Tuesday, June 24, 2008

New Acquisitions

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....

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