The Product Slut says...

Confession: I suck at doing my hair

2011-07-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

For as much of a product slut as I am, I have always been inept with my hair. It's super-fine, limp dirty-blond hair, but there is a ton of it if I don't thin it out. I have to wash it every day or it gets even more lifeless. In the late 80's/early 90's when I used to perm it, my hair stylists would have to set aside an extra hour just to roll my hair. And the pay off? I always had a few rollers full break off at the roots from the perm chemicals. Oh, the joy of fuzzy bald spots! /sarcasm.

In the winter time, when I have to wear a heavy coat, the hair at the nape of my neck snarls something fierce. Since I spent most of my life in the Northeast, this meant I was tearing my hair out for months at a time. Now that I live in the Northwest, it's not such an issue since winters aren't as cold so I rarely have to break out the heavy coat.

Another problem with my hair is actually a positive. It's really soft - always has been, even when I torture it with chemicals. Once I was in a show where I ratted my hair and used half a can of pink Aqua Net every night. After the show, I'd go home and dump half a bottle of Salon Selectives (remember that stuff?) on my hair and let it soak for 30 minutes before I washed it out. It was the only way I could get a comb through it without tearing all my hair out. Since I am used to my hair being so soft, I have had a hard time getting used to products that weigh it down or make it crunchy/sticky.

I am inept at blow-drying, can't tease my hair worth a damn nor get it to hold a style for more than an hour if I do it myself. All I want is a little volume. Is that so hard? Finally, the answer is NO, thanks to Living Proof Root Lifter.

I'd seen Living Proof at Sephora for quite sometime, but the lure of color cosmetics often keeps me away from the hair product section of the store. I didn't become intrigued until Allure profiled their Full Thickening Mousse as a Beauty Breakthrough in October 2010. I was sold when they said the product didn't focus on the roots and instead volumized the whole hair strand. Since root lifters had failed me in the past, I was hooked.

In that same issue of Allure, Pantene Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner were also named Beauty Breakthroughs. Since they were available and you couldn't buy the Full Thickening Mousse anywhere but QVC until New Year's Eve, I got my hands on the Pantene to tide me over. I like the Pantene. It's certainly weightless, but it wasn't wow-ing me with newly bouncy locks. I was going to have to use product and a blowdryer to get the look I wanted.

My sister-in-law surprised me with the Full Thickening Mousse for Christmas. Thrilled, I tried it out the next day. Yes, it volumizes all the way through. It looked amazing when I first finished blowdrying. An hour later, it was falling flat. I experimented with using more or less product, trying to find the perfect amount. The sad fact is, mousse weighs down my hair. It doesn't matter what kind, it just does.

When I went on my birthday shopping spree, I can't even explain why I picked up a bottle of Living Proof Root Lifter. Hopeless optimism? I didn't even mention it in my shopping spree blog. I think subconsciously I expected it to join all the other products filling up my side of the bathroom counter.

I used the Root Lifter in conjunction with the Thickening Mousse (also some heat protectant - Thermasilk Leave-in Conditioner for now) over the weekend. Hmm. My hair held up all day, but I still had that heavy feeling I dislike so much. The next day, I tried just the heat protectant and Root Lifter.

MAGIC! My hair was downright bouncing! I could toss my hair as well as any chick in a shampoo commercial. It was a teeny bit crunchy at the roots, but the overall feel was still nice and soft. I couldn't be more thrilled - until the next day when I woke up and my hair was still bouncy and soft. For the first time in my life, I could rock second-day hair! Are you kidding me? Second day hair lost all the crunchiness at the roots, but I still had enough texture that I could put it up easily. I even LEFT THE HOUSE with second day hair and didn't feel self-conscious!

I am so happy with my hair right now. I even look forward to blow-drying it!

Mascara review- Benefit's they're Real

2011-06-29T01:54:00.001-07:00

As promised, here is my review of Benefit Cosmetic's they're Real! mascara.

In our first photo, here are my eyes devoid of all make-up. Notice my lashes are of okay length but have no curl or lift to speak of. (I should have taken one with my eyes open and no mascara. Oh well. Live and learn.) Notice also that my lashes are fairly light naturally.

Above are my lashes with one coat of they're Real. You can definitely see a difference in length and curl, even with my eyes closed.

I did not use a lash curler. As I mentioned previously, I hate them. This mascara gave me nice, subtle curl.

The one thing I really don't like about Benefit mascaras is how long they stay wet after applying. I got mascara all over my lids and I hate that. If my eyes were already made up with shadows I would have been seriously annoyed - and that has been my experience with Benefit mascaras in the past (and the major reason I don't buy them).

they're Real! fulfills the promise of length and curl, but I just can't get past the icky wetness factor. The price point for this mascara is $22. It's $8 cheaper than Chanel Inimitable, but as far as I am concerned the Chanel product is 100% worth it.

First photo blog! Sunset-inspired eyes

2011-06-28T01:31:00.001-07:00

This is the look I have been wanting to play with for months. Below is my first attempt:

I'm sorry that my cell camera takes such yellow-y photos with the flash. Still, this does not belie how much my eyelid looks like a healing bruise. My brushes were dirty and I didn't prime my lids before hand.

I was MUCH happier with this attempt. I started with the pale blue cream shadow from NARS Duo Unconditional Love - a pretty dense coat of it from lash to brow bone. Then I pressed Make Up For Ever #71 Sunflower over my whole lid. In the top center of my lids and up into the crease, I pressed MUFE #18 Tangerine. In the outer corners, I used MUFE #92 Purple and under my eyebrows I used MUFE #134 Pearly Pale Pink (an iridescent pink). I lined my upper lids with MUFE Aqua Liner in #8 Iridescent Electric Purple and used L'oreal Paris Voluminous Million Lashes in Ultra Black for mascara (waterproof).

The picture below is after 10 hours of wearing this look. There was some slight creasing throughout the day, but a couple of gentle pats with my finger took care of that.

Birthday Shopping Spree!

2011-06-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

That's right, folks. I am officially 40. To celebrate, I went to Sephora to get myself some gifts with some casino winnings. My sister also came along and supplemented my haul as her birthday gift to me.

Let's go over it, shall we?

Make Up For Ever Eyeshadows (Matte formulas)

I wanted to experiment with some new colors, specifically orange and yellow. I had visions of a 'sunset' eye look comprised of orange, yellow, pink and electric purple. I already had a fantastic pink and purple in my Make Up For Ever palette (which conveniently still had 5 empty spaces to fill), so I grabbed #18 Tangerine (a gorgeous orange that evokes coral or a really ripe canteloupe) and #71 Sunflower (a rich yellow, like the inner flesh of a perfectly ripe nectarine).

In the 80's, one of my favorite eye looks consisted of a bright green lid with bright yellow shadow from crease to brow bone. (I was 15 - it was allowed!) In honor of that look, I also grabbed #91 - Apple Green. Yay!

Sephora Collection Professionnel Platinum Angle Liner Brush #22

My go-to "day" look has been a simple one, focusing on an even complexion using NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Mont Blanc and NARS Illuminator in Orgasm, followed by NARS The Multiple in Portofino applied to my cheeks and eyelids. The look is finished with a cat-eye liner look using gray shadow and an angles brush. The only angled brush I had was a teeny one that came with a Kat Von D cream liner. Quite frankly, it's a terrible brush (and a terrible cream liner). I will now be able to achieve this look more easily. Decent brushes are a must have, folks!

Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Honey (SPF 15)

Fresh has long intrigued me as a cosmetics line. I was first turned on to them by their fragrances. They used to have a whole bunch of them in intriguing herby and floral scent combinations like Red Currant & Basil or Pomegranate & Anise. They smelled delicious, but they were $65 a bottle (not much by my price standards now, but definitely then) and the fragrances didn't last long at all. Then, they came out with the Sugar collection. I was pretty excited by Lemon Sugar, but the scent disappointed me. So did the Sake collection and several others. I started just skipping this section at Sephora.

Then they came out with the Sugar Lip Treatments and the Tinted Lip Treatments. Savvy, savvy Sephora and their Impulse Bins of Doom featured the Sugar Rose while I was in Las Vegas last summer and I had to have it. I freaking LOVED it. It's comfortable, adds just the right amount of color and tastes delicious. (Fair warning: If you live in a hot climate, do not apply outside. It melts really easily!)

This past winter, they came out with Sugar Plum. Again, I had to have it. It gives a little bit more color than the Sugar Rose, but it's very wearable even on my pale skin. Now, there's Sugar Honey, a nude version of the same product. Fresh, big kiss to you for these!

The 'Freebies'

As a Sephora Beauty Insider (yeah, you KNOW I signed up for that they day they rolled it out in Seattle. No joke - I was there the very first day!), I get points for all my purchases. Since I've been doing the bulk of my NARS shopping at Nordstrom, I don't accrue as many points as I used. Plus, for the last couple of years, I haven't been impressed by the 'deluxe samples'. Yesterday, they finally got me to cash in.

I used to be obsessed with Benefit Cosmetics the way I am obsessed with NARS and Make Up For Ever now. I wanted to have a 'signature' line and I was totally seduced by Benefit's packaging. Unfortunately, I abandoned them because their Bad Gal Mascara wasn't to my liking. Also, can you imagine a Product Slut that is brand-monogamous? Perish the thought!

At any rate, what Benefit does VERY VERY well is their cheek colors. I was reminded of this when I bought the sample pack of mini-Benetint, High Beam and Posie Tint. The 500 point Beauty Insider Bonus right now is a trio of Benefit Best Sellers: Dandelion Face Powder, That Gal Brightening Face Primer and Bad Gal mascara. Clearly, I will be giving away the Bad Gal mascara, but I have missed Dandelion and can't wait to play with That Gal. I'd also received an email from Sephora telling me the new 100 point perk was Benefit's brand new mascara: they're Real. It's a curling, lengthening, volumizing, glossy formula with a brush that reminds me of Chanel Inimitable Mascara (only slightly bigger than Chanel's). Curling mascaras are the best for me. I hate eyelash curlers, but my lashes grow straight down so they're a necessary evil. I'll let you know how it works out. Chanel Inimitable is still my bench marker for GREATEST MASCARA ever, but I haven't been able to justify $30 for a mascara that I can only use for a few months as opposed to other products that last at least double that time.

Whew! I feel sated on new products for a bit! Don't worry, I still have plenty to review!

Fragrance Time! (Fun with Jo Malone)

2011-06-22T01:58:00.000-07:00

I believe I've mentioned before that I am a Chanel girl, at least as far as fragrance goes. Chanel No. 5, the original, the special edition Elixer Sensuelle and in Eau Premiere, Coco Mademoiselle in spray and in gold-flecked gel, Chance in Eau Fraiche. I have enough fragrance to last me a long time since I keep it out of sunlight and watch for signs of aging.

But, you know me. I cannot resist the siren song of new counters at Nordy's - especially Jo Malone! Squee!

My sister-in-law (almost as bad a product slut as I as far as Coach bags go, but I got her hooked on collecting makeup) gave me a wonderful Christmas gift last year. We got glycolic peels at Gene Juarez and then she would take me to a fancy Italian restaurant locally. Since we had some time to kill after our peels and were feeling a little too raw for makeup, we decided to check out the Jo Malone counter.

Dude. Normally I am put off by over-attentive salespeople. I don't like it when they ask me questions about what I've used in the brand and immediately point me to the highest price point item. (That's right, I'm talking to YOU, Guerlain counter lady!) That day I could tell it had been slow, so I was a little more patient when the Jo Malone salesgirl pounced.

This woman was hilarious! She started asking what kinds of scent I liked, then picked up my arm and started smelling me. I mean, actual nose-to-skin smelling me. Again, this would usually send me fleeing, but I was so shocked I just went with it. She started trying scents on me that I didn't really like, but took them off immediately when I asked if we could start with the Jo Malone Red Roses.

Red Roses, according to the company, is a blend of seven different types of roses. To me, it smells like a hothouse filled with old roses that haven't had all the heavy scent bred out. I could not get enough of it.

Then, she started showing me how you could layer Jo Malone fragrances over each other. We played with Nutmeg & Ginger, Lime Basil & Mandarin and several others. I found the Nutmeg & Ginger over the Red Roses made it warmer and sexier, while the Lime Basil & Mandarin made it smell a little more green, a little more sophisticated.

Meanwhile, my sister-in-law (who is even less likely to hang around when someone she doesn't know is all touchy-feely) was experimenting with Blue Agava & Cacao layered with Orange Blossom. She loves chocolate and orange together and said the smell was making her mouth water!

All of a sudden, we realized that we'd been playing with perfumes for over an hour! I didn't even feel like my nose was worn out! I bought the Lime Basil & Mandarin perfume spray and the Red Roses moisturizer and was super-pleased. (Well, until I got home and found out my husband was allergic to the Red Roses. Boo. He liked the Lime Basil & Mandarin, though!)

I really need to go back for another go-round, since I can't wear the Red Roses if I want to be near my husband. There are so many more I want to play with - and Grabby Gal can sniff me all she wants! She rules!

New Restaurant in town: STINK!

2011-06-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

I completely owe a debt of gratitude to my husband's step-brother for tipping me off to STINK, a new deli here in Tacoma. He had me at 'peanut butter, bacon, bleu cheese & jelly'. REALLY???!!!

It's been a month since we had that conversation (a month and 2 days, to be exact) and I haven't been able to get that sandwich out of my mind. Today, my gal S and I went to try it out.

For the locals, Stink is located near the corner of St. Helens & South 7th, across the street from Amocat Cafe and a couple block jaunt up the hill from South 9th. That area is becoming chock-a-block full of good eatin's, but there's always room for me.

The interior is nice - very much a deli, but slightly warmer. Plenty of seating, beer & wine and dry sodas if you like them. It looks like they do table service when they can as well as to-go orders. They brought me water while I waited for S to arrive and I had plenty of time to peruse their menu.

If you're going to an eatery to try a specific dish, try NOT to look at the menu - especially when it looks as good as this one did. Man, I was sorely tempted by several dishes - the simple veggie sandwich with radishes and salted butter (I adore radishes with salted butter), the prosciutto & brie with fig confit, the grilled cheese of the day (asparagus, truffle-infused ham and fontina), the Pierre-Robert with roasted garlic (are you serious? I cannot wait to go back for that!). I knew I would be sad if I didn't get what I had come for, so when S got there, I ordered The Stinker (chunky peanut butter, bleu cheese, bacon and blackberry preserves on multi-grain bread, grilled).

First bite: Brief apprehension, then bliss.

Smokey, salty, sweet and the funk of bleu cheese. The bread was great, too - light, good grill marks, not too wet with melted PB & J. Texturally pleasant and good grief, so delicious! I could only eat half, but you can be sure I took the other half home for later.

S had the Tuna Steak sandwich. It was tasty - with ginger, wasabi, mayo and some carrot slices. Perhaps I didn't read the menu description closely enough, but when I order a Tuna Steak sandwich, I expect it to come out in steak form - not chopped into a chicken salad texture. Again, it was tasty - it just wasn't what my friend felt like she was looking for in a sandwich.

Still, we will return (I've got my eye on you, Pierre-Robert) and S is going for THE Turkey Sandwich. I will report dutifully when we go again.

I'm Baaa-aack...

2011-06-08T00:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, has it really been two years since the last post? Craziness! And me unemployed for the second time within a year. Shame on me!

Since I last posted, I lost the job I had for three years (a blessing, but still a crusher at the time), got a new job that I LOVED LOVED LOVED (but was not permanent) and then got laid off from that job (not a surprise, but damn it, I LOVED it there!).

Never fear, though! I'm still as product-slutty as ever, even if I'm broke. My purchases are just fewer and farther between. Still, I have enough products and experiences to review just with my current inventory, so I'm getting back on the horse.

Please, if you have any questions or products you'd like to discuss, just let me know. I would also like to stop getting Korean spam comments based on my Beard Papa post. I just delete 'em, but c'mon folks!!

The Beauty Bag is in!!!!

2009-07-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

At long last, the Marie Claire beauty bag has arrived and I have every single product on my face and nails right now. Here's what I scored and my initial thoughts:

Cover Girl Exact Eyelights Mascara in Black Sapphire: I have already tried this product in the Black Ruby meant for green eyes. It's fine as mascara, but neither shade I have now makes a big difference in 'enhancing' my eye color. It's also not a curling formula, which is now a must for me. Still, totally passable and this color will work nicely for a soft smoky eye - daytime version.

Essie Nail Polish in Cute as a Button: I can't believe this is the first Essie color I have ever owned, but you all know what a fan I am of the China Glaze lines. I can promise you that I would never have selected this melon-pink on my own, but I must say that I got full color coverage in only two coats and it dried quickly. Let's see how well it wears. (N.B. Hours later, the color peeled off two of my nails after washing TWO glasses. A friend also reports that the same thing happened with her Essie pedicure - not that she was washing glassware with her feet.)

Max Factor LipFinity 3D MaxWear in Split Personality: I don't believe I have mentioned this before, but I cannot abide long-wearing lip colors or artificial vanilla scented ANYTHING. Well, this product has got the double-whammy. Icky tasting long wearing color that you top with a sickly sweet vanilla gloss. Yes, it lasts. Yes, it doesn't transfer color to your glass or straw or kissing partner. The gloss is not sticky, either. Still, there is absolutely nothing I enjoy about applying this product and lip color is one of the things I really love to have fun with. I guess I would wear this if I had the kind of job where I HAD to wear lipstick as part of my 'professional' attire. (Thank goodness for jobs in the creative non-profits!)

Too Faced Lock Down cream eyeshadow in I'm Guilty (metallic aqua blue): I love Too Faced products as a rule, so I really, really want to give this stuff the benefit of the doubt. So far, I am wary. This is the wettest tube cream shadow I have ever used. Shake VERY well before attempting to apply it. (You know that watery stuff that comes out when you're squeezing mustard out? Picture it in teal.) I applied it to my lid with my ring finger. It didn't apply evenly at all, even with copious blending. I do love the color and will let you know how it works out when I use a brush for application.

Mally 24/7 Blush in Light Blush: I was really excited to see this product in the mix. I've been seeing Mally stuff pop up in the magazines, but they are mainly advertised on QVC. I don't know why QVC just doesn't do it for me. Technically, it's everything I love. Even my beloved Leslie of bare Minerals irritates me when she's on QVC. It's a mystery.

But I digress.

This product comes in a metallic pink compact filled with a cream blush and a powder blush. The powder is meant to be applied over the cream to extend the life of the color. After wearing Nars' Penny Lane blush exclusively for the past month or so, the depth of color of the cream blush was a little jarring. There's quite a lot of pigment in this blush, which I like, but it didn't apply easily with my fingers (my preferred tools for cream blush). After conducting a little research, I see that it's meant to be applied with a special brush that didn't come with the beauty bag. Even without the powder over it, the cream blush lasts and lasts. I was a little afraid that it wouldn't come off my face without makeup remover, but it washed right off.

The powder is really silky and applies easily with fingers or brushes. It's also really pretty on its own. I like that you don't keep having to buy new compacts - each color pops out when you're finished with it and you can refill it with new packs. It's a sturdy case with a great mirror. I think I could become a fan of this blush - especially over the summer.

You must eat only one (or you will be very sorry!)

2009-07-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

With apologies to one of my favorite Disney movies, The Three Caballeros:

Have you been to Beard Papa, Donald? No? Well, let's go!

A few years ago, a friend called me. "Linda - YOU live on the Upper West Side! Please please PLEASE go to Beard Papa on Broadway and get me some cream puffs!"

(Point of fact, I lived in Morningside Heights. While it is both 'upper' and 'west', don't have visions of me living in ridiculously expensive neighborhoods.)

Beard Papa is a Korean cream puff chain. Their logo looks like a smiling Santa with a yellow hat. They have also got their cream puff DOWN. As you order them, they fill the giant puffs with a creamy custard that lacks the stickiness of a pastry cream but isn't as fluffy as a whipped cream filling. I describe it to friends as a really soft soft-serve ice cream texture. If you're lucky, they won't be out of the special flavors of the day, like Green Tea or Red Bean. These cream puffs are fresher than fresh and even come with a cautionary label that advises you to eat them within hours of purchasing for peak deliciousness.

As for the warning in the post title, well - lived and learned. You will want to eat more than one, they are that delicious and oh-so-easy going down. The light and airy texture of both the puff and the cream belie the richness of the treat. More than one at a sitting will result in unpleasant tummy feelings. If you MUST have more sweet Beard Papa treats after a puff, try one of their Mango Cheesecake Fingers (thin slices of cheesecake on puff pastry with a thin layer of mango puree). My husband LOVES the cheesecake fingers even more than the puffs!

Up until recently, I either had to visit Beard Papa in NYC or Boston (they also exist in California and Hawaii) or wait for friends to bring boxes of cheesecake fingers back from visits East (Bless you, S & M!). I just found out that there are TWO BPs in Seattle now - only a hop, skip and a jump away!

Now, if only I can tease my friends into stopping by Safeco on our way to Marysville this weekend....

MMMM.... Boston...

2009-07-14T00:10:00.000-07:00

The husband and I were recently in Massachusetts to celebrate our marriage with many of our East Coast family and friends. We had a wonderful time and everyone outdid themselves with the potluck goodies - thanks to all! My niece calls my husband 'Uncle Kool-Aid' now (because of his unabashed love of Kool-Aid and his tendency to shout "Oh Yeeeaaaahhh!!!" when he's feeling celebratory).

It tickles me that Derrick is now obsessed with all of my favorite haunts in and around Boston. After our shin-dig, he refused to leave my mother's house until we ordered cheesesteaks from T.C. Landos. After a huge BBQ dinner (courtesy of my cousin Jason, his lovely wife Etain and their extraordinarily cute Ryla), D insisted on grabbing fresh-made fusilli in red clam sauce from Pagliucca's on Parmenter Street in the North End. He also understands the wonder that is Mike's Pastry and how real eclairs are filled with pastry cream, not whipped cream.

I was able to get my lobster on at the Barking Crab - let me just say that $47 for a 2lb lobster is ludicrous when you're steps from the docks and market price is under $10/lb and the convention of using a rock to open lobster is hardly handy - but the lobster was everything I wanted. D had his first fried whole-bellied clams and was suitably impressed. Next time, I'm going to just buy lobster and eat it at my mother's house like a normal person.

There is one good thing about having a stranger visit familiar places with you - they really open your eyes to things you may have pooh-poohed as a local. When D first came to visit me in NYC, he opened my eyes to the Monday 20 cent wings and $1 PBRs at the Lion's Head Tavern on 109th and Amsterdam. I walked by this place every day on my way to work and never once went in before he asked if we could go. We still miss those tiny, crunchy wings.

This time, D was captivated by the Beantown Pub sign as our shuttle was looking for our hotel. In my former life, I would write it off as touristy sports bar and never go in. To my delight, they had watermelon infused vodka (unbelievably refreshing on that nasty, humid day) AND apple-cinnamon infused bourbon. I had to stop myself after three infused-bourbon and gingers.

(Side note on gingerale at bars: The further west you head in the US, the less likely it is that bars will have gingerale on the gun. I LOVE gingerale as a mixer and never had to question the availability in all my East Coast life. D, a long-time bourbon drinker, saw me drinking Jack-and-gingers at the festival where we met and was blown away by how he'd never thought of that combo before. Now when we go out here, we have to ask if they have real gingerale. Invariably the answer is "No, but I can fake it!" Once it ended in three bartenders making samples of their 'fake' gingerale for our judgement. Let me assure you - any 'fake' gingerale that involves using bitters does NOT taste like gingerale. Please let me just have cola instead. Thank you.)

I win!!

2009-07-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

I love free stuff. I suppose everyone does, but it's extra exciting when I get free cosmetics in the mail.

I was picked at Marie Claire's February 2009 Reader of the Month and I was supposed to get a free 'beauty bag' from them. I have yet to receive it, but will dutifully report once I receive the goods.

Just last week, I returned home from a successful night of gambling (Cha-CHING!) and found a box from Benefit Cosmetics. Since I haven't ordered anything from Benefit in years, I thought it could have been a belated birthday gift. I was delighted to find that it was a free gift from Allure Magazine and Benefit! They sent me a full size Benetint Balm with SPF15 (rose-scented and just a hint of tint. My husband hates it but I think it's so pretty) and a bottle of Miss Popularity highlighter. This one is a liquid to powder with a small wand. It's very easy to control and is good for the tops of your cheeks or right on your brow bone. Benefit has really got it down with their highlighters and blushes. I don't care for their mascaras, eyeshadows or lipsticks, but I think every woman should have Benetint or one of their cheek powders in their arsenal.

It's Infomercial Time again!

2009-06-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

Let's talk about Smooth Away. Yes, the body hair sander. I've tried other methods of hair removal with varying degrees of success. (Epilady, anyone?) I've found that waxing is not for me - even when done by professionals. Shaving really does the job with no complaints and I haven't nicked myself since I started using Schick Intuition. So, why did I grab Smooth Away while I was registering at Bed Bath and Beyond? Do I really need to ask that question?

Smooth Away is NOT the be-all, end-all of hair removal. It DOES NOT work on underarms or facial hair, as indicated on the commercial. (Quite frankly, I wouldn't even test it on my bikini line.) I have read tons of reviews from people having terrible experiences with it, not to mention all the magazines who say it's too time-consuming for daily use and that it's too expensive for how many uses you get from each pad.

Personally, I love it. Here's what I've learned:

1. Read the instructions. The commercials show women gliding the remover pad up and down their arms. The instructions clearly state that you move the pad in 3 clockwise and 3 counter-clockwise motions over each area. An up-down stroke will result in irritation and possibly ingrowns. Yeouch. You don't have to make small circles, but your legs will thank you. Also, make sure your body is 100% dry before attempting to use this (another reason this product is terrible for underarms).

2. Don't be afraid of the dust. The exfoliation part of this product is no joke. You are literally sanding your skin. A layer of white dust will appear everywhere you use Smooth Away. Just moisturize after you use it and the dust disappears.

3. Each pad lasts longer than you think it does. I've owned Smooth Away since late January. I still have one new pad left. I don't have to use the product every day and each one works well for 6-8 uses.

4. Don't press too hard. Overzealous sanding will result in horrible stinging pain when you go to apply lotion. Yeouch X2.

I have pretty fine and blond body hair, so this may be more effective for me than for some. A good friend with coarse hair said Smooth Away didn't work a darn for her.

Nars, nars everywhere...

2009-05-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

Let me confess that I am addicted to Nars Cosmetics in a way that I have never experienced before. The last time I dabbled with using only one line of cosmetics, it was mostly driven by cute packaging. Right now, Nars has got me in a vise grip. Great packaging (even though blushes and duo eyeshadows all look the same, they feel great in your hand and have fantastic little mirrors), unbelievable pigments, and fun color names equal everything I want in a product line right now-oh, and for the last 3 seasons.

The new summer collection is fantastic. My sister-in-law wanted to show me the new creme eyeshadow she bought, so she dragged me over to the counter on a recent shopping trip for my husband's birthday. My eye was drawn to a gorgeous deep teal/silver sparkle shadow single. I bought it on the spot. They had literally just started selling the new collection that day! (I know- junkie, much?)

This color, Tropic, would give many women terrible flashbacks to pearly blue eyeshadow in the 80s. Please, do yourself a favor and try it on. It looks bright and frightening in the package but goes on smoky, deep and downright sophisticated. Layer it over a pale blue cream shadow and it pops (and lasts all day). The silver sparkle is muted-suitable for women of any age.

Also for eyes is the Scorching Sun shadow duo. Nars describes it as 'glazed apricot and radiant orange'. They are indeed very bright. Before I discovered the Isolde duo (copper shimmer and ginger shimmer), I would have been very intimidated by such warm colors. Now all I want to do is play with them!

For lips, there's a new lip pencil in Tonga (an amber pink) and a complementary lip gloss in Belize (pinkish mauve and slight gold glitter). The combo makes for a very pretty pale mouth - perfect when going with a very dramatic bright eye.

I skipped trying the new lipsticks in Falbala (bronze rose) and Outsider (a true copper - like the bottom of a sauce pan). Metallic lips at my age are just not cute.

Since I'm still so new to the bronzer scene, I was pleased to see that their new Irresistiblement bronze is a pale terracotta that doesn't look like dirt on my pale skin. I still don't like powder bronzers as much as my Guerlain Terracotta spray - but this one is lovely.

Speaking of faces, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new Penny Lane (nude pink) cream blush. I have always looked at blush as something that only adds color - this one tones down my rosy cheeks and makes me look more evened out without having to wear foundation or tinted moisturizer. I keep this little number in my purse at all times.

I like that Nars also features existing colors with their new collections. Rated R, a bright lime green and electric blue duo always looked like a color that was out of my palette. Not so! I had a blast with it last night - who knew you could make electric blue eyeshadow subtle and pretty? I've been entertained for days with my new paints - this doesn't even scratch the surface! Stay tuned...

Current addiction: Chanel fragrances

2009-05-15T18:39:00.000-07:00

At the Nordy's spring trend show, I learned that Chanel was coming out with a more day-friendly version of their famous No. 5- the Eau Premiere. After doing my usual research, I was thrilled to find that this scent comes in an enormous 5 oz bottle for a mere $125- a steal as far as Chanel is concerned. I held out on purchasing it until the Nordy's fragrance show, since I'd get a discount and someone was lovely enough to give me a Nordy's gift card.

I also had been lusting after the Coco Mademoiselle Touche Scintillante - a gel formula with a suble gold shimmer. It's been featured in all my magazines, so I was dying to try it. Little did I know that my beloved No. 5 was also worked into a gel fragrance - the Elixir Sensuelle. These formulas are a great way for someone to get their feet wet with Chanel. The fragrances are warmer and more subtle AND they're only $65/bottle. My husband has always liked all my Chanel fragrances, but he has requested that I never wear the No. 5 Elixir Sensuelle unless I am with him. (I am unable to keep the grin off my face as I type that.)

I have been remiss again...

2009-05-12T20:09:00.000-07:00

.. But I have a good excuse. I did get married a few months ago and, while it didn't interfere with my product gathering, I have been slammed at my day job and at home.. So, I hope you'll bear with me while I get back in the habit of writing daily.

Red Hot Tacoma

2008-12-09T20:20:00.001-08:00

I can't believe I have gone so long without talking about one of my favorite places in Tacoma - The Red Hot. I am pretty sure that I have been going to The Red Hot at least 2 or 3 times a month since they opened just over a year ago and I just don't seem to get tired of it.

I proudly admit to loving hot dogs. I grew up on Fenway Franks and Kasem's natural casing hot dogs. I made the trek out to Nathan's on Coney Island whenever I could. I'd get a hot dog from street vendors in Central Park when guests joined me for my 'walk the tourists feet off' tours. The Red Hot has made it unnecessary for me to keep hot dogs in my fridge.

When the eatery opened, they had a menu of about 13 dogs (including turkey dogs, not dogs, bratwurst and polish sausage), and a handful of sides.. Now, there 13 dogs, 3 sausage/ bratwursts, 2 vegetarian options, and Italian beef sammies (the sides remain).

You can order a hot dog any way you like or add or subtract as necessary to their existing dogs. I like to mix it up by getting.a 6th Ave Strut (cream cheese, tomato and onion) with bacon or a Tacoma Boys BLT (bacon, lotta tomato and some mayo) with onions. I also love the Ruston Ragin' Cajun just as it is (andouille sausage, BBQ sauce, coleslaw and cayenne pepper), but I know MANY who love to throw a little bacon on that sucker.

Going 'low-carb'? Get the Naked Narrows (2 hot dogs on sticks served over a pool of ketchup and mustard). The Not Brat is a little mushy, but tasty. Overall, I'd always rather the all-beef hot dog they serve. Turkey dogs may have less calories but there's more sodium (also why I skip the turkey bacon). A hot dog or two a month won't kill you, but I just can't see how some folks have been able to survive The Gauntlet - all 13 hot dogs on side one of the menu eaten in order (a total of 15 hot dogs and 13 buns). Done it they have- one person completed it in less than 90 minutes!

Not only does this place have great eats, they're also a great spot for micro brew snobs. They rotate their handles a fair amount , but you'll.always find Vitamin R on one (Rainier Beer, for those not in the know). They also have a good bottle selection. In these trying economic times, the Red Hot is one of the best deals in town!

Brush-a, Brush-a, Brush-a!

2008-12-05T07:30:00.000-08:00

In my early product slut-dom, I used whatever tools came with my cosmetics. If they didn't come with a brush, I used cotton swabs or my fingers. While I still rely on both of those tools, I have ditched the teeny travel brushes and too small blush brushes for the Real Deal. Now, my brush roll is as necessary to me as my small Chanel make-up bag (the current Desert Island collection, if you will).

As promised, here's the dirt on my new NARS brushes. First up is the large dome eye brush. It's good for doing a soft wash of color over my whole eye lid or you can load it up with dark shadow for a serious evening eye - one my friend Matt Brown refers to as "Hey, goth girl!" I love using this brush to blend after I do a multiple color application. It breaks up that powdery finish and gets any excess off before it migrates to your cheeks.

NARS has a new collection of Kabuki Artisan brushes. I saw the Yachiyo brush and had to have it, if only for the aesthetics of it. The handle is wrapped in black wisteria and the bristles are deeply rounded. I love the way it feels in my hand and on my face. I use it to apply powder blush mostly, but it's also good for highlighting, bronzing and blending. The $50 price tag may put most people off adding this brush to their collection, especially since I can't say this is better than every powder brush I've ever used, but it's SO pretty and it does grab color nicely while remaining soft on my skin.

I've saved the best for last- the smudge brush. Up until recently I had assumed that smudge brushes were all foam/sponge based. As I get older, I find those types of applicators drag on my lids - and we all know tugging on your eyelids is bad for them (at least I hope we all know that). This brush looks like a normal eye shadow brush, but the bristles are very short and rounded. It is so easy to use and allows me to get liner shadow really close to my lash line. It never skips across my lid or leaves blank spots in the teeny wrinkles. It's great for both precise application and for its intended purpose of smudging. Since I bought mine, I have seen that other companies make similar brushes (Smashbox comes to mind), so if you only purchase one makeup brush this year, get one like this!*

*Unless you're opposed to using animal fur in any form. These brushes are made of squirrel, goat and horse hair respectively. NARS cosmetics say they don't test their products on animals, but the jury is still out if the hair on their brushes is harvested humanely. If you're looking for good synthetic brushes, check with Urban Decay or Aveda. The Body Shop also makes synthetic hair brushes, but I find the bristles too smooth to grab color properly.

Are you still indulging yourself?

2008-12-04T08:21:00.000-08:00

I got an email from one of the beauty message boards that I belong to asking if I was cutting back on my beauty spending due to the economy. I'm not, though I am cutting back on other luxuries so I can continue to spend what I do on products. I can spend almost $2000 a year on once or twice daily lattes OR I could buy one lipstick or mascara a week for the same money. (I know my friends with kids/houses are gagging over that amount right now.)

I guess I have economized on my cosmetic shopping by no longer buying color cosmetics anywhere except department stores and Sephora. I do dearly love the cosmetics aisle at Bartell's and Walgreen's, but ever since I found a skin care regimen that I both love AND use daily, I find myself blithely ignoring the siren call of the pre-pack displays and the L'oreal wall (and stunning my boyfriend by doing so). It's not that there's anything wrong with drugstore makeup- it's just that I am a sucker for the personalized service at the cosmetic counters of Nordstrom's.

As far as other beauty purchases go, I have always been pretty low-maintenance. I have never had. a blow-out, I don't do body-waxes, I only get facials twice yearly and I don't want or need Botox. I love to look at fashion but I don't need to buy it. .

What's your indulgence that you would never give up in a million years?

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Who's a NARS girl now? I am!

2008-12-03T08:32:00.000-08:00

I've dabbled in NARS cosmetics about three times before now. I loved the color of my lip gloss in Scandal (a clear, juicy red) but didn't love the stickiness. My single eye shadow in Nightbreed is a versatile sparkly black, but I didn't like how the shadow seeped out of the case into my makeup bag. I saw this amazing red lip in a Sephora holiday catalog and had to have the lip stain/gloss combo in Indian Red/Moonfleet. Not only is this my absolute favorite lip stain ever, but the gold Moonfleet makes it easy to create a sexy little pout.

In fact, I loved this product so much, I was inspired to make my other NARS purchases work for me. A little lip balm under the lip gloss lessens the sticky factor without diluting the gloss color. Also, never chuck the protective film that comes with your NARS shadows and blushes. I know they are only meant to protect the product prior to purchase, but they work really well at eliminating product seepage and keep the included mirrors clean.

At the cosmetic trend show back in November, I decided to try the NARS counter for my makeup application. I had one instruction for my makeup artist: no Oompa Loompa line from the foundation. She assured me that she'd take care of me and indeed she did.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I am a natural dark blonde who currently rocks black hair. I love the makeup color options this hair color affords me, but I must admit that I'd been ignoring the warm colors other than peaches. My makeup artist revealed my error by giving me the most stunning smoky eye using coppers, bronzes and chocolates. I am 100 percent hooked on these colors right now!

Usually when I go to these trend shows, I already know what I am going to buy and usually get my planned purchases and perhaps one new thing that the makeup artist suggested. Not this time! Sadly, I committed the cardinal sin of the Product Slut and left my credit card at home (quelle horreur!) I asked my artist to write out all the products she used. At home, I went to NARScosmetics.com and dutifully ordered eye shadow duos in Isolde and Cordura, blush in Orgasm (though I swore I ordered Deep Throat instead) and an assortment of brushes.

Let's talk about Orgasm for a moment. I had long avoided this cult product for no other reason than I like to search out new stuff for myself. Well, like Benefit's Dandelion and Benetint, there is a reason that Orgasm is a cult product. This pretty peach perks up my complexion with ease. A little Orgasm, mascara and Scandal gloss gives you a freshly tumbled out of bed (you know-not after sleeping) look that I find irresistible.

I haven't even begun to go on about the brushes I got, but I'll save that for another day.

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Smashbox, you devil!

2008-11-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

You know I go on and on about the cosmetic events at Nordstrom's. Well, I urged a friend to participate in their recent Smashbox photo event. You got your makeup done and if you spent $100 on Smashbox product, you could your picture take by the Smashbox professional photographer. I went with my friend for both emotional support and to help round out her purchases.

I really enjoy Smashbox products. They have the most comfortable lip glosses on the planet, but I hadn't tried any of their other color products. I went to their website to check out their current collection and stock items. I would be remiss if I didn't share that their Radiance eye shadow kit and lip gloss sets are screaming deals. If you have any holes in your eye shadow or gloss wardrobes, those would shore it right up!

At the event, they tried hard to get me to participate as well. Normally I would be all in, but I had to work all night afterwards and didn't want as much of a face as they would have given me. I was content to watch my friend get painted and try to convince a woman to skip pantyhose with her new peep-toe purchase.

My favorite moment of the day came when my friend's artist finished and handed her the 3x magnifying mirror. The brief look of shock and abject horror as my friend saw how much makeup (albeit really beautifully done) had been loaded on was priceless. I know we gave the artist a complex because we were laughing so hard, but it had nothing to do with her.

While my friend purchased a kit that came with cream liners, I bought a Lip Brilliance trio in Transparencies (nude, sheer cranberry and sheer brick) and an eye shadow trio in Viewfinder (peach, olive and champagne). I have huge love for the Lip Brilliance. The double sided lip-brush that comes with it is a cute idea, but they are so stiff that they get too much product on them. I am finding fingertip application to be the best method for getting that soft-but-shiny pout. The eye shadows are also lovely - I especially like the peach as a base color or for just an easy day eye.

By the way, my friend's photos came out fabulous.

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

I guess it's rubbing off on him...

2008-10-26T13:56:00.000-07:00

The other night, a friend of ours asked me how long it would take me to spend $100 on cosmetics. I said that I could do it in less than 15 minutes (truth? I could do it in 2 minutes). My boyfriend chuckled and said if I came home from a cosmetics shopping trip having spent ONLY $100, he felt good about it. Fortunately for me, he's the type of guy who LOVES painted ladies and complains that I don't wear enough cosmetics at once.

There are other benefits to dating a marketing slut. For instance, I'd seen a new product on the shelves of my grocery store Cough and Cold aisle that I just HAD to try. Sudacare Shower Soothers are these tablets that you put in your shower. As the hot water hits them, they dissolve and fill your shower with mentholated vapors - making your stuffy head and body aches from colds feel LOADS better.

My boyfriend is always getting colds and has chest congestion. He usually just whines at me about how bad he feels. Since I'm much more solutions-oriented when he's sick, I made him take a shower with one of the Soothers. He was a total convert after one shower. I didn't feel the same way. The tablet dissolved too quickly and did not supply near enough menthol aroma to work on my stuffy head. A week or so later, I noticed a very strong menthol scent while I was showering. Looking down, I found that my boyfriend had put the tablet on the inside tub ledge. Since it didn't dissolve as quickly, it worked so much better. In fact, one tablet can last through 3 showers if you keep it out of the bottom of the tub (a much better deal since it's $6 for 3 tablets).

If you're like me and you don't like to take medication unless absolutely necessary, I can tell you these Shower Soothers and then chicken soup for lunch work great at making me feel better. My boyfriend loves them so much he stocks up on them AND he insisted I review them on this blog. There - I've told the world for him!

Part two of the Sephora trip Reviews

2008-10-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

In an earlier blog, I raved about Kat Von D's new lipsticks and how a friend bought her True Romance eye shadow palette in Beethoven. Well, I still love the lipsticks and my friend LOVES that eyeshadow. After admiring her eyes every Tuesday night Girl's Night since she purchased the palette, I decided I MUST have it myself. It's a gorgeous array of cool tones and sexy neutrals (navy blue, black, dark brown, a couple of purples, gray and a great pale yellow called Tequila). The entire top of the palette has a great mirror and it comes with two double-ended brushes for easy application. I don't usually like the brushes that come with palettes, but these make it easy to line your eyes and/or to amp up your day eye to a sexy smokey eye while you're on the go. They're not really ideal for covering your whole lid with color, but that's what fingers are for!

I'd also been admiring her Rock and Roll eye shadow duos, but finally got sucked in when I read the color name of one duo: Sixxshooter. My boyfriend is a life-long Motley Crue fan and Nikki Sixx is his man-crush (although he's a little taken aback by Nikki dating the very much younger Kat, but I guess that's rock and roll for you). I did buy it just for the name, but I would recommend it to anyone. It's a glittery grey and a silky gunmetal duo. Grey is THE eye color for this season, so it's a good buy. Again, there is a fantastic mirror in the lid of the duo that's as good for shadow application as it is for touching up your lips. The duo and a lipstick would fit in your pocket or tiny purse and you'd be good to go for the night!

There were also a bunch of new glittery lip glosses added to her collection. The Lightning Lip Glosses looked almost as glittery in the tube as Urban Decay's Heavy Metal Eyeliners, but like the eyeliners, they don't have a whole lot of glittery payoff. (Thank you, Sephora, for lip gloss testers!) I guess they're ok as lip glosses go, but I didn't feel the need to buy one.

Let me confess that I'm a lazy lipstick girl. I prefer a softer looking mouth to a sharp, precise lip. Therefore, I don't buy many lip liners (with the notable exception of my one Chanel lip liner that I bought because of the attached lip brush). Since I get weekly emails from most of the cosmetic companies, I've been wondering about the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On lip pencils. Since I have so many red lipsticks, I thought the brick red Gash would work well for me. Well, it sure does - there's quite a bit of pigment in the color and it does indeed glide on. It lasted through 2 ciders, a hot dog and three cocktails before I saw fading - and that was just me wearing the lip liner with lip balm to soften the color! I can't wait to see how it supports my lipsticks!

As stated earlier, I do buy many products based on their color name. I am a total sucker for a clever name and a good color. Nail polishes get me EVERY time. Now that Sephora has gone back to offering nail color in a big way with their Sephora by OPI Nail Polishes, I knew I was a goner. I bought It's All About Me (a softer hot pink), Opening Night (a dark, luscious navy shimmer), Never Enough Shoes (black with multi-glitter) and their base coat and top coat. Honestly, I'm not thrilled with them. It takes FOREVER to dry and too many coats to get the color that's in the bottle. I know I will keep buying them, but China Glaze Nail Lacquers are still the best value around.

Last, but certainly not least, I grabbed Stila's Convertible Color compact in Poppy. It's an orangey-red cream color that goes on easily. I loved the sheer wash of color on my cheeks and that I could build the color up deeper on my lips. Again, it has a great mirror in the lid so it's perfect for the girl-on-the-go.

I want to take a moment to talk about Sephora's Beauty Insider program. Like any frequent buyer program, you earn one point per dollar spent. Up until recently, you could only 'spend' 100 points at a time on a 'deluxe' sample. I like samples, but there hasn't been one that wowed me since I got the Hard Candy eye shadow single in Buttered Popcorn. Also, I NEVER spend less than $100 at Sephora (either online or in-person), so I kept my 'Beauty Bank' topped up all the time. Since I'm obviously NOT the only one who has a product problem, Sephora upped their game. Now, with a 500 point balance, you can spend it on a new 'gift'. I got a bare Escentuals travel palette with two brushes, a lip gloss, eye shadow, Mineral Veil and blush on this last trip to Sephora. I can't wait to save up more points!!

New Reviews from my latest Sephora trip! (part one)

2008-10-19T15:22:00.001-07:00

Hooray! I have a bunch of new products to review! I had a blast with my girlfriends yesterday - we brunched and cocktailed and got into some retail therapy. None of them had ever been in an H&M before, so they had a great time discovering all the cute clothes with great prices (it made me nostalgic since I worked for H&M for 3 years). I did resist the temptation to buy tons of adorable accessories so I wouldn't interfere with my cosmetics lust money. Without further ado - the reviews:

Korres Pomegranate Lip Butter: I remember being excited when The Body Shop made lip butter versions of their popular Body Butter moisturizers. I wanted to love them; they tasted great and really moisturized. Unfortunately, they also turned your lips white. This would be cute if you were always rocking a 60's mod look, but who does that every day? The Greek company Korres has solved the problem by providing sheer or clear lip butters. The Pomegranate flavor is a sheer coral. The flavor isn't too overwhelming and it is VERY moisturizing. Because there is some tint to it, be careful to apply when using a mirror. Only the clear Guava flavor can be rubbed liberally over your whole mouth like a Chapstick.

Philosophy's Not The Pits Cherry Cola Shower Gel: Philosophy has the yummiest smelling bath/shower gels. They smell as real as Jelly Belly jellybeans taste. I know I've smelled every scent they have in the store, but it ended there since there wasn't a fragrance that I thought I could tolerate for a month or so in the shower (I'm talking to you, Egg Nog Latte and Licorice!) Then I smelled this cherry cola shower gel and was hooked immediately. It smelled like a cherry coke from an old-fashioned soda fountain, not like Wild Cherry Pepsi or Cherry Coke. In my shower this morning, a small amount gave mountains of creamy lather in my bath pouf and my skin feels very soft even hours later. I may have to go back and get the lotion, but I think I'll skip the lip gloss version. Philosophy lip glosses look lovely on but taste plasticky to me. Bleargh.

Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil on the Go: As promised, I DID get the Mineral Veil on the Go. As I'd hoped, it DOES solve all the portability problems I've always had with bare Minerals. The cap seals tightly, the flow-through brush dispenses product easily and it doesn't leak powder all over my purse. It's very exciting. Word to the wise: the product's box states that the product is non-refillable. This is NOT TRUE (and shame on Bare Escentuals for saying so, especially on a product with 'limited edition' status). The sales associate assured me at the time of purchase that it was indeed possible to refill it by turning the product brush-side down, tapping it against the counter to shift the powder to the bottom, then carefully unscrewing the clear plastic bottom in a counter-clockwise motion. Voila - a new beauty tool!

Tomorrow: More from Kat Von D, Stila and Sephora Nail Lacquer by O.P.I.

Did they really listen?

2008-10-13T23:11:00.000-07:00

Ages ago, I complained about the lack of true portability with the bare Escentuals products. Well, they may have come up with something!

Sephora and bare Escentuals announced a new product: Mineral Veil On the Go

I am cautiously optimistic. I hate powder leaks in my purse more than anything. This Saturday, I'm heading to the new Sephora at Southcenter. If Mineral Veil on the Go is available, I may have to purchase it and get back to you.

I hope I'm not like them....

2008-10-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

I don't know who reads this, but if you've ever clicked on any of the blogs I read, I hope you've noticed notalwaysright.com. I swear that this site is as necessary to me as my morning coffee. I read the stories of customer/sales associate interaction gone awry and think, "Well, at least my day won't go like theirs did!"

Since I've been a product slut for as long as I can remember, I started working as soon as I was old enough to earn money for my Kissing Slicks and Raw Silk Designer Imposter perfumes. My early experiences in customer service involved working in a Hallmark store, then scooping gourmet ice cream. It was at the ice cream store that I first dealt with completely irrational customers.

It was tedious explaining to tourists that a milk shake in New England is just syrup and milk; you need to order a frappe if you want ice cream in your beverage. I could tolerate the 10,000 times I was asked "What's in creamcycle ice cream?" (orange sorbet and sweet cream ice cream). But to have someone throw a cone of pistachio ice cream at me because "It's not green! Pistachio ice cream is green!", well - that was just ridiculous. I threw the cone in the trash and told him, "Pistachio ice cream is only green if you put food dye in it. We don't use artificial colors and flavors in our food. If you would like GREEN pistachio ice cream, you are free to go to Brigham's next door and get it - but you might like to know that their pistachio ice cream has only walnuts in it. "

A woman who always wore gloves would come into the drugstore I worked at about once a week. She'd hold all her purchases in her arms and read the prices to you. If you touched ANYTHING, she'd put it back and get a different one. You couldn't put anything in bags for her, either. I just couldn't understand it - every single item in the store was handled by tons of different people. Why were only the cashier hands too dirty to touch her items?

The weird customers were always good for a laugh, but the rude people and the thieves were really hard to take. Women would leave their kids in our drugstore while they went to the grocery store without them. Other women would let their toddlers knock all the pantyhose eggs out of the display while they shopped leisurely on the other side of the store. I can't tell you how many times lost and crying children would come to me to find their mom, then we'd find the mom in a store ACROSS THE STREET.

At a home store job, one woman specifically told me that she was buying these fancy sheets for her 'hot date' that night. She brought the sheets back the next day in all their hair-covered, wrinkled glory and was angry that we wouldn't let her return them. Another woman tried to return a toilet seat that was broken - after she'd been using it for a whole year (according to the date on her receipt)! When I called my boss to explain the situation, he freaked out and screamed "Don't touch it and don't let it touch anything else!", ran downstairs and let the customer know in no uncertain terms that she could take her used toilet seat right back to her house.

With that, I'd like to take a minute to explain some customer do's and don'ts - at least as I see them.

Don't raise your voice, curse at the staff or threaten violence. The minute you start yelling, the staff stops hearing you and is less likely to help you.

Do politely ask for a manager or supervisor immediately if you're trying to get a refund. This will save you and the underpaid cashier from unwanted stress.

Don't poop in the fitting room. Don't pee in the fitting room. Don't leave your used feminine hygiene products in the fitting room. I know it's a small room with a door, but it is NOT a bathroom.

Do pay attention to your bodily functions and use a public restroom BEFORE you have an emergency. This especially goes for mother's with small children who are potty training. If your child is saying "I have to go potty!" twenty times in a row, drop the items you're shopping for and get that kid to a potty before he goes on my floor.

Do return faulty merchandise to the store within 10-30 days of the original purchase. If something is still under warranty and breaks after 30 days, then DO contact the manufacturer about getting a replacement. Most times, the store didn't manufacture the product that you purchased, so they are not responsible for long-term maintenance.

Do read and make sure you understand the store's return policy/the warranty rules/terms of use etc. etc. It will save everyone headaches if you know what you're responsible for.

If you are unhappy or disagree with a company's policy, don't harangue the underpaid cashier/customer service agent. Do ask for a manager or write a letter to the head of the company. As long as your request is reasonable, it will almost always work.

Do plan your time well when shopping. I promise you that you would not like it if I prevented you from leaving work for 30 minutes to an hour after you were supposed to stop working. Please have the same respect for other people's schedules.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2008-10-13T12:30:00.000-07:00

Nordstrom's Fall Cosmetic Trend show is here! For those not in the know (or who haven't read previous blog entries), Nordy's does two cosmetic trend shows per year. For a very reasonable $15, you get the runway show, a tote bag or cosmetic trunk filled with breakfast and free samples, and a free makeover at the cosmetic counter of your choice (by appointment). Sometimes, if you time it right, you can get a mini-facial from the Philosophy people before you get your makeup done. Then, they'll take $15 off your cosmetic purchases that day. It's lovely!

This year, I'm getting my makeup done at the NARS counter. While I am passionate in my love for their lip stains, blushes and eye shadows, I'm a little nervous about their foundations. If they are as pigment-heavy as MAC foundations, I don't think I'm going to be happy. Ah well - one must experiment!

My new toy!

2008-09-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

I finally bit the bullet, cashed in my upgrade rebate and bought the dataphone I've been coveting: the new Blackberry Curve 8310 in Sunset Red. (Of course, I did this and a few weeks later T-mobile finally releases info on the G1, which incorporates all the features I orginally wanted. Oh well, such are the risks of being too grabby!)

Despite the lack of a touch screen and a sliding keyboard, I love my Blackberry. Now that I have one, I don't know how I lived without a full QWERTY keyboard for so long. There was little to no ramp up time for me to figure out how to use this phone, although all the phone numbers bunched up on the left side of the phone took some getting used to. (Hey, I'm left-handed. I want everything to be on the right side of the phone!).

I love the media capabilities of this phone. Do I miss that I can't take video? Not for a second. I have a fancy DSLR that can record oodles of video that I never use for that purpose. I've never used the video feature on any other phone, either. The photo quality is pretty good (although you need a VERY steady hand), but again, I don't take all that many photos with my phone. I am most excited about the MP3 player and the expandable microSD memory. I was finally able to reuse the old ringtones I created for my beloved Motorola V360 that I lost a couple of years ago. Now when my boyfriend calls me, I can hear 'Stare Too Long' by Corrosion of Conformity - which you'll never find on any ringtone service provider. Still, I appreciate the immense variety of pre-loaded ringtones that came with the Blackberry - specifically Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor (my all-time favorite classical piece). Also, the phone actually came with stereo headphones instead of one monophone earbud. Handy!

I noticed that the batteries were draining REALLY quickly - a fully charged phone in the morning was dead by the end of my workday. I started carrying a data cable so it could be charged up from my CPU, but just changing one setting really saved my battery life: I keep the backlight brightness at 10 instead of 100 (even though the screen looks so sharp and pretty at 100). I also make sure I actually turn apps OFF instead of just backing out of them. Now a fully charged phone keeps a charge all day long - even with all the phone calls/email pushes/text messages/game playing/music listening I do, I come home with a phone that doesn't need to be charged until bedtime!

Of course, the Product Slut in me would be remiss by not talking about my most favorite 'feature': the color. It's the most perfect nail-polish-esque red. Online, it looks like it might be orange, but it's really a metallic red that I am completely smitten with. Even though I protect it with a silicon case, I can't resist pulling it off to show off the shiny red back. It's divine.

Maybe I can wait for the G1 to evolve a little more. After all, it's a functional black. Maybe by the end of my 2 year contract they'll have one in Sunset Red!

Someone knew I was a product slut...

2008-09-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

... so they sent me something I was actually coveting to review! I knew if I kept myself pure that good things would come to me! (Well, relatively pure...) I actually gasped when Allure magazine wrote that they were sending me a sample of the newest Chanel mascara for my review. Joy!!!

Chanel 'Exceptionnel' mascara is touted as providing 'intense volume and curl'. They have a new six-sided brush. Three sides of the brush look like very short eyebrow brush bristles and they alternate with three tiny combs. The specific instructions for applying it are similar to my own method for applying mascara: put mascara wand at base of lashes and roll out to the end of your lashes (I've always done this to make my lashes look incredibly long.)

Now, I love curling mascaras as I don't always have time to use an eyelash curler. I also love Chanel Inimitable mascara, so I felt sure I would adore Exceptionnel. Sadly, I was really underwhelmed by Exceptionnel. One coat gave okay coverage and okay curl, but two coats became a glommy Tammy Faye-esque look. I had to attack my lashes with a comb to de-gunk. When I'm spending $26-27 dollars on a mascara, I don't expect to have to wipe off most of the product. It just seems a waste.

Also, I'm not a fan of these huge brushes anymore. I just don't find them handy. They don't get the tiny inner lashes well at all and I seem to accidentally brush my eyeball instead of my lashes at least once during the application process. (I would just like to point out that this NEVER happens with my Chanel Inimitable.)

I still love Chanel, but I'd suggest you spend your hard-earned mascara dollars on Inimitable over Exceptionnel.

Would you like some cheese with that wine? (Yes, please!)

2008-09-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

Who knew that one day I'd covet a stainless steel cookpot as much as the new Givenchy mascara? Or that I'd lust after a Cuisinart electric kettle? I guess I just love all things new & shiny...

My equally product-slutty friends and I are always on the lookout for something fun to occupy our time. Thanks to some word of mouth, we discovered cooking classes at the Urban Gourmet - specifically a Soft Cheesemaking class! The first session filled up so quickly that a second session was added. We jumped on that second class as soon as it was posted!

As luck would have it, it was also the first Seahawks breakfast of the season at the Beach Tavern. They only serve breakfast on days that the Seahawks play early away games on the East Coast (10:00 am PST). They also make the best chicken fried steak I've ever eaten in my life! The 5 of us that took the class met there first for breakfast (and for Seahawks trouncing) and then went on to class.

The teaching kitchen at Urban Gourmet is really fantastic. Huge cement counter, comfortable seating for at least 15-20 people, mirrors and closed-circuit flat screens to see the chef at work and a warm atmosphere. We were handed two packets when we checked in; one held cheese recipes and the other was a glossary of cheesemaking terms and other tips and tricks.

Chef Hope Sandler taught the class. She was very personable and really determined to educate a group of people who could easily have disintegrated into foodie discussion. Not only did she demonstrate cheesemaking, she gave real tastings of cheese she'd made herself. We smooshed, tasted, smelled and enjoyed her Farmer's cheddar, mascarpone, cottage cheese, ricotta and chevre. Wine, fruit, breads, salsa and preserves were also served to bring out the flavors of the cheeses.

As a class, we made three soft cheeses. One team made Farmer's Cheese (a very citrusy dessert cheese) and the other made Queso Blanco (a very mild white cheese). They were ridiculously simple to make and tasted heavenly. She also started a mozzarella cheese for us, but due to the over-pasteurized milk it was a little difficult to get a stretch on the cheese. (It still tasted good.)

Now that I have a recipe and the skillz for making ricotta, I am next taking a pasta making class so I can make a completely-from-scratch lasagna!

If you're interested, visit www.urbangourmettacoma.com for class schedules.

Gari of Sushi is back!

2008-08-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

I sometimes miss the sushi dining options I had when I lived in Manhattan. I had my favorite sushi delivery place, my favorite 50% off for dining in sushi place, the place I lost my sushi virginity to, and oodles of other options. Now, Tacoma is no slouch when it comes to sushi (Twokoi, Sushitama, Fujiya, etc.), but less sushi shops equals more expensive sushi for all. This is all the more reason why I'm thrilled that Gari of Sushi has opened for business once more. It's not that Gari is less expensive than other local sushi joints. It's that their rolls are so spectacular you don't even bat an eye at the price!

We made our triumphant group return to Gari for a friend's birthday dinner. I don't miss the old McDonald's yellow-and-red paint job. The new dining area that replaced the tatty old bar is really lovely. The new menu is free of poor typos and full of mouthwatering pictures of special rolls. Do not miss the Geisha Roll or the Tokyo Rose roll! They are as heavenly to look at as they are to eat! I was able to fill up on as much plum wine as I wanted (and still be able to walk out unassisted).

If you love raw fish - or are an adventurous foodie - please visit Gari of Sushi. You won't be disappointed.

Mmm... beer!!!

2008-08-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

Part of being an inveterate collector is keeping a running inventory of things you've tried. I'm getting older, so these things move in and out of my brain at random, but they're all in there. Sometimes you just have to stir the pot.

I didn't try beer until I was twenty. I know that there's a picture of me sucking on a beer bottle at age 1, but forgive me if I don't recall the taste of that Michelob. Part of growing up Mass-hole means drinking tons of Bud Light - is it any wonder that I stuck with Bartles & Jaymes and Seagram's? As soon as I was legal, I started drinking hard liquor. I was the queen of Tequila, but I'd been known to dabble with vodka and bourbon as well.

When I visited England right before my 22nd birthday, a new friend asked what kind of beer I drank. I made a face and said that I stuck with hard liquor. We were on our way to a pub, so he told his son what to order for me. At the pub, I was served a half-pint of John Courage Director's Bitter and a shot of clear whiskey. From that first sip of bitter, I was a beer convert. I then downed two pints of Tetley's 6X and had to be helped to the car when we were leaving.

At home, I discovered Sam Adams, Bass, Harp and Guinness. Nothing could compare to the warm, malty beverages I drank in England. I tried Belgians but couldn't get past the baked bean taste (yes, everyone else tastes bananas. I taste baked beans. Chill.) I did like the lambics and could put a serious hurt on them. A bar in NYC carried my beloved John Courage, so I could get my fix now and again.

Throughout this time, I was still pretty much on cocktails. My standard was bourbon and ginger, but I would try any girly cocktail on a menu. Then I went to visit the PNW.

Fortunately for me, I arrived just in time for Christmas in July. All the local taverns had their strong winter ales on. Ebenezer, Jubelale, Jolly Roger - here were the caramelly, malty ales I loved so well. I drank my fill, but also furthered my beer education. I discovered IPAs, browns, stouts with real flavor and barleywines. I learned that craft beers can age and get better. I discovered Stone Brewery, which makes all my favorite beers now. I learned that ciders don't have to be inspid and flavorless. My cup runneth over, literally.

That's why I look forward to the annual beer fests at my favorite tavern, the Parkway. Every April, there's the monster Barleywine fest. Every August, the huge IPA fest. The night before Thanksgiving, they put on all the biggest winter beers they can find for 'Honey, the Parkway Ruined my Thanksgiving' event. Every month there's something new and every month I add a new taste to the index of flavors in my mind. This past Saturday was the 3rd Annual IPA fest. While I was disappointed that my favorite IPA wasn't on (Stone Brewery's Ruination), I was more than pleased with the hop-tastic Russian River Pliny the Elder and the honey-licious Full Sail Son of Spot. Round that out with some spit-roasted prime rib and/or pulled pork sandwiches and you have a perfect day.

Really, I'm spoiled for drinking opportunities in this town - not only for beer, but for cocktails, wine and coffee. I do collect everything. You'll have to read more about one of my favorite collections - opportunities for fun and tastiness in Tacoma.

Allure Magazine... you cunning temptress!

2008-08-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

I've always loved magazines. Allure, Marie Claire, In Style, Cosmo, Glamour... I can't miss a single one each month! Allure has consistently delighted me with their devotion to products, but they've really outdone themselves this month!

First, a whole month of delicious giveaways? Are you trying to thwart my work ethic? Then, telling me that there are new adorably packaged Harajuku fragrances by Gwen Stefani, a new mascara by Givenchy and previously-only-available-in-France Chanel cosmetics up for grabs? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?

Get ready for my madly clicking keyboard, Allure!

Holes in my cosmetic wardrobe...

2008-07-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

My sister always gets mad at me because I make a huge Sephora trip right before my birthday and she ALWAYS gets me a Sephora gift card. I explain that there are ALWAYS more cosmetics to buy!

Sometimes I get in cosmetic purchase ruts. I do feel that one can never have too many lipsticks or lip glosses. I don't buy blush too often because my cheeks are naturally pink. I'm committed to my foundation brands. What am I missing? Portable eyeshadows!

When I first got into bare Minerals, I bought a whole bunch of their eyeshadows. I love their versatility, but loathe that they're not very portable. Eyeshadow singles are also not ideal for me, but sometimes I can't resist the packaging or the color. (Urban Decay and Hard Candy, I am talking to YOU!) I'm trying to resist carrying 30+% of my makeup wardrobe in my purse all the time (really not easy for me). What's a girl to do when making the work to play switch as often as I do?

Bless Pop Beauty for coming to my rescue! I first saw their eyeshadow wallets when a girlfriend purchased the 'green eyes' kit. I looked at all of the kits they had and was finally seduced by the "Day to Play" palette. (How handy!) 24 eyeshadows in mattes, sheers, shimmers and brights for any possible look I could want, all secured in a shiny silver wallet. It fits perfectly in my purse and came with a double-ended brush suitable for lining and blending. I also loved that the packaging came with a couple of paint-by-numbers-esque looks for people who are too hesitant to blend colors (or just new to the whole 6 shades of eyeshadow application method). It hasn't left my bag since I bought it and even came in handy on my friend's wedding day! I've also finally realized my dream of carrying less than 10 beauty items in my purse! Go me!

OH, I so can CAN-CAN!

2008-06-25T12:26:00.001-07:00

As promised, I need to tell you about the Can Can Kitchen & Cabaret located at 1st and Pike (downstairs from the Crumpet Shop) in Seattle. I'm all for trying new things and it's even better when they involve happy hour!

I am somewhat of a Francophile and am not ashamed to say that 'Moulin Rouge' spoke to the weakest part of me. Yes, I love Toulouse-Lautrec. Yes, I got the Green Fairy. Moving on, the Can Can looks like a basement bar in the Place de la Pigalle. Cosy, dark, maroon fabric every where and a tiny stage for the cabaret/burlesque shows they do. They open at 4:30pm and happy hour is in the bar from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. Reservations for dinner and the show are strongly recommended. All the small plates on the happy hour menu are $3.99 each. There are drink specials, but I'm famous for ignoring them in favor of an appetizing cocktail list.

The rule amongst my friends is that no one can order the same cocktail for the first beverage. This is so we can taste all of them. Repeat orders are allowed after the first round. I am ashamed to say that I remember none of the names and only have vague impressions of them because I was captivated by the extensive bottles behind the bar. Really, who carries madeira on a regular basis? I ordered my first beverage purely because they used egg whites in it and I've always wanted to see what the bartender bibles were on about. I spied a bottle of Pimm's No. 1 and ordered a Pimm's Cup for my second round. The bartender further impressed me by asking if I took my Cups with ginger ale, 7-up or soda. I LOVE them with ginger ale and was completely satisfied with the very spicy ginger ale they chose.

We were so pleased with our experience that we're planning to attend dinner and a show with our SOs later this summer. Hooray for Can-Can!

New Acquisitions

2008-06-24T16:32:00.000-07:00

Ever since I moved out to the PNW, I've celebrated my birthday by heading into Seattle with my lady friends and spending loads of money at Sephora. This year was no different, although I did outdo myself.

Kat Von D (of L.A. Ink fame) has a new eponymous cosmetics line that's exclusive to Sephora. She's got a set of makeup brushes, liquid eyeliners in 6 shades, 2 eyeshadow palettes and 4 lipstick shades. One thing that I've always noticed about pretty rocker girls is that they have the BEST lipstick shades. I was not disappointed when I tried her Painted Love lipsticks at Sephora. Creamy and slightly matte, they wear well and actually have enough pigment to make a really good lip stain. I purchased the blood red Hellbent and the brick red Misfit (it's described on Sephora as 'rum raisin', but there is quite a bit of red in it). The packaging is great, with silver tattoo-style roses against a black tube. I feel they're well worth the price of $18, especially since they're as pigment-rich as the $24 NARS lipsticks (NARS does have MANY more colors, though). My friend purchased one of the True Romance eye palettes in Beethoven - 8 pans of gorgeous blues and purples with jet black and pale yellow thrown in for good measure. I was unimpressed with the Autograph liquid eyeliner shades and their $16 price tag. I prefer more versatile products and would rather get $4 Prestige liquid liners from the drugstore.

Am I ever going to be too old to appreciate Urban Decay? This line seems to cater to teeny bopper goth chicks like my 17 year old cousin, but I cannot help loving some of their product! Their Deluxe Eyeshadows ($18 each) come in the most adorable packaging with a great mirror for applying. (Similar to NARS single shadows, great mirror but no applicator.) With deep turquoise blue being my signature color of the moment, I snapped up the tin of Peace in a hurry. Each tin has a different design. Who could not want to collect them all? As for the shadow itself, I've found it easy to go subtle or bold with the amount of product I apply. Too much fun!

Speaking of being too old for things, I know I shouldn't be buying glitter eyeliners at my age, but who can resist the Too Faced glitter liners? They're infinitly better than the Urband Decay Heavy Metal liners because Too Faced cared enough to make the carrier gel the same color as the glitter (see my earlier blog regarding the amazing 'Drunk Dial'). I just HAD to get the fantastic pink 'Super Freak' liner!

My boyfriend co-opted my Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray, so I was entirely out. I decided to try the Frederic Fekkai Summer Hair Beach Waves Spray ($22). I'm digging it because of the UV protectant and that it's slightly less sticky than the Surf Spray, but I am definitely NOT digging the coconutty fragrance that reminds why I stopped using that John Frieda Ocean Waves Sea Spray. Bleargh!

I grabbed a new set of red Tweezerman tweezers so I can send my silver pair in for sharpening. I also purchased a wire hairbrush which they say is good for superfine hair that tangles easily. So far, so good.

Checkout at the Sephora is always tedious, but their new Maze O' Impulse Purchases is the Devil incarnate. I resisted the small size tubes of Smashbox Photofinish and the travel sizes of Frederic Fekkai Glossing Creme only to be struck down by the on10 Dr. Pepper Original lip balm with SPF 15 tin. The metal tin holds tons of product and since there's no print to wear off of it, it'll be ideal to refill with lipstick ends or homemade gloss.

Whew... not only did I acquire tons of new product, but I found a new place to drink in Seattle. More on that tomorrow....

Do I buy EVERYTHING I see?

2008-06-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

Astonishingly, I do have some limits. My boyfriend would raise his eyebrow at this, but it is true. For example, I'm not an extreme technology hound. I don't own an MP3 player or any video game systems. We're still using the same TV set that my boyfriend's had since he was 18. An entertainment system is something we'd like 'someday', but it's currently ranked lower than getting a new sofa or a new bed. Our desktop is ancient and desperately needs upgrading, but it's just not the number one priority. Since we love to take pictures of the bands we go to see, we bought a very nice digital camera with our Christmas slot machine jackpot. It's already not the most state of the art camera, but it will last a long time and can grow with us. I do like cell-phone technology, but I cannot bring myself to pay more than $250 for a phone - and I haven't even done THAT yet!

Speaking of cell phones, I am a T-Mobile girl. I'm hooked on their customer service for sure. Since my town house is the black hole from which no T-Mobile signal is available, I rely on the HotSpot@Home service so that I a) get cell phone reception, b) don't have to have a land line, and c) can call 911 from my cell phone while I'm in my home and actually get found. My only wish is that the selection of the data phones compatible with this service would improve. I know I'm lame, but I'd rather have a T-Mobile Wing or Sidekick that worked with HotSpot as opposed to the three Blackberry phones that are currently available. I guess a girl can't have everything!

Hmmm... what else don't I get sucked in to? Oh - digital books! Ok, the Amazon Kindle is a cool idea, but I don't think I will EVER be able to get into reading in a purely digital format. I like to read blogs and articles online, but 600-1000 page books? No thanks. I want the heft of that book in my hand. I want to smell the paper and turn the pages with my fingers. The Kindle is ONLY good for downloading books. It doesn't do anything else. If it were a phone or had crossword games on it or could play music, I'd be a lot more interested. Until that day, Amazon, you can keep your Kindle to yourself!

Purchases gone horribly awry...

2008-06-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

Earlier in this blog, I spoke of my family's failed experiments with the infamous Epilady. There's another funny story involving this same Nameless Relative that still brings me to my knees with laughter.

NR was home watching television when an infomercial for the Abtronic came on. Intrigued and dangerously bored, he decided to order this device. For those not in the know, the Abtronic is one of those electronic muscle stimulators that's supposed to help you tone up while you're just lying in front of the TV. After the promised 3-4 weeks, the Abtronic arrived. NR greedily opened the package, glossed over the instructions, assembled his Abtronic, applied the contact jelly and wrapped it around his stomach. The instructions said to start at a low setting until you figured out the best setting for yourself. NR blatantly ignored this and set it to one of the higher settings. WHAM!!! NR immediately doubled up as he felt like he was getting kicked in the stomach over and over. He tried to pull off the Abtronic, but all that did was get his fingers covered in contact jelly. He started to panic. "Oh no, she's going to come home and I'm going to be lying electrocuted on the sofa!" Finally, he was able to wrench the little motor off the Abtronic (which detaches for just this reason, I believe) so he was able to breathe again.

Of course, after hearing all of this, I had to try the device myself. (I know-brilliant, eh?) He set it on a very low setting for me. It barely vibrated my stomach but tickled so much that I keeling over with laughter. He slowly increased the setting. I told him I failed to see how it could have made him seize up so. With an evil grin, he set it to the Karate Chop setting. OW! It literally felt like a doctor using his reflex hammer to hit you in the middle of your stomach. That was the first and last time I used that product, though NR tried to use it for a while longer.

In another bad move involving infomercials (and hair removal; see Epilady above), I purchased a product whose name now escapes me. It was a tube full of a soft, waxy product. Ostensibly, you squeezed out some product, rolled it in a ball and then spread it over the area you wanted hair removed from. You were supposed to firmly yank off the product, re-roll it and then spread it on the next area.

We all know women who've had bad experiences with home waxing. It seems to me that we all attempt waxing on the most horrible place first - either bikini area or armpits. So of course I spread my little ball of wax over my armpit and attempted to yank it off. YEOWCH!!!! Oh my - that was the worst pain I've ever felt! The product was now firmly attached to my skin, since I was all heated up from the pain of removal. I tried to melt the product off by soaking in a tub. No dice. I tried scrubbing it off with soap and HOT water. Still no dice. I ended up having to pull gobs of this taffy-like substance off my armpit. It hurt so much I had to keep taking breaks so I could face the pain again. I finally got it all off - and ALL of my armpit hair was still firmly attached to my body. Grrrr.... Now, I leave waxing to the professionals.

The Product Slut is born...

2008-06-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

I've loved products since I was a little kid. My grandmother would buy Avon tchotchkes by the truckload for my mom and myself. I had hundreds of plastic pins that held solid perfumes. My first really memorable lip gloss was shaped like a chocolate chip cookie. It held a dark brown chocolate flavored gloss and a tan cookie flavored gloss. It tasted terrible but I loved it. In those more innocent times, my mom could park me in the cosmetics aisle and I would be entertained for ages by making sure that all the lipsticks were in the correct color slots (ahhh, bless Revlon for their lipstick displays).

For my first dance in 5th grade, my mom gave me an Avon compact that had six different eyeshadows, mascara, lipstick and blush. Out of the house, I was not allowed to wear anything but the two palest eyeshadow colors (a light purple and an ivory) and I could wear all the Maybelline Kissing Slicks I wanted. In my house, that compact was used to educate myself in different makeup techniques. I owe a lot to my mom for teaching me about 'Less is more' - even though I do love to indulge in the MORE now and then - especially when I was a pre-teen.

The '8os were a blissful time for the product-obsessed. Everything was BIG! Full faces were de rigueur (mascara, shadows, heavy blush, lips, foundation, cover-up). I started experimenting with color thanks to the Cover Girl eyeshadow quads, and the new Max Factor compacts that you could fill with different shadow pans. I would wear emerald green shadow on my lid and bright yellow shadow from the crease up to the brow bone and black eyeliner on the insides of my eyes. I was sooo cool. (Insert sarcastic eyeroll.) I practically bathed in Love's Baby Soft and Love's Baby Soft Lemon. I owned many different colored hairsprays, hair mascaras (remember L'oreal Zazu?) AND hair glitter. I was always about the accents, though - never a full head of hot pink or blue. I swore by Clearasil, Seabreeze, and Noxema to get rid of all the makeup - even though I was never really acne-prone. At 15, I got my first perm, which led to buying every curl enhancing product on the market. At 17, I was desperate to change my hair color and used my 'farm girl' halloween costume as the brilliant excuse to become a red-head. I pouted when my best friend's mom wouldn't let me buy the gorgeous L'oreal Preference Medium Auburn because it was semi-permanent. She made me buy Clairol Loving Care Light Auburn so it would wash out. Everyone was shocked at how good the red hair looked, so I rocked varying shades of red (strawberry blonde to burgundy) for the next 13 years.

At 18, I got a job working as the unofficial 'cosmetics merchandiser' for a chain drugstore. I was a cashier, but also responsible for setting up and maintaining all of those plastic displays (a.k.a pre-packs) that companies use to advertise their newest products. I spent more than half my weekly paycheck in the cosmetics, skin care and hair care aisles. I bought deep-conditioning packs like crazy (even though my super-fine hair didn't really need it). I was completely hooked on L'oreal Studio Pumping curls (used to amp up my spiral perm) and I bought every shampoo and conditioner we sold at least once. I began using moisturizer with SPF in it when I was 19 (smart move on my part, even though I bought it purely because it was new). I experimented with AHAs in my early twenties (not that anyone that age needed it). Working there, I also read every fashion magazine I could get my hands on, a habit I've never broken since.

Now, as I struggle to turn my obsession into a full-time job, I continue exploring new products and services. Every Saturday around my birthday is spent shopping at Sephora with my girlfriends. I am constantly on the lookout for new things to try and new places to go. Someday it will become clear, but I'm certainly enjoying the journey!

And on the Seventh Day, there was smooth skin (L'oreal Skin Genesis)

2008-06-11T11:09:00.000-07:00

I have long been accused of having 'perfect skin'. No, I've never had acne. I get one monster zit at a time with usually months between appearances. I would never describe my skin as perfect - can't you see all the milia (flesh-colored bumps)? The first time I had my makeup done at the MAC counter, I was horrified to see the foundation settle into the MILLIONS of fine lines around my eyes and the tops of my cheeks (this is why I only use bareMinerals or Chanel Teint Innocence). I've been searching for the perfect skin care regimen for ages and I think I've finally got it!

As we already know, I am all about spending needless amounts of money on cosmetics. $60 foundation? Sure! $18 nail polish? I'll take two! But spending more than $40 on ONE skin care product? You're out of your mind! I once got a free sample of Freeze 24/7 and was delighted at the weird numbing sensation that smoothed out my eye crinkles and my forehead wrinkles. It even relaxed the deep 'I want' line (as Stephen King would call it) from between my roomie's eyes. Intrigued, I looked up the full-size product on Sephora.com. $100 a jar? Forget it!

We also know that I still have a deep, abiding love for the cosmetics and skin care aisles at any drugstore or grocery store. I must check out what is new on the market - I can't help it. The sexy packaging of the L'oreal Skin Genesis line has been tempting me for a long time. I started with the Daily Moisturizer SPF 15 Lotion. I love the airless pump which leaves no dried up balls of product on the dispenser. L'orealparisusa.com says that the packaging keeps air from getting inside the bottle and affecting the purity of the ingredients. That may be, but I can't get over how easy it is to get just the right amount of product for my skin. My skin felt lovely after I applied the moisturizer. I also loved that it didn't smell like SPF. (You know that distinct smell that most lotions with SPF15 or higher have? Like sunblock? I don't want to smell that all day!)

After using it for about a week, I was totally hooked and went after the entire regimen: Daily Eye Serum, Daily Treatment Serum concentrate and the Deep-Action Night Complex. I use one firm pump of the Daily Treatment Serum right after I get out of the shower when my face is still damp. That amount perfectly covers my whole face and neck. I squirt two tiny pumps of the Eye Serum and pat each of them over my entire eye area (lid, crows feet, undereye). I let the serums absorb while I get dressed and comb my hair. Then I use 3 firm pumps of the Daily Moisturizer SPF 15 (again, enough to cover my entire face and neck). After a month of the whole regime, my skin tone is more even, the milia is diminished, my skin feels more firm and it's super soft and smooth. The wrinkles are still there, but I don't notice them as much. I'm looking forward to a foundation free summer!

Expensive Taste (Adventures with the House of Chanel)

2008-06-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, I attended the Nordstrom's Spring Cosmetics Trend show. I know I've spoken of this before, but if you have never attended such an event you are really missing out (unless you don't enjoy throngs of women racing for the 'first 20 customers' offers). For me, it's a biannual event I look forward to. For $15, you get admission to the event, a gift tote that contains special offers, a program of events and your continental breakfast and an appointment at your favorite makeup counter for a free makeover. Then, they take $15 off your total purchases that day. It is a screaming deal!

I was determined not to be at the MAC counter this time, so I made appointments for my friend and myself at the Chanel counter. (Hey, if you're going to get a free makeover, why NOT go to the most expensive counter?) I'd already dabbled in some Chanel makeup (I am devoted to their Teint Innocence creme foundation in the dry winter), so I did my research on what products I wanted to try at the makeover. I'd decided I wanted to try the Inimitable mascara that another friend raved about and the new foundation called Mat Lumiere.

During the 'fashion show' part of the day, we learned that one of the new trends for spring was a 'pop' of bright color either on the eyes or lips. (Not both, please. This is 2008, not 1988!) While I waited for my makeup artist to finish with her customer, I found this gorgeous hot pink Chanel lipstick (Splendeur). When I finally got to sit, my artist asked me what I'd like her to do. I told her that I wanted to try the bright lip trend and that she could do whatever she wanted to with my face as long as she incorporated those three products. She was SO excited that I was letting her play that she applied every potion and product she could get her hands on. (I left with a good 1/4" of makeup on my face, but it sure didn't feel like I had that much on!) We had so much fun!

I ended up purchasing the Inimitable mascara (I love the length and volume it gives without adding too much product), the lipstick (so pretty and versatile - I can slick on a lot for an evening look or press a bit on for a bright day stain), the matching lip pencil (tons of product and a handy brush on the end for applying my lipstick with precision or for smudging a pencil-only lip), and two bottles of nail lacquer (Black Satin and Blue Satin. I'm not thrilled with the Black Satin, but I positively relish the Blue Satin!). I didn't really like the effect of the Mat Lumiere foundation and I just cannot bring myself to spend $40 for the eye shadows she used (even though they were lovely). All in all, I was thoroughly pleased with my purchases and didn't entirely wipe out my bank account!

I'm begging you - please attend one of these events before you die. It's an excellent outing with a bunch of girlfriends (or even just one friend)!

I guess it's only a little 'True'...

2008-06-04T15:17:00.000-07:00

True to form, I've been lagging in my product reviews. Also true to form, I continue to add new products to my little world at a dizzying pace. Recently, a friend turned me on to True Lemon and True Lime. They're handy little packets of lemon or lime flavoring that you can add to water or tea or even use in cooking. What surprised me is how 'true' they tasted - literally like squeezing a lemon or lime slice in my water. I immediately gave packets to all my nearest and dearest because I love them so much!

Now, these packets claim '0 calories, 0g carbohydrates' and 'no sweeteners'. Well, the True Lemon and True Lime actually contain a bit of maltodextrin, which is a type of sugar. I get that because each packet contains .08g of product, the FDA allows them to claim 'zero'. I was okay with that, especially since one packet flavors a 32oz bottle of water nicely (any less water and it's too much for me, though others may like it fine).

Then I bought some True Orange. Since I loved the other two flavors, I was excited to try this one. That excitement was short-lived. I put a packet of True Orange in my iced tea and was shocked at how fake it tasted. At first, I wrote it off as not being diluted enough in a 16oz beverage (or even just not being the proper flavor tea to carry it off). The nest day, I added a packet to my usual 32oz of water. Bleargh! It still tasted fake - similar to the baby aspirin I took as a child. Because it was weirdly sweet, I read the back of the packet. Hmmm - the VERY first ingredient in True Orange is DEXTROSE. For those not in the know (or who don't remember the old cartoon PSAs that told you to watch out for Fructose, Dextrose and Glucose as being hidden sugars in your cereal), dextrose is one of the two sugars found in honey. I found it weird that it says 'no sweeteners' and then the first ingredient is a sugar - but then I slapped myself silly with the FDA guidelines and the rule of 'less than 1g equals zero'.

Overall, I'm ok with the product because I do love lemon and lime in my water and it's not always convenient to keep wedges of each in my purse. I'm glad there's no sucralose or aspartame in any of the three flavors. I'll keep getting the lemon and lime, but no more True Orange for this lady.

J'adore Dior (hardly creative, but it works)...

2007-10-22T17:15:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the Nordstrom's fall trend show. I love going to these things. Not only is it fun time with my lady friends, but I love ogling all the new products. Seriously, I read so many magazines a month, I know every trend before we get to the show, but it's fun all the same. You get a box breakfast, watch a runway show, hope your name is called for giveaways, and plot your path for gifts with purchase. You can also get your makeup done at your favorite counter. I couldn't partake in the makeover this time because I was going to be moving afterward, but I'm going to go make friends at the Chanel counter so I can get my makeup done by them!

The most attractive GWP offer (in my view) was the Dior offer. Buy two products, get an evening bag filled with mini-Dior samples. It was the perfect excuse to get some Diorshow Mascara and its partner-in-crime, Diorshow Unlimited. I know giant lashes, smoky eyes and red lips are IT this season, so I was all about the promise of ginormous lashes with no glue.

Even though I was going to be all sweaty in about an hour, I couldn't resist playing with my new purchases. I was a little taken aback by the HUGE brush for the Diorshow. It's the biggest mascara brush I've ever seen - I was scared to put it near my eye! One swoop gave me a lovely day eye. Two coats and Holy Cats - I was half-way to Liza-rific eyes. I finished it off by adding a top coat of Diorshow Unlimited for ridiculously long, full lashes. My mascara lasted all day, no flaking or smearing despite my exertions.

I also purchased a tube of Dior Addict lipstick in Violet Spectrum. I don't have any plummy lipsticks, so I was happy to find one that works on me. It's a lovely color for daytime and it lasts a long time (especially for a perle). I will definitely head back there for some creme shades.

Go-go-Guerlain!

2007-09-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

A while back, I'd read an article in Allure about powdered kohl liner. I was intrigued, then forgot all about it. Last month, I was doing my Fall trend shopping on Sephora. It was super-sample bag time and I was trying to fill up my cart to get the free shipping as well as my free gifties. I started adding a bunch of red lipsticks to my bag when I stopped cold. I have several great red lipsticks. I don't need another one.

I decided to go for the other part of the fall trend - smoky eyes and big lashes. I got the Sephora false lash placement kit. As I kept searching through the eye makeup, I saw it. Guerlain's Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl. I immediately added the Noir to my cart and submitted my order.

I love everything about this stuff - excellent quality, super hot packaging and it's easy to use (after some practice). You can apply it the Western way by dipping a clean, moist eyeliner brush in the powder and line your lids as you would with a liquid liner. I prefer to use it Eastern style. Take the applicator wand that comes with the product, dip it in the powder, then put the tip of the wand at the inside corner of your eye. Close your eyes gently on the wand and draw it to the other end of your eye. It will line both your upper lid and your lower lid at the same time. It's super-sexy and stays on forever.

The first few times you do it, powder will invariably sprinkle on your cheeks or get on your upper lid. Resist the temptation to wipe at it with your finger because it will make an unholy mess. I keep my bare escentuals I.D. On the Spot eye makeup remover swabs handy. They clean up the excess powder quickly and really are the only things I would put that close to my eye to get the liner off at night.

I love the loose powder kohl so much in Noir that I just ordered the turquoise. I can't WAIT to try it!

TPS comes out!!!

2007-08-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, TPS has been remiss in her product updates. She couldn't figure out why she'd been so unmotivated, even though she's been extra excited about new cosmetics, restaurants and experiences. Well, the truth is...

I was frustrated with this overly cutesy TPS persona. I know, I know... I started it. Now, I'm over it. Before we get on with it, I'm Linda. I live and love in Tacoma, WA and I want to talk to you about makeup and restaurants and cocktails and well, everything I wrote about before only less 'precious'.

Thanks for bearing with me and for coming along for the ride!

Lip stain-o-rama

2007-03-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

From her first experience with Max Factor Rose Water lip/cheek stain (even though it gave one an unfavorable purple tint more commonly associated with asphyxiation), TPS has been on the hunt for THE perfect lip stain.

Benefit Cosmetics Benetint is definitely a winner for both cheeks and lips, though TPS much prefers it for a lovely cheek flush. It was created as a nipple tint for strippers, so OF COURSE TPS had to try it for herself. In its earlier incarnation, it only came in the glass bottle with the nail lacquer-esque brush. It worked well for cheek application, but was not very portable (as TPS was dismayed to find the bottle had shattered inside her purse after only owning it for a couple of days). But our friends at Benefit are packaging geniuses (or perhaps they just took a tip from Hard Candy's Stain 'n Shine - another winner), putting Benetint in a double-sided, mascara-sized tube. One side is your Benetint, the other is a handy clear lip gloss. Saved!

There are a couple of problem with lip stains. The limitations of color and the taste. Most of the lipstains that TPS has tried are either VERY hot pink(not her color) or a natural pink that, though pretty, didn't give a lot of oomph. She was delighted to discover that Stila Lip Rouge came in 5 different colors. She immediately grabbed one in Moue, a pretty rose-wine tint. Well, the color is indeed perfect. The felt-tip magic marker type applicator? Not so much. The color does not come out easily enough, even with storing it on end as suggested. It's too, too bad. As for taste, they either taste vaguely bitter or floraly. Benetint's rose scent is nice, but the boys don't like to taste it.

Let us digress for a moment. As you know, TPS was chomping at the bit to get the new lip topping, Sugar Sugar, from Revlon. This is a perfect example of how susceptible TPS is to good marketing, since she normally avoids Revlon products like the plague. Included the March issue of Marie Claire, Revlon advertising insert for their new Limited Edition line. The photo of sparkly pink lips immediately captivated TPS, awakening the "I-must-have-it" monster.

When TPS went to her local drugstore to check if this new wonder was in stock, she was pleasantly surprised to find another new addition to the Revlon Limited Edition Collection. Just Bitten Lip Stain comes in 4 colors, all as fruity/flirty as their names: Blood Orange, Cherry Tart, Plum Wicked and Berry Juicy. Each color tastes like its name, but not in an obnoxious Lip Smackers way. TPS picked up a tube of Blood Orange and one of Cherry Tart.

These lipstains are very versatile, as long as you're quick about it. Just Bitten's thicker product allows for more time to play before it sets, which can also be a drawback if you just want to apply and go. For a strong shot of color, apply directly to your lips with the rollerball applicator. DO NOT PRESS YOUR LIPS TOGETHER AFTER APPLYING THIS WAY. (It will result in a sticky line of stain across the center of each lip. Not hot - but repairable if you discover it quickly). If this is too much color for you, gently smudge with your pinky for a softer look that still pops. For a more subtle stain at the onset, apply with a lip brush.

Our First Letter to TPS!!!

2007-02-25T18:16:00.000-08:00

Dear Product Slut:

I know you said you love infomercials, so I was wondering what you think of ProActiv. Have you tried it? What do you think? ~ Skinquisitive in CA

OH yes, TPS does love her infomercials. She bought the Lori Davis hair care line (yes, the stuff promoted by Cher). She is currently captivated by the Magic Bullet commercials, but has successfully restrained herself from buying it (so far). But we digress...

TPS has indeed tried ProActiv. Before she purchased the starter kit, TPS surveyed her friends and relatives who had also tried it. One positively adored it; using the complete system in conjunction with her bareVitamins from I.D. resulted in clear, beautiful skin. Another loathed it, since the high concentration of benzoyl peroxide bleached all her wash cloths and bed linens. Armed with knowledge, TPS took the plunge and called in her order.

The products arrived speedily. The packaging is simple yet effective. TPS was encouraged. She began the 3-step regimen of Renewing Cleanser, Revitalizing Toner and Repairing Lotion. After a week, TPS realized that this was not the product line for her. Perhaps if she were still in her 20s, the whole regimen would have worked for her, as her skin then was oilier. Currently, she is more concerned with her fine lines and combination skin and the whole regimen just proved too drying, even with extra moisturizer and sunblock. The ProActiv regimen is really for problem acne, not semi-regular small breakouts.

TPS was still fretting, since despite her drier skin she was getting these enormous under-the -skin pimples on her chin (which was why she had tried ProActiv to begin with. She never had such zits as a teen or twenty-something). Fortunately, the ProActiv 30 day trial came with a bonus - the Refining Mask. Not a mask in the traditional sense, TPS relies on this as a spot treatment. She applies it to a monster chin zit after her night-time cleansing, leaving it on for 10 minutes. By morning, the monster chin zit is greatly diminished if not entirely gone. It is pretty fantastic. She also uses the Repairing Lotion for smaller blemishes.

Once her tube of Refining Mask is gone, TPS will revert to her other reliable spot treatment - The Burt's Bees Parsley Blemish Stick. Unfortunately, ProActiv wants you to buy the complete system to get any of their products and TPS does not want to go back down that road.

Do you have experience with ProActiv? Do you disagree with this assessment? Do you have another skin care regimen you'd like to rave about? TPS wants to hear from YOU! Feel free to comment here or email her at theproductslut@yahoo.com.

Have a lovely evening!

Beauty Blunders

2007-02-21T20:00:00.000-08:00

Oh yes. Everyone has them. Everyone also loves to revels in the beauty mishaps of others. To that end, TPS would LOVE to hear your stories. Submit your most cringe-worthy moments to theproductslut@yahoo.com and she will publish them here. Don't worry - TPS may be a marketer's dream, but she abhors spam and will never share your email address with anyone. She will also give you anonymity!

TPS promised her former roommate (and dear, dear bunny) that she would finally make public his favorite TPS beauty blunders, so here they are:

The Epilady Stories

With few exceptions, women have consistently searched for a 'better mousetrap', also known as 'long-lasting, painless body hair removal'. What some of us will do for hair-free legs and underarms! Well, la mère de TPS is no exception.

In the 90's, Maman purchased the Epilady. An electronic device designed to replace other methods of hair removal, it promised that, with repeated use, the hair would eventually cease to grow back. Well, if Maman was game, so was TPS!

After reading the instructions in their entirety, TPS sat on the floor and hunched over her right ankle. Moving the vibrating coiled springs in the recommended small circular motion, TPS started to feel terrible stinging as each leg hair was ripped out by the root. (Imagine a necklace plucking out a few fine hairs at the nape of your neck. Now multiply that by 1000.) Determined to suffer any amount of pain for long-lasting smoothness, TPS kept at it, becoming only slightly alarmed by the teeny red welts that were appearing in the plucked areas. Then, out of nowhere, WHOOONNNNNNGGGGG!!! TPS shrieked. While focused on the intense pain in her leg, TPS had failed to notice that her long hair had fallen out of the clip and, while dangling near the Epilady, got caught in the coils. Fortunately for TPS, the Epilady is only meant to yank out very short hairs, so TPS just turned off the contraption and extracted her locks from it unharmed. That sound still haunts TPS to this day.

Lest anyone think that only women-folk are susceptible to such marketing claims, let us examine the case of a certain male TPS knows. (A certain male relative, no less!) The aforementioned Gentlemen Relative was going through a shaved head phase. He would first use the clippers, then follow with a regular razor and shaving cream for a totally smooth pate.

One afternoon, when none of the ladies of the house were home, Gentleman Relative thought that if the Epilady was supposed to keep legs smoother longer, surely it would do the same to his scalp. He went up to the bathroom and proceeded to yank out every hair on his head. While it worked, his whole head turned bright red and started pounding painfully.

Maman arrived home shortly, only to find Gentleman Relative lying prone and moaning on the sofa, a cold wet towel wrapped around his head. She dissolved in laughter when he explained the source of his pain. He never did so again.

Confidential to P.B.: Hope you're satisfied now!

"But it's sooo cuuute!" - Truth in packaging

2007-02-20T21:30:00.000-08:00

Let's face facts. TPS is a complete sucker. She's a sucker for empty promises, for glossy magazine spreads, for new ANYTHING. (Just wait until she gets her mitts on Sugar Sugar, a new lip topping by Revlon. Lip topping? Curse you, Revlon!) Most of all, TPS cannot resist adorable packaging. First, Benefit Cosmetics got her. Then the clever names of Urban Decay, Too Faced and Hard Candy seduced her. But TPS could wax rhapsodic over all these products and she will. Oh, she will. But first, she must take a hard look at a beloved product line.

TPS has already stated her devotion to Bare Escentuals. That has not changed. However, there are certain truths that must be shared, and it's a big one. Bare Escentuals packaging leaves much to be desired.

The outer packaging is lovely. Great artwork on the eye kits, sleek black tops and clear tubs for the colors - it's quite nice at first glance. Unfortunately, bare Minerals are just not that portable.
The black lids loosen en route - especially on the eye shadows and sample size colors that come in the starter kits. TPS now has Soiree (a gorgeous goldy-green) all over the inside of her makeup bag, even though the jar never opened all the way. The powder minerals just... seep.

La soeur de TPS gave her a Bare Escentuals compact containing four glimmers. The compact is fabulous looking. It's rectangular 4 inch box with a push-button opener. A good sized mirror lines the entire inside of the compact and each loose shadow has its own snap-top container, reminiscent of those paint-by-numbers plastic paint tubs. It looks like it would be a very secure method of transporting loose powder makeup. Not remotely. The entire compact does not snap tightly closed and the colors seep profusely from under their individual snap-tops. Such a shame!

Hope is not entirely lost. The "Go Bare, Baby" collection is pure genius, not only in colors but the packaging is almost perfect. You get three sample size all-over face colors in Bare Radiance, Rose Radiance and Soft Focus Warmth, plus a Soft Focus face brush (the softest of all the Bare Escentuals brushes). All three powders and the brush sit inside a foam-core palette, with ribbons underneath to pull each product out of its form-fitted nest. The whole package is nice, heavy cardboard with a 3"x5" mirror in the cover. The box stays closed with magnets. As far as TPS is concerned, you pair this with the portable (and refillable!) compact of Mineral Veil and you're set for a long weekend. Just don't attempt to bring any eyeshadows across state lines without securely wrapping each one in tissue. According to the Sephora website, "Go Bare Baby" is perfect for "quick, on-the-go touchups", but unless you're carrying a huge purse all the time, a 4"X6" palette is hardly convenient.

TPS can only hope that I.D. starts taking portability into account as they continue selling billions of products.

Vernis à ongles

2007-02-20T20:30:00.000-08:00

Lacquer. Nail lacquer. TPS likes it ever so much. Lacquer is just fun to say. How did TPS fall in love with the lacquer? It's a semi-long story...

Just this past Labor Day weekend, TPS found herself in Tucson, AZ. A Northern girl all her life, TPS does not generally enjoy stifling heat, so she spent as much time as she could in the pool or near air conditioning. A lovely lady friend suggested that they beat the heat by getting mani/pedis at a nearby salon. Now can you believe that prior to 8.31.06, TPS had NEVER had a pedicure in her ENTIRE life? (Shocking, but true.) Needless to say, she has scheduled them monthly ever since.

As you may have gathered, TPS is hardly a wilting flower, especially when it comes to color. At that first appointment, she chose OPI Black Onyx (glossy black) for her toes and China Glaze Gun Metal (a lovely pewter) for her fingers. She learned her first lesson of the mani/pedi: everyday life (ok, and a chlorine pool) wreaks havoc on your manicure, but any pedi worth its salt lasts a good month before chipping.

For her next appointment, TPS rounded up a couple of girlfriends and went to a nearby salon. Her eye was drawn to a most sparkly blue, lighter than royal blue but not nearly baby blue. One of her girlfriends selected another sparkle for her own toes, but in a lush, deep red - exactly the shade of Dorothy's ruby slippers. (TPS was positively green that she hadn't seen the color first, but does not begrudge her friends their beauty discoveries.) At work the next day, a co-worker admired the sparkly blue fingernails on TPS and asked the name of the color. TPS was HORRIFIED - she hadn't even LOOKED at the name! Honestly, clever color names are often a deciding factor when TPS picks new products. TPS immediately flew to the web and searched for China Glaze color names. It was here that LACQUER caught TPS in its sticky grip, forever altering her beauty vocabulary.

Conducting a myriad of of failed searches, TPS finally found what she was looking for. China Glaze had a collection of nail lacquers called "The Wizard of Ooh-Aahz". The sparkly blue was named "Dorothy Who?", after Dorothy's gingham pinafore. Her friend's sparkly red? "Ruby Pumps", of course!

Sadly, "Dorothy Who?" and the rest of the collection are discontinued. Only "Ruby Pumps" escaped to become a classic color for China Glaze. At about $3 per bottle, "Ruby Pumps" is the greatest glitter nail lacquer ever made. It creates a sumptuous glow instead of a glaring disco-ball finish. This is grown-up glitter, ladies - it's just that sexy! For best results, apply base coat, 2-3 color coats and a nice, thick top-coat. The top-coat prevents the glitter from feeling sandy. Another tip: plain old OPI clear coat is the best top-coat TPS has ever used. Her manicures last much longer when she uses it.

China Glaze, like OPI, has a really great brush that allows for even color application. It also costs much less than OPI, but that will hardly TPS from her beloved OPI Lincoln Park After Dark! Whew! All this talk about nail lacquer has got TPS all revved up for her manicure this weekend. TPS is also getting her first leg wax ever, so she will dutifully report upon her return.

Boba-rific!

2007-02-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

As you will come to know over the next few months, TPS has somewhat of a drinking problem. Not so much in a "can't function without it" way, more in a "ooh, that looks like fun" way. Her old roomie used to joke that TPS would try every new flavor of soda before they even advertised it on TV. While TPS does enjoy a good cocktail, she'd like to focus on her current fascination: bubble tea.

For those not swayed by every new beverage that comes into the marketplace, bubble tea consists (at its most basic) of tea, sweetener and large black tapioca pearls called "boba". At most bubble tear purveyors, you can get a "milk tea"(half and half, flavored syrup and tea) or you can get it frozen with a Starbucks Frappucino type texture. You don't have to add boba, either. There are lots of different little jellies you could add, should you desire it. You can also get certain flavors with no half and half. This is a drink that is about texture more than flavor.

TPS very much enjoyed an Almond Milk Tea with boba now and again. That is, until she found out the caloric content of a 12 oz. bubble tea has about 300-500 calories. Much detective work was conducted to find any nutritional information about bubble tea and this number is still more vague than TPS would like. Urgh.

All is not lost to TPS and her Seattle-area boba lovers. Thank heavens for Koots Green Tea shops (locations in Bellevue and Seattle's Central District)! Koots focuses on healthier liquid beverages. They mostly use pure cane sugar as a sweetener and they have a wide assortment of green tea-based goodies. Currently their menu features four different bubble teas. TPS has not tried either latte-style (er, milk tea) bubble tea, but the jasmine pearl tea is excellent. It's just lightly-sweetened jasmine green tea and boba. The other non-milk tea is a mint green (the mint is regular DaVinci Menthe Syrup). TPS does not care for mint beverages, so she won't try it - but her co-worker loved it. Koots is a great little shop with lots of fun tea accoutrements, so TPS wishes them much success.

Can you collect a hotel chain?

2007-02-18T19:18:00.000-08:00

Ever since TPS relocated from New York City to the Seattle area, she simply cannot get enough of the McMenamins chain of brewpubs and hotels. This is somewhat of a shock as TPS had poo-poo'd chain restaurants in the past. (TPS would just like to note that as an American, of COURSE she has patronized chain restaurants. One cannot totally avoid them - even in Stockholm. The Swedes LOVE TGIFriday's!)

For those not fortunate enough to have experienced a McMenamins, TPS would love to lay a little history on you, but she MUST direct you to their gem of a website. There, you can find out the McMenamin Brothers grand plan, from quirky little brew pubs to grand hotels (check out the Grand Hotel in Oregon). Suffice to say, they find older buildings and turn them into fun places to hang out with friends and family, yet retaining the original flavor of the building. Each pub and hotel is different in decor, but they feature similar menus and their famous craft beers. (They have Tots on the menu! Tater Tots! TPS is spoiled indeed.) The hotels share some similar features, like brew pubs and movie theaters, but each has something special that makes it a destination , not a place to crash along the way.

There's only one Edgefield (Troutdale, Oregon) - the jewel of this particular chain. Once a poor farm in the early part of the 1900's, the Edgefield is now a complex that is positively littered with things to do and see. The main building features a gift shop, a pool hall, a fine-dining restaurant and the majority of guest rooms. It also links you to the on-site winery. Then there's the Power Station, featuring a brew pub and a movie theater where you can enjoy a beer and a burger with your double-feature. There's an on-site brewery AND a distillery, where TPS demands that you try the Edgefield gin. It's peppery and piney and makes a fantastic Dutch Drop. Le Petit Ami de TPS prefers to spend most every moment in the Little Red Shed, the former incinerator-turned-teeny whiskey bar. It's almost completely covered in brambles and is the coziest place on earth. There are many other places to visit (Jerry's Ice House, the golf course, etc.) and TPS firmly believes it's Disneyland for Drunks. Even with that sentiment, it's still family-friendly. You can rent a whole cottage for you and the kiddies.

TPS has also visited the Olympic Club (Centralia, WA), a former Gentlemen's Club and brothel. Again, there's a pool hall and a comfy movie theater, but there are also two special booths in the pub that are still equipped with the buzzer that would call your lady of the night down to you. They're also beautifully appointed with Tiffany-style glass and dark woods, so they can be romantic, if a bit, well, naughty.

The St. Francis School in Bend, OR has a Turkish bath-inspired soaking pool that TPS is dying to check out. She also wants to share a drink with Petit Ami in the Detention Bar at the Kennedy School in Portland, OR. The McMenamin Brothers are opening more locations soon and TPS wants to see them all. She thinks they should sell passports so that you can collect stamps from every one that you visit, but until that day she will content herself with glassware from each hotel. Pint glasses are products, too!

bareEscentuals Foiling Glimmers

2006-12-21T10:19:00.000-08:00

TPS is certainly covetous.

Months ago, she saw the lovely silver box holding 4 metallic shimmers (True Gold, White Gold, Sterling Silver and Platinum). She hadn't watched her DVD, but had heard about "foiling" from one of her dear friends who she'd bullied into buying the bareMinerals Get Started kit.

"Foiling", for those not in the know, is the wet application of a shimmer powder. Done correctly, it gives the effect of gold-leafing or silver-foiling your eyes. With the advent of the actual gold, silver and platinum shimmers, one could almost literally accomplish this.

The sister of TPS shamelessly indulges her, sending the Foiling Glimmers set as a birthday gift. TPS immediately began experimenting.

Applied dry, these colors are sheer and subtle and yet, for all their sheerness, last all day. Applied wet - YOWZA! The Platinum is so bright it looks like you've taped tinfoil to your eyes. (In a good way - not a preventing alien eyescan way.) The Sterling Silver allows for a more smoky eye look. TPS feels that the White Gold would be cartoony applied wet, but it's certainly gorgeous dry. True Gold, since TPS doesn't wear yellow gold on her person, was opened last of all. She was quite surprised at how flattering it was in its dry form. She is not at all interested in gold-leafing her eyes. Ever.

A tip:

No matter how tempting it is, do not dump a whole bunch of the powder into some water for a more opaque application. TPS found that as the "foil" dries, it gets very powdery and shakes off to sprinkling your whole eye area and your cheeks. Not hot. A small amount of powder mixed with a small amount of water gives the perfect "foil" look with no flaking.

BareEscentuals, how I covet thee...

2006-07-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

Over the past year, the Product Slut has been hitting the BareEscentuals pretty hard. One might say she has a problem. The Product Slut does not hear I.D. complaining about how much money she gives to Sephora on their behalf. They are not complaining that she insists her friends and family all switch to this brand of makeup. They really get to her when they include a thinly disguised infomercial (er, how-to DVD) in her starter kit.

No matter - this stuff is the real deal. It's no wonder that the starter kits are so inexpensive. Once they hook you, you're hooked for life. Let us dissect:

bareMinerals Get Started Kit

Contains:
bareVitamins
bareMinerals foundation in two colors for exact skin shade match.
Mineral Veil
All-over face color in Warmth
Full-coverage Kabuki brush
Flawless application brush
Maximum Concealer brush

First, one preps their face with the bareVitamins. This is a lotion that one applies pre-moisturizer to smooth out the skin for applying the bareMinerals. For The Product Slut, she can live with or without this step. She doesn't have huge skin issues, but will admit that her skin feels smoother when using and she should probably start applying it religiously.

Next, tap some bareMinerals foundation into its lid. Swirl your chosen application brush until all the minerals are in the bristles. Tap off the excess and swirl make-up onto your face. Because of the two shades, you can get very close to your natural color. For the very fair folk: the very palest cover is not available in the starter kit at Sephora. However, at bareescentuals.com, you can customize your kit if you need the palest of the pale. The Product Slut is fair, but the second palest color (Fairly Light) works for her. She revels in the weightlessness of this foundation, the even coverage with no line, and the spf 15. Bravo!

Mineral Veil is similar to translucent powder. You can use it alone, or over foundation, or after you've applied your full face to set your look. This is the product that the Product Slut cannot live without, even if she lives without bareVitamins sometimes. Mineral Veil gives her a soft-focus look without ever looking chalky. If one is of a darker complexion, one can get the tinted Mineral Veil. Mineral Veil can be applied throughout the day to freshen up or banish shine. (The portable compact created by bareEscentuals is PERFECT for Mineral Veil. It's easy to fill, keeps your purse from becoming covered in minerals and comes with a great mirror and brush. Love it!)

The Product Slut was very hesitant about the Warmth. It is a dark terracotta color that looks similar to a bronzer. Since she has had bad experiences with bronzers looking like dirt on her skin, she cautiously used the Warmth. Boy, was she ever wrong about this stuff! It adds a lovely warm glow - but not like she suddenly got tan. A little goes a VERY long way, so use sparingly. Personally, TPS likes her complexion a little rosier, so she goes with Glee as her all-over face color.

The brushes that come with this kit are excellent. So soft, so effective. They are all the full size versions and even if the cosmetics were crappy, the kit is worth it for the brushes alone. TPS uses the Flawless application brush for her foundation and the full-coverage Kabuki brush for her Mineral Veil, but is not afraid to mix it up.

TPS must mention that she does not really love the small sizes of the foundation and Mineral Veil. It can get a little messy with the swirling and tapping. Once you use them up, you will be very pleased with the full size products. TPS could not get over how un-messy it was!

The how-to DVD that accompanies the starter kit is fun to watch, if only for Leslie's extra tips. The two "models" are stiff and a little hard to take, but TPS will suffer for a little gain in knowledge.

Coming soon: After becoming addicted to foundation again after years of not wearing it, TPS decided to branch out into the eye/lip products offered by I.D. Fun with foiling!

Welcome, fellow product sluts!

2006-07-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

The Product Slut is here to spend her hard-earned pocket money on every sundry item that appeals to her acquisitive nature. She will rate commercials that make her want to buy things or that repel her. She will spend every moment she can poring over Marie Claire and Allure, drooling over Christian Laboutin shoes and gathering tidbits about new products and techniques. She will tell you all about her failed experiments, the products she loathes and the products that make her squeal with delight. Nothing is off limits. If you are of a sensitive nature, you may want to avert your eyes.

The Product Slut is also of the middle class, so she will not incur debt for beauty or comfort, but she will live paycheck to paycheck in order to afford the little luxuries.

The Product Slut hopes you enjoy her little missives and welcomes you to propose products for review.