SHH

A little birdie told me that MAC Holiday '07 collection will be Juicy Couture meets Marie Antoinette with white and gold packaging. Surely something to lust for.

I'm back

I got back from Vegas 2 days ago but have been sleeping most of the time. My classes resume next week and for now, I've decided to cancel the hosting for the domain. So MAC has two collections that comes out tomorrow. Smoke Signals and Blue Storm. I was stalking the Mac in the Caesar Forums hoping that they would have something out. No, I was wrong. It was nice being able to walk there from Mirage, where I was staying.

I'll be going to visit an old friend of mine who also happens to be a MAC makeup artist in Long Island to check out the new collections and hopefully not come back poorer. Not to mention I just spent $110 on a set of makeup brushes. Oy >.< Hope to tell you my future reviews on these collections.

Travel Friendly Ideas

Well I'm leaving on the in 16 hours and till then, would probably not blog for a week. Then again, I'm a horrible blogger, I've been on and off. Can't help it though, been extraordinarily busy with work. I'm about to head out in about 20 minutes.

So what are my ideas for traveling and being a product junkie like me?

Buy a number of containers, solid soaps/shampoo/conditioners (had I ever mentioned how wonderful Lush is for this?) and etc.

Not to mention since I'm also a mineral makeup whore, I would have plenty of 5gram jars laying around the house. you can buy these on ebay in bulk. Choice of cap color is up to you. You can buy 100 for less than $25 and trust me, these are super handy.

As of now, I already have a good number of stuff packed into these little jars for a 8 day vacation. Hair pomade, moisturizers, primers, MAC Fast Response Eye Creme. I'll probably just keep thinking of more thing to jam in while I sneak some samples at Sephora. (Yes Cindy, thats pretty much the only reason why I'm gonna sneak into Sephora tonight. Hopefully I won't blow my wallet as I'm known too. By the way, I thought you may want to have a laugh at this, I told Drew that I have a problem when my seven eyeliners were received. [Reviews soon to come, I've been plagued with a sty!])

Mini bottles are also quite awesome. I'm gonna use mine to carry some Dr. Bronner's Castile soap (I LOVE this soap! Its awesome for shaving my legs, cleaning the house and etc.)

Now what I'm bringing with me from Lush (boy did I have fun there on Tuesday).

Jungle - Conditioner. However I found out I had some left at home. Oops.
Trichomania - Shampoo
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Soap - boy can this thing moisturize, seriously.
Baby Face- Cleanser - nice cleanser that is soft and gently, plus it takes everything off.
Buffy the Backside Slayer - I love this as much as I love the show. I like hardcore scrubbing, what can I say?

I hope thats all of it. I need to hop to Lush in a moment to get Buffy, I'm tempted to go to Barnes and Noble to get even more Buffy!

Shopping Problem

I'm addicted to shopping. I'll admit that. For some unknown reason there was a whole army of sales for e-stores for mineral makeup and one thing I learned from joining forums is, you get addicted to sampling, looking for your perfect match in foundation. As of now in Everyday Minerals (EDM), I'm a light neutral and I'm about to order samples from Meow Cosmetics, rather I just did in the process of typing this as we speak.

I have a problem. I need to do something otherwise I end up doing a lot of damage to my bank account.

So this is the damage of the day

Meow:

Pampered Puss: 2-Frisky Manx Sample : 1 : 1.00
Pampered Puss: 3-Naughty Manx Sample : 1 : 1.00
Pampered Puss: 2-Frisky Angora Sample : 1 : 1.00
Pampered Puss: 3-Naughty Angora Sample : 1 : 1.00
Pampered Puss: 2-Frisky Korat Sample : 1 : 1.00
Pampered Puss: 3-Naughty Korat Sample : 1 : 1.00
Pampered Puss: 2-Frisky Chartreux Sample : 1 : 1.00
Pampered Puss: 3-Naughty Chartreux Sample : 1 : 1.00
Pampered Puss: 2-Frisky Abyssinian Sample : 1 : 1.00
Pampered Puss: 3-Naughty Abyssinian Sample : 1 : 1.00

Lumiere:

9 pc Brush Set - Synthetic : $31.95
Diminish Clear Emu Oil : $9.00
Original Creamy Emu Oil : $4.00

Good thing for the discounts. I ended up saving $10.

Travel Tips: Getting Around the 3-Ounce Rule

note: I did not write this but rather copy and pasted the entry as I find it will be great to have this on hand. Plus I'm going to Vegas next Saturday. Also, sorry for my lack of bloggage but life is catching up with me.

I fly at least once a month - and I never want to check my bags. Trouble is, I have very dry, sensitive skin and cannot use hotel products. So Help! Help! Help! Help!
\r\n

Link to the help forum or better known as the \"How do I?\" Forum", "style=\"background: #FFFFCC;padding: 4px;font-size: 10px;font-style: verdana;\"");' onmouseout="GAL_hidepopup();"> how do I limit myself to three-ounce bottles and fit everything in that (zip-top, quart-size) plastic bag we're limited to these days? Here are some tips I've learned to save my skin - and my time.

1. Yes, toothpaste counts. Put a travel size tube in your plastic bag to start.

2. Remember, the rule is that containers can't be larger than three ounces - so don't try to bring the remaining three ounces of a six-ounce shampoo bottle.

3. Your eye cream can double as a nighttime facial cream (that's what I do when I'm traveling). Similarly, a separate eye cream isn't absolutely necessary - just pat your regular moisturizer around your eye area. Let your products do double duty.

4. Look for stick foundation, rather than liquid, so your makeup doesn't take up valuable space in the plastic bag.

5. Bring lipsticks and lip balms instead of glosses to save even more space.

6. Avoid liquid eyeliners and eye shadows - stick to powders to avoid problems.

7. This is the one time you will hear me recommend a bar soap for the face (but look for the gentlest you can find). These don't need to go in the bag.

8. Save your favorite perfume samples or visit a department-store perfume counter and pick some up before you leave. They're a huge space saver.

9. Going to be outdoors during your trip? Buy sunscreen when you arrive. Not only will you save precious room in your luggage, you'll ensure that the sunscreen is at maximum potency (unlike years-old tubes you might have lying around the house).

10. One thing you should never skimp on when flying is hydration. Look for small spray bottles of water that you can mist on your face during the flight. Follow that up with moisturizer, and you'll lock in moisture to fight the effects of airplane air.

Finally, take inexpensive, small items that you won't mind leaving behind. Flying internationally? Think of it as freeing up room to shop the duty-free stores on your way home. I always buy color cosmetics and perfumes duty-free - it's cheaper, and your purchases aren't subject to the liquid and gel rules when you buy them after you've cleared security. (Charles de Gaulle in Paris and the airport in Vancouver, Canada, have the best duty-free shops, in my opinion)

Wishing you great skin!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Leslie Baumann, M.D.

Dr. Baumann is author of the best-selling book, "The Skin Type Solution." To learn more about her revolutionary skin typing system, visit her Web site. Many of Dr. Baumann's recommended skin care products are available there, and a portion of proceeds goes to The Dermatology Foundation.

Japanese Makeup Blog

After subscribing to three years of Cawaii, I have a binder full of makeup tips and ideas. This site is a great resource for looking up ideas for Asian beauty. Do know that in these magazines that they tend to go for a double lid so its up to you whether or not to have eyelid glue or fake lashes at your disposal.

http://www.japanesefashionstyle.blogspot.com/

Fyrinnae Liquid Eyeliners

I've been a fan of Fyrinnae eyeshadows since they were Bombshellbaths. They have nearly 800 different color choices in eyeshadows and from what I heard (thank you hours of killing time on message boards), they also offer foundation for the palest of the pale which would be awesome for you pale ladies out there.

Since I missed out on their gel eyeliners (and I hope they do reformulate them badly!) and heard rave reviews on their liners, I decided to order some (plus at the moment they are $7.75 as opposed to their usual $9.00 and free shipping for over $25):

Flamboyant Forest – Shimmery forest green with a teal hue.

Turquoise Tease – Bright light turquoise with coordinating shimmer.

Dazzling Darkness – Black with blue and purple "flecks" of shimmer.

Violet Vendetta – Shimmery dark purple.

Midnight Mistress – Somewhat shimmery midnight blue with violet hues.

Ninja – Black, black, black. No shimmer. Nothing but darkness.

Sensual Scarlet – Shimmery, rich red that may vary between a warm and a cool shade, depending on each user. This shade can also be used on lips (we recommend using over balm or lipstick).

Can't wait to get them to play with them. After sometime, you learn what colors make your eyes pop. These definitely do.