Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Product Chatter: 8/20/08

Kati: I just keep finding more tees EVERYWHERE.
Also I am wearing the perfume today.
It smells like perfume.
Jeanne: Sephora just called me to tell me they're having a Smashbox event on Saturday.
I was going to go to Anthropologie after work today to smell the perfume Annie blogged yesterday.
Kati: Nice!
Jeanne: Yeah, me and Sephora, we're homeslices.
By which I mean, they know I spend my money there.
But honestly, since Cult of Cherry hits counters tomorrow, I... would rather go buy that than Smashbox, maybe?
Kati: ahahaha. That is like me and Starbucks. Except not.
True.
Jeanne: Does Starbucks call you on the phone and ask you to come in?
Because that would be kind of hilarious and awful.
"KATI. COME IN. WE HAVE A SPECIAL CAFFEINE EVENT. WITH CAFFEINE."
Kati: I WISH. No, just the spending my money there.
ahahaha.
Jeanne: Although if the Smashbox people are there on Saturday, I can scold them for discontinuing my favorite thing.
Kati: So true.
Jeanne: And that's, like, the only Smashbox thing I have, too.
My mom has some, though. From QVC.
OMG, I didn't tell you, she got cosmetic surgery done on Monday!
She got her undereyes done.
So now she's just lying in bed with ice on her face.
Kati: Oh man. Ow.
Jeanne: Yesterday I walked in and I saw the phone and her credit card next to her on the bed, and I was like, "MOM. Were you buying things off of QVC without actually looking at them??"
And she was like, "No, I was making a donation."
Kati: ahahaha.
Jeanne: But she did get a package from QVC yesterday.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Product Chatter: 8/13/08

Jeanne: dude, I should have listened to you about the Veganese.
You said it like four different times in four different places and I still bought it like the idiot that I am.
Kati: If I had known you wanted to try it, I would've sent my bottle down.
THE TOP NOTE IS AWESOME.
DECEPTIVELY AWESOME, ALLRIGHT?
Jeanne: I was standing in the Lush, all brain-addled from being bleached out, and I was like, "I know I need Daddy-O because it's purple and that's good for bleached hair, but I need a conditioner."
Kati: Yeah.
Jeanne: And they were like, "Marilyn is good for blonde hair." And I was like, "...I don't need a deep conditioner, I just want a conditioner."
Kati: Oh HAY.
Jeanne: And they're like, "Veganese is good for blonde hair!"
And an alarm bell went off in my head, but I was like, "Okay, sure" and like you said, deceptive top notes.
Daddy-O smells like violets and civet.
Kati: Yes, indeed.
Jeanne: And by civet, I mean "cat ass".
Kati: ...Dude, that sucks.
Jeanne: I'm like, "I smell violets! ...And butt."
Kati: I've been pretty down with the Seanik solid shampoo though.
Jeanne: I liked Godiva when I used it in Japan, but it is STRONG
the jasmine scent
And so now whenever I smell it I think of Japan.
Which is weird.
Kati: Although honestly, I think I'm going to stick with alternating John Frieda Sheer Blonde with Herbal Essences Body Envy, because the ES smells fantastic and the Sheer Blonde does actually work for me.
I have stuff like that.
Jeanne: I was using an SLS-free color safe set, but yeah.
I don't know if color-safe means "good for bleached", is the thing.
Kati: Victoria's Secret Strawberries and Champagne always reminds me of being in high school.
Jeanne: But that's why I got the purple shampoo, because I figured it would be better for the bleached hair.
So far I've used it twice and I've been overwhelmed with the smell of my hair.
Kati: Yeah. That was my thing with Veganese.
Jeanne: Yeah. I mean, it's probably a combination of all of it.
My hair just smells really strongly of Veganese.
Kati: True.
I want to like it!
Jeanne: I know!
Kati: I want to like the Veganese.
Jeanne: I do too!
I want to like both of them!
Kati: It's just so hippie smelling!
Jeanne: And now I don't know what to do because I have the two little bottles and I just can't go on like this.
Kati: I have the Veganese staring at me every day in the shower, and I'm like, "...no."
Jeanne: Yeah, I don't know what to do.
I haven't used it enough to know if it's really that different for my hair.
Or if I should just go back to my old shampoo.
Kati: Honestly, I just was like, "I can't take the smell, it's driving me insane, so uh, no."
Even the bestest shampoo and conditioner I will not use if the smell bothers me.
Jeanne: Yeah, it really is driving me crazy.
Kati: It's why I don't always use the product body stuff even though I heart it, because the scent is so strong.
Jeanne: Yeah.
Kati: Although far more delicious than the Veganese.
Jeanne: Yes.
So I guess I'll switch back, then.
I only use it like once a week anyway.
Which isn't as gross as it sounds because a. I'm not supposed to wash my hair all that often anyway and b. I wash it at my boyfriend's.
Kati:Yeah. I'm just disappointed, because pretty much every other lush thing I've liked, you know?
Jeanne: Yeah, for real.
Kati: Yeah.
Jeanne: Boo.
Although I smelled one of their retro washes and it smelled really good.
I find Ghost to be kind of overpowering and lingering too.
Kati: I think I got something from retro lush in my last order.
Really?
I do not.
Like, the scent is so strong in the shower, but as soon as I get out there is like no scent.
Jeanne: It sticks to my skin throughout the day.
http://usa.lush.com/cgi-bin/lushdb/00638?expand=retro&vm=r
that's the one
it smells really good
Kati: I either got that one or the other citrus one.
Ah, the other one.
Jeanne: Man, I'm looking at the other conditioners and they're all "the smell lingers in my hair all day!"
And I just don't want to smell my hair all day.
Kati: http://usa.lush.com/cgi-bin/lushdb/01409?expand=retro&vm=r
I'd be okay with it if it smelled really good?
But I have longer hair, so I'm more used to catching whifs of my hair.
...I need a hair cut.
Jeanne: I feel like I'm filling the whole cubicle with patchouli.
Because bleached hair doesn't dry as quickly as unbleached hair, so I wind up going to the office with a full wet head of hair that reeks of patchouli.
Kati: FROM THE VEGANESE??? YES.
Jeanne: YEAH I KNOW
Kati: SO MUCH HIPPIE SMELL.,
Jeanne: I might try American Cream, but jeeeez.
I just don't want to smell something all day.
It makes me queasy.
Kati: I want to, but...the patchouli scares me.
Jeanne: Yeah.
I'll probably just go back to my SLS-free bought-at-Whole-Foods real-hippie stuff.
That doesn't smell all day!!
Kati: Good call.

NARS Cosmetics: Blush, Eyeshadow, and Lipstick!

Yaaay, my first actual product review post!

I've already been a happy NARS Cosmetics customer -- I have a blush, some eyeshadows, a lipstick, and that lovely Multiple Orgasm (ahem). So when NARS asked if I'd like to review a couple of their products, I said yes -- of course I did! And somehow, magically, they sent me some colors that all worked for me, which was even more awesome. They must either be psychic or have some sort of intel on me. (I am guessing psychic.) That or they sent a whole bunch of warm-toned neutrals, crossed their fingers, and I got lucky. Either way, it's all good.

First up is Torrid blush, which is described as "coral with shimmer". Since I'm olive-toned, corals and warm colors are really good for me, I've been finding, so getting a new coral blush to play with is great. The color's really flattering on its own, which is how I've been wearing it. Usually I layer powder blushes over cheek stains, but I can use Torrid on its own. I've been carrying the little compact around with me in my overnight bag as well, and so far it's stayed intact, which is a relief, since I tend to not be super-gentle with my stuff. (For example, this past weekend the bag accompanied me all over San Francisco, including three separate buses and wandering around the Haight.) There's a reason NARS is famous for their blush, and it's because it's good stuff.

Secondly is Promiscuous, a "shimmering honey beige" satin formula lipstick. I will say that I don't really do the dark smoky eye/pale lip look because I don't really like the way I look with pale lips. It's just not my best look. That said, I think Promiscuous is a good choice for a soft pale lip without going too opaque or too light, especially if you have warmer tones in your skin. Who knows, maybe I'll rethink the pale lip. And Promiscuous is a good lipstick to have if I do.

I also received Voyage -- a "golden sand" shimmer single eyeshadow. I have several NARS eyeshadows that I've bought, including Abyssinia (which is pictured above), and I've always been impressed with the softness and quality of their eyeshadows. Voyage is a warm gold-brown with gold shimmer, which would be perfect for wearing as a wash to the office during the day, then easily smoking up with a darker color for night. I think this color would be a lovely wash on someone with blue or blue-green eyes, since the gold would really enhance the blue. However, the pan fell out of the little black packaging upon opening, which alarmed me -- maybe it wasn't glued in tight enough and got knocked loose during shipping, so I have to be careful with it. Unlike Torrid, it can't go traveling around with me, which is a bummer. I was worried that the eyeshadow itself broke (which happens with soft pigment-rich eyeshadows), but it's only the pan... but still, it broke and that makes me a sad Jeanne.

Finally, I also received the Black Orchid mascara, but since I received it during the last month of the second go-round of the Great Mascara Experiment, I haven't managed to try it out yet. I will say that when I read the name of it, I thought, "Oooh, Black Orchid, it is probably a gorgeous purple-black! That will look AWESOME." Somehow I missed the "black" part and jumped right to "orchid" in my mind; Black Orchid is pure black, which is kind of a bummer for me, since I was hoping for purple-black, but there's nothing wrong with a good black mascara, either. Anyone want to let me know what I've missed?

Thank you again to NARS Cosmetics for giving me the chance to try out these colors!

image from narscosmetics.com

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Product Chatter: 8/6/08

Kati: http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?categoryId=A17&id=P186507
Yay!
Jeanne: Yay! On sale!
Kati: Super sale!
I'm just sad their moisturizer is out of stock there.
...AND SO IS 55, WHAT IS THIS CRAP, SEPHORA??
Jeanne: They're phasing out NP stuff.
That's the thing about Sephora; they'll bring in brands and then get rid of 'em.
Kati: Eh, it's not a huge deal, I can get more when I come visit you.
Or switch brands, I guess, but that sounds like a lot of work.
Jeanne: I think NP sells through napoleonperdis.com too?
Maybe?
Kati: Esp when the system I've got going now can stand up to the kitchen.
Jeanne: Oooh, what's the system?
Kati: Nothing exciting, just NP dream cream (extra moisturizer!) NP primer, and then MAC select SPF.
It's pretty sheer, so I still get red occassionally, but it evens out my skin tone and masks the undereye stuff a bit.
I don't want anything heavy.
Jeanne: Right.
Kati: It's not 100%... but I'm pretty happy with it.
Jeanne: Yeah, I mean, I like You Rebel, but water hits it and game over.
Even if it's cheek stain.
Or gel cheek stain.
I'm going to try the Perfekt stuff next because apparently that's what they use on BL and LM for GG.
Kati: And the thing is, I don't want to look for a new foundation or primer that might make me break out.
Jeanne: Yeah, exactly.
My issue with the Perfekt is that it's expensive and doesn't have SPF, but apparently it's just like a tinted primer?
http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P189500&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5812
So I guess I can put it on over my sunscreen.
Kati: It'd be nice to have a tinted primer, but SPF is important to me.
Jeanne: Yeah, for sure.
It would just be an extra step for me since I already do sunscreen.
Kati: Because most of the time I don't bother with sunscreen on the face because I'm not outside THAT much, so I reply on the SPF in my foundation when I am outside.
(I mean, obvs I put sunscreen on if I know I'm going to be outside, but that's rare.)
Jeanne: Yeah, I do sunscreen on my face every day no matter what, because I'm always walking somewhere.
Plus I was so shitty to my skin all through high school and college.
Kati: I just worry about drying out my skin even though I use the neutrogena stuff, so I tend not to use it unless I have to.
Jeanne: Yeah. I use moisturizer with SPF versus the actual sunscreen-in-a-tube kind.
Kati: I need to get some of that for my face.
Jeanne: I use Aveeno, but I bet Neutrogena does one too.
(They're both J&J.)
And Philosophy just started making Hope in a Jar moisturizer with SPF.
Kati: oooh.
Jeanne: Aveeno sponsored the Venus Festival fashion show, so we all got swag.
Kati: Nice.
Jeanne: http://www.drugstore.com/templates/browse/default.asp?catid=21513&cmbProdBrandFilter=7519&trx=BSMMP-7519&trxp1=CP-10209&trxp2=0&trxp3=21513&brand=7519
Boom.
They even have a build-a-bronze with SPF.
Kati: Nice.
Jeanne: I bet my mom would want me to use that since she gripes about me being so pale.
Kati: Weird.
My mom always gripes when I get sun.