NYX Parallel Worlds makeup set - The Mortal Instruments tie-in

Is anyone else excited about the movie adaptation of The Mortal Instruments? I've been reading the first book, and I'm starting to get excited. I knew when I saw it at Ulta that I HAD to snag a Parallel Worlds box, the NYX Cosmetics special box of makeup inspired by the upcoming movie.

The box is so cute! The themed-overlay, shown in the picture at right, is just cardboard wrapped around.If you take the cardboard overlay, the box looks like what is pictured on the left. But what's on the inside?

What? A giveaway? Win a makeup bag full of Ulta cosmetics!


I've got a makeup bag filled with cosmetics to give to one lucky winner!! It's filled with Ulta brand cosmetics...


But what's in there?


There will be one winner!! To enter, wait for the Rafflecopter widget to load. You must provide an e-mail address - that is the ONLY mandatory entry. There are additional ways to get entries - including following me on other social media, but that is completely up to you! This giveaway IS open internationally, but know that once the winner's package is mailed out, I cannot be held liable for it reaching it's destination.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Styli-Style Plastique Illuminate Lipgloss from Apothica swatches+review

**press sample**

Good morning! I've got some lip gloss for your viewing pleasure this morning - as I deal with a nail break situation that will likely take my nails down a skosh...unless I can do a little fixin! I got these two Styli-Style Plastique Illuminate Lipglosses from Apothica. The ones I chose were Melon and Mambo. It appears on the website the names have been changed to include the word "martini" now at the end :)


The glosses come in square tubes, so they are easier to hold. The glosses are not flavored or scented. They taste and smell like plastic actually, which is funny given their names. The application is the best part - doe foot, which makes everything easier to apply! But that's where the nice stuff ends. Application was ok, but the gloss got gummy pretty quickly and didn't last long. The pop of color didn't last very long, either.

Mambo


Melon



I don't know if maybe I picked out two that were just gummy or what. You can check out other shades here.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me using store credit for external work I provided.  This blog is written and edited by me, and the opinions are not influenced in any way. Please read this post for more information.

Ian+Paul = brothers for life

 I recently went to a Vampire Diaries convention in Chicago put on by Creation Entertainment, so I'm sharing my experience with my readers! I will have a series of posts (hopefully with a lot of pictures!) of all the panels I got to take part in during the event, which took place in April 2013. There may be spoilers for both the TV show AND the books in this series - so read at your own risk!


WOW. I haven't done one of these posts in a while - I'm slacking! I still have a few more to go, and I need to get on the ball! Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore) and Paul Wesley (Stefan Salvatore) were the stars of a special half-hour panel for Gold Patrons at the 2013 Chicago convention, which I already posted about, but here's a look at the open panel during the convention - the one all attendees were in!


Again, Ian had a broken finger, of course. These boys played off each so well ... you can really tell they enjoy each other. At one point, Ian said it was like they were married without the woohoo, to which Paul rebutted that they were in it for the kids :)


One fan asked which other character Ian would like to play, to which he responded Sheriff Forbes, because he thought she had a pretty good life :)


But the BEST THING EVER? One of my questions was selected to ask them! *gasp* I almost fainted. I'm amazed I actually remember it happening because I was in such shock when my name and seat number was called. My question was what the boys' dream roles were. Before they would answer the question, Ian and Paul scanned the audience and Ian said "Deeeeeestany! Where are you, Deeeeeessssstany!?" HE SANG MY NAME TO ME. I nearly passed out, but I raised my hand. They both waved and smiled at me :) hehe Ian said his dream role is anything with a good script, cast and director, and Paul said his dream was Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye.


One of the funniest moments for me is when Ian started talking about fan mail and how much is sent, received, thrown away, and he mentioned trying to find a way to digitize mail...and Paul was like "You mean e-mail?" and Ian was like "No, not really." and Paul was like "Yeah, Dude, you mean e-mail."


One fan question selected as that Ian and Paul imitate each other. Ian got up, stumbled around with a coffee cup in his hand with squinty eyes (below left) and said he was Paul wandering into the makeup chair early in the morning. He sounded suspiciously like Borat. Then, when everyone turned to Paul for his Ian impression, all he did was narrow his eyes and brood - what Paul called Ian's "Smoldey-pants glance."


At the end of the day was the autograph session with these two - and they were so super nice! I guess I assumed they would be kind of snotty and stuck-up, but they were very genuine and down-to-earth, talking to the fans, joking and laughing with them. When I got up to the table with Ian, I thanked him for singing my name to me when he answered my quetion. His reply? "Oh, it was my pleasure darlin'. Deeeeessstannnny!" HE SANG IT TO ME AGAIN. The girls in line behind started squealing about how lucky I was hahah

And that's about it! haha BUT I will leave you with a great photo of Ian. And his tongue. Not a clue what he was talking about when I took it.


Suds n Stickers nail art decals review

**press sample**

I have something very exciting today!! I was recently offered the opportunity to try out some new nail art decals...well, they are more like nail art guides maybe? They are from Suds n Stickers. At any rate, they are truly amazing, and I'm enjoying working with them. I am all about making nail art easier, you know - because I suck at it!! So what are they? how do they work? First you take a base color. I chose Deborah Lippmann On The Beach...


Then you choose the design you want - and there are a lot! I decided on the guides that would make a paint drip effect on my nails. Once your design is chosen, take the sticker off the sheet and place it on your nails.


The really nice things about these guides is that they have both a positive and a negative space - meaning that since I've taken these stickers off the sheet, there is STILL a nail art guide opportunity.


These stickers can be used for a reserve effect of what I'm doing :) So...once the guides are in place, you just paint over the area with your second color. I went with a dark teal Pop beauty color that I can't remember the name of.


You don't havta worry about painting all the way up the nail, or making sure your wrap the tips or any of that. Just make sure that the part of your nail that will have the second color is good and covered with no bald spots or patchiness. I waited about 30 seconds, and then I removed the guides slowly. They pulled right off super easy, but I was still cautious, as there were smaller pieces involved in this design.


Voila! This is pre-top coat. So simple, so fun! I wore this design on my nails for 4 days, I believe. If you follow me on Instagram, you will have noticed I posted a bunch of pictures with my nails with this design.


I truly love these guides. Not only are they easy to use, but they can be used in a variety of ways. The guides can be painted over, or stamped over, and they can be embedded into top coat. According to Suds n Stickers, the top coats tested have been Seche Vite, Out the Door, Poshe and Essie. My ONLY issue with them is that sometimes they aren't big enough for what you want to do with them. One of the paint drip ones didn't fit all the way across my nail, so I had to be a little careful. but other than that, they are an A+ product. And they make nail art simple and fun! :)

You can check out Suds n Stickers on Facebook.

DISCLAIMER: Some products used in this post were provided to me by the company for consideration. This blog is written and edited by me, and the opinions are not influenced in any way and are not compensated. Please read this post for more information.

Nails art with Milani Retro Glam and Fantastical Plumage

**press sample**

Today is my son's birthday party! So this post will be super quick! Maybe, if I'm feeling up to it, I'll make a nice, big product post when I get home. But I'm betting I'm gonna be tired... ANYWAY. Here's some nail art using the Milani Retro Glam collection! I used a base of Almond Bliss, and this used all four of the color creme polishes to make a doticure :)


I also have a nail art look using polishes from Fantastical Plumage! I'm a HUGE fan of the plastic wrap mani - so I decided to use these bold colors to try one out! I painted my pointer, ring and pinky with Blue Jay and my middle finger with Canary. After that dried, I painted a coat of Blue Jay over Canary and set to town with the small piece of plastic wrap. This is the end result :)


Both collections (Retro Glam and Fantastical Plumage) will be available at select CVS and Meijer stores during the month of August. Please note that some stores might put up the collections before August. Both collections will also be available online.

DISCLAIMER: Some products used in this post were provided to me by the company for consideration. This blog is written and edited by me, and the opinions are not influenced in any way and are not compensated. Please read this post for more information.

The week in review from my little corner of the web, 7-27-13

It's time for the Saturday round-up!

Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom posts this week:
Sunday: Milani Fantastical Plumage collection
Monday: Ninja Polish Glamorous
Tuesday: Hedy's ma-nish-ma transparent automatic lip crayons
Wednesday: Bioelements Calmitude Hydrating Solution
Thursday: Stur Liquid Water Enhancer
Friday: Adventures with an Anastasia Beverly Hills Perfect Brow Pencil

Posts from around the web:
Pinked Polish gives us a look at the Too Cute-icle Compliments collection.
Cosmetic Aficionado shows off her Monster's University nail art.
Franken Femme offers a Vintage Batman franken.
From Polish, With Love has a Manicure fit for royalty
Samariums Swatches offers us a look at some Contrary polishes.
My Nail Polish Obsession shows off Angry Bird nails!

Short, but sweet this Saturday!

My adventures with an Anastasia Beverly Hills eyebrow pencil

**press sample**

So. We all know how much I don't know about makeup. This time last year, I would never have thought about using an eyebrow pencil to fill in my eyebrows. That sort of thing just wasn't even on my radar. But, things change over time, and here I am with an Anastasia Beverly Hills Perfect Brow Pencil in Medium Brown from the folks at Planet Beauty. Please know that I am no expert. I'm still learning, and these photos are my attempts. Yes, I'm making fun of myself.

The brush is very nice. Double-ended - one end the pencil and the other a brush. I learned quickly that a light touch was needed. I started watching YouTube videos, got advice from some blogger friends and just jumped right in and start trying it out. I'm not going to lie. My early attempts (one of which is pictured below) were VERY reminiscent of Peter Gallagher. I'm not going to say I didn't know what I was doing, but I honestly had no freakin' clue what I was doing. But I've kept trying....


*sigh* It shouldn't be this hard should it??? My second serious attempt wasn't so bad (pictured below). But it just doesn't look as "put together" as all my idols (namely Phyrra). One of the things I decided I needed to work on was proper placement and using a steady hand.


Well, the "steady hand" thing didn't go as planned, and as you can see in the bottom photo, it doesn't even look like there's anything on my eyebrow! I was getting fed up, frustrated and totally annoyed. Not to mention I felt like a failure. How could I call myself a beauty blogger if I couldn't master the art of filling in my brows? And more importantly, why had I not mastered this art years ago when I was in my 20s!?


SO. I took a step back and decided I needed to embrace my inner Sandy Cohen. If Peter Gallagher was going to invade my eyebrows, so be it. I decided to go all out and makeup my entire eye area.


It looks creepy, I know. They look uneven side-by-side like that. The shadows I used were from the Jesse's Girl Brown Eyed Girl Palette, my eyeliner is a WnW liner and my mascara is also from WnW. And honestly, my right eyebrow (the first photo) actually looks really good!!! ...but then you see a full pic...


AAHHHH! I seriously can't escape it. Granted, I'm sure some of it has to do with the focusing of the photo. The first two photos were specifically aimed at one eye, and this full shot is a longer shot, with the focal point being my nose. At any rate, I'm destined to have Peter Gallagher's eyebrows for now. Maybe I need a lighter color? Or is there a possibility that bold brash Sandy Cohen eyebrows are in style now? I hope you're laughing WITH me and not AT me right now.

You can purchase one of these Perfect Brow Pencils from Planet Beauty here. They retail for $23, and there are several colors to choose from.

DISCLAIMER: Some products used in this post were provided to me for consideration. This blog is written and edited by me, and the opinions are not influenced in any way. Please read this post for more information.

Stur - the secret way I'm drinking more water!

**press sample**

Happy Thursday! It's hard to believe, but in a week and a half, my son goes back to school! And in less than a week, he will be 9 years old. Time is certainly flying. Today's post comes from my standpoint of not putting off something any longer - drinking more water!

It really isn't a HUGE secret. But I want to share Stur Liquid Water Enhancer with you!!! I've always known I needed to drink more water, but water tastes so bland to me. I've tried adding different things to my water - fruit, powders and other liquids. The fruit was messy to cut up, and the powders and liquids all contained additives and other chemicals that aren't good for you at all. So when I was offered the opportunity to try Stur, I jumped at the chance!


Stur is a family-run company with a passion for bringing healthier alternatives for managing diabetes, losing weight or just trying to stay on track and healthy. The idea came about when the owner's wife was pregnant and was told to drink more water. He began his search for a healthy additive, and ultimately decided to make his own! The story can be found here. Stur is a natural Stevia sweetener, with no sugar, no calories and 7 nutrients. No artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors, either.

My main concern with my water intake as a beauty blogger is water has been said to help with healthier skin ... and there's always the need to be healthier overall and lose weight. Daily intake of water helps with both of those things to assist in flushing out toxins. But I've always had a mental block where water was concerned! I needed flavor! I needed something that wasn't so boring! Stur has been my secret weapon and a blessing! Putting in something to flavor my water is a MUST, and Stur helps me stay even healthier!


Stur liquid enhancers are so simple to use! You take a glass of water, shake up your bottle of Stur, take off the lid and then add it to your water. It's a little squirt-type bottle, so be careful to not start squeezing the bottle until you're ready. Add as little or as much as you want! I'm on the low end of how much I add. I like just enough added to bring a tad bit of flavor.


The size of the bottle is 50ml, and on the site right now are three flavors - Purely Mango Orange, Simply Strawberry and Honestly Lemonade. I was also offered the chance to try three other flavors, as well - Only Mint Cucumber, Truly Pomecranberry and MY FAVORITE,  Proudly Tea & Lemon. I have liked all of the flavors, and I rotate them each day, but Proudly Tea & Lemon is my favorite. I also quite like Simply Strawberry and Truly Pomecranberry.

Thanks to Stur, I am drinking more water than I ever have before. Which is a win-win - great for me and great for Stur. They have a customer for life :) ...especially with the Proudly Tea & Lemon ;) Check out how you can purchased your own bottles here. They retail for $3.99, and can be purchased in bulk.

DISCLAIMER: Some products used in this post were provided to me for consideration. This blog is written and edited by me, and the opinions are not influenced in any way. Please read this post for more information.

The Bad Girl and Her ‘Bad Girl’ Volume - Introducing New Oil of Morocco Volume by Marc Anthony Hair Care

I have THE WORST hair. Seriously. It's fine, very fine. So fine that curling it doesn't work - even perms don't stay in my hair! There is, however, this slight wave my hair does...and frizz. LOTS of frizz. I have rarely used a product for the frizz because putting products in my hair to combat frizz always just made my hair look oily. So I'm always looking out for products that make buck that trend. Could these new Marc Anthony be an answer?

LET THE HAIRSPRAY SPEAK FOR YOU...

The goal here was to create a product that not only gave volume but repelled humidity because let’s face it, the only thing worse than flat hair is frizzy flat hair! With that in mind we went off to the chemists to bring you the best hairspray ever. The non-water-based formula and feather-light mist is extra fast drying to instantly freeze frame your vixen volume without missing a beat. It lets you quickly create workable styles without stickiness or residue and restyle without a heavy build-up. Beyond an array of ingredients that hold your volume in place we added Provitamin B5 to protect from humidity and seal in a ton of sexy shine. Argan Oil, Keratin and Grape Seed Oil give you anti-frizz, conditioning, strength, protection and even more shine. Plus, we know that every rebel child likes to conquer the elements. That’s why we’ve put a dose of UV Protection in this does-it-all hairspray to give you an edge over the everyday exposure that can harm your hair’s natural chemical bonds. All of that in one can of hairspray; it’s enough to make a bad girl swoon. It’s a serious hairspray for girls who play hard.


TOUGH GIRL, SOFT MOUSSE...
 

What bad girl doesn’t want it all? Va Va Voom volume isn’t just for the straight blowout, but for wavy and curly girls who like to rock it large. That’s why we created a volume packed mousse for all hair types so no matter what your style mood you can get full, bouncy hair with extra shine and flexible hold – all without the crunch. We give you everything you could ask for in this light and airy whip that lifts each strand for extra volume and glam rock style. With our power-duo of Argan Oil and Keratin it gives you deep nourishment, strength and moisture as you style. Provitamin B5 helps to repel humidity and up the shine; UV Protectors keep the sun and other elements from over cooking your full bodied mane; and a splash of Grape Seed Oil gives you conditioning and silky luster. For a minx in love with her volume, we’d say this is darn near perfect.


With my hair the way it is, it might be worth it for me to check out these new products! They are available at Walgreens, Rite Aid, Ulta, Duane Reade, Drugstore.com and other retailers. Suggested retail prices are between $7.99-8.99 each.

Owner of Toronto’s trend-setting Marc Anthony Salons and winner of numerous international awards, celebrity hairstylist Marc Anthony is the creator of the comprehensive Marc Anthony True Professional® line of premium stylers, shampoos and conditioners that can be found worldwide. Today, Marc Anthony and his roster of Celebrity Stylists have become the definitive Team to the Stars for television features, trends and celebrity hair styling. They can be seen regularly at such prestigious events as the Oscars, Emmy’s, Grammy’s and Toronto’s International Film Festival; styling the manes of Royalty to A-list celebrities like Fergie, Tilda Swinton, Ellen Page, Freida Pinto, Harrison Ford, Eva Longoria, Hilary Swank, Kevin Spacey and Justin Bieber to name a few. Visit www.marcanthony.com for more information on Marc Anthony Hair Care.

Bioelements Calmitude Hydrating Solution review

**press sample**

Hey all! Quickie post for today on a neat product from Bioelements - the Calmitude Hydrating Solution! It's a nice, cooling facial mist.


One of the main reasons I used this was to soothe my skin. When I get in the routine of rubbing and washing and patting and drying, sometimes my skin suffers even when I don't mean for it to be suffering. This mist is free of fragrances and colors, parabens and other irritants that could be harsh on your skin. Here is a photo of the list of ingredients on the side of the box.


So how does it work? What do you do? You just spray it on your face! I use it especially on days when I've been outside a lot, and my skin might have had a little too much sun. But some nights, I just like using it to make my skin feel nice and cool :) It's not an every night thing for me, but it's nice to have on those days when I just need a little something extra! It's not oily, and it doesn't leave a residue...just nice, hydrated skin! :) And because I'm a nerd...here's an action shot!


The Bioelements line is not currently available in brick-and-mortar stores, but is available in selects spas and online. You can purchase it here.

DISCLAIMER: Some products used in this post were provided to me for consideration. This blog is written and edited by me, and the opinions are not influenced in any way. Please read this post for more information.

Hedy's Ma.nish.ma transparent automatic lip crayon in Watermelon and Tangerine swatches+review

*phew* I don't know about your guys, but this humid weather (at least it's humid where I live) is zapping the life out of my lips. They are scaly and dry and puckered, and it makes me so self-conscious! I'm trying to not put a heavy lipstick on them for a while, letting them breath. I've been using a LOT of tinted lip balms and glosses, like Jordana Sweet 'n Smooth lip balms and the NYC Appleicious balms I picked up. I also grabbed a few Hedy's Ma.nish.ma transparent automatic lip crayons, and I really like them!


On a recent trip to Rite Aid, I snagged these two - Watermelon and Tangerine. Watermelon is divine. Love the taste and smell! Neither the Tangerine's scent, nor taste are anything to write home about. They aren't unpleasant, but compared to Watermelon, it's barely there. The colors are light.


See? Very light and just enough to give a tint :) Here's Watermelon. Pay absolutely NO attention to my uneven lip. haha I have no idea what happened in that photo. I would use another, but all the others aren't even decent enough to really show the coor across the lips. I have a tendency to curl my upper lip under, and sometimes it doesn't even look like it's there haha

Being as peachy as it is, Tangerine is not very visible on the lips. But it does add a gloss to your lips. Very shiny!

As for longevity - I'm not the person to ask. I'm a lip licker. A chronic lip licker. I'm certain that's part of the reason my lips are so dry and scaly right now. But I can say that they stayed on my lips at least a half hour! :)

Do you guys have a go-to tinted lip balm? If you're interested in checking them out, I found them at Rite Aid, and they were $2.99. When I get back to a Rite Aid, if they are still there, I might grab a few more flavors to have for later.

**DISCLAIMER** I was not paid for this review by anyone. I either purchased these products myself or were given gifts from friend.