Gloria--you sound like me only my vice is clothing. IF my husband ever reads this...(and chances are he won't because it's not SteelerNation) he will so irritated at me. I'll buy clothes and leave them hidden in our closet for MONTHS before having the guts to take it out and wear it. He oddly notices new clothes on me. Seriously,I'll just hang it up behind this bridesmaids dress or in our guestroom closet. Bad.

So I was at my neighborhood market yesterday getting a few things to make Sunday Chili when I decided I needed some new shampoo and conditioner. I went looking doen the aisle and what did I see in front of me? I'll tell you it was Organix coconut shampoo with Shea Butter and the conditioner too. It was on sale Buy one Get one free. And wouldn't you know it was sold out! I immediately found some poor stockboy and asked him to find some for me...nicely. The whole store was out! So I got a rain check so Ican get it bogo. I can't wait for it to come in so I can expierence what so many of you ladies already have with it! :wink:

Karen--if you find something you LOVE that covers your redness and feels amazing on your face, I say stick with it! There may be no need for mineral make-up you may not even want to try it. No hurt feelings here :bigsmile:

There's no way my husband would stand there patiently while I got my makeup done. And if he did, he'd never notice a difference. He did suprise me once -- I went to the local outlets to shop for makeup and stopped in the Coach outlet on my way out. The had the perfect winter coat for me. I needed it but didn't have the cash and didn't want to put it on my credit card so I left, telling myself I'd go back in two weeks when I would have enough. When I got home I realized how stupid I had been and decided that I would go back and get it. I told him where I was going and said I'd be home in time to get the kids off the bus. He said he'd come since there's a kitchen store there that he likes. He bought me the coat for my birthday!

It works both ways, I've discovered. He's in band and plays out once a week. (He says it's a job; I say it's a hobby that subsidizes itself.) A couple of months ago, he was loading his gear into his car for a gig. I noticed a guitar case I hadn't seen before. I normally can't tell them apart but this one was the prettiest black and white herringbone. He saw me looking at it and said, "You're not the only one who sneaks stuff into the house."

I just purchased and am currently feeling ridiculous in....Ardell Fashion Lashes for my Halloween Costume. My left eye looks ahhmazing, but the right eye is giving me some troubles. I LOVE downtime at work! I also bought N.Y.C. Mod Quad cream eyeliner plus eyeshadow collection called Go Go Green! I mainly bought it for the costume too...trying to do fun cat eyes...lol...we'll see how that turns out seeing as I haven't ever had cat eyes. But I do have kid naptime so plenty of time to learn! I think I am going to be sad when I take these off, they are amazing! lol

HAHA I can't wear my glasses with them!

PurpleRules--my husband is in a band too. Doesn't play out too much anymore, but loves writing music and songs. Occasionally, he'll come home with a new instrument. About 2 years ago he purchased a Jagstang--Kurt Cobain used to play them or design them I don't know--in a beautiful burnt orange. What will eventually be our nursery if we have kids is currently this really cool music room

well................
it seems that hiding purchases is sort of common, wy is that?
I actually do not hide it, I just show them selectively, so my husband knows something is new
but he sees them just one at a time at random moments, so he doesn't notice I just bought a BUNCH of new things
on the other hand, I am the best bargain shopper ever, I rarely buy something if I do not have some kind of discount
beauty products are an exception, I'll pay full price.
I am considering trying mineral make-up again
there's so much hype that I feel like I am missing something

I've tried it once at sephora, and was a horrible experience
I spilled a bunch of powder on myself, I was wearing a black shirt and it wouldn't come out
I ended up buying a new shirt on the H&M next door
but I am willing to give it another try, although it seems that the application is trickier than what it looks on the commercials
what's people's experience?

PurpleRules--I did tell him it was pretty. He didn't seem too upset. My first party is saturday night so I should have a picture up by early next week. I am just refining the costume. Looking for a nice, but comfortable and reasonably inexpensive black boot. Target has a really nice one by Isaac Mizrahi for $36. I may buy them morning of. I am also in the process of turning my super cute pink Puma backpack into an esurance backpack...its small like hers. My wig is set in curlers...soooo excited!

Fitness Brain--Not a lot of people in the community are big fans of mineral make-up. I absolutely LOVE mine. I think there is a mineral make-up thread somewhere here.

I really like the Healthy Skin Enhancer, too. Unfortunately, I have really acne prone skin, so I only use it when I don't need the extra coverage. It gives a nice glow, actually, and evens out my skin tone. I'm not sure if the retinols have done much for me over time, but maybe it has prevented wrinkles? I'm only 25 so I'm not too bad in that department yet. Interestingly, a couple of my friends that are the same age have major wrinkles around their eyes already! But I think it's a lifestyle thing: one has smoked since she was 12 and the other has been tanning like crazy her whole life. We actually used to go tanning together when we were undergrads, but I gave up tanning and sun altogether for about 3 years (before I got a part-time job at a tanning salon!) :sad::shamed: And I think that time off from tanning and careful use of sunscreen helped me to not look like her! Even now I only tan once or twice a month and I use sunscreen on my face and neck everyday and all over if I'm going to be outside in the sun for a while. I figure I get enough UV from the tanning bed, I don't need anymore from outside.

Anonymousblonde, for drugstore brand foundation, I like L'Oreal True Match because they separate their colors into warm, neutral, and cool. My skin tone is warm and I always had such a hard time finding the right color when it came to foundations; they all always made pink, which I HATE HATE HATE. The True Match lets me pick tone and then how dark I want. Perfect! For department store brands, I really like MAC foundations.

As for my latest makeup purchase, it's a disappointment. I recently decided to try one of Too Faced's candy bars to bring my beauty.com order up to free shipping. I've been wanting to try one for some time now, but just haven't wanted to spend the money. Of course, this time I was able to rationalize it by thinking that not only would buying it help me get free shipping for the other things I need, but I would also get 4 colors for $25; seemed like a good deal.

Well, it actually has not come in the mail yet, but I knew that if I got it, I would open it right away and need to try it, so I went to Sephora the other day to try it there so that I would know ahead of time. I was really disappointed. I got the black licorice one thinking that it would be great to do a smokey eye, but the colors barely show up! Of course, I'm used to MAC and Urban Decay, which both are highly pigmented and have great color payoff, but still! I was not happy with the shadows. Luckily I know ahead of time so that I can not use it and instead return it right away.

Anonymous Blonde: I love my Tutti Dolce lip gloss in Creme Brulee. I was very excited when I found two more tubes recently at Marshalls. I love the pretty shimmer it gives my lips. And who could resist the sweet smell AND taste?! I will be really bummed out when my new tubes are empty. Why, oh why, did they discontinue this? :sad:

well I did it
I went to my local beauty store and got Bare escentuals bare minerals
I loooove it!! I am totally sold
The stuff is amazing!!
I had the lady show me how to apply it and match my skin tone (2 shades,one for winter one for summer) and I got the getting started kit (or whatever they call it)
I put it on this morning and everybody complimented on my "great skin", and it is so natural you can't tell
I guess there's a reason why this is the original, once you know how to put it on is almost impossible to screw it up
and the kit comes with a one hour DVD showing application and tips

It also answered another question for me, the kit comes with some "skin rev-er upper" serum that you are supposed to put on after cleansing your face
before the make-up
guess what it is? BHA+AHAs!!
I am a convert!!

I'm a little late on this thread.

HIDING purchases from husbands...NEVER a problem for me. He actually never notices a new clothing item or even a haircut unless I ASK! He's an artist and therefore usually focussed on himself. He has a t-shirt that I bought for him and which he wears PROUDLY. It says: "It's All about Me"

Judy: Sounds like you looked lovely....and hopefully you had a nice time, too!

Saturday I went to Sephora and bought my favorite lip conditioner by Caudalie. It's $12, but I can put it on and have by lips feel conditioned for hours upon hours. I put it on in the morning and don't have to reapply til after lunch.

I also purchased a "guilty pleasure" perfume, Britney Spears Curious In Control. I absolutely LOVE this scent. It's a flirty scent with some sensual undertones. It was created by Claude Dir of Quest. There is a top note of loquat fruit; middle notes of midnight orchid, cr

Sure thing Karen! You can find Caudalie in the skincare section of Sephora, it is easily found by it's simple white packaging with green lettering.

I do. I put it on over of my lip stains too, but you have to make sure they are super dry first.

It didn't seem to dilute the color when I wear it under lipstick, but I also wear light colors. Its top ingredient is mineral oil, so a darker color may fade a bit. I'd suggest you put it on after you brush your teeth in the morning, and then put lipstick on as you leave the house. give it time to absorb.

It's full of moisturizing goodies.

The ingredients are:

Paraffinum Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Ozokerite, Paraffin, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Cetyl Palmitate (Plant Origin), Isopropyl Myristate (Plant OriginPlant Origin), Butyrospermum Parkii Fruit (Shea Butter - Plant Origin), Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (Octinoxate), Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate (Plant Origin), Oryza Sativa Bran Wax (Rice - Plant Origin), Euphorbia Cerifera Wax (Candelilla - Plant Origin), Hypericum Perforatum Extract (Plant Origin), Tocopheryl Acetate, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Propylparaben, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract (Grape - Plant Origin), Palmitic Acid (Plant Origin), Parfume (Fragrance), Ricinus Communis Seed Oil (Castor - Plant Origin), Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Anise Alcohol, Benzyl Benzoate

give it a test run at sephora if you're near one- I put it on at 11 and it's now almost 1, I'm halfway through my lunch and I can still feel it.

I'd been looking for years to find something that would work for my super-dry lips. I wish I had found this when I was still living in Vegas. Talk about dry!!

Cate- Neiman Marcus might have it too, I don't know if there's one of those nearer to you.

I'll warn you- it's addicting.... If I misplace it I am miserable. None of the many lip balms I have can match it and I just grumble about not having it til' I buy a new one.

I've used it on my hands too if I'm super desperate at work with no lotion. just draw on my clean hands with it and rub them together. haha... kind of embarrassing.

avoid keeping it in your pocket though, or leaving it somewhere hot. It comes in a lipstick shape, but it gets really soft when it gets too warm.

I just received a Too Faced Candy Bar (it's a compact of 4 shimmery colors for eyes or whatever you want) in Black Licorice from Drugstore.com but it was shattered! I opened my package and there was what looked like grey dirt all over my stuff and then I realized it was from the Candy Bar. It's ok, though, because after I ordered it, I was in a Sephora and tried it out and was really disappointed with the color payoff; it was super-translucent, not worth $25! I was going to exchange it for the Praline one, which has much richer colors. Oh well.

The other thing I bought was Booth's Original Bath Oil and I LOVE it. It smells so wonderful. I love super-sweet, sugary smells, which is what this is. It's thicker than what I am used to, but I use it in the shower and rinse of the excess, so it's ok (makes the tub slippery!). It's also a great price! $6 for 16oz. It's a blend of sunflower seed and sesame oils. Does anyone know how these particular oils stack up in the moisturization department versus other oils?

I am really liking the Booth's brand so far; I think they're British? I also bought their volcanic mud mask a few months ago and really like that, too.

GAH!!!

I bought Urban Decay's Primer Potion on Thursday and used it for the first time today. When I went to take off my eye makeup, I took off the top layer of skin in places! :cry:

It will be a "no eye makeup" weekend....and a trip back to Sephora next week to return it.

BUT.....the Caudalie lip conditioner is "a keeper"! :smile:

Karen, it took off a layer of skin? Wow. That's a nasty suprise. I hope you're alright and your eyes recover quickly. I wonder what it was that did it -- time to scrutinize the ingredient list...

Judy, I use the Dr Scholl's foot scrub too; I love it. I've never tried the balm. I'll have to pick some up on my next trip to the drugstore.

Karen--that really sucks. I had been using Clean and Clear face wash and after a few days my cheeks were so red and dry and raw that refused to wash them for about a week. I switched to Biore with Salacylic Acid, but only washed my forehead, chin and nose. I know better than to use something with Benzoyl Peroxide. Anyway, I hope it get's better :(

I am really bummed out about this. Am I forever destined to be wiping away an eyeshadow crease ?

My eyes look so much worst today, too. :sad:

Yikes!! I don't know if this would help, but people always tell me to put pieces of aloe vera on my irritated skin. I don't know where they'll sell plain ol' aloe vera, but I'm guessing the neighborhood Asian grocery store would since it's been Asians telling me this. =P

One of the better MA at my local Nordstrom's MAC counter suggested to use their eyeshadow paint in bare canvas as a primer. I use it on those days where I'm running around, and it does help. It's not completely crease free after 12 hours, but for 6-8 hours, it's pretty good.

See if you could get a sample of it first though, because that baby is $16.50 for a small tiny tube.

Btw.. I FINALLY bought my own Stila Smudgepot in black! I bought it online where with the code "Daniellebff", you get free shipping with products $40 and over, plus a 20% discount. Kristen at Beauty Addict posted it up and I wasn't going to let that go to waste. To fulfill that $40, I also got their Sheer Pressed Powder in light. Has anyone used their pressed powder before? I've used their foundation powder in the past and liked it, so I'm hoping their sheer powder would be awesome, too.

The Non-blonde reviewed the Trish McEvoy eye primer and said it gave UD primer potion "a run for its money". I thought I'd try it when it's time to buy new primer, assuming it's not rediculously priced.

Twisted Fayte sounds familiar. Did she only sell it on-line?

Ok so I am definitely intrigued by this whole concept of eye primers. I have uber oily eyelids and my eyeshadows and eyeliners come off or end up in the creases of my lids. So am I to understand that if I use a good eye primer hopefully my shadows and liners will stay better? Also does it make applying the shadows and liners easier...because I find that my liner application still sucks. I am slowly becoming less and less low-maintenance. I have a list in Word that I bring up everytime I'm here. It's getting rather long.

Karen, yes it was quite the staying power! I did the Greek Goddess thing: white dress, crown of leaves, LOTS of eye makeup (the makeup was really fun to do!).

Cate, yes, your liners and shadows will stay MUCH better with a primer. MAC paint does make a good primer, but since my skin is so oily I prefer an actual shadow primer to be sure that it stays put. It DOES NOT make application easier. In fact, it may make it a little harder because the primer basically pulls the shadow off the brush. You will probably need a bit more shadow than you are used to and the colors would come out brighter (or darker) than usual. If you really want to see what it does (and you can do this at MAC, too, with their paint), go to Sephora, swipe a line of Urban Decay (or any other brand's) primer on the back of your hand and then pick a shadow. Put the shadow over the primer and also on your bare hand. You will probably see a big difference. If you still want to use a primer but don't want your shadows coming out so dark, you can put a light, shimmery color on first and then put your darker colors on. This will allow the brush to swipe over the lid more easily and deposit less color since there is already a layer of shadow on.

If you want to see how the MAC paint works as a primer, watch this video:
http://pursebuzz.com/?p=184

In this video, she is reviewing the MAC paints and shows at some point how the shadows come out so much richer with the paint underneath. pursebuzz.com is also great for all kinds of reviews and tutorials. She's super cute and she knows what she's doing. If you go to "Cosmetic Demos" on the left, you can find all sorts of great videos showing proper application with great tips.

Karen, I am hesitant to give a product recommendation to you again because I feel badly about the primer potion, but the liner with the best staying power for me is still MAC Liquidlast Liner. This stuff really stays put through EVERYTHING.

http://www.maccosmetics.com/templates/products/sp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY15101&PRODUCT_ID=PROD9961