I got bored, so I decided to do a random beauty survey to pass the time.
SKINCARE
How many times do you wash your face daily? Once, if that. I’m terrible, I know!
What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo) Combination? I’m not sure.
What is your current facial wash? Aveeno something.
Do you exfoliate?
Weekly, with Lush’s Ocean Salt. This is a new thing for me.
What brand do you use?
Oh, um, just answered that above!
What moisturizer do you use?
Aveeno.
Do you have freckles?
Of course I do, they’re everywhere.
Do you use eye cream?
Yup! Kiehl’s Creamy Avocado something.
Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
Luckily, no.
Did you ever have to use Pro-activ? Nope!
MAKE UP
What foundation do you use? I don’t use actual foundation… just Kiehl’s tinted moisturizer with MAC’s mineralize skinfinish natural dusted on top.
How about concealer?
MAC Studio Finish on my face, MAC Select Cover-Up under my eyes (though I’m on the hunt for a better one).
Do you know your undertone color?
Cool!
What do you think of fake eyelashes? They were fine for dance recitals, I think they’re ridiculous for real life.
Did you know that you are suppose to change your mascara every 3 months?
Yes, but I also think that’s a stupid rule. I just change it out when it feels dry and clumpy.
What brand of mascara do you use?
Cover Girl Lash Blast. Both regular (orange tube) and fusion (purple tube).
Sephora or MAC?
Depends on what I’m looking for!
Do you have a MAC Pro-card?
Oh man, I wish!
What makeup tools do you use in make up application?
Various brushes and my fingers.
Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?
I used to use Urban Decay Primer Potion, but it’s kind of terrible and the packaging is so wasteful, so I moved to MAC Paint Pot in Painterly, and I’m in love!
For the face?
Nope!
What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)? How am I supposed to pick only one?! NARS Habanera duo is my favorite right now.
Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
I’ll use pencil or gel, depending on what I feel like doing.
How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?
Rarely.
What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?
They’re fine. I usually only buy them if I can’t find a pressed eyeshadow in that shade, because they can get messy.
Do you use mineral makeup?
I’ll use mineral eyeshadow, but mineral foundation makes my face go BOOM.
What is your favorite lipstick?
MAC Ahoy There! It was limited edition so I only use it once in a while, for special occasions.
How about lipgloss?
Serena got me loving Urban Decay XXX gloss in Naked.
What is your favorite blush to use? NARS Deep Throat.
Do you buy your makeup on ebay?
I did once, but I probably won’t in the future.
Do you like drugstore makeup?
Some of it! Loving Revlon Colorburst lipsticks and their new gloss in Coral Reef.
Do you go to CCO’s? (cosmetic company outlets)
Yes, sometimes.
Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?
Yeah, but I can’t afford to.
Are you clumsy in putting on makeup? I don’t think so.
Name a makeup crime that you hate?
So many beauty people on youtube wear lipstick the color of light concealer and think that it looks good. Sorry girls, you look like corpses.
Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones?
I’ll wear anything.
Which celebrity always has great make up? Kate Winslet always looks like a goddess.
If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item,what would you use?
Tinted moisturizer or mascara. I can’t decide!
Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
Story of my life!
Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?
I guess. I think I look *better* with a little blush and mascara to make me look more alive.
In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?
I think they all have their shining points and failings.
What do you think of Makeup? It’s so fun to get glammed up!
One of my fabulous lady friends from Vegas, Nikki, made the journey out here for a visit recently. It was so awesome to see her. And I miss her. But that’s not the point of this post (sorry girl!). We were jaunting around Philadelphia (more like dragging and sweating) and came upon the Lush store. We went in. My life was changed. Okay, not really, but I found some cool stuff.
I watch a fair amount of youtube beauty “gurus.” Their “haul videos” can get highly annoying, but if you find someone you can tolerate and with similar tastes as you, it can be a really cool way to find new products that you might like. Well let me tell you… these chicks LOVE LUSH. Lush this, Lush that. It was getting kind of overhyped in my mind, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Hence, Nikki and I venturing into the store.
I’ll start off by saying that I get the hype. Not everything is 100% fabulous, but I found a few things that I really couldn’t find anywhere else. I’ll briefly cover that, mostly because I love talking about the things I love, and maybe you’ll love them too!
I’ll start with the item I’m still on the fence about and then move up the awesome list.
This is the Happy Blooming Luxury Bath Melt. Basically, you break off a third and stick it in the bathtub while you’re taking a bath. It turns the water pink and smells like those cherry Screwball water ice things you’d get from the ice cream man on the beach. I’ve used this once, and I like it, but I’m not in love. It did leave my skin crazy soft after the bath, though, and the scent lingered for a long time. I think maybe I’d like this more if it were a different scent. Hm, maybe I’ll look for different scents the next time I’m near a Lush!
This is the Mint Julips Lip Scrub. Okay, yes, it’s kind of a gimmick, but I’m going to tell you why I like it. First, I don’t HAVE a lip scrub. So it’s not like I’m just getting random stuff, haha. This is something I use about every other day. You rub this on your lips, and then you can LICK IT OFF. And it’s Mint Julips. So it tastes like a mint julep. IE- Like alcohol. IE- I’m basically in love with it.
This is Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter. This is originally what I was looking for when we got to Lush. I do my own nails (with the exception of a pedicure treat once in a while), and have decided recently to stop cutting my cuticles (it’s bad!) and to take care of them instead. Here’s the problem. All the cuticle moisturizers in the drugstore don’t really do anything. Cuticle oil works, but I find that if I forget to apply it regularly, my cuticles actually dry out MORE. I read about this on a few nail blogs and decided that this it what I wanted to get on my first Lush trip (I obviously left with a lot more. Oops?). It’s wonderful! Light and moisturizing, and smells like the yellow Pez. And the best part is that if I forget to put it on one night before bed, my cuticles aren’t completely horrid when I wake up. And, you get a LOT, it’s going to last forever!
This jar is the Ocean Salt Scrub. First of all, this photo from the Lush site is a lie. This is what the inside of the jar looks like when you get it, but you have to mix it up before you use it, and it actually turns into a light but bright blue goop. It’s pretty. Anyway. I’ve never in my life been able to find a facial exfoliator that makes my face feel clean. They all have those nice tiny beads that feel nice but do nothing and leave my face feeling weird. This. This has real salt. You can feel it. After my first time using this, my skin GLOWED. I ran downstairs and made everyone feel my cheek. Unnatually soft. I use this one to two times a week, and I can definitely see a difference in my skin. It’s softer, I have less dry spots… it works miracles! This one is definitely getting repurchased for the rest of my life.
All in all, I’m pretty impressed. Next time I go, I want to get a different Bath Melt, maybe something I like a little bit more. I also want to get a Bath Bomb… you plop it in and it fizzes! Gimmicky, but awesome. They also have Shower Bombs, which you just put on the shower floor and it’s more like aromatherapy, which is pretty cool. Have any of you guys and gals reading used Lush products? What are your favorite products?
I don’t know if you read Busy Bee Lauren. You should. She issued an old photo challenge, and it seemed really fun, so I’m doing it. Now, the truly old photos aren’t in digital form, so maybe one day I’ll get around to scanning those. For now, I’m going to take you on a journey through my college years. I’m about to be 24 (Gross. If I admit to myself that that’s my real age, can I still tell the rest of the world I’m 22? Because I’m going to.), so I’m a couple years out. Plus, that’s as far back as pictures on this computer go and I’m not going to dig through my external. So ha. Let’s get started, then, shall we?
Warning. Photo heavy. There are silly photos of me, proceed at your own risk.
These are my friends Joe and Mary, they were juniors and I was a freshman. We had gone out that night, to see Cabaret in at the Media Theatre, I believe. Mary and I dressed up Joe like Emo Ken. He had the thick frame glasses and everything. When we got back to Joe and Mary’s apartment complex, everyone else was already partying, so we played catch up. Fast. Ouch.
We covered Ex-Matt in the Halloween entry. This is the guy that came before him. (That sentence was not meant to be dirty. But now it seems like it is. Giggle.) Meet Ex-Kyle. I haven’t kept many photos of our relationship, basically because he’s a life-ruiner, but this one was just too cute for me to delete. So it stayed.
This is my friend Ryan and I. We watched a lot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And reenacted scenes. (Faith and Buffy in handcuffs fighting in the apartment? Been there. I got to be Faith and do the bitchin’ back kick.) And then the school newspaper wrote about it. And featured this photo.
My dear Megsie, I’m so sorry I put this photo online. But I had to do it. And at least we both look stupid. This is Megan, she is fabulous and one of my best friends ever. Want to know something fun? We were very much not drunk when we took this photo. I remember it clearly. But I can’t really remember why we took it in the first place. Maybe we were bored?
I used to have supah-long hair. And maybe I will again someday. PS- that glint you see in my hair on the right side of the photo? Earring.
Remember how I said that Megan and I weren’t drunk in that photo? Dave and I were DEFINITELY drunk in this photo. It was senior week (if you’re not a senior, and are helping with graduation, you got to live in the dorms, basically alone with your friends for the week between finals and graduation) and I think I was sitting on a table in the middle of the room. I also remember that that weekend we found an already broken microwave sitting in one of the dorms (which are CREEPY when they’re shut down, by the by) and we dropped it until it shattered just to see what happened. And then we cleaned it up.
One of my very favorite college pictures ever. I lived with Melissa (left) and a few other girls my junior year in a house whose number was B14. So we decided to have a “Be 14 in B14″ party. You had to dress and act like you did when you were 14. There were Gwen Stefani posters, drinks out of Gatorade bottles, 7 Minutes in Heaven, the whole shebang. Melissa, Pam (right) and I were all in Catholic school when we were 14, so we took a uniform photo!
This was the week that I turned 21. Mary took me to a very cool bar in NYC and we had a fabulous time. I believe we saw Altar Boyz, went to the bar, and then went to see the midnight showing of Harry Potter 5. And saw Legally Blonde. I might be wrong. I could be mixing two weekends together but whatever, it was awesome. And c’mon, that couch was to DIE FOR. (The bar has since gotten rid of that couch. I was horrified.)
This is one of my senior year roomies, Liz. I think we took this photo at one of the very first parties at our house, A15. She is such a fabulous friend and photographer. And she recently moved back to Philadelphia after a stint in New England for FAR TOO LONG. Can you tell I’m bitter about that? Also, randomly, our hair looks really freaking good here.
This is my friend Mark and I. Mark is wonderful. One of the kindest souls I’ve met in this lifetime. We were out at a bar with our theatre group’s musical director and director of the show we were doing at the time. It was very, “nah nah boo boo we’re out because we’re 21, eat that youngin’s.” Therefore, it was awesome. I have no idea why we both decided to ruin this photo, but I think it’s one of my favorites that I have of us.
Ah, my very best girls. (Amanda is missing from this picture because she was in Rome. Boo Amanda. I still love her though.) This was us all gussied up to go to our formal! I actually have this photo framed and sitting on my dresser, if you were wondering.
Ah, we’ve come to graduation. I should explain this photo. My mom works at the college I went to. On graduation day, she walks around the field and makes sure that everyone’s not acting like jerks. At least, that’s what she did for my graduation. The one after that she got to be Ms. In Charge, because she was the Acting Dean of Students, and this year, she led the procession with my friend Hannah. Anyway. After I graduated, I ran to my mama and my dad snapped this picture from the stands. It’s one of my favorites.
So, that was my brief (or not) photo journey through college. I had tons of fun doing this. What did I learn? That I should always remember to take fun pictures, and to probably never eat again. Laur, you should issue more photo challenges, because I would probably do them. (Or we can just challenge each other and become better photogs!) I know I said I wasn’t going to dig for old photos, but I remembered I had one in my email (my dad would send me random photos while I was away at college), so I’ll leave you with that one. My daddy and I.
Ah, another installment of our favorite wizarding world stories. I’m obsessed with these. Average Wizard. Enjoy. I know I have!
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- Today, I was driving down the road and I saw a billboard for Salazar Kia. I now know where I’m buying my next car. Hello, Slytherin approved vehicles.
- Today while walking in the store I saw a blonde young woman speaking French to her baby. I immediately thought it was Fleur and Victoire, but I realized that Victoire would be eight years old now, not an infant. As I was leaving, I heard the cashier say, “Thank you for coming, Gabrielle.” Gabrielle Delacour has a baby and shops at Trader Joe’s.
- The other day I walked into English and there was a sticky note on my desk that said My name is Lucius Malfoy please identify yourself. Naturally I responded I am the Dark Lord! I do not obey you. You must obey me, now fetch me some Starbucks. To my utter disbelief the next day I walked into class to find a fifteen dollar gift card taped to my desk. Very good Lucius. Very good.
- Yesterday, I went to the most epic wedding ever. It was Harry Potter themed, so the groom was dressed as Harry, the bride as Ginny, the maid of honor as Hermione and the best man as Ron (they were dating). The introduction to the wedding march was the Harry Potter theme song and the minister was probably the coolest, as Dumbledore. I’m positive they’ll have an awesome life together.
- When trying to name my dog, my brother suggested Harry, and he barked at that instant, so we went with that name. He is all black with a white spot on his forehead, and was born on July 31st. Ladies and gentlemen, I have found Harry Pawter.
- Today I went bowling with some friends. We all put our names as Harry Potter characters and I was Voldemort. Every time I went up to bowl, I would shout Avada Kedavra at the pins. By the third round the Avada Kedavra finally worked and I got a strike. After that turn almost every other time I would knock down every pin but one, I finally decided that pin must be Harry Potter since I already killed him once and now he’s back to kill my score.
- Today my friend told me she taught her dog how to play dead. Except instead of saying dead she cried “AVADA KEDAVRA” and her dog immediately falls to the floor.
- Today I saw an old man at the subway, standing in front of a sign that said “It’s like magic!” He had a long grey beard. A little girl holding onto her mothers hand gasped and yelled “Dumbadore!” (Yes, I ment to type’ Dumba’ thats how she said it’.) The mother proceeded by saying “Molly, stop! We need to get to your father and the twins!”
- There is a boy at my school named Daniel Riddle. His father’s name? Tom. His older brother’s name? Tom. Voldemort’s little brother is in my history class.
- Last year, there was a new freshman at my school who looked just like Severus Snape: thin and gangly, black hair that would fall in his face, etc. The resemblance was so striking that a lot of kids, myself included, have only ever called him Severus (which he responds to). The irony? His real name is James.
- Today, my best friend told me that she hasn’t seen A Very Potter Musical. Shocked, I replied, “Are you serious?!” There was a pause and she said, “No, I’m Regulus.” We couldn’t stop laughing. Now I know why we’re best friends.
- Today, my friend and I discussed dumbed-down versions of the Harry Potter titles. Book One: “Harry Potter and the Magic Stone” Book Two: “Harry Potter and the Secret Sewer” Book Three: “Harry Potter and the Ex-con” Book Four: “Harry Potter and the Fire Cup” Book Five: “Harry Potter and the Secret Club” Book Six: “Harry Potter and Snape” and my personal favorite, Book Seven: “Harry Potter Goes Camping.”
- Today, my friend and I were having a wizard duel. After several minutes I was ahead so she yelled out, AVADA KEDAVRA! I faked my death and fell to her bed. I noticed a tube of glitter, threw it on myself and got back up. She asked me what I was doing, since I should still be dead. My reply? Coming back as a sparkly vampire. It worked for Cedric. She accepted this.
For real. I try to write in black pen as often as possible, especially when it’s important. I like the way it looks. I have very neat handwriting, and often it has been compared to a funky computer font. Computers type in black, I write in black. It just works for me. When I write in blue and look at a page filled with writing, it just looks wrong. I don’t know why, but a page full of black pen is more pleasing to my eye. Looking at a page of neat handwriting all organized and in black ink makes me so happy. Crap, I might have slight OCD…
Now, of course there are exceptions to my rule: - If there is literally nothing else, I will suck it up. Fact: I prefer pencil over blue pen. - If I’m signing an important letter. If you write in blue, they know you really signed it and it’s not a digital signature from the computer. - If I feel like writing in pink. (Only if it’s not important.) - I used to make notes for tests in college in various colors. Each topic in a different color. - If my family is all signing a card and they’ve signed in blue, I feel like I have to as well. Black would mess up the flow. (I’m serious about the slight OCD thing.)
Is this weird? Totally. But I also know people who prefer to write only in blue, so I guess it goes both ways depending on your preference. If I’m ever around you and am in need of a pen, please note that it will be appreciated if you offer me a black pen. But if you only have blue, I guess I can deal with that as well
