Beauty Blitz

Have you heard of Beauty Blitz? Neither had I until some lovely bloggers tipped me off. Head over there ASAP, sign up for a free account and you can enter daily giveaways for fabulous prizes. While I haven't won personally, I know a lot of people who have. If you win, do share the details on your prize with me, pretty please.

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Tonight

Tonight is the Victoria's Secret Fashion show. 10pm, CBS. You've just got to be there (like their Semi-Annual sales)!



Unless you've been living under a rock I'm sure you've seen the pictures. I have to say, it does spoil a lot of the fun of it. But, I just love these girls. Candice Swanepoel is just the most gorgeous woman on the planet and I love everything about her. Look out all next week as I profile my favorite Angels and post how to recreate their best looks for yourself.

Check it out! If you do, let me know what you think and who your favorite angel is.

Maybelline Great Lash

I know, I know, you're supposed to love Maybelline Great Lash, but I just...don't. The only thing I love about it is the great price but, for virtually the same price, you can pick up CoverGirl LashBlast or many other great drugstore mascaras, including some other great ones from Maybelline. What's your favorite? Do you just love Great Lash?

The tube is iconic, and perhaps that is why they never change it, but I can't get on board. The short, chubby tube is just too short and chubby to house a wand that actually works. The tiny elf-size brush head (I mean, just look at it) makes mascara clump the second I get it on my lashes, giving me absolutely no length. Maybe I'll have to try their new "BIG" version and see if that does anything for me. At least the pink and green are cute together!

Lastly, has anyone else noticed how this stuff smells? I mean, I'm not sticking it to my nose but I can still smell it when it's on my lashes and it's offensive.

I read in their ad that one is sold every 1.7 seconds. Craziness. I'll never be convinced. I'm just sayin'.....

Candice Swanepoel

Oh my God! First of all, this girl is just gorgeous; I love her blonde hair/blue eye combo even though I usually go for brown hair/brown eyes. But... just look at her. As if that wasn't enough, the youtube videos I've seen of her are so cute, she's got the tiniest little baby voice and her South African accent just makes it all the more adorable. If I were into women she'd be on the top of my list. Here's my favorite look on her and how you can get it yourself.

First step is to cleanse, moisturize and prime the skin. My favorite primer is Smashbox photo finish (what's yours?)! I find that makeup goes on smoother on freshly washed skin, moisturizer and primer will just help it glide into the skin perfectly.

Next, choose a foundation shade that perfectly matches your skintone and blend really well along the jaw and hairline. It's so important to blend, blend, blend. In middle school I was the girl with the tan face and white neck and, even though I was using a completely wrong shade, I might have been able to pull it off had I blended better. My favorite formulas for a look like this are creams. There are so many great ones: L'Oreal True Match compact makeup, Covergirl AquaSmoothers and, at Sephora, while not exactly a cream it's close enough, Stila One Step Makeup (which I'm dying to try).

Then, a pinky peach blush (I'm sure you've heard it before, NARS Orgasm definitely fits the bill here but there are tons of other options, just go with what you know and love) on cheeks. You can also, to save yourself a step, use MAC's Mineralize SkinFinishes as blush (or drugstore alternative Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips) on cheeks as a blush and forgo the next step.

Apply LIQUID or CREAM highlighter on the bridge of the nose, cupid's bow (center of the top lip), brow bone and tops of cheeks if you didn't already use a shimmery blush. You can also carefully use it to brighten the inner corner of the eye and reserve a dab for the middle of your bottom lip after applying a non-shimmery candy pink gloss. Honestly, my favorite glosses are Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush and they come in a huge variety of sheer colors and scents that you're sure to find one you love. Plus, they're always on sale 5/$20! Can't beat that price.

For the best part, the eyes, line inner rims with a white liner such as Urban Decay's Yeyo or Jane's Gliding Liner in Ice Breaker. If that's too intense for you, you can also use a flesh colored pencil for a subtle look or silver, for a more funky feeling.

Trace around the entire eye with silver shadow. My faves are Ooh and Aah from the Too Faced Enchanted Glamourland Palette, which also comes as a single, and Strip from Urban Decay (though both are a little more blue than the one Candice is wearing in her pic). If you want something a little more exact I'd go for Urban Decay Vapor judging by the picture on Sephora.com.

Line the upper eye with black pencil liner (I love Urban Decay Zero, see a theme here?)! Stay really close to the lashline and use a skinny line. You can skip this step altogether if you're going for a more subdued look.

Last but not least, fatten them lashes up! Use your favorite mascara, as many coats as you can comfortably stand and if you can handle it, you can add falsies. I would, but I need a lesson on how to do it first.

Good luck! I'd love to see pictures or hear about your experiences if you try this look out. It's perfect for work, nights out, even the holidays. Then again, if I looked like Candice Swanepoel, I'm pretty sure everything would look amazing on me.

American Music Awards: The Ugly

Nicki Minaj- What is there even to say about the green hair? It looks like a cheap wig you'd buy at the dollar store. I'm all for colored highlights, I think they look cool in fact, but half your hair one color just doesn't work. That being said, I dig her lips and can't wait to see her MAC lipstick Pink Friday. Her cheeks and eyes are subtle and pretty and the whole makeup look is one I'd actually wear out of the house. Too bad her hair puts her in the ugly pile right away. Plus, I hate her thinly veiled stage name.


Kesha, Kesha, Kesha. I know what you're going for, edgy, cool, Lady Gaga I don't give a rat's ass but you just look ugly. You gotta give it to the girl for having the gumption to do this and for being able to get all that hair to stay all night (though that accolade goes to her hair stylist)! The eyebrow bandaids, the black and frosted silver lip, the six inch roots, it's a train wreck.


I love Kelly Osbourne. I love that she speaks her mind, I think she's a fairly good actress (loved Life as We Know It, the short lived show) and she looks absolutely wonderful since her weightloss (not that she looked horrible before). However, I have to say that this hair is just hideous. It seriously looks like a wig from the Jaclyn Smith Collection. I get where she was going but it ruined the whole look. Her dress was gorgeous, her lips were okay (would have gone for gloss or a lighter shade of lipstick to counteract the smoky eye) her eyes were pretty, and if she added a little bronzer to the rest of her face she would have looked spectacular makeup wise. It's such a shame she left the house with that hair.

American Music Awards: The Bad

Julianne Hough- There is no denying that Julianne is a gorgeous girl and I love her big blue eyes her blonde hair. WTF happened to the pretty blonde? This is, with my little beauty school background, atrocious. It looks like she went too dark, too soon, without adding a filler shade between dye jobs. I think she'd look good with chestnut hair, not this in between, greenish/grayish tinged brown. Julianne barely escaped my ugly list. If I'd never seen her previous blonde hair I probably wouldn't see anything wrong with her current hair color. Plus, the makeup is really classy albeit not exactly age appropriate.

Rihanna- Has anyone gotten used to this red shade on her? I think it would be very pretty if it were a little more subtle. Either way, I think it's safe to say the curls just don't work. They're not tight enough to give her a 'fro and they're not loose or controlled enough to be pretty. Her lips and cheeks are so-so but I really like the smoky shadow, especially the green color. It's a subtle look, as to not compete with the hair, but I feel like she missed her mark.

Mandy Moore and Sheryl Crow- I'm huge fans of both of these ladies and, although I don't listen to their music anymore, I respect them hugely as performers and as women and I love Mandy as an actress. However, I'm not digging the dark, warm shades on her. She's such a gorgeous girl, easily pulls off all hair colors and looks phenomenal most of the time, but this makeup just didn't flatter her skintone and hair color, someone missed the mark.
I love the shimmery cheeks and the eyes on Sheryl but her hair, paired with the lips, buts her on my Bad List. I'd love to see her with her hair up or just styled differently for once. I feel like it's been like this since layers came into style in the late 90s. And Sheryl needs to lose the visible lip liner stat, especially in brown shades, it looks like a throwback to 1994.

Speaking of visible lip liner, it seems to be a trend. Check it out on Natasha Bedingfield and Keri Hilson. I don't mind it as much on a glossy lip like Keri's (or with darker skin like hers) but I can't get down with it with matte lipstick, especially not when you have a mouth and teeth as prominent as Natasha.

American Music Awards: The Good

I'm kinda upset that I didn't know the American Music Awards were even on until I saw the press coverage on Monday, I used to live for these things. As a kid I'd beg my parents to let me stay up late so I could watch. One year my bestie and I even "dressed up" to go to the Grammys (the same year JLO wore the infamous Versace dress), and of course, by dressing up I mean wearing long skirts as strapless dresses, my NYE tiara and winter scarf as fabulous accessories.

The most important part of any awards show, now and when I was 10, was the hair, makeup and dresses. This year, honestly, there wasn't much to be excited about. Does anyone else feel the same way? Here's what I loved...



Katy Perry-Katy Perry is a gorgeous girl and sometimes that gets lost in her over the top looks. Not this time. She looks 100% flawless. I love her soft waves, shimmery eyes, lips and cheeks. This is a look you could actually copy and wear on the street and not look like a circus freak. Applause to Mrs. Katy Brand. Beautiful!

Jessica Alba- Jessica's one of those girls I only find attractive sometimes. I loved her look when she did Honey and I love her look at the AMAs. The smoky eye really brings out her dark eye color and I love the slicked back, sophisticated hair with such a dramatic neckline. Gorgeous. Wouldn't change a thing.

Pink- I'm sure people are going to disagree with me here but I love Pink's silver/lavender hair. It's original (even though yes, it's been done already) and it really is an improvement over the bleached and pink. I like that she keeps evolving and her makeup is softer and more sophisticated now. PS: On a personal life note, how cute is it that she and Cary got back together? That takes balls after such a public breakup.

Taylor Swift- Words cannot express how glad I am to see her putting the curls away for the night. I'm a huge fan of curls (and personally have them myself and never,ever straighten them) however, her curling iron, too fake for their own good curls had to go. I love her hair straight, love the color, the bangs. A lot of people have said that it made her eyes look tiny but girls got tiny eyes to begin with. And can we talk about that dress? Huge departure from her normal baby doll look and I have to say I'm totally digging the whole look on her.

Christina Aguilera's Performance look- What a cool and fun eyeliner look. I'd never wear it because I'm not performing anywhere but it's fun. Pair that with a vinyl red lip and it's a perfect look at me! look. However, I must say I'd prefer to see Xtina look more like Taylor Swift does in the picture below, simple makeup, straight blonde hair and bangs. At first I thought this pic was Christina from a distance. How pretty would she look if she went back to this type of style?


PS- Does anyone else find it weird that Usher, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block all performed? I felt like I was back in the 90s instead of 2010.

Stila Online Warehouse Sale

Stila's having a sale for Cyber Monday! What a perfect time to stock up on Lip Glaze (if you can get past the tricky click pen, which I can't), Smudgepots and the infamous Kitten shadow?



In Case you can't read that it says: Nov 29- December 3 at Stilacosmetics.com/warehousesale up to 80% (yeah, you read that right 80%) off hundreds of Stila items.

What are your favorite Stila items? I'm dying to try the One Step Makeup and Custom Blush next time I make a trek to Sephora.

Face-off Friday Katherine Heigl

Flashback: It's 1996 and my best friend and I are sitting in front of the Disney channel and watching Katherine Heigl in Wish Upon a Star. I loved that movie! Has anyone else seen it? I haven't been a huge fan since, never really watched Grey's but I am dying to see Life as we Know It when it comes out on DVD and One for the Money (by Janet Evanovich) when it hits theaters next summer.

I'm not necessarily a big fan of her acting (or her inflated ego) but I love that she can change up her look so much. Seriously, I'd much rather see celebs take risks than keep it the same every time. Anyone else with me? I mean, Rihanna, she doesn't always look picture perfect but you just have to know what she's going to wear. Obviously, Katherine look isn't as dramatic but girl can rock brown hair or blonde hair and she's worn so many makeup styles that it's hard to keep track.

Check out two of her recent magazine covers...



I like Katherine with brown curls, it's a much more natural look and really plays off her fair skin. Her blonde bob is a little too mature for someone with her silly personality. I love her Redbook makeup too, it's age appropriate and soft while still accentuating her features. Her eyes really stand out and I love the way her gloss photographed. And, while I love the olive dress on the InStyle cover, I adore the teal tank she wore on the Redbook cover. She looks like someone you'd be friends with not the movie star who would ignore you if you walked up to her on the street that I'm sure she is. What do you think?

Buxom Do You Believe in Love at First Sight?

Wow. I see a trend on this here blog: Bare Escentuals Buxoms are hard to pass up this holiday season. Here's why...

Six, count 'em, six mini Buxom eyeliners! (From Sephora)
No. 1: "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" (bright turquoise)
No. 2: "Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk by again?" (violet purple)
No. 3: "Are you a parking ticket? You've got fine written all over you." (pearl white)
No. 4: "If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put "U" and "I" together." (black)
No. 5: "Are those sexy legs tired? You've been running through my mind." (espresso)
No. 6: "You must be a thief because you stole my heart." (gold with silver micro glitter

If you haven't figured it out by now I love purple and I love turquoise (wedding colors, hello!). Who doesn't need a black liner and white is perfect for looking more refreshed and awake. But, this set had me at microglitter, gold with silver microglitter at that, the best of both worlds. The only one I can't imagine wearing is the espresso shade but that's only because I haven't met a brown liner I like, I have a feeling if anyone could do it it would be Buxom.

If you picked this set up, tell me all about it, I'm jealous!

*Update* Picked these up for myself for Christmas and I will review them soon!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Have a safe and Happy Holiday.


Doesn't this imagine just crack you up?

Cosmo's Fun Fearless Females Global Campaign

I subscribe to A LOT of magazines but each month I look forward to Cosmo the most, it's all the fashion, beauty and sex you could want in one place. This month was no exception! Julia Stiles graces the cover (I had no idea she was on Dexter, I have to get around to watching that show on Netflix instant then)!

Go to and upload your picture to be taken on a video tour of a Cosmo model's life. The site is a little slow to load but you can upload a picture directly from your Facebook page and put the video on your wall when you're done. Sounds like a lot of fun!

The Badass Beauty Tricks starting on page 95 and Sexy Spa Secrets on 202 are more than worth the price of the magazine! I can't wait to try them all out.

Chanel Nail Polish, worth the price?

Back in middle school I was one of those girls that changed her nail polish pretty much daily. Now-a-days I'm lucky if I take it off before it chips into oblivion. Just recently I started getting into higher end nail polish, as in Orly, OPI and Zoya. My favorites so far are China Glaze and Essie for their superior range of colors and lovely wearablility. Both are pretty affordable and for the usage you get out of one bottle, you're definitely getting your money's worth. Now, if I didn't have to have every color imaginable and wore each more than once, I'd be all set.

Riva, Chanel's newest it polish is gorgeous, beyond gorgeous, and the light blue is right up my alley, but No! No! No! $27 for a nail polish? Are you kidding me Chanel? I cannot, will not, spend nearly $30 on a bottle of nail polish. Imagine the prices on Ebay when this bottle sells out in days. I cringe just thinking about it.

If you're into baby blue polish I highly recommend China Glaze's For Audrey (check it out on Ebay or swap for it on MakeupAlley or KarlaSugar.net). It's more of a Tiffany blue, hence the name. It's a gorgeous color and it's perfect for Spring, whenever that comes around again.

What do you think? Has anyone tried any of the Chanel polishes? Are they worth the money? I've heard lots of rumblings about Milani making great dupes (duplicates, for those not in the know). If anyone knows a great dupe for Riva I would love to know so I can check it out. Would you shell out the big bucks for a Limited Edition shade like this?

Choices, Choices, Choices

I love choices, more than anything I like a good choice. I like to choose my side dishes, my shampoo each shower and what show or movie to watch at any given time. That's why I love perfume samples. I have a Bloomingdale's Little Brown Bag 1/4 full of fragrance samples (with very little repeats) that I am slowly going through. Any given day I have at least 100 choices for fragrances, what could be better?

What's a few more? My favorite store, Sephora (of course) sells Fragrance Samplers each Holiday season that come with a gift certificate to purchase a full size bottle of the fragrance you like best in the set. This year there are two each for men and women, deluxe and collector's edition. Each set comes with scent samples, try each one and choose your favorite. Every sample contains at least five days of wear giving you a chance to really live with the scent before you make a decision. Then, redeem the gift certificate at a Sephora store for a full size bottle of the scent you like best. It's that easy. These make a great gift for your girlfriend or wife, your mother or daughter, anyone you don't exactly what to buy for the Holidays. Since fragrance is such a personal choice this is the way to go if you're not sure exactly which scent a person wants.

Just a note: You can only redeem at Sephora stores. Gift certificates cannot be used online or at Sephora in JcPenney Stores.

Covergirl LashBlast

Easy, Breezy, Beautiful Cover Girl. It's been drilled into my head since I was, what 5? With LashBlast, I have to agree 100%. This mascara is simply amazing. The be-all, end-all of drugstore mascara. It's cheap and easy to come by and best of all, it works. My lashes are thicker and darker with no clumps in sight. It's a little difficult to get off with makeup remover wipes but add a little eye makeup remover and you're golden!

There are four formulas in the line: LashBlast (orange tube), LashBlast Luxe (pink), LashBlast Length (yellow) and LashBlast Fusion (purple). I haven't had the privilege of trying Length or Fusion but, as I've said before, regular LashBlast is the control group in my mascara studies, my comparison. If mascara doesn't live up to LashBlast, it's a no-go.

LashBlast Luxe is different than any other colored mascara I've ever tried. First of all it's subtle, not in your face noticeable, and it SHIMMERS, yes, shimmers. It's great if you want to bring out your eye color without looking like you tried too hard. Perhaps, a great addition to your holiday smoky eye look?

Has anyone tried Length or Fusion? Next time I actually have to buy mascara (which won't be for years with all the unopened tubes I have in my stash) I'll have to pick up Fusion. Fusion is a combination of Length and regular, volumizing LashBlast.

Urban Decay Deluxe Shadows

Note: Picture shows Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow in Shag
One of the first brands I really got into when I started collecting big-girl makeup, as I like to call it, was Urban Decay. I love the name of the company and the names of the items, but we all know the name means nothing when the product is crap. Luckily for all of us, Urban Decay is the real deal.

The deluxe shadows from the brand are fabulous. They come in adorable flip-top containers and, though I've had slight functional problems with them, it's nothing to complain about, so I won't.

Urban Decay's regular shadows usually (though not always) have glitter and as much as I love glitter, I can't always deal with it in my eyeshadow. The deluxe shadows are like a grown-up version, think shimmer not glitter.

Every single one of these colors is wearable and the collectible containers make me want to have them all. Currently in my collection are Scratch (light pinky peach with silver shimmer), Ransom (vibrant iridescent purple), Fishnet (bright purply fuchsia), Graffiti (bright green), Peace (turquoise) and Adore (bright blue). I don't see Adore on Sephora.com, I wonder if they discontinued it. I've also had Honey but found the shimmery gold too yellow for my taste and passed it on to someone who would find it more flattering with their skintone.

As usual, all of the shadows I own are cooler in tone, although Scratch is a little warmer than I normally wear. Used over Urban Decay Primer Potion (even without), these last for hours with no smudging or creasing. The Primer Potion really brings out the color and results in an exact match between your eyelids and the pan color. Now that, I love! I'd highly recommend these for special occasion wear like prom or a wedding.

They retail for $18 and the deluxe size is really generous. Honestly, I don't see me ever wearing one of these until the package is empty. Next time you're in Sephora or Ulta, check them out and let me know what you think.

If you'd like to try them out but don't need a full size product many of the shades are available in Urban Decays Palettes and, since I own a few of those, I can attest to how wonderful the palettes themselves are as well. Who out there owns UD palettes and which ones? I have the Skull palette and Shadow Pony set and I couldn't love them more if I tried.

Charlotte Ronson Lolita Makeup Bag

I'm a sucker for samples. They're so cute and lovable in all their tininess. The problem is I have tons of them that I'm never going to use. One use just isn't going to tell me if I like an item or not. Unless it's a single use item like eyeshadow cards or perfume samples I can't really tell if I'm getting something I'll like for the long haul but... I still can't resist them.

Beauty.com has a great deal going on right now. With a $100 purchase you can get a free Lolita makeup bag designed by Charlotte Ronson stuffed with $125 worth of samples (how they calculate that I'll never know)! If you look at it that way, your $100 was very well spent. The samples include...

* Bliss Clog Dissolving Cleansing Milk
* PHYTO Phytodefrissant Botanical Hair Relaxing Balm
* NUXE Tonific Fermete Intensive Firming Cream
* Nick Chavez Beverly Hills Volumizing Extra Hold Hairspray
* Smashbox Photo Finish Targeted Pore and Line Primer
* Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lip Gloss, Wallflower
* Stila Eye Shadow in Illimani
* Dr. Brandt Collagen Booster
* L'OCCITANE Shea Butter Ultra Rich Face Cream
* ARCONA Peptide Hydrating Complex, Hydrate AM/PM
* It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores HD Silk Micro-Powder
* Oscar Blandi Olio di Jasmine - Hair Serum
* Lavanila Assorted favorites


If you're already going to shop there or a comparable site you should check out this great deal before it's too late. Supplies are limited. If you get it let me know if you love it.

Buxom Love

Wow! Sephora, I'm really beginning to hate you!

Today, I visited the sight again (I know, I know, I should just stay away if I don't want to be tempted, but it's too damn hard) and I fell in love. With a Saint Bernard. I know what you're thinking but follow along on my puppy loving journey.

I stumbled upon Bare Escentuals Buxom Stay-There Shadows when the default picture immediately caught my eye, teal, my favorite color. I cannot resist teal anything, tops, shoes, bags, and especially eye shadows and liners. Take a look at this...



After reading the reviews for these beauties I was even more intrigued. How could I say no to that? These shadows are a Sephora exclusive and with no Sephora within shopping distance of me (huge bummer, I know) I can't check them out in person. They're cream formulas which I've only had touch and go success with (Love Bobbi Brown's, so-so on Stila). They're all named after dog breeds, which is where the Saint Bernard comes in, a gorgeous teal green. I MUST have it.

Bare Escentuals will make a charitable donation to Canine Companions for Independence, a non-profit that provides disabled people with assistance dogs. What a wonderful charity! Another great reason to pick up this product.

For $17 you are getting a fairly small pot but the reviews speak for themselves, the best cream shadow users have ever tried, great sponge-y like consistency, most vibrant, etc. I can't live without these in my life. I'm going to have to spring for Saint Bernard, Pug (a pewter shimmer), Bull Dog (deep blue), Schnauzer (royal purple), and Chihuahua (silver). Can you tell I love bright, cool-toned shadows? On my fair, cool skin and light eyes it's the best combination. What color would you pick up?

*Update* I sprang for Saint Bernard and I will review it as soon as I've had enough time to accurately try it out. Can't wait to see the others.

Short Hair on Girls (a not-so expert opinion)

I'm no expert. I'm a beauty school dropout, I never learned how to cut short hair on ladies and having only my one (really bad) experience with short hair, I have to say I don't know my stuff, I only know my opinion. Please feel free to prove me wrong, I'd love to hear your feedback.

First of all, I have to say that I admire woman who have the balls to give short hair a go and, in the right hands, it can look very beautiful. But, in the wrong hands? Watch out. There's this beauty school phenomenon where every girl comes out with shorter and shorter hair each week she's there, until, there's no hair left. I've seen girls start out with nearly waist long hair and end up with a cute little pixie, a crime if you ask me. As a girl with LONG hair, we're talking mid back and, before I got it cut a month or so ago, the longest layer was to my butt, I love the way it looks on everyone as long as you take care of it (but that's another post entirely).

This whole topic was sparked by the Marie Claire that landed in my mailbox today and the lovely Emma Watson on the cover sporting what I can only assume is her little brother's haircut. I'm sure you've all see her with short hair but this was just shocking. One should not have to wear so much mascara to not look like a little boy. Check it out....



Now, I'm not saying that it's impossible to look good with short hair, look at Halle Berry, I just think that certain adjustments have to be made to avoid looking like a little boy. First of all, if you're pin thin, with no chest or butt, you're going to look like a little boy unless you wear tons of makeup, hair accessories and jewelry. End of story. Secondly, if you keep a little length on top to spike, swoosh to the side, etc., it makes a world of difference. Also, in my not-so expert opinion as I said earlier, showing a little cleavage with a short haircut never hurt anyone.

Agree? Disagree? Please let me know and feel free to send me pictures to prove me wrong. I'd love to hear from anyone with an opinion. Drugofchoicebeauty@yahoo.com

Face-off Friday Christina Hendricks

Every Friday Drug of Choice brings to you Face-off Fridays. And not the John Travolta/Nicholas Cage movie!!! Each week I'm pinning a celebrity beauty against (for the most part) HERSELF! Vote for your favorite look for the starlet. Occasionally, just to mix things up on you, I'll show you two pictures of girls wearing similar (or not so similar depending on my mood) makeup and you tell me which LOOK you prefer. Now, I know, it's hard not to vote for your favorite celeb in that situation but it's all about the look. TGIF, indeed!

Confession! I have never seen an episode of Mad Men. It's not really my thing. That being said, I have taken notice of a beautiful redhead named Christina Hendricks and really, how could you not?

The gorgeous, buxom ginger stands out from the crowd of rail thin blondes and her features make her more beautiful than 10 cookie-cutter starlets put together. Now, with such flaming red hair you'd think Christina would stick to a more neutral look, something tried and true that she could do with her eyes closed. Not so, my dears, not so. Christina always looks fabulous by taking risks and that's what I love about her. Now, I want your opinion on how you think she looks in each of these looks and which you'd pick for her if you had to choose.


or


Do you prefer Christina Hendricks with bold, berry lips and lightly lined eyes or a black cat's eye with neutral lips? Both are equally gorgeous but I really love the way the berry lips off-set her gorgeous pale skin. If I had skin like this, I'd never wear foundation, what about you?

MAC Me Over

Calling all MAC girls! The cosmetics giant is giving you (yes, you) a chance to be the face of a Fall 2011 line. You can submit a video or a picture at the website macmeover.com. The contest runs from now until December 20th and what better way to get in the holiday spirit than brushing up on your makeup skills and entering a once in a lifetime contest?

All you have to do is head over to the website, submit your video or picture and complete the sentence "MAC me over because...." It's that easy. MAC Pro Artists will make you over and you'll be shot by celebrity photographers in what's sure to be a glamorous NYC setting. Round trip ticket to New York anyone?

This contest is open to U.S. Residents 18 years old or older as of date of entry. All ages, all races, all sexes will be included just like MAC proclaims as their slogan.

Let me know if you enter. Can't wait to see the winners in Fall 2011.

Korres Abyssinia Oil Mascara

I've always been a drugstore mascara kind of girl. I never saw the point in spending money on Lancome or Dior when I could get a great value and the same results from Cover Girl or Maybelline. That is, until I tried Korre's Abyssinia Oil mascara.

This mascara contains Abyssinia Oil to condition lashes and leave them in better than original condition. The natural vegetable oil has a high concentration of fatty acids to soften and condition your lashes, giving you natural results with each use. Unlike traditional lash conditioners this is a one step process, not a primer and mascara in separate tubes, cutting application time in half and not giving your lashes the white cast left by other serums and creams.

Korres Abyssinia Oil Mascara gives all day color and hold and I found that, even without a lash curler, my lashes had a slight upward slant that I couldn't stop admiring in the mirror. The brush has a cool no-pattern/pattern that gives lashes a really natural appearance and the bristles are soft enough that should you hit skin, you won't leave a hideous scratch on your eye. And it does all this without parabens, sulfates and synthetic fragrances and dyes. What more could you ask for?

It retails for $20 (more than double my drugstore brands but worth it for a nice splurge) at Sephora and Korres and is available in black, brown, purple and dark blue. The sample sized tube I tried is half the size of the normal tube and I've gotten tons of use out of it.

Healthy Sexy Hair Pumpkin

You know the thing I hate most in the beauty world? Falling in love with a product (and passing this love on to my friends and family) only to have it discontinued right out from underneath me. It's a sad day when that happens and the biggest beauty funeral in the recent past has to be for Sexy Hair Concepts Healthy Sexy Hair Pumpkin line (long name, amazing scent)!

I fell in love with this line when my roommate brought it home years ago, back when it was still available in salons, and now, I can't live without it. It's a good thing I stocked up! Gallons upon gallons later I'm still enjoying the scent come fall. Also, full disclosure here, I actually buy my supply at TJ Maxx or Marshall's and I swear every time I'm in there I come across another great product from the line. Just the other night I picked up a leave in conditioner spray and a styling cream.

In my shower I have the body wash, bar soap for the man, re-hydrating shampoo, detoxifying shampoo and the conditioner. On my counter the leave in conditioner cream, my new styling spray (both great for de-tangling) and I can't wait to try the styling creme I socked away as a Christmas gift. Wow! That's a lot of pumpkin. Can you tell I love it? I'm the girl who can't wait for fall to roll around so I can get my pumpkin coffee from Dunkin' Donuts and so I can whip out these products.

If you happen to live near a TJ Maxx or Marshalls, I highly suggest you keep an eye out for anything from this amazing line and stock up if you do find it. You will not find another scent like this out there and, trust me on this one, supplies are dwindling online as we speak. If you don't have access to it in stores, take my word for it, these really smell like pumpkin pie and if you love the scent you can't go wrong. Let me know what you think.

True Religion Fragrance

I wanted to love this scent, I really did. Just look at the bottle. How pretty would that look on your vanity?

First of all, there's nothing inherently wrong with this perfume, it's nice and light, clean and crisp but it just doesn't live up to scents I know and love, namely, Ralph by Ralph Lauren. It has a fruity opening and a floral heart which, frankly, really speaks my name. I just find that the notes are perhaps a little too sharp and chemical smelling for my picky nose. I wanted something a little more soft, a little more natural. The added warmth is great and really brings the fragrance to another level but I just couldn't get past the bite of the first layer, very alcohol-y, which, I completely realize is normal, but sticking around for minutes is not. The alcohol scent should fade a lot quicker than it did with True Religion.

The 1.7oz bottle sells on Sephora.com (online only) for $59. I'd love to hear what everyone thinks of this scent. Do you know it? Do you love it? Or are you like me and find the biting top notes a little too distracting to give your heart over to this one?

Sephora is Trying to Kill Me!!!

Sephora is trying to kill me! Sephora is trying to kill me! It's like my own personal "The British are coming! The British are coming!" Am I even going to make it to Christmas?

Here it is, not even Thanksgiving and all I can think about is Christmas, specifically Christmas presents I want Santa to bring to me. Luckily, I have the best Santa's helper in the world. My man sat patiently over my shoulder as I perused the Holiday 2010 Sephora catalog, ran amuck over the entire website and cataloged each item into a Yes, No or Maybe pile. I did my research, narrowed it down, calculated the mental math and here's what I couldn't live without under my tree this year. Reviews to come on each item the second I rip them open Christmas morning (let's be realistic here, probably the day they arrive on my doorstep)!


Urban Decay 27/7 Eyeliner- This delicious set of 10 24/7 eyeliners includes a full size Zero (black), and generous minis of El Dorado (bright yellow gold), Stash (gold mossy green), Mildew (mossy green), Electric (bright blue), Binge (dark metallic blue), Ransom (bright purple), Rockstar (deep reddish purple), Gunmetal (dark metallic gray) and Whiskey (dark brown. The best part? I only have one of these in my collection already, Electric, and I have A LOT of these exceptional liners.


Bare Escentuals Buxom City Slickers Lip Set- I own so many buxom glosses they might come out my ears. These babies are a no fail way to get plumper lips and a girl can never have too much variety, right? This set includes mini lip polishes in Amber (washed peach), Brandi (candied plum), Denise (cool pink), and Michelle (raspberry rose)and Mini Big & Healthy Lip Sticks in Bombay (poppy rose), Marrakech (beige nude), Fresno (blackberry wine), and Vienna (pink lilac). I bought last year's set as a holiday gift for myself and they were the surprise hit of the year. I can't go without them now.


Harajuku Lover's Mini Rollerball Coffret- Wow, talk about an amazing deal. This set comes with five 0.06oz mini bottles of Gwen Stefani's best selling fragrances. These scents are so fun that, should you for whatever reason, decide one is not for you, it would make a great gift for a special person on your holiday shopping list. The Sephora website describes each of these scents as floral, however, even if you aren't a floral girl, you're sure to find one you love.


Josie Maran Argan Oil 0.5oz mini- After hearing so many great reviews on this amazing oil I couldn't pass up the chance to try it. I have dry skin but I'm also breakout prone and this oil is said to work miracles with both. My face is just begging for this right now with the season change and I know the second I get the UPS delivery I'll be rushing to put this product to the test.


Sephora Favorites LashStash Mascara Deluxe Sampler- This one's for you dear reader. I've made it my mission to try every mascara I can get my hands on and what better place to start than with minis of these luxe brands. Set includes...Josie Maran GOGO Instant Natural Volume Argan Mascara (hello! can you tell I'm super curious about this stuff?) in Pitch Black, Tarte MultiplEYE Lash Enhancing Mascara in Black, Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash Mascara in Black, Blinc Kiss Me Mascara in Black, Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Mascara in Black, Buxom (Seeing a trend here?) Lash Mascara in Blackest Black, Benefit BADgal Lash Mascara in Black, Sephora Collection Advanced Lash Booster in Black, Hourglass Film Noir Full Spectrum Mascara in Onyx, a Tarte Picture Perfect Eyelash Curler and a full size Too Faced LashLight Mascara in Black. Phew! My days of the ol' trusty CoverGirl LashBlast are over, it's time to branch out and share my findings with my public. They have a lot to live up to for me to retire my trusty orange tube without a fight.

And last but not least....

The main object of my affection for the season. Too Faced's Enchanted Glamourland palette. What more can I say? Just look at her. Picture perfect. The palette itself, the gorgeous La Vie en Rose Blush, Snow Bunny Bronzer (can I just say I love this name and anyone who knows me would know this immediately, a total inside joke), a Shadow Insurance Primer (heard great things about this but it will take a lot to pry me away from my Urban Decay Primer Potion), a glamour gloss in pillow talk and 15 (!) shadows. How can you go wrong? Just look at them all! This was love at first sight and let's just say I'm lucky my baby (and my Visa card) loves me so much.