Monday's girlfriend lunch

Here is today's girlfriend's guide!

Watch my video below! 

Start with Bare Escentuals Original Eye Primer:

Jump to Shadow: Bare Escentuals Bare Skin Shadow

Quickly go to: Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner - this is in black - will work for anyone!

Here is the Clinique Mascara High Lengths:

Finish off your look with: Stila Lipglaze - pack of 3 for only $12!  This is a great buy!

Have Fun!

Easy as 1,2,3 - quick eye!

You've asked for it!  The quick eye... Here we go!

Step 1: Primer.  You cannot wear eye makeup with out a primer.  Your shadow and liner simply will not stay with out it.

This one is easy to use, glides on smooth and has the mineral basics that will give life back to your eyes all day long!

Step 2: The Shadow.  I am going to assume you have a decent eye shadow brush for this one, if not - here is one I use everyday on myself and professionally: 

This is a one shadow look:  Take your brush, pick up some shadow, tap it off.  Press then blend into your lid, up to the orbital bone.  

Here is my favorite every day color - young and old can wearing.  A great basic: 

Step 3.  Mascara.  Flawless Definition Mascara by Bare Minerals.
It is all minerals, great for your lashes.
Paraben-free, smudge-proof, flake-free, clump-free

Easy eye is done and you are out the door to start your day! 

Let me know if you need further color suggestions and I will post them here! 

Arica


Wet/dry shadow brush:

My Glam Box - subscriptions opened today!

I think some of you know how crazy I am about the beauty boxes that are currently available - you get 4-6 large sized samples of luxury brands with a monthly subscription of 10-20 bucks, depending on the company.  Honestly, I dropped the one that was the most expensive - it was the Julep box I reviewed last month and I came to the conclusion that it just wasn't worth 20 bucks to get more nail polish than I could ever really use!

Now the other boxes that I subscribe to are: Birchbox.com, beautyarmy.com and myglam.com - these are becoming limited editions and hard to get in and are the latest thing on the beauty scene!

Birchbox currently has openings for new members - they are only 10 bucks per month (month to month) and I have been happy with every box so far - I even ordered my mom a subscription for Christmas!

BeautyArmy opened on January 1st with a huge launch!  They only had 300 boxes available... well there were so many people interested that their site crashed... crashed!  They had 65,000!!! hits once the site went live.  But guess who was persistent and got in on the 300?  That's right - yours truly!  I will review this box in about a week or so, once I receive it. $12 month to month subscription - you can sign up on their web site, but can't order anything until they open up new spots.

 LIMITED TIME OPPORTUNITY!! 

I WANT YOU GUYS TO GET IN ON IT! 

MyGlam.com launched a couple of months ago and had a similar experience as BeautyArmy - they have been sold out of subscriptions for a while... I have been on a list and they finally opened more spots this morning.  So... of course I signed up.  Last month they had more makeup samples than other boxes:  nyx, two urban decay (full size), perfume sample, tart. That's a GREAT haul, as the beauty bloggers call it.  Of course I had to be in on this one!  Subscription is month to month and is 10 bucks.

Here is the link to My Glam, in case you want to sign up - I would do it today - it will go quickly.

http://www.myglam.com/member/ - this has pictures of last month's items. 

I will review the box once I get it - later this month!

Beauty Army

First, I will tell you about my experience, then I will post the press release below for Beauty Army.

This is a big deal.  

The release of Beauty Army was New Years Day at noon.  They had a big count down that stretched the page for the past several days.  So, the clock ticked down and... the page went down.  It took over an hour to actually get through, meanwhile the Beauty Army people were on facebook posting updates and trying to recover the space that 65000,  yes 65000 had crashed on their site.  Only 300 boxes were available.  I was lucky (and persistent enough - beauty products will do that to a girl) to get in on the subscription!

12 bucks a month for 4-6 premium brand, deluxe size samples - free delivery. 

Below is the press release that will tell you all the important details about how you too can subscribe and get the wonderful perks I am about to receive in the mail next week!  I will then do a review of what I got!

http://www.beautyarmy.com/

Join the Beauty Revolution!

Our Army is a elite group of beauty enthusiasts who like to try before they buy!  Beauty Army is a monthly premium beauty sampling subscription service that allows our members the choice to choose:  Choose your own samples or have us choose for you.  Giving our members the option to choose their own kit prevents waste and disappointment; you will never receive unwanted products!

Simply click the “Sign Up” page on your computer or mobile device to get started!  After answering a few beauty questions, we will recommend a selection of samples for you to choose up to 6.

The multilevel personalization, you choose or we choose for you, comes at the same value:  $12 monthly or pay for 1 full year at an 11 kit cost of $132 and receive your 12thkit free!! As always, Beautiful, the shipping fee for your kit is included!

Once your kit ships, you will receive an email with your the tracking number.  To ensure smooth delivery all of our kits will ship USPS First Class, which does not require a signature.  You kits will ship as follows: Order between the 1st and the 15th of the month and your kit will be delivered that month.  Place your order between the 16th and 31st and you will receive you kit in the early part of the next month. We are currently shipping only to the US at this time.

Have you fallen in love with a product in your kit? Make sure you leave a review on our website so the Army can see what you think and don’t forget to stop by the shop and pick up a full size, shipping is a flat fee of $5 per order.  Our membership as well as our store accepts all major credit cards.  


Beauty Army is proud to support the Beauty Bus Foundation, an organization that delivers dignity, hope and respite to chronically or terminally ill men, women and children and their caregivers through beauty and grooming services and pampering products.  www.beautybus.org  Beauty Bus accomplishes their mission through:  In-Home Beauty and Grooming Services, Pop-Up Salons and the Bag of Beauty Program: Beauty Bus gives complimentary Bags of Beauty filled with pampering products to remind patients and caregivers that they deserve to look and feel beautiful. 

Face Charts - are they useful to you?

Face charts are something a makeup counter does to help you remember what was talked about and used on you during your consultation.  It is yours to bring home, products are written down and often colors are in the spaces for eyes, lips and cheeks to jog your memory.  The face chart serves two purposes: 1. For your reference and 2. For the Makeup Artist turned Salesperson to also "refresh" your memory and entice you to buy.  

I honestly don't use them on a regular basis when I work in store, unless I feel it will really help the person I am working with.

Bottom line:  are the face charts helpful to you or are they just a bothersome clutter you have to take home after your visit to a makeup counter? 

What's your makeup number?

• What is your makeup routine?  
• How much time do you spend putting your makeup on - on the typical morning?  

I just went through a survey that asked those questions in a way I have not looked at before.  Here is the question:  how many items are in your makeup bag that you use on a daily basis?  I thought this was a fair question, as I have never actually counted before.  If any of you have seen my  train case where I keep my "daily" makeup, you will know - it is quite large and extensive.  I like variety and honestly have gotten many cosmetics at a fraction of the retail cost and/or been given them via a cosmetic company's gratis program.  Hence I don't wear the same makeup items every day - mainly shadows and lip products and blushes tend to get rotated fairly quickly.

So, here is my number: 15 - yes, on the typical day that any of you may see me, I have used 15 pieces to pull my look together. What to know what that looks like?

This does not include skin care steps:

1. pore filler
2. primer for face
3. primer for eyes
4.  foundation
5.  bronzer
6.  face highlighter
7.  blush
8.  shadow 1
9.  shadow 2 (sometimes I use 3 and 4 shadows)
10.  eye liner
11.  lash primer
12.  mascara
13.  brows
14.  setting powder OR urban decays all nighter - depending on the day I expect to encounter
15.  Lip gloss or lipstick - some days both

wow!

So, let me get down and dirty:  If I had to pick 5 items (which I think is average for most women) - what would those be?

1. primer
2. foundation
3. bronzer (yes, you all know I am an addict)
4. mascara
5. lip gloss

How'd I do?  What are your five basics?  What would your 15 (we can also call this night out) consist of?

Reply to this post on the fb link - I would love to hear from you! 

A note on primers:  I don't feel any makeup should go on your face with out a primer, that is why you see it repeated in my routine so many times.  It makes all the difference in the world!  If you have not tried on makeup WITH a primer, go to your local department store and ask for a sample.  Or, here are my recommendations: 1. Mac (face only, not eye, but lash ok) 2. Bare Escentual's primer - it works best with loose mineral makeup, it tends to ball up with other cosmetics, but the makeup primer and makeup work best together.  (face and eye, not lash primer) 3. Smash box 4. Urban Decay (face and eye), Makeup Forever.  

I can go into skin care and hair another time, but those are things I do without leaving the house as well.

Quickly:  on a day to day basis, my hair is terrifically easy to take care of in terms of styling - maintaining my color is another story...  

Armani Foundation Set - Super Excited about this one!

Armani is one of the brands that you won't find in a typical department store, in fact it is only carried at Nordstrom Bellevue and Nordstrom Downtown (for the puget sound - somebody correct me if I am wrong on this).  I other words - it is not average or common by any means.  The counters don't have a lot of product, so the line is just not very comprehensive but they are also *beautiful* as well!

This came across my twitter today and it reminded me about how much I loved this when I tried it!  The foundation gave that *perfect* most *perfect* flawless coverage that looked unbelievable.  It was a little out of my price range at $59 a bottle.

Once again, sets are ALWAYS the way to go!

If you feel like splurging, this would be a great one to splurge on: 

Giorgio Armani 'Luminous Silk' Foundation Set ($190 Value)

$125

Award-winning makeup for the perfect skin canvas.

Set includes:
- Full-sized Fluid Master Primer.
- Full-sized Luminous Silk Foundation in your perfect shade choice: 4.5 (natural sand), 5 (light beige), 5.5 (beige), 5.75 (warm beige) or 7 (tan).
- Full-sized blender brush.
- Deluxe-sized sample of Fluid Sheer.
- Deluxe-sized sample of Regenessence [3.R] Multi Corrective Rejuvenating Cream.

• By Giorgio Armani.

***Remember the full price of the foundation is $59 alone! 


Shipping is always free at Nordstrom.com - you can also find this (regionally) at Nordstrom DT and Bellevue. 

You can go to the Nordstrom.com site and/or call the Norstrom Beauty line to order! 

Makeup Forever Limited Edition Kit

If you are a makeup artist or just wanna act like one, this is the kit for you.   

It has everything you need to get a very basic start except for foundations and brushes. 

Sometimes you will see train kits like this for sale filled with a bunch of junk makeup, but this kit is all MAKEUP FOREVER product and pure excellence.  

Makeup Forever Limited Edition Kit

Wild & Chic Collector Case ($616 Value)

Online Only - Limited Edition $330 

Sephora has free shipping for orders over $100

What it is:
A limited-edition makeup kit piled high with MAKE UP FOR EVER's bestselling products, handpicked by Creator and Artistic Director Dany Sanz.

What it does:
Perfect for every occasion and look, this wild makeup case features a combination of MAKE UP FOR EVER's most iconic products and newest additions for the complexion, eyes, and lips. As a bonus, these must-haves come in a fashionable, faux snakeskin case.

This set contains:
- 0.84 oz Travel Mist & Fix
- 1.01 oz HD Microperfecting Primer
- 0.04 oz Lip Line Perfector
- 2 x 0.04 oz Aqua Lip in Red 8C (true red), Light Rosewood 14C (muted dusty rose)
- 2 x 0.04 oz Aqua Eyes in Blue With Green Highlights 12L (metallic teal blue), Mat Black 0L (black)
- 2 x 0.058 oz Aqua Liner in 8 Iridescent Electric Purple (bright purple sheen), 13 Mat Black (matte black)
- 2 x Faux Lash 156 Genevieve (natural black with dense outer corners), 113 Betsy (extreme criss-cross flairs with glitter strip)
- 2 x 0.23 oz Smoky Lash in Black, 6 (plum)
- 0.20 oz Brow Seal
- HD Kabuki Brush
- 0.40 oz HD Elixir
- 0.84 oz Travel Sens'Eyes
- 0.55 oz Uplight in 23 (pearly golden flesh)
- 2 x 0.21 oz Aqua Cream in 1 Anthracite (silvery charcoal shimmer), 13 Warm Beige (champagne shimmer)
- 0.09 oz Metal Powder in Honey Gold 3 (tannish gold shimmer)
- 0.09 oz Star Powder White/Orange 940 (iridescent golden pearl)
- 2 x 0.09 oz Diamond Shadow in Diamond Burgundy 311 (burnish mauve with copper shimmer), Diamond Beige 306 (peachy tan with gold shimmer)
- 2 x 0.12 oz Rouge Artist in 43 Moulin Rouge (satin vibrant red), 34 (satin light raspberry)
- 2 x 0.09 oz Lab Shine Diamond Collection - D16 (shimmering beige), Metal Collection - M10 (chrome morello cherry)
- 0.35 oz HD Microfinish Powder
- Double Pencil Sharpener

What else you need to know:
MAKE UP FOR EVER Creator and Artistic Director Dany Sanz has autographed 100 of these kits at random. Buy this amazing kit and you may end up as one of the lucky few who gets a signed one.Sephora is the exclusive beauty retailer for this product.

Lancome - Holiday 2011 Purchase with Purchase

Lancome has an example of a great deal this season: 

This is a little different than a gift with purchase, where you get a gift just for buying a certain $ amount of product from a fragrance or cosmetic company.  


In this purchase, you get a TON of product to purchase after purchasing the qualifying amount, which in this case is just any purchase (mascara, anyone?).  


You get the to choose between the warm or cool tones - nice to have a choice.  It is 57.50 and valued at $300.  If I have learned one thing it is this:  when the company tells you the purchase is valued at a certain price, it really is - I've done the math. 

Features:

- Choice of warm and cool shade collections allows you to customize your holiday look.
- Makeup artist look card provides tips and tricks to create looks for both day and night.
- Includes everything you need to create your complete look: eyes, lips, face and makeup brushes.
- The beautifully feminine train case makes it a perfect gift for a friend, a family member—or yourself!

Set includes:
- Two Juicy Tubes Lip Glosses in Bolole and Simmer.
- Two Color Design Lipcolors in It Girl and Sugared Maple.
- Blush Subtil in Cedar Rose.
- Limited-edition Eyeshadow Brush Duo (lid and liner).
- Le Crayon Khôl EyeLiner in Black Coffee.
- Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover.
- Définicils Mascara in Black.
- Three Color Design Eyeshadows in Latte, Kitten Heel and Mannequin.
- Signature train case.

Purchase here.

email me with questions! 

Deals: Clinique gwp: make the most of it

Clinique's Gift with Purchase started today.

Here's how to make the most of it: 

 Awesome deal.  Free Shipping.  You need to purchase $25 or more to get the gift.  

If you purchase $100 or more on Nordstrom.com, you get the bonus I blogged about last week AND Clinique's 8 piece gift!

CLINIQUE BONUS

Get our exclusive Tracy Reese for Clinique gift with your $25 Clinique purchase—a $75 value. Online and in store.

SHOP CLINIQUE

Gift includes:

• Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser (1 oz.)
• Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Moisturizer SPF 20 (0.5 oz.)
• Different Lipstick in Raspberry Glace (0.14 oz.)
• Quickliner for Eyes in Black/Brown (0.005 oz.)
• High Impact Mascara in Black (0.16 oz.)
• Mini Colour Surge Eyeshadow Trio in Pink, Trax and Chocolate Chip
• Tracy Reese-designed cosmetics bag
• Tracy Reese-designed travel bag

Foundation Matching

I recommend you get your foundation matched professionally at a counter or by a makeup artist, but here are some tools you can use for yourself, because they can sometimes get it wrong too! 

When you are matching your foundation or a new color, look for the following:

• Try at least 3 colors 
• Colors should be swiped on the middle of your cheek - that is where you actually wear your makeup
• Never on the hand or chin
• All makeup should be tried on bare skin
• Let the color sit on your skin for a few moments - it can oxidize and/or interact with your skin in a unique way that you might not see right away
• When a color doesn't match it will turn - grey, pink, orange or chalky on your skin
• Foundation should be worked from the middle of your face out
• Don't be surprised if you change color from season to season, it is common

The next time you put on your foundation, take a moment and look closely at how the foundation lays on your skin.  Does it turn orange?  Does it turn grey and chalky?  Pink?  If so, you may be wearing the wrong color.  If  it blends in - stay with it.  

We all need to reevaluate from time to time - do it tomorrow.  

Email me with questions! 

Current Best Beauty Buy - October 2011

Note:  As of November 1st this deal no longer applies. 

As a follow-up to my blog about buying great quality makeup for a deal, here is one example of one of the best deals I've seen in a long time.  I always recommend buying at Holiday times (Christmas/Mother's Day/etc) because there are always package deals you cannot find at any other time - so this kind of seals the deal for me.

GET READY FOR A TON OF FREE PRODUCT:  

Ok, so just buy $100 worth of cosmetics or fragrances at Nordstrom.com (this is online only) - shipping is ALWAYS free - doesn't matter what amount you spend (to get free shipping) and you get the following:

EXCLUSIVE BEAUTY GIFTS—WORTH OVER $130

Get 13 travel-size beauty favorites in a sparkly black cosmetics bag with your $100 beauty or fragrance purchase.*

Gift includes:

• ARCONA Gentle Solution Treatment (0.33 oz.)
• Balenciaga Paris Glass Vial Perfume Sample (0.13 oz.)
• Bare Escentuals® bareMinerals® Flawless Definition Curl & Lengthen Mascara (0.16 oz.)
• Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Whipped Perfume Sachet (0.03 oz.)
• CAUDALIE Premier Cru Cream (0.06 oz.)
• Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream (1.06 oz.)
• Clinique Quickliner for Eyes in Black (0.005 oz.)
• Elie Saab Glass Vial Perfume Sample (0.03 oz.)
• Kate Somerville® ExfoliKate® Intensive Exfoliating Treatment (0.16 oz.)
• Laura Mercier Deluxe Foundation Primer (0.5 oz.)
• Living Proof Full Body Boosting Thickening Cream for All Hair Types (0.5 oz.)
• Mario Badescu Seaweed Night Cream (0.17 oz.)
• philosophy 'the microdelivery' exfoliating wash (1 oz.)

HURRY AND GET MORE GIFT! For a limited time, spend an additional $25 and receive a selection of Lancôme bestsellers. Lancôme Génifique Eye Youth Activating Eye Concentrate (0.25 oz.) Lancôme Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate (0.25 oz.) Lancôme Cils Booster XL Super Enhancing Mascara Base (0.07 oz.) ___________ If you have ANY fragrances, beauty items for yourself or others (think holiday) - this is a fantastic deal.   Here is a run down of just a few deals from gifts that different Cosmetic/Fragrance lines are offering that you could make out like a bandit on:

MARC JACOBS 'Lola' Deluxe Holiday Gift Set ($136 Value) $92

Reveal your modern free spirit and irresistible attitude. Set includes an eau de parfum spray (3.4 oz.), sensual body lotion (2.5 oz.), silky shower gel (2.5 oz.) and deluxe mini eau de parfum spray (0.13 oz.) housed in a reusable container.

• By MARC JACOBS.

• Add an Essie polish for $8 and you've got a your $100 for free shipping and the free gifts above! 

_______________

Katy Perry Set is amazing, purchase any Katy Perry items and you get the Katy Perry gift set AND everything above: 

KATY PERRY

Your Gift with Fragrance PurchaseReceive a packable tote bag that fits into a cat-shaped pouch with your $65 Katy Perry fragrance purchase.

Online only. One per person, while supply lasts. Gift will be added automatically in Checkout and can only be shipped to the same destination as your order. This item cannot be shipped to international addresses.

______________________________________


Amazing Lancome Holiday set: 

Lancôme 'Lancôme 'Rénergie Lift Volumetry' Holiday Set ($171 Value)

The facts:
Skin’s cells need to communicate with each other constantly to maintain a support structure that keeps skin looking youthful.

The Lancôme solution:
Rénergie Lift Volumetry is our first skin treatment featuring the GF-Volumetry™ complex, shown to help support cellular communication¹.

The results:
See your skin visibly lifted, firmed and reshaped. Cheeks appear re-plumped, jaw line appears refined and the facial angle appears improved by eight degrees².

Includes:
- Rénergie Lift Volumetry (1.7 oz.).
- Rénergie Lift Volumetry Eye (0.5 oz.).
- High Résolution Collaser-5X™ (0.5 oz.).

¹In-vitro test.
²Based on clinical scoring of the profile angle of the neck and jaw line after four weeks of use of Rénergie Lift Volumetry SPF 15 Cream. 


_________________________________________________________________________________________________


Go to the Nordstrom Beauty site to obviously see more - makeup and fragrance, but I just wanted to make you aware of some of the fantastic ways to either stock up for yourself, try something new or buy some great gifts.  


The last time I got one of these amazing deals, I found items that I would not have ordinarily purchased, but it opened me up to new items, like the Tanning Towel Self Tanner and the Marc Jacobs Hollywood fragrance.  


Note: Clinique at Nordstrom is about to have their gift with purchase that would make the *perfect* storm.  

1. Spend $125 in: special holiday gifts (always free, extra items, larger items), sets (new and different items, free items, larger/different sizes), your basics
2. Get all the free gifts mentioned above
3. Free shipping
4. Free Clinique gift that always has tons of great items

If that isn't the perfect storm.... I don't know what is! 

Happy Shopping!  


Let me know if you have any questions or have better or different beauty buy ideas! 


-Arica