The makeup consultation was fabulous. Just look at the face the artist created on me!

My first Chanel look, using Orient Express e/s duo, Ming lip lacquer and black kohl pencil. (Sorry about the poor picture quality; I recently bought a new camera so future photos will be MUCH clearer!)

In the end, I purchased the Duo Irréelle in Orient Express, the Rouge Allure Laque in Ming, and the Lait Confort makeup remover emulsion. I also received a gift bag with samples of Coco Mademoiselle perfume (which I already have in a full size), Rouge Coco lipstick, mascara, eye makeup remover, moisturizer, and a Chanel-branded pencil and notepad. Nifty!

Orient Express is an eyeshadow duo of bubblegum pink and iridescent violet, and both of them are shimmery, soft and blend like a dream. They can be used dry or wet, but so far I’ve only used them dry. With a light hand, I create a subtle daytime look, and in the evening I add more violet and some black kohl to make a purple smoky eye. Though the colors typically work better on young women, I think they are versatile enough to work well on women of all ages — especially us brown-eyed ladies.

The Laque in Ming is a long-lasting, opaque, glossy lipcolor, and sort of a bluish, milky pink. It’s a very springy color, and goes pretty well with the Orient Express duo. Its lasting power could be better. In my opinion, the Chanel Glossimers wear longer than the Laque, but the Glossimers are more transparent and glittery — Laque is pure color. So, there’s a trade-off.

Lait Confort is the sweetest elixir for dry skin, and it removes both face and eye makeup without burning the eyes and leaving skin oily. It doesn’t remove waterproof makeup very well, though, I’ve found. Nevertheless, as the name implies, the soft, creamy texture feels so nice on the skin and wipes away with some toner on a cotton pad. The result is clean, nourished skin. It’s a great alternative to facial cleansers, especially if I’m coming home from a late night and don’t feel like washing my face.

I also learned a couple of makeup application tricks from the MUA.

1. For deep-set eyes, like mine, a “reverse crease” helps open up the eye. Instead of concentrating the most color in the outer crease, put it in the inner crease, parallel to the innermost end of the eyebrow and out toward the center of the lid, following the natural curve of the crease.

2. For lining the waterline and tightlining, kohl is the only product you should use, be it in pencil or powder form. I highly recommend Wet ‘n’ Wild kohl pencils (they’re only 99 cents apiece!) and L’Oreal HiP kohl powder eyeliner. First apply the kohl to the waterline, finish the rest of your makeup, reline the waterline, and then set it using a superfine translucent powder (I use MAKE UP FOR EVER’s HD Microfinish Powder). This helps seal the kohl to the waterline and last longer.

Since the event, my Chanel makeup collection has grown substantially, but I’ll save that for another post! I’ll give you a little preview, though — this is what I’ve gotten and will write about:

Rouge Coco lipstick in Rose Comète, Mademoiselle, Camélia and Vendôme
Rouge Allure lipstick in Exquise and Flirt
Rouge Double Intensité in Rosestone and Rose Pearl
Mat Lumière foundation in Porcelaine
Ombre Essentielle in Amethyst
Precision Lip Definer lipliner in Praline d’Or and Pink Sugar

M.A.C.

I know for many people that M.A.C. is their “Holy Grail” makeup line, and for good reason. M.A.C. offers a full range of products that won’t leave you yearning to stray elsewhere, their prices are actually very affordable for what you get, the quality is excellent and they are always coming out with new collections.

I didn’t get into M.A.C. until well after my makeup obsession began, but I’ve eased into them more lately. These are the things I’ve gotten from them recently:

• Fluidline in Blacktrack
• Technakohl in Auto-de-Blu
• Lipstick in Cockney (Lustre)
• Eyeshadow (Unbasic White and Satin Taupe)
• Brushes (208 Angled Brow, 209 Eyeliner, 217 Blending, 219 Crease/Pencil)

I’m really happy with all of these products, but the top honor has to go to the Fluidline. I wrote a detailed review about it on MakeupAlley. Basically, it’s the best black eyeliner I’ve ever had the pleasure of using. It’s easy to apply (I use the M.A.C. 209 brush), dries quickly and doesn’t lose any of its color richness, and it stays put on my waterline. [EDIT May 21, 2010: It actually doesn't stay on the waterline, and it's not recommended for that use anyway. Kohl is the only stuff for that purpose.] Hands-down winner in my book.

Chanel

Yikes. The name Chanel is synonymous with high-end luxury, so what is a very non-rich person doing buying Chanel things? Well, although the Chanel makeup line isn’t what I’d call affordable, it’s not that bad in moderation. Besides, these are probably the only Chanel items I’ll ever be able to buy without needing financing (however, I’ve made a deal with myself that as a reward for finishing grad school I’ll get a quilted Chanel bag with a chain strap – so timeless and gorgeous).

Here’s what I’ve got:

• Rouge Hydrabase in Coco Red (said to be Mme. Coco’s signature color)
• Rouge Allure in Provocative
• Glossimer in Beige Guitare and Venus
• Lip Definer Pencil in Vamp
• Coco Mademoiselle EDT

Coco Red is perhaps the boldest red I have; it’s up there with the likes of my YSL Rouge Pur in Le Rouge. It’s a blue-based red, which I wasn’t sure would jive with my warm-toned complexion, but it actually works for me. It’s definitely bold and makes a statement, though, so it’s not my everyday lip color. Still, beautiful and it wears well.

Glossimer is sort of Chanel’s equivalent to M.A.C. Dazzleglass. It’s high on sparkle and color, but not as thick and sticky. It is, however, still very long lasting. It’s also flavorless and unscented and comes in a very large palette of colors.

My boyfriend gave me the Coco Mademoiselle fragrance for Christmas. I adore it. It is very feminine and youthful, yet evokes the sophistication of Chanel with its powdery drydown (at least that’s my impression). It’s a light oriental, not like my very bold YSL Elle perfume. I just really love it all around. I’m no authority on Chanel perfumes, but I’d say this one is very accessible to people who are sowing an interest in them. The No. 5, while classic, is a bit strong and mature for many women.

Those are the highlights of my holiday makeup shopping. Did you get any beauty products you were especially excited about this holiday season?

My personal makeup style is partly inspired by Kat Von D, and she has a terrific collection at Sephora. Now, I know what some people think about celebrity collections and Sephora brand makeup: that neither are top-quality, and rather just sub-par stuff packed in a redesigned, sleek package with a celebrity name attached to it. But the overwhelming response to Kat’s Sephora line has been positive, and I completely agree with that. She currently has five eyeshadow palettes available — two are permanent, three are limited editions — all of them are bestsellers. Of those five, I have four and will probably grab the one I’m missing (the Ludwig palette — featuring pretty neutrals in green and brown) when Sephora has their annual friends and family sales event.

If I could, I would use these every day. Sadly, working in an office environment like I do, I can’t get away with glamming up my eyes. So, I always turn to my KVD palettes when I’m going out in the evenings or on the weekends. It might be lame, but the part I most look forward to when going out is that I get to wear outrageous makeup using my KVD palettes.

I recently cashed in 500 of my “Beauty Bank” points with Sephora and got the Beauty Insider Kat Von D Rock ‘n’ Roll eyeshadow mini-palette. It has four shadows, taking a shade from four of her Rock ‘n’ Roll Eyeshadow Duos, and puts them in a convenient case. This bonus gift is nothing to be disappointed with! I made a really nice smoky eye the other night for a concert I was going to using that palette, and the quality is right up there with the other KVD palettes I own. I’m really pleased. Maybe the line will introduce other four-shade palettes sometime. That would rock!

These are all the Kat Von D by Sephora eyeshadow palettes that I own.

I used the Beauty Insider bonus gift, the Kat Von D Rock 'n' Roll eyeshadow mini palette, to make this smoky eye the other night. On my lips, I'm wearing Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick in Lolita.

Some of my other faves are the miniature Sephora “blockbuster” palettes. There is a warm set and a cool set, each featuring eight eyeshadows, four lipglosses and one blush. At $15 apiece, you get a lot of product! Plus the colors are really versatile, and everything you need is right there for when you’re in a hurry. I often tuck one into my purse before I leave for work in the mornings. I like taking a few extra minutes of sleep in the morning, so frequently I don’t have enough time to put on a full face of makeup before I need to be out the door. These palettes are a lifesaver in that sense. I don’t have to waste extra time picking the stuff I wanna wear because I know I have everything I need in my palette.

These are the two Sephora brand "makeup to go" palettes, each featuring 8 eyeshadows and pull-out "drawers" of blush and 4 lip colors.

Part of why I like palettes so much is that often times, the cases are beautiful. I’m a girl, I like pretty, sparkly things! This is partly why I went for the new Sephora brand Magic Palette in gold. Just look at it! It’s a work of art, complete with little crystals glued to the lid. The eyeshadows themselves are gorgeous as well. Great for my brown eyes, and appropriate for the coming holiday season. The shimmery, glittery textures are whimsical, feminine and festive. They also have it in silver.

This is Sephora's limited edition "Magic" palette in gold. (Image from Sephora.com)

Palettes are just awesome, right? And speaking of the holiday season, they make great gifts! But whether you actually give them away or keep them for yourself, well… that’s up to you.

Well, all of those are reasonable images to be associated with Finland, but their noteworthy exports are not simply rock music, Father Christmas and the iconic sauna experience. Perhaps still enjoying just cult-success in the United States, Finnish beauty brand, Lumene, offers an outstanding collection of skincare products for women of all ages and with all different skin types. The company, which uses plant ingredients from its homeland, is my skincare brand of choice and for a growing number of American women.

For my needs, I turn to Lumene’s Vitamin C+ line. Enriched with the seed oil from natural arctic cloudberry, a precious (and delicious) berry from Lapland, it delivers nourishment to my 24-year-old skin and visually brightens my complexion through the high concentration of vitamin C that goes in to every one of the products in this collection.

Here are some comments on the products I use regularly from the Lumene Vitamin C+ skin product line.

Vitamin C+ Protecting Day Cream, SPF 15

This is my staple day cream — it goes great under makeup, has a pleasant citrus fragrance (that does not overpower or last once applied) AND provides sun protection. As science has showed, the aging process of skin is significantly influenced by the amount of exposure we have to the sun’s damaging rays. So, using products with SPF is the No. 1 measure you can take to save your skin from early signs of aging, like dark spots and wrinkles. With this day cream, my skin always stays moisturized and protected. I can proudly say that I have not gotten sunburn on my face all summer long thanks to this cream!

Vitamin C+ Nourishing Night Care

After removing my makeup and washing my face at night before bed, I use this night cream to rejuvenate my skin overnight. It is not thick or heavy like many night creams. Rather, it is soft and supple as it melts into my skin. My face feels so pampered without the feeling of greasiness or that I have too much product on my skin. The best part is that in the morning, my skin feels soft and nourished and looks bright and healthy — but there’s no residue left from the previous night’s application.

Vitamin C+ Radiant Beauty Drops

I am nearly through my first jar of this product, and so far I definitely see an improvement in the condition of my skin! Each container has 28 individual drops (they look like little chicken legs) stuffed with serum packed with vitamin C. All one needs to do is twist the end off, squeeze out the product and smooth it over clean skin before layering on day or night cream. The feeling of the product itself is on the greasy side, but it quickly and thoroughly absorbs. After having been using this product for almost three weeks, my skin looks noticeably more radiant and vibrant.

Vitamin C+ Dual Serum

This nifty little two-chambered concoction is an excellent skin-health booster for use underneath regular day and night creams. The day side provides a lightweight serum rich in cloudberry seed oil and the night side contains blueberry seed oil. I have used up one of these and while I was in the habit of applying it morning and night as directed, I got more compliments on how my skin looked than any other time. The dual-pack is convenient and clever, and the serums themselves are lightweight and effective. This is something I will buy again when I’m through with my Beauty Drops.

Vitamin C+ Invigorating Eye Serum

Employing a rollerball-style applicator bottle, this under-eye serum claims to banish puffiness and dark circles. To tell the truth, I have not used this product on a regular basis, so I can’t speak to its effectiveness in the matter of dark circles, but on mornings when I’ve had puffy, tired eyes a little shot of this does provide a needed pick-me-up. I store my bottle in the refrigerator, and the cool serum is very soothing in my delicate under-eye area.

Lumene has much more to offer outside of the Vitamin C+ line, which primarily targets women in their 20s and 30s. Also available in the US is the Time Freeze line, Premium Beauty line, Sensitive Skin line and the new ExCELLent Future serum and cream.

BUT, if you are lucky enough to get to Finland, the full range of Lumene’s product offerings are at your fingertips. I recently visited the lovely land of Finns (my third trip there) and made it to the Lumene outlet store at their headquarters in Espoo. The inside is a wonderland of Lumene, with shelves and boxes overflowing with bounty that American Lumene fans can only admire online.

I ended up spending more than 80€ on a bunch of stuff, so look for reviews of all that in my next entry!

In the meantime, here are some links to places where you can get Lumene in the US:

CVS/pharmacy

Sears.com

Ulta

Target

Case in point: the Mint Julep Masque by Queen Helene.

Queen Helene products are commonly found in drugstores and are always low-priced. The packaging looks old-school in a somewhat tacky, garish way — like they haven’t redesigned their logo or presentation since the brand was first introduced. That could be off-putting because by nature, consumers judge a product’s effectiveness often by the packaging it comes in. My advice here is to put any of those subconscious (or not) prejudices aside.

The packaging is completely irrelevant because it’s what’s on the inside that counts. (So true.)

I ordered this from drugstore.com, which showcases over 200 reviews for the product — and most of them are very positive, garnering an almost five star rating averaged from the total number of reviews.

It’s hard to ignore that kind of feedback on a product so I tried it for the first time this past Tuesday. After my shower, I slapped on a layer of the thick green mask onto my face and neck, avoiding the more delicate eye area. My boyfriend said that I looked like Shrek (gee, thanks) but you know, that’s cool. Shrek seemed like a jolly guy in the end.

After almost 15 minutes, the mask was totally dry. While it was setting, I could feel it clinging to my skin and drying there, sucking out oodles of dirt, oil and muck. It did feel a bit tingly after first applying it, too.

Using warm water, I rinsed off the mask. I wish I had a washcloth because that would have been more effective. After it was all gone and I patted my face dry, I looked in the mirror.

My skin was so incredibly clear and refreshed! I’ve had problems with blackheads on my nose and cheeks, and they were GONE. Also my skin did not feel dry or wringed-out; just deeply clean and invigorated. Absolutely brilliant! The patch of zits near my chin? Vanished!

All this from a gigantic 8 oz. tube of that cost $4. It will last me quite awhile and I will definitely be purchasing more when it’s time.

I can also vouch for the effectiveness and quality of some other Queen Helene products. The companion to the Mint Julep masque is the Mint Julep Natural Facial Scrub. This is gentle enough for everyday use and does an excellent job exfoliating skin. It’s also made with a lot of natural ingredients so for the treehuggers out there, this is something you can feel good about using.

Queen Helene also offers a line of cocoa butter body products. I’ve used both the Cocoa Butter Hand and Body Lotion and Natural Cocoa Butter Moisturizing Body Oil with Vitamin E. The lotion absorbs into skin quickly without leaving a filmy or sticky feeling. The body oil is a decadent bathtime treat that leaves skin feeling remarkably soft and nourished. Both boast a delicious cocoa butter scent that lingers on skin afterward for some time, wrapping your senses in sweetness.

I can’t help but reiterate how wonderful Queen Helene products are for the price you pay. They truly outperform their higher-priced drugstore competition, and they give a hard run at premium lines in terms of cost-performance ratio.

Peruse their entire inventory online here. (I will be!) Some of their items are also available in many chain drugstores and online at drugstore.com and ulta.com.

Isn’t it nice to find things that really work but don’t eat up your wallet?

There are several on the market, the most popular, I think, being Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion. This is the first kind I tried. This product has earned various accolades for being a tried-and-true staple in any woman’s makeup collection. I have no gripes with the formula itself, but the packaging is all wrong. The tube is shaped very oddly so a lot of product gets trapped in the bottom, unable to be reached with the applicator wand since it doesn’t reach down all the way to the bottom of the tube.

See for yourself.

The wand only goes down to around where the tube narrows, leaving quite a bit of primer unreachable!

Some people go to the pain of actually cutting open the tube to reach the elusive remaining primer, but why? If it gets exposed to air, the product will dry out quickly and become useless.

I was recently dismayed when my second tube of this product had to go to waste. The bottom rim of the tube had a hairline split somewhere and primer would ooze out from the cracks and get everywhere. It happened right when it was brand new, too. Bad luck, that.

If Urban Decay redesigned the packaging, I would continue to buy this, because overall it really is an excellent item.

To replace my ruined UD primer tube, I researched a bit and settled on Too Faced Shadow Insurance. It’s nearly identical to Urban Decay’s, but the tube is so much more practical.

This tube is squeezable so you can get every last drop of it out of it.

I’m very satisfied with the Too Faced Shadow Insurance. It goes on smooth and sheer without settling in the crease of my lid and definitely keeps my shadow looking fresh morning to night.

The application technique for these is pretty intuitive. The UD primer comes with a wand, but I’ve always had the best results using my pinky finger to properly spread the primer evenly over my eyelids. A little goes a long way, too. A mustard-seed-sized dot for each eyelid should be enough; use more if you are going to put eyeshadow all the way up to your brow bone.

Both of these are priced the same, running at $17 apiece.

Powder and cream shadows work over top of these primers, and they make the colors really vibrant and true.

There are other primers available, some of them better than others, some of them more or less expensive. My motto has always been “you get what you pay for” — and I can confidently say I’m glad I spent the money on both of these I’ve written about.

Do you know of other primers that are good but less expensive? Say, under $10? Let me know in the comments!

It’s a cute concept and it shows how much care, thought and creativity the brand’s maker(s) put into their products. So, it’s probably no big surprise that Philosophy products are extremely well-made. You may have heard of Philosophy’s big hit products like Hope in a Jar moisturizer and Purity facial cleanser. Both have won awards from various beauty product authorities but really, their whole line is chock-full of high quality stuff.

The washes I received from my mom were in 32 fl. oz. bottles (a.k.a. A TON) and in two scents: Red Velvet Cake and Sweet Creamy Frosting. Channeling the popular Southern sweet treat, the scents perfectly capture the smells of a real red velvet cake with creamy, sugary, buttery frosting on it. The scents are so spot-on that you can practically taste the dessert in your shower! This is not just true for the scents I was given, but for ALL of the food-, fruit-, and drink-centric products in their inventory. And there is a sizeable cadre of them.

Here are a few of the delightfully delectable scents they have:

• Cinnamon Buns
• Raspberry Sorbet
• Coconut Frosting
• Pumpkin Pie
• Spicy Gumdrop
• Classic Fudge Cake
• Melon Daiquiri
• and many, many more!

They market these “sweet treat” and “cocktail party” washes as indulgence without the calories. I think that’s pretty clever and novel — and true.

But how well do they actually work? As the name says, these washes are actually three products poured into one. They can be used as a body wash, a shampoo and a bubble bath. I never take bubble baths being a shower girl, and only occasionally will use it to wash my hair.

My main use of these is as a body cleanser. The formulation is smoothly textured, creamy and easy to lather, and when it lathers, look out. You’ll get a serious sudsing with this stuff! It doesn’t exfoliate or anything, but it does give you plenty of soapiness to get yourself all cleaned up with. All you really need is a quarter-sized dollop on your loofah or washcloth of choice.

The scent is with you the whole time while washing, but doesn’t linger on skin after bathing. This is good, because then it won’t interfere with any perfume spritzed on afterward.

The occasional times when I’ve used the stuff to wash my hair, it has worked just alright. Depending on your hair type and condition, the way this works can vary. My hair is long and thickish with a tendency to be a bit dry on the ends and oily at the roots. I always need to follow up with conditioner after using Philosophy 3-in-1s as a shampoo, otherwise it would be a tangled mess.

Finally, you get your money’s worth in the amount of product you receive. I’ve been using the same 32 fl. oz. bottle from Christmas in every shower I’ve taken since I got it and I have made only a small dent in the contents. (And yes, I do bathe once a day.) You can do the math.

Philosophy products are sold in an array of places. They have their own Web site, Philosophy.com, where you can browse their whole collection. Other retailers like Macy’s, Sephora and QVC carry selections from the Philosophy line. Prices are consistent across the board. A 16 fl. oz. bottle of a 3-in-1 wash runs $16, and some scents are available in 24 and 32 fl. oz. varieties. QVC is the only place I know of offhand that carries the value-sized products.

There are so many scents (flavors, if you will) to choose from that there must be something for everyone.

I always look forward to new scents. Recently I ordered a bottle of their sizzling new seasonal fragrance, Cinnamon Hot Dots. As a lover of spicy cinnamon things, I had to have it. If I know anything about Philosophy’s products, then I can smell (taste) it already. You won’t believe how vivid the scents are until you sniff them for yourself — which I suggest you do sooner rather than later!

Trite as it is, the holidays are over and the new year is just around the corner. Who isn’t doing some kind of ‘year in review’-type thing now?

2008 was the year I began this blog, because 2008 was the year I actually started to give a damn about my personal appearance and took up a vested interest in beauty, makeup and style. I would attribute this primarily because I’ve started wearing what I call my “big grown-up lady life” — in other words, I’m an adult now and I want to look like one – not a college kid, working two part-time jobs (one of which is being a slacker). Those days are behind me and I’m glad for it!

With a full-time salaried job, a place to live that I call my own and a set of responsibilities that I somehow magically learned how to handle play a hand in developing my identity through the use of beauty and all its related miscellany.

So what five worthwhile cosmetic revelations can I fondly look back on from 2008?

1. Lipstick is not just for special occasions or grandmothers. Over the course of 2008, I acquired a number of different lipsticks in various colors and finishes from an array of makers. My favorite? That’s a tough one because I seriously have warm, fuzzy feelings for all of them, but I will go with Christian Dior Rouge Dior Replenishing Lipcolor in No. 357, Gala Pink. A truly long-lasting, sumptuously moisturizing lipstick formula and straight-up, high-saturation color. Daytime or evening, winter to fall. Perfect. AND it smells nice because it is modestly scented with the Dior “rose” fragrance.
2. Washing daily with a quality facial cleanser is THE first step to looking lovely. Not sloughing off the makeup from your day, plus unwanted clingers like dirt, oil and other free radicals can really make a person look drab. Lumene makes a number of face washes using extracts from skin-loving stuff like cloudberry, blueberry, cranberry, linseed and sea buckthorn. I like Lumene Radiant Touch Cream Cleanser because it lathers nicely, smells good and gently washes away makeup and oil. Since Lumene products are divided into various collections for different skincare needs, I recommend buying the accompanying toner and moisturizer to maximize the benefits for your skin. [Confession: I'm using Olay Complete Lathering Cleanser right now; but once I'm done I'm switching back to Lumene!] Lumene products are available via CVS/pharmacy, which often has them at 50% off. Ulta carries some of their line, too.
3. Big girls should use real brushes. Throw away (or at least leave them for when you’re in a pinch) the dinky sponge-tip eyeshadow wands that come with the compact. Brushes that tiny may work okay for Barbie, but we have life-sized faces and precision is key. The right brush, I’ve learned, is necessary to take an “eh, so-so” look to “wow! how did you do that?!” There are kinds for eyeshadow, lipcolor, blush, powder, blending (every woman should have a blending brush), and more. Be careful, though. You do get what you pay for – brushes from the drugstore that may look nice are often not worth the money because the hairs come out and end up on your face, where they’re completely useless. Dole out the money and get some professional brushes from a reputable retailer like Sephora. After hundreds of uses, the brushes will have paid for themselves. And don’t forget the brush cleaner! It will prolong the lives of your brushes even more.
4. Issues with eyebrows unfortunately plague many of us whether we have been a bit overzealous with the tweezers, or haven’t seen a pair of tweezers in years, or were just born with uneven, wimpy, unflattering eyebrows. If you’re like me and have the shape and arch just right but not enough oomph to properly frame your face, try on an eyebrow filler. I use a Milani Easybrow Automatic Pencil to darken and emphasize my eyebrows and the results are amazing for a drugstore product. The double-ended pencil has a spiral brush to soften and blend the color in for a natural appearance and I top everything off with Sephora’s Professional Clear Natural Mascara for a perfect finish. My eyebrows look natural yet bold and don’t budge until I want them to (i.e., when I wash it off at night).
5. Before you get that eyeshadow brush anywhere even close to your eyelid, put some primer on it first, please! Before I discovered Urban Decay Primer Potion I was always ending up with a greasy-looking eyelid and my favorite dark eyeshadows camped out in the crease of my eyelid. With a primer, that won’t happen and it will make your eyeshadow last longer (literally in the sense that you won’t need to reapply, but also because you’re not wasting any for reapplications) and look more vibrant. I don’t use any eyeshadow without putting primer on my lids first (unless it’s a cream shadow by Benefit) and neither should you. My only wish? That the bottle was not so oddly shaped and/or the wand was short. I imagine a lot of the product gets stuck in the bottom of the skinny tube and is unreachable.

Ah, all these things I’ve come to live by in just one year. I’ve come a long way, haven’t I? So naive, so innocent… I’ve learned a lot about how to be pretty (or prettier, my boyfriend would insist) in 2008!

So what am I going to set out to conquer in 2009?

Foremost, a budget. Wait, what? Yes, that’s right. I will be the first to admit I splurged on makeup in 2008, although I have now amassed a collection of products that I adore, am proud of and that I will use until I run out. Really, it all became an expense taken for the sake of research, which I also hope to share more of in the coming year.

Beyond reigning in the spending to a more frugal level, I look forward to exploring exciting, jewel-toned eyeshadows from the palettes I own, as well as taking a closer look at my fingernails and playing with lacquer. Also going give cream blush a whirl-and-swirl, hopefully with photo-worthy results. Ah, and of course, more fun with red lipstick. All of this… with PICTURES!

So cheerio, 2008, and hello ‘09! I think I’m ready for my close-up.

For whatever reason, all-over face makeup has traditionally been a no-go for me. Laziness, ignorance about how to use it, and uncertainty in selecting the best shade and brand all factor in to this matter. But since I’ve been taking a serious interest in all things prettyful, I’ve gingerly stepped back into dabbling with these types of products. So, given the oil slicks on my face, this includes a foray into finding a decent pressed powder to mattify shine.

The other day on my way home, I went to my local CVS/pharmacy to get a canister of coffee. While inside, I took my usual sweep of the beauty aisle and noticed they were having another terrific sale on several brands – buy one, get one free, the signs trumpeted. Well, not really wanting to dish out a lot of money at the moment, I bought a compact of Maybelline New York’s DreamMatte Powder to see how it worked for my skin.

(To take advantage of the fabulous sale, I got a Maybelline eyeshadow trio as my free item – Impeccable Grays – really pretty, easy to blend and long-lasting!)

I suppose the powder is par for the course as far as drugstore makeup goes. It mattifies but I need to reapply after a few hours. Happily, I find it doesn’t ever look caked-on or fake. I like that, as it’s a fine line between too much and too little with pressed powder. There is also an array of colors for different skin tones. I don’t like that the applicator pad sits on the mirror because the residue from the powder gets on the mirror inside, but then it’s not hard to clean.

This is not a mineral makeup, like Bare Escentuals or Bare Minerals. I have used Bare Escentuals’ soft focus powder but it did nothing for me. Still, many rave about mineral makeup’s superior effects on their skin, so I will not delve into how I’ve been underwhelmed.

So for a drugstore brand, Maybelline’s DreamMatte is a winner. Until I get my hands on some higher end (and higher quality) stuff I’m content with my choice. I recommend it, it makes you look smooth and even, and the price is perfect. Could be a good stocking stuffer.

The tube was $10. I’m still undecided whether it was slightly overpriced. The color is very flattering, and the effect on the lips is up to expectations. My lips did look as if I’d been participating in a heated makeout session, or had a few glasses of cabernet [or both - ooh, la la!].

I don’t like that the stain fails to last very long, and to make the color pop more I did have to apply a few coats of it. The wand applicator is handy and the gel consistency of the stain is good for quick touchups.

Also, the stain seemed to have a weird-ish flavor on my lips. It wasn’t wholly unbearable, but there was something in it that was not the best. Still, this is only a minor caveat and it won’t keep me from using the stain in the future.

I think, though, that this works better as a cheek stain. I tried it last night for that purpose and the end result was a natural-looking flush that stayed on without any primer on underneath. All I had to do was swirl some of the gel onto the apples of my cheeks, blend it in with my fingertips (note: the color transfers easily so hand washing afterward is necessary) and I achieved that healthy, rosy glow. It was very appealing all in all.

I’d recommend this to anyone who is hesitant about using gel blush/cheek stain as it is very difficult to mess up using this. It’s also good for those who are comfortable with liquid cheek stain. It’s a basic, pleasant color that I reckon would work on most any complexion, if applied in the right amount.

This could potentially leave lips looking dry, so it’d be worth slicking on a thin coat of gloss or plumper if you prefer your lips looking wet.

Aside from the details… the name of this product is too cute, isn’t it?