life is peachy

I'm noticing a trend for the spring/summer that I actually really like - peachy/orangey shades of lipstick/glosses. I love the way it looks on just about every skin tone, and you can tone it up or down depending on how sheer the color is. Hillary here has really nailed this look, and even accented her cheeks with a peach-toned blush, which really works on her. Milani makes a great shimmery gloss in an orangey shade called Stylish that you can pick up at a CVS or Walgreens, or if you're into ordering online (like I am), E.L.F. makes a great shade called Cool Coral that is really inexpensive (and who doesn't love that?).

The trick here is to be careful that you aren't going too overboard on orange or you could easily end up looking like an Oompa Loompa. Stick with something sheer and shimmery and keep the eye makeup light to complement the look. Now...orange you glad I told you about that? :)

bad gal lash...how do i love thee?

I've probably sung the praises of Bad Gal Lash by Benefit Cosmetics once or twice on this site, but I recently got a gift card to use at Amazon.com and since I usually can't afford Bad Gal (it's $19 a tube!!!), I indulged myself and got a tube of Bad Gal and I also picked up a Shu Uemura eyelash curler (also $19), lucky lucky me. Both of these products are on the higher end of what I'm willing to spend to not look like a gargoyle when I leave the house every day, but sometimes it's really worth the splurge. Bad Gal really is the BEST mascara I've ever found, and my $19 eyelash curler finds lashes that I didn't even know I had. So, even if you can't afford to go high-end all the time (and really, who the heck can??), consider picking up one or two crucial products (mascara, good foundation or cover up, or a really nice powder brush), because sometimes that $19 mascara REALLY DOES make all the difference in the world!

Taylor Momsen: Pick Up the Phone, Girl...We Need to Talk!

Taylor. Precious little Taylor. I need to have a word with you. That word is "NO." I think it's cute you wanted to dress like a raccoon for Halloween, but sweetie pie, that is about 6 months away and unless you are on your way to an audition to be the angel of death in some crazy new vampire movie, allow me to repeat myself: NO. NO. NO. And may I add: THIS IS NOT OK.

Remember how cute you were in the Grinch movie? With your sweet innocent little face and all?? ME NEITHER. Please, Taylor, please, I IMPLORE you, stop doing this to yourself. THIS DOES NOT LOOK SEXY. It's not attractive or pretty or going to lure any hot rich men in your direction. You look like a 38 year old chain smoking tramp who got beat up by her boyfriend for not remembering to buy his favorite cereal at the Stop-n-Shop. I do not care if you are a rock star, or some fashion forward celebrity that everyone fawns over. YOU LOOK TERRIBLE. I mean, thanks for sticking with the "heavy eyes/nude lips" rule, but...your eyes are SO HEAVY, you'd pretty much have to remove the lips off your face to balance that look out. And maybe even your nose, too.

You want my advice? Good. I'm giving it to you, anyway. Fire your makeup artist and quit trying to act like such a punk. You were Cindy Lou Who for the love of Pete!! And you are so much prettier than this mess that you are calling your face right now. You do know you are a teenager, right? You are therefore allowed to wear a little pink blush and Bonnie Bell lipsmackers, just like I did when I was your age. Of course, when I was your age, I wasn't on the cover of Teen Vogue, but that is still no reason for leaving the house looking this way. HEED MY WORDS!!!

Combating Shine

I don't know about you, but it's getting a lot warmer where I live. That means that first of all, I don't need as much foundation as I do in the fall and winter months (this applies to you, too!). It's been so warm lately that I've been able to get away with light cover-up/concealer and tinted moisturizer, which I love. But on the downside, with the warmer weather comes the dreaded perspiration, which I can tell you all about since I bike to and from work now that it's not 27 degrees outside anymore. By the time I get to work, my face is as shiny as a disco ball. And, since I don't want to clog up my pores by putting powder on top of all of that, I've been using oil blotting sheets a lot lately. You can find them at any drugstore (I just use the CVS brand and they work just fine), but if you want to go high end, most makeup counters sell their own brand, like Clinique and Shiseido. Some of them even promise "pore minimizing" effects, but seriously, unless that is a huge concern for you, it's probably not worth the money. The sheets are pretty small, but just blot one on your nose, forehead and cheeks to absorb some of those oils and give you a more matte look. Trust me, putting powder on top of makeup and sweat is a recipe for bad skin. I know this. I am old.