This Week's Obsession

I always have my nails painted. I feel like it just makes me look like I spend time on my ppearance when I usually don't haha. And while I have been working on a post featuring all my favorite shade, right now I am completely obsessed with this color:

Peacock Feathers by Nubar



From most angels it is a beautiful, rich, slightly metallic purple*:



But from other angles it is a deep emerald green*:



SO PRETTY! I have been showing these off to my husband all week (and tweeting it and sharing with anyone who will listen, ie my mom and 3yo daughter)-I am just mesmerized by the color change. you can get anlges where the nails are green and purple all at once, and even some flashed of gold. basically all the colors in a peacock feather, ala the name. My tip for painting them, since the formula is a little thin, is to use one coat of black polish as a base coat. This is a great tip anytime you are using a dark color because it helps with the opacity, and getting the truest deepest color, and it is expecially helpful here in getting the various colors to show up. I use OPI Black Onyx and have never had any staining problems on my nails. If you like the trendy dark polish trend and want an extra fancy kick, I definitely recommend Nubar Peacock Feathers

*I realize these photos are sucky, but it was really hard to get the right light/angle combination with the camera. I ended up using my blackberry cause that worked best for some reason. the color change is WAY easier to see in person

as usual, none of these comments were sponsored or compensated in any way. All products mentioned were purchased with my own money, unless they were purchased with my husband's money, haha!

My Linoleum Is Trying To Kill Me

My bathroom has recently (as of Wednesday night) become a death trap. With zero explanation, and no cause that I can discern, the floor in the master bathroom in my house has suddenly become slicker than ice. perhaps Mr Clean, or wicked elves or particularly strange type of criminal (bizarro Monk?) has been breaking in while I sleep and buffing the floor. I don't know. All I know is that I have almost fallen down five times in the past three days - even knowing it is slippery I am slipping. In socks, shoes, bare feet I am slipping. My husband is slipping, too, so it is not just that I have lost all coordination either. I am totally confused - does anyone know of any reasons why a regular linoleum floor would suddenly get super slippery? If you don't hear from me for a few days, call the paramedics and tell them where to find me.

ps: I am totally aware that this doesn't really fall into the purview of this particular blog, being neither about commercials or tv or pop culture in anyway. But it is hard coming up with new ads to talk about every day, and I haven't read any books lately that bear discussion so pffft. And it's Saturday Say What over on my regular blog so I had to post here because you never know - I could fall and bump my head and forget all about it by tomorrow. but because you are sticklers who must be appeased, I will throw in a little product comentary here at the end. Putting on my concealer this morning I noticed that it is SPF 20. What is the purpose of putting SPF in something that doesn't go all over your face? Do my zits need extra sun protection? For a moment I was all paranoid I'm going to get a polka dot tan. And then I slipped.

A Few Of My Favorite Things*

I may be a stay at home mom, and I may wear yoga pants a t-shirts all day long, but I still like to look nice, and so I pretty much always have on makeup. Seriously, I may not brush my hair, but you can bet I've got on my mascara! And I do feel a little silly applying foundation and the whole shebang on days when I don't even leave the house, but I have always been skeptical about that old fashion mag advice staple "just dot concealer on your trouble areas and go." For me, that seemed to just result in looking like I had small dots of makeup on my face - making me blotchier and weirder looking. I preferred using a light foundation (I use Chanel Teint Innocence in Cameo) to even everything out, and I never felt that I looked like I had "pancake face." but then I found:
Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Concealer w/ SPF 20 (Light)

This really works wonderfully. I just use a tiny brush to dot it on and then cover it with the included powder and it really works. It is weird having a totally naked face, but I really like it for days I'm not going anywhere but don't want to look so tired and blotchy when I catch sight of myself in the mirror. Anyway, I thought it was so awesome, I just had to tell everyone about it, and then I figured I should maybe let you know what other products I can't live without too.
To add to the whole "I just look this great even without makeup" illusion, I use this:
Tarte Cheek Stain (Blushing Bride)

Just dab it on, rub in a little bit and it looks like you are flushing naturally - not like wearing blush at all. Works really well on top of foundation or under powder too - I think it has the most natural, subtle finish to it. In the winter it adds a bit of dewiness to drier skin, and in the summer I just put a little powder on top in case it feels sticky. Plus, I've been using it daily for 5+ years and I'm still on my first tube!
My other mainstay is this lipstick:
Revlon ColoStay Overtime Lipcolor (Timeless Nude)

I feel there is such a difference in how polished you look wearing even a nude lipstick compared to totally bare lips, and I like how no fuss the long lasting lipsticks are. I drink water constantly, and I hate having gunky lipstick residue on my bottles - chapstick is bad ebough, but when it's colored too? Gross. I have tried all teh brands before and they all work about the same. I prefer this one because this shade is the best true nude I've found- it matches my lips perfectly, and it lasts all day so I can just apply it once and then I use chapstick or gloss on top the rest of the day to keep my lips moist (I like that slick feeling and am a total lipbalm addict. My old reliable is plain vaseline). With a slick of gloss (I like Dior Addict for a really glassy, not too sticky, shine) I get that perfect nude 'Victoria Beckham' lip, and it makes me feel all sophisticated and stylish, even though I'm totally not.
The only other thing I apply everyday is mascara. I like a really black mascara, and I stick with L'Oreal or Lancome, but honestly, I will wear almost any brand except Maybelline which I have had allergic reactions to. On days i'm feeling extra sassy I will also use this:
Stila Kajal Eyeliner (Onyx, Smokey Quartz, Sapphire, or Amethyst)

This is the smoothest eyeliner I have ever found, Super easy to apply (I like to do the inner rims of my lower eyelids and this does it without any tugging at all), and it blends really well. I've also found that it wears down during the day without running all over your face which is nice. The first time I wore it was actually the day I found out I had to put my cat to sleep, and through all that crying I never had tracks down my face. For my upper lids (which I almost never line) I prefer to use a longer lasting formula that doesn't smudge or rub off so easily, but for daily use and on the gentle inner rims this is perfect. It is also probably awesome for smudging into a classic smokey eye, but I have never perfected that technique so I don't know for sure.
The final product I can't live without is:
Eucerin Dry Skin Therapy Plus Intensive Repair Creme

This creme is so thick and moisturizing, and it has alpha hydroxy acids in it too, so it works as an exfoliator. I put it on my heels at night and it keeps them from getting dry and cracked and callousy. Saves time and money on pedicures! It also works really nicely the few times I have gotten eczema from allergic reactions - so far it is the only thing I have found I can apply to these rashes on my face without making it worse. It actually heal the spots faster and take the redness away.


*none of these comments were sponsored or compensated in anyway. Each of these items I found doing my own research (ie, seeing an ad, random guesswork and/or reading fashion magazines), and bought with my own money. And of course, you just have to take my word for it that they work great - for all you know I'm a hot mess. Infact, you may have seen photos, in which case you KNOW I'm a hot mess. hehe

Hold Still

So, there is a new trend out there for vibrating mascara wands. Seriously. Mechanized tools for the appliaction of makeup. Makeup you put near YOUR EYES. Does this not sound like a bad idea to anyone else? I have met people who have poked themselves in the eye with a mascara wand - one even scratched her cornea (that's the outside part right? retina? whatever). And these were not expecially stpid or inept people, so imagine what all the idiots out there could be doing. you know, the people who need to be told not to use and entire acid peel on their facce twice a day and stuff. Those people should definietly not be trusted with complicated machinery. And of course, there is always the issue that mascara wasn't relly that ahrd to apply in the first place. Really, who is having an issue getting their mascara on? And if they can't apply it when it isn't moving, what makes you think they can do it when it's vibrating super fast? Stupid.

In My Body Is Not The Same As On My Body

So Avon has a new product - Anew Derma Fill wrinkle cream, and they are advertising it as having the same ingredients as injectable fillers to smooth away wrinkle son your face. How is this a selling point? I understand the principle behind injecting a think gel into your deep wrinkles so they get plumped up from underneath (although I don't really get the appeal), but I fail understand how rubbing these same ingredients into your face acheives the same results. Maybe it is like spackle - you smooth it on and it settles into lines so when you put makeup over it your face looks smooth. Sounds attractive, especially if you have spackle skills on par with my own and the chunks fail to stick. Big globs of cream falling off your face and out of your wrinkles is probably what the company is going for.

Diet Suds

Standing in my shower the other day I noticed that my shampoo features "Lite Nutritive Fruit Micro-Oils." Now all of this seems like marketing mumbo jumbo, but mostly I am wondering about the 'lite' part. Is this diet shampoo? They used the common diet misspelling indicating low calories or low fat or whatever, and I can't think of another reason that might be listed on the bottle. Do people put their hair on a diet? Next thing, my conditioner will probably have 'no trans fats' listed on the label. And you know what comes after that: a lawsuit and the warning 'not for consumption.'