It's the Pits!

Found: Free sample of Dove go Fresh Ultimate Clear deodorant / antiperspirant

*free samples while supplies last.

Lips Fine as Wine

Usually when I buy lipsticks I use them for a few days then they're replaced by something new maybe a gloss or matte or just plain lip balm. The lipstick ends up at the bottom of my purse. Or worse they end up in the "makeup casket" never to be seen again until trash day.

Lipsticks are a tough choice. You can't really tell what it will look like outside of those harsh drugstore lights. What will the color look like at 2am in the morning when you're dancing the night away? Will it fade, crack or dry your lips? Is the color subtle enough that you can wear it 9am to 5pm and layer it when the sun goes down? Will the color look like it looks in the magazine? Will it make him do a double-take? Will I fall in love with this color? Will I use it till I have to scrape the bottom with a q-tip?

When I found CoverGirl's IncrediFULL Lipcolor I was surprised at all the shades it came in.There were tons of colors to choose from but only one stood out. FINE WINE #948.

It's a berry put peachy shade at the same time. If you lightly dab it on your lips it gives you a berry sunkissed shine. If you put it on full blast you can wear it out at night.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this shade. I love the color and the fact that its moisturizing my lips. I'm addicted to lip balm and was amazed that I never have to apply any one when I'm wearing this shade. I'm looking forward to trying some other colors for summer. Maybe Plush Blush or Honey Rose or something dramatic like Fresh Jam.

Free Sample

*while supplies last*

Dove ProAge beauty body lotion
(click here)

Garnier Fructis Deep Conditioner

I'm always skeptical of deep conditioners. My hair is like the Sahara desert and I am always trying new conditioners. I've tried conditioners from the $2 range up to $40. Anything more is a waste of money. After all, that stuff is just going to rinse off after a couple of minutes, right?

When I saw the Fructis Fortifying Deep Conditioner that claimed to make your hair 5x stronger and 5x smoother well I just had to try it. Anytime I hear these unbelievable claims it reminds me of those really old commercials from the 40's where they had a magical fixer elixir potion claiming to rid you of all that ails you.

When I say my hair is like the Sahara I mean it. Without conditioner, serums, and regular trims my hair would look like straw. I've been dyeing it since junior high. I also have naturally curly frizzy hair that I straighten / blow dry every day. I use one day a week to try to bring it back to life and using deep conditioners and hair masques work.

Fructis Deep Conditioner has a nice smell and texture to it. I usually leave deep conditioners for 20 minutes wrapped in a shower cap to lock in moisture and heat up the conditioner (a tip I learned from a hairdresser). Fructis didn't have that wow factor. It just felt like I left a regular conditioner on for an extra while, a really good regular conditioner.

Would I try it again? Sure. A friend, who has perfect hair by the way, claims it left her hair feeling soft and shiny. She really liked it but then again her hair is perfect even with regular conditioner.....well maybe not suave conditioner.

Is Fructis D.C. my staple deep conditioner? nope, I found something better.

Stay tuned.

Stuck in a Purple Haze

Recently I've been in love with the color purple. Purple shirts, purple converse, purple headbands. Purple, purple, purple. So of course when I stopped by the drugstore and saw purple eyeshadow I had to have it.

I think what drove me to buy purple is that spring is almost here and I read somewhere that purple not only brightens your eyes but makes brown eyes pop.

I bought Wet n Wild's Mega Eyes and EyeGlide by Revlon. Two basically similar colors of purple lavender but in different forms. The eyeshadow from Wet n Wild wasn't glittery but more of a shimmer. It also lasted through the night, through dancing, drinks and after hour partying.

EyeGlide comes in a stick and has a creamy texture. It's sort of like a lip balm for your eyes. It has a spongy tip with holes at the top. You choose how much you want by turning the bottom. The only thing you have to watch is putting too much on. With too much the eyeshadow gathers at the crease of your eye and doesn't look so cute. It also smudges more than the eyeshadow.

Next up...I just ordered an eyeliner from Avon in eggplant :) I won't OD on the purple though, purple eyeshadow & liner together?...that would be a NO.

Oh yes, before I forget. For the eyeshadow :

For the creamy shadow

Cold Sores

Courtesy of wulffmorgenthaler.com

There's no amount of makeup that will ever be able to hide a cold sore. A cold sore is this hideous looking blisters that come out around my lips, leak clear liquid then scab to heal. Its disgusting I know. If you like being disgusted click here for pictures (not of me).

Cold sores usually pop up when you least expect them. First you feel a little tingling, then a little burning, then a little itch. Then all of a sudden you wake up to Frankenstein Pimple smack dab in the middle of your lips. You can't hide it. No concealer on earth can hide it. (side note: don't try to hide pimples or anything crusty with concealer/foundation/blush/etc...it only attracts attention and doesn't let it heal)

yup that's me with my cold sore

Cold sores always come up when either I'm under stress, when its that time of the month, when my body temp drastically changes, or just when the universe feels like punishing me. I once had a weekend I had planned for months for a night out on the town with girlfriends and I wake up to a planet on my lips. Ah yes, nothing gets attention like a drippy crusty blister.

I've tried just about everything out there to make this thing go away or at least try to prevent it from fully growing.

I've tried Abreva.

Doesn't work. I felt nothing putting this on. I might as well have put on regular lip balm. It makes no change on the cold sore before, during or after. It's also super expensive and comes in this tiny little tube.


I've tried different home remedies like nail polish, rubbing alcohol, ice cubes, cold washcloth. People have different reactions to these. I've used what works for ME and it may not work for you. Try at your own risk.

When I feel the first pain tingle of the cold sore I apply Carmex
like a lip balm addict. (tangent: did you know there's actually a website devoted to lipbalm addicts?..click 2 see ....more on lip balms later) Carmex has this medicated smell to it.

As you can see by the picture I use it quite often. I also bought this tube one.



I keep the round tin at home and I keep the tube in my purse. This is a MUST for cold
sores. It's thick and has a tingly numbing
sensation to it. The round tin is heavy duty and has a thicker consistency to it. The tube is more like a light lip balm and has less of the medicine smell. Either way I have them both.

If I wake up and see the cold sore emerging its evil evil head I start to use
ice cubs to numb it out and use a q-tip to put hand sanitizer on it to dry it out. Weird, I know. It's kind of difficult and awkward to do this at work but you must not let this thing grow and you must not let this thing stay moist. DO NOT keep putting lip balm past this point.


Once its full blown you've lost the battle and you have to let this thing grow then scab to get rid of it. If its full blown it will usually last about 7 to 10 days. Then you have no choice but to make some excuse why you cannot leave your house and go to work.

Lets say this happens and you have Jupiter on your face. I alternate between ice cubes, then hand sanitizer. Then repeat over and over and over. I also found this A-M-A-Z-I-N-G little tube called Viractin. It does not in any way cure the cold sore but numbs it. It contains Tetracaine which is a numbing drug. I think it speeds up the process but that's just me. It also makes your lips feel like Angelina Jolie's. I said feel not look. Feel.

I haven't had a cold sore in about a year. *crosses fingers*

I give Carmex and Viractin 5/5
On the brighter side, even celebrities aren't safe from cold sores. Ouch! Thank goodness I don't have to walk a red carpet.