician's Formula, get $7 ExtraCare Bucks. Revlon products are buy one get one 50% off. Loreal also had a good deal (spend $15 and you get $5 ExtraCare Bucks). I know I don't really need anything new, but I've heard so many great reviews on these products that it just made sense to get them...

That's my justification... I'm sticking to it!

Revlon ColorBurst Lipgloss in Bellini and Peony. 

Physician's Formula Organic Wear Jumbo Lash Mascara (GlamLifeGuru made me do it!)

Physician's Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Powder

Milani Nail Lacquer in Disco Lights

I also picked up this letter organizer (Office Depot; I have a matching post-it note container thingy) to store my two palettes (the smallest number of palettes owned by anybody). 

By the way, those two palettes are the NYX Nude on Nude palette and Stila Snow Angel Color palette. 

I'm really looking forward to trying these out! I'm kind of on a rose gold kick, and most of the products (minus the mascara, obviously) fall into that color category.

And are you seeing how great the quality of these two photos are? We picked up a new digital camera tonight (an early birthday present) just for me (since Jeff has is fancy schmancy DSLR and I have a camera I bought back in 2008) and I'm seriously in love with it. Don't be surprised if you see a lot more photos of products and things like swatches (you know, stuff proper lifestyle/beauty bloggers post on their blogs)!

Pin It

Instagramming It: Organizing My Beauty Collection

I don't have a very big beauty (makeup and skincare) collection, but what I do have often gets cluttered and disorganized between many different locations in the bathroom. So the other night I decided to sit down and reorganize a bit with what I had, and I'm happy with the end result.

I keep most everything in the containers you see here, plus inside a large plastic organizer I keep in my bathroom drawer (where the bigger items - like palettes - live when they're not being used). Things were getting a bit out of hand and I had to look in multiple places to find what I wanted. It just didn't make any sense. 

So I just dumped everything out and decided to start from scratch. Some items, such as the palettes in my drawer and some of the skincare items already in the pharmacy cabinet, were not included in the reorganization simply because they didn't require any organization. 

Does this look like a lot of makeup? I've seen some beauty collection videos on YouTube and they're all so, so much bigger than mine. I think mine is very modest.

Finally! Some clarity. The items I use daily, such as foundations, powders and a couple primers were put into a lovely green organizer from the Martha Stewart line at Staples. The smaller version of that box (to the right) has blushes and bronzers (I think I literally have two of each), and the acrylic container in the back just had mascaras, eyeshadows, some more primers and concealers. I reused a Birchbox box for my lipsticks/glosses (after throwing a couple old ones away) and then put pretty much everything else (tools, some samples, little items) into my Sonia Kashuk bag (I'm in love with that plaid print). 

And back into the bathroom they went. This used to be Jeffrey's side of the vanity but I kinda/sorta took it over. I don't think he even noticed. I've heard some people say that you shouldn't keep makeup in the bathroom because it can collect bacteria (let's be real, that's not a huge concern in the grand scheme of things), but all of it is sealed and not likely to be contaminated. I did, however, move my makeup brushes into the bedroom because those are exposed and may get "contaminated". 

I also took over the majority of the pharmacy cabinet (again, Jeff didn't notice) and organized my most used skincare items into the mix. 

So that's pretty much it! Honestly most of the products you see here were acquired within the last six months or so as I was building up a collection. I'm not buying any new things now because I don't really feel I need much. I do want to invest in some more, better quality brushes over time and introduce some nicer skincare items, but that can all be done over time rather than dropping that kind of money all at once. I'm quite pleased with what I have anyway!

Pin It

Under the Microscope: ELF Total Face Brush

A new video in my Under the Microscope series on YouTube. This time the ELF Total Face Brush is the one being examined. I know this is a popular brush because of how affordable it is at stores such as Target, but perhaps one should be wary before putting down $1-3 for this product. The bristles are hard on my face and after filming this video I threw mine away. Just take a look at how thick and unruly the bristles are underneath the microscope. You might be surprised.
Pin It

Under the Microscope

If you're a strange one like me then perhaps you've once wondered what your makeup looks like on a microscopic level. Well my curiosity got the best of me and since Jeff received a USB microscope for Christmas I decided it was time to look into that very curiosity. What does our makeup look like on a microscopic scale?

I first decided to take a look at makeup brushes to see if quality could be seen underneath the microscope. It can, but what was even more surprising (to me) was what product looks like on the brush/applicator after it's been used. I try to clean my brushes as often as I can but sometimes I get behind. After taking a closer look at what's on my foundation brush I can tell you I will be cleaning it more often.

I was so giddy and excited about this (like the nerd that I am) that I decided it would make a great feature for the blog and be an excellent way to start up my YouTube channel. The first in the series is that very foundation brush, my RealTechniques Buffing Brush that I use to apply Revlon ColorStay in Medium Beige. Care to take a look at it under the microscope?



If you have an idea of what you'd like to see under the microscope then please leave it in a comment and I'll see what I can do! If you like this type of video please let me know so I can keep making them. I have 9 more I've recorded but have yet to put together in their fancy YouTube form so if you like them, know that there are more coming!
Pin It

Review: Big Sexy Hair Volumizing Dry Shampoo

There are those who will tell you that washing your hair every day is actually bad for it, and that you shouldn't do it. Whether or not you follow that credo is up to you, but personally I like having "fresh" hair every day. But in an effort to have healthier hair I've decided to give up washing daily and try out some dry shampoo.

The first product I used was the Dove dry shampoo based off the recommendation of GlamLifeGuru on YouTube. It doesn't have a bad smell, is super affordable, and it really works. But never content to have something just work fine I opted for a more expensive alternative. It happened really quite whimsically; I was running errands and itching to get a few items from Ulta, so I thought I'd search around for a dry shampoo. Well my first mistake was not doing some research beforehand. I walked around aimlessly looking for suitable options and trying to avoid any two-digit price with a 2 in front of it. Honestly, $20+ for a dry shampoo is silly, especially when the Dove dry shampoo is something like $3. Eventually an Ulta rep came over to ask me for help. I told her what I was looking for and she proceeded to look through the aisles with no more knowledge about the products than I possessed just minutes prior. Quite frankly I think she just picked up the first one she saw, and that was Big Sexy Hair Volumizing Dry Shampoo.

My second mistake was not really glancing too long at the price and kind of brushing it off for fear of looking cheap in front of this incredibly made up Ulta worker, even though she didn't know any better than I did. It's $17.95, but for some reason I thought it was closer to $15. I mentioned that I didn't want anything that smelled awful and when she sprayed it on her arm I couldn't really smell anything bad. Now that I think about it, why the heck would you spray that on your arm for a customer to smell? If you're wearing perfume then it is completely pointless. Whatever. I bought it, went home and used it.

It smells awful.

Not only did it smell awful but it turned my hair into straw. All the effort I put into moisturizing my hair the days that I do clean it is completely gone with one spray of this stuff. It was like straw. And while it did volumize I felt like all I could do with it was put it in a bun and go about my day. I don't want to be limited to just wearing a ponytail or pulling my hair back similarly just because it's a dry shampoo day, and that really irritated me about the product.

But I didn't want to dismiss it after just once use so I decided to wait and use it again. That second time happened to be this morning, and sadly my opinion hasn't changed. While the straw hair feeling does diminish somewhat, my hair is still crunchy and dry; I don't even want to try to smell it.

I don't often return beauty purchases because I don't often spend too much money on them, but for $17.95 I think I'll return this and get my money back. My Dove dry shampoo will have to suffice for now until I find something better, but it's clear I need to do some research before I go back to the store to pick one up. And perhaps I'll avoid Ulta next time and head straight for Sephora, where I know the reps are much more knowledgable about their products.
Pin It

Just Delivered: Sephora!

Last week I made a somewhat pricy order on Sephora.com and I have been impatiently waiting for it to arrive ever since (especially since it shipped the very next day). I just Instagrammed what's inside so I thought I'd share with you!

1. Jurlique Moisture Replenishing Cream (link)
2. Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Face Polish (link)
3. (sample) Anthony Shave Cream (for Jeffrey)
4. (sample) Stella McCartney L.I.L.Y fragrance
5. (sample) YSL Touche Eclat 
6. (deluxe sample) Tarte Lights Camera Lashes! (100-point beauty bonus)

I just used the very last smidgen from my Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Face Polish sample so I'm happy to get started on a brand new bottle! And now I can take it from my Beauty Wishlist and dream up some new beauty wishes! 

Hmm, maybe I should post about my little splurge at Ulta yesterday...

Pin It

Favorites: November 2012

Can you believe we're nearly all the way through November already? The holidays are fast approaching! This is a new feature to Apartment 54, and one that I happen to really like when I subscribe to a beauty guru channel on YouTube.

The premise is simple: At the end of each month I'll post what my favorite products for both the home and beauty are so you can see what I loved that month and maybe get a few ideas about things you can incorporate into your life.

November 2012 favorites

Loreal Power Volume Collagen mascara in black/noir 

Jordana FabuLiner Liquid Eye Liner in 01 Black ($1.99-2.99 at Walgreens)

Smith's Rosebud Salve ($6 at Sephora)

bioinfusion Hydrating Conditioning Balm ($6.99 at Walgreens)

Loreal Paris Magic Lumi Concealer ($12.99 at Walgreens and also CVS)

Suave Kids Detangling Spray in Double Dutch Apple ($1.88 at WalMart)

CVS Purifying Mint Masque 

Turkish Peach candle ($5.99 at World Market)

Mirror Mosaic Pillar Platters Collection ($2.99-6.99 at World Market)

Pin It

Good Deal: Drugstore Beauty Discounts for November 4-10, 2012

It seems like a lot of the drugstores are having BOGO events on the major drugstore beauty brands, and I wanted to share the list I made last night while trolling through the weekly circulars. I have short lists for Rite Aid, Walgreens and CVS, and I think CVS is going to be my go-to store this week for beauty discounts.

Rite Aid

• Maybelline BOGO 50%
• $3 UP reward when you purchase $12
• Salley Hansen BOGO 50%
• Garnier skin care BOGO 50%
• Revlon eye cosmetics BOGO 50%
• $3 UP reward when you buy 2 items
• Loreal face cosmetics BOGO 50%
• Garnier Nutrisse Color Foam $7.99

Walgreens

• BioInfusion hair care BOGO 50%
• Wet 'n Wild (select varieties) $0.69 (definitely going to Walgreens today!)
• Revlon (foundation, primer, concealer, powder, blush and eye) BOGO 50%
• There is also a coupon in the book for $1 off Loreal face and eye cosmetics

CVS

Swipe your card through the magic coupon machine and get  a coupon for $2 off Cover Girl Lip Perfection color or liner

• Maybelline cosmetics: spend $10 and get $3 ExtraBucks
• Revlon BOGO 50% 
• Loreal cosmetics BOGO 50%
• Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear nail color 2 for $4
• Milani cosmetics BOGO 50%
• Neutrogena cosmetics BOGO 50%
• Physician's Formula BOGO 50%
• Cover Girl eye or Outlast nail BOGO 50%
• Almay: spend $10 get $4 ExtraBucks

I also found a couple Loreal coupons online so I may use them in combination with the BOGO at CVS to get the Lumi foundation that I've been eyeing. I can use $3 ExtraBucks I will receive from buying the Maybelline Dream Powder (don't know the official name for that) and maybe a lip color. I think on the Almay if I can get a brush cleaner or eye makeup remover and get the $4 ExtraBucks I will be set.

What is your favorite drugstore to shop at?

Pin It

Addicted to Drug(store)s

I don't know what is going on with me lately but I have been obsessed with shopping for makeup and beauty products at drugstores. Perhaps it is the thrifty shopper in me or the result of watching so many beauty guru videos on YouTube, but I'm obsessed with finding great items that I've heard about or seen from others.

This is my mini-haul from a few different stores last night. I picked up the Loreal hair color, chunky white shadow pencil and face wipes from CVS, the Garnier face wash and Loreal Voluminous mascara from Ralphs (they were both on sale!) and the BB cream and three pencil shadows from Rite Aid. Admittedly the free lipgloss sample that came with the hair color clinched the purchase, but I wish I had observed it more carefully because I dyed my hair today and it came out rather red. Like a light blondeish red. And the truly sucky part was that I didn't get all the roots covered in color, including the very tip of my widow's peak, and so there is some difference in color there. I'm going to let it set in for the next couple days and then decide if I'm going to change the color again or not.

I'm still waiting on the purchases I made online last weekend, including the purse, candles and some makeup products. I also made an order from Sephora the other day.... I honestly don't know why I've been shopping so much lately but I've been getting good deals and I passed on JewelMint this month so I guess it's good that I'm editing my spending here and there. I think I have enough makeup for now to keep me satisfied so maybe the shopping sprees will stop.

In the meantime I'm still obsessed with the beauty guru videos on YouTube and I'm going to post some of my favorite this coming week so you can be just as obsessed as I am. Luck you!

Pin It

Haul: Zara, Ulta & B&BW

I had quite a bit of fun shopping around online last night and picked up a few things for a great price. For a long time now I've been searching for the perfect handbag. The last one I bought is having some issues with stitching, and while it's been hanging up in the closet waiting to be repaired I've been using one of my nicer stand-bys, a BSBGeneration red leather clutch that unzips to almost double in size. But it's not a practical bag for every day use and I wanted something nice for winter.

One of my favorite celebrities, Olivia Palermo, frequently rocks a purse from Zara, and until last night I thought for sure a Zara bag would be out of my price range. I was wrong, and that's when I found the Zara City Bag with Chains. For just under $50! (And. Free. Shipping.)

$49.90 at Zara.com 

But before purchasing I made sure to check out some images online and even watched a couple videos from YouTube beauty gurus to make sure the purse was as fabulous as it looked. I'm really looking forward to getting this in the mail. And free shipping!!!

One of the beauty gurus on YouTube with the Zara bag also had a video where she used the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette, which at $50 is a little out of my price range. I found a great alternative from NYX in the Nude on Nude Palette for half the price.

$24.99 at Ulta.com

Also recommended by the same beauty guru was the Real Techniques makeup brushes, and I found a sort of starter kit at Ulta for just $17.99. Best of all I was able to use a 20% off code and got $5 off the price of the palette.

Real Techniques Core Collection Brush Set from Ulta.com

Finally, I checked out Bath and Body Works to see if any sales were happening, and was delightfully happy to see mini candles were just 2 for $5. So I picked up a few.  Well, actually nine.

Fireside, Eucalyptus Mint, Chestnut and Clove,  Marshmallow Fireside, Tis the Season, Leaves, Frosted Cranberry, Autumn Day, and Winter

 I also picked up some bath gels that were on sale. I love me some watermelon scented beauty products!

I used a coupon code to receive 20% off my entire order and receive a free candle. So all nine candles and the two bath gels came out to just over $27 after tax and shipping. At the end of the online shopping day I spent just under $130. For everything. Pretty good (if I do say so myself)!!

Pin It

DIY to Try: Nail Polish Box

Credit & Source: The Beauty Department. Read full instructions here. 

I love this idea! I don't know that I have enough nail polishes to fill a whole shoe box, but I assume any hard cardboard box would do. If you have the time and patience, this could even be a fantastic way to present a gift to someone. Isn't it wonderful when you receive a gift that looks so pretty you don't want to open it?

Pin It