Being Organized Isn't a Crime

This post isn't about makeup products or hair or skin care, this post is about the time I came home with a bunch of necklaces after a shopping trip and realized that I've completely run out of room in my jewelry box area and something needed to be done.

I've known for a while now that my accessories were getting out of hand and that my only option was to start moving vertically. So on Sunday, I gathered some supplies and came up with this to create a super mega organizational wall!

I'm not going to lie to you folks. This is not everything I own. Not even close. But this is wall now holds most of the necklaces I own, along with some large earrings that take up considerable real estate in my jewelry drawers.  

The whole project probably only took no more than 3 hours and it was surprisingly cheap! But that all depends on how fancified you want to get with this. 

Materials:

Cork Board $8 at walmart

Wood Frames. I had these on hand, but you could find similar ones at a Dollar Store

Cork Tiles. Also on hand, but can be found at Walmart for about $5, or craft stores.

Felt in black and white. Around $4 at Jo-Anns. The white was a remnant piece, so even cheaper! 

5/8 in. Cup Hooks, I had these on hand, but you can get 100 for $4 at Home Depot

1 in. Black Paneling Nails, Less than $3 at Home Depot. These also come in white, light brown and dark brown. 

Picture hanging hooks, on hand. 

Tools:

Scissors

Xacto knife

Hammer

Something with a flat edge, like a butter knife or putty knife. 

I don't have step by step photos of this because it all came together pretty fast. So I will do my best to explain it all in words. 

I started with the small 4x6 frames. Once I took out the back and the glass, I used my Xacto knife to cut the cork tiles the same size at the back of the frame and a piece of white felt about 1/4 inch bigger all the way around. 

I simply laid the felt down, cork on top and popped it into the frame and closed up the back. No glue no nothing! 

I figured out the placement of the nails by just laying the earrings on top and made sure to put the nails in at an angle. 

At the bottom of the frame, I screwed in 3 cup hooks and that's it! Small frames complete! 

The larger board was even simpler. First I started by spray painting the molding a chrome silver. You could use anything here, acrylic paint, fabric, new molding, embellishments, there are really endless possibilities. I choose some spray paint I had on hand because it was simple and quick. 

Cut a piece of felt slightly larger than the board. Lay that on top of the cork board and using the flat edge of something like a knife or chisel, push the felt into the molding until all four edge are under the molding and it's nice and taught. 

From here I laid out my necklaces on the board to see how many would fit and how I wanted them to line up. Then I hammered in the paneling nails at an angle like this...

 And that's it! 

Use the picture hooks to get everything on a wall, or use the small frames as table top frames. And you're done!

There are really endless possibilities to this project. I chose to use black nails on black felt for the larger board so that I can move the nails around or add more as I need them.  I didn't use very ornate frames or anything because I wanted simple clean lines but this is definitely something you could have fun with. And for about $15-$20, this is pretty much an organizational steal. 

I loved the way this turned out and how much more accessible my things are. I've seen many versions of wall boards for jewelry floating around the internet, but this whole display is perfect for me in just about every way. 

Now if only all those pearls and stones were real...

So very unlucky

I normally don't do 2 posts in a day, but this was rather shocking and I had to share.

Not long ago, I remember reading an article about how Lucky Magazine apologized to the public for a horrible cover they did with included America's Sweetest Meltdown, Britney Spears. But then Halloween came around, and then The Storm That Shant Be Named and I forgot about it.

As I began going through my stack of Get-To things, I ripped open the plastic on some recently received magazines to discover this...

Sweet Baby Jesus what have they done to you Britney?! 

Seeing this in person is far more horrific and traumatic. And I have never really thought of Lucky Mag as one to have bad covers! So where they pulled this defunct Halloween wig from is beyond me! 

I count the days until I can afford wigs and look so forward to having a collection of ridiculous styles I can change up daily, but my biggest fear is having a wig that looks like this monstrosity. 

Lucky Mag actually put out an apology for this, by Twitter no less: 

“Thank you all for sharing your thoughts on our cover! As always, we will share with our team and we’re sorry to have let some of you down.”

It was even worse inside. Yikes. 

I would have got to this sooner but Lucky got creative and sent out the magazine with this temporary cover added on post print.  Saying it was  "A sample of the new Lucky experience on the Windows 8 desktop"

Nice try Lucky.  But no amount of Windows 8 will erase this image from my memory. 

Colorstay

The word Colorstay brings me back to the 90's and you all know why. The Revlon Colorstay Matte Lipsticks that we all just had to have! Of course, in a color called something like Raisin or whatever was completely dark because, well, it was the 90's.  Since then, Revlon has revamped the Colorstay line quite a few times and again recently in the last year. So naturally I had to try it out again because it's one of those things you just have to go back to now and then, like Fun Dip or Roseanne episodes.

Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eye Shadow in Serene  $6 

 I don't know why, but I'm forever on the lookout for the right blue eye shadow or blue shadow palette. So I picked this one up with high hopes since the highlight color was a warmer yellow and not a frosty white silver. 

I put these swatches on my hand with the small sponge applicator that makeup companies think is a good idea to include in compacts. I personally think they just create a very bad habit for young girls starting out but hey, if you don't have bad habits to break then you aren't doing it right, right? 

The darkest blue actually has quite a bit of metallic sparkle to it, which you can't quite see in this photo. The slate blue color is a matte, then a frosty light blue and finally the creamy vanilla color. I used the 2 darkest blues and a bit of the vanilla color to make a daytime blue smokey eye over my Urban Decay Primer Potion.  I was really pleased with the application of these, no fall out from the brush and really smooth. I was also really happy with how long they stayed on. I believe it was a full 12 hours before I took it off and it still looked great! 

However,  the colors in this particular palette didn't really quite do it for me. The darkest shade was nice, but had just a bit too much glitter in it for my liking and the next color was just too light on my tan skin and looked kind of garish, though I wore it all day anyways.  Revlon has a good number of palettes and shades in their Colorstay Eye Shadow line, but the problem I find is that I only really like/want one color, from each. In their older packaging I might have brought a few, popped out the tins and made my own palette, but now they've gone and changed the sizes on me and have totally messed me up! It would still be doable, but doesn't quite seem worth the effort and waste. That being said, on fairer skin, most of their colors would work really great and I think their grays, greens and tans are really lovely colors that I would definitely pick up for summer when I'm ok wearing a bit more sparkle on my eyes and also because I really loved how well it stayed on and also the PRICE! For $6 bucks this is a truly great beauty buy.  

 And as usual, Revlon included the standard packaging Paint By Numbers illustration on the back that I don't  think anyone actually uses. In theory, it's correct and sounds great, and even though I know the rules I feel like anytime I follow one of these How-To charts I end up looking like Mimi from the Drew Carey Show.

The Master Class

Since my B.E. September Issue didn't work out, I brought it back to Sephora and did some browsing and came out with the

 Smashbox Master Class Palette $59. 

 For another $19 bucks I went from 8 eye shadows to 28 Eyeshadows, 8 Cream Eyeliners, 2 Blushes, 3 Soft Lights and 4 Lip Glosses.  Nope...you didn't read that wrong...see!!...    

This palette is amazing and I've been in love with it since I got it home. 

Each side is covered with a plastic film that has the name of the color on it and is attached to the palette from the top. Some people find the plastic annoying and in the way, but I love it and I find that it keeps everything nice and neat and clean. No cross coloring or shadow in the gloss and so forth.

On the left:
24 eye shadows + 4 Brow Tech Powders, (which I use as eye shadows just fine.)
The shadows are gorgeous. My camera and computer screen really don't do this palette justice. Each color is highly pigmented so they go on effortlessly and blend so amazingly. I've begun to cultivate my favorite combos already and even blending some to make new colors such as my most perfect deep maroon using Cabernet and Aubergine. Along with amazing colors in neutrals and bold colors, there is also a mix of matte and shimmer colors which I am beyond excited about. So many palettes forget to give you mattes but Smashbox didn't!

Most palettes are limited edition colors, which is great, but once you use them up, then what??
Most of these shadows are actually colors in Smashbox's permanent line Photo Op Trio eye shadows which is why there are white boxes around sets of 3 shadows on the plastic. So if you should happen to run out of a color, you can easily find it in their permanent line. I love that!

I didn't do swatches for you because there are so many that I would have to go all the way up my short arm just to get them all in. But also because they feel so luxurious that I didn't even want to waste them on my hand!

Right side:
8 Cream Liners, which are always a great seller by Smashbox and for good reason. The colors are bold and pigmented and they really last! Normally Smashbox sells a palette of these in 10 colors for $32,so to give us 8 of those in this amazing palette, well that alone is a steal...but there's more!
2 Blushes, that I thought I would hate but turns out I am in love with Warm Apricot and have been wearing it daily since.
The 3 Soft Lights are Smashbox's highlighting powders. In the palette, they don't look like much, but each one has subtle and refined shimmer in undertones of coral, pink and gold. On cheekbones and brow bones these are gorgeous and make me wonder why I never invested in highlighting powder before!
4 Glosses, which I admit I haven't used too much only because I would have to scoop them out into something else to bring with me to reapply later, but I can say that the colors are really great and go on really creamy without that heavy sticky feeling.

The palette itself is made of a hard cardboard with a black patent finish that is closed together with magnets. No fussy snaps or fold over book flaps. It really is meant for the makeup lover who knows what she wants and wants to get in and out fast. However, because the case itself isn't plastic, it is prone to a bit of buckling if left in very moisture ridden areas, as I'm starting to see now, but nothing major and nothing that can't be fixed with some proper storage.  I really love that it's a very thin and sleek palette. I'd much rather pay for good products than fancy packaging. 

If you are a newbie, or oldbie, it comes with a pamphlet of looks and tips etc.  Which I promptly threw to the side so I can begin playing. 

 If this palette were only the eye shadows, I think I would be just as excited as I am now, but Smashbox went above and beyond and put a palette that would normally be only for professionals in the hands of the public.  I am so excited to have something to travel with that has everything I need in one spot but mostly I'm so excited to get so many quality products for such a great price! 

I really don't think I'm going to find value and quality like this again. 

But then I saw this...Studio Pop Ultimate Palette.  You're killing me Smashbox!! Killing me!

September in November

Back in September I picked up Bare Esentuals Ready Eyeshadow 8.0 palette in September Issue $40. At the time I was so pumped for the whole new line of Ready products from B.E. that I just wanted everything!   September Issue seemed like the perfect set for me. Some great neutrals and a pair of great 'color colors' in a small compact that is perfect for travel!

 The palette is in a really nice silver mirror finish and comes with a small pamphlet of tips and a few looks to create with the colors. It's handy, just not necessary, but I appreciate the thought.

 I especially like the back of the palette because it shows each color and the name clearly. If I were to store this and had a ton of palettes this would really help me find what I'm looking for fast. That's key. 

Once I got inside, the colors were there before me, almost too nice for me to dig into. But dig I did! 

I played around for a while with the colors and created a few looks on my eyes, which I never took real photos of. Until now, I've only used the loose shadows by B.E. but have been really pleased with how well they stay and blend. These seemed no different. They went on very easy and blended well to make new colors or just to blend in general. The tiny brush is double ended and felt nice and soft and would be really great for touch ups. I especially liked that one end was a pointed pencil brush to get into the corner of the eye or to do a lower lash line. You don't see that often in compacts.

I really had high hopes for this palette and wanted to love it so badly. The problem however, was that I just didn't. And the only reason I don't love it is because some of the colors just weren't bold enough for me.

• Glitterari is a really nice pink neutral with golf flecks. This I liked. 
• Pret-a-porter is a solid flashy gold! I love this gold but it's far too flashy on my tan skin to really wear in the day but it would be a really great color to blend into things.
• Ensemble I was very excited about and was hoping for it to be a nice deep eggplant on me, but once I got it on, it seemed rather muddled and didn't pick up the deep purples I was hoping for.
• Couture, which seemed like a rich golden chocolate color seemed to be neither here nor there on the color chart for me. Though it has nice golden tones to it, this did nothing for my skin tone and seemed to just wash me out a lot.
• Editor's Pick  is a lovely green teal that I was excited to try. That is, until I got it on me and realized that all the brightness that is in the compact didn't translate to skin at all. Rather than a bold teal, this went on me more like a frosty army green. In itself it's a really nice green that could be worn as a neutral, no problem. But I wanted the bold teal and was really disappointed in this color on my skin.
• Statement was another one that looked wonderfully bold in the palette. A bright orchid color that I was sure was going to be amazing with the dark chocolates in this set. But once I got it on, I laid very flat. The color seemed like a very matte shadow with flecks of metallic sparkle in it. Though it felt great on the skin, the color was just too washed out for me and even with layers, it was hard to build up the color to anything brighter than a pastel. 
• Silhouette and Tres Chic I don't have swatches for, but they are both very matte neutrals mostly for the brow bone and highlighting. 

The packaging is great. Perfect size and great brush included. The product itself is great, goes on smooth, blends well, feels great and lasts a full day (with primer), but the part I'm disappointed in, is the colors in this particular set. Looking back on it, that's something I should have realized before I picked it up. B.E. is not MAC or Make Up Forever. Though they do make some bold colors, their shadows are far more subtle and really focus more on lovely daytime looks and basic nighttime smokey eyes.  I knew all this going in, but like I said, I was so caught up in the Ready movement that I just thought I could will my way into some bold colors in a ready to go palette! 

I've since returned this set because I knew it just wasn't meant to be, but I still go back to the store and the website to check out their new B.E. Ready Eye Palettes and to see what new Limited Edition sets are out, especially now that the holidays are coming up.

I know it didn't work out this time with us, but I'm cyber stalking Bare Esentuals until I decide that I want to give us another chance. It wasn't you Bare Esentuals....it was me. 

Halloween Happened

So yes...it's been a while. Without going into too much detail, it's been a rather hectic and stressful time for my family due to some really unfortunate turns of events in my sister's health. I've spent the end of summer and my fall so far mostly in D.C. with her and her family helping out best I can.  I can't say with total confidence that we're out of the woods just yet, but things are progressing as best they can and my sister remains just truly amazing and is taking this all in stride......and Percocets....which make her hilaaarious!

As planned, I came home late October because I. Love. Halloween.  It's this amazing holiday that adds up everything I love in the world and puts it all into one day! Costumes. Makeup. Candy. Parties. YES PLEASE!!  Normally I spend my summer deciding on my costume, or how to best create it because more than the candy and beer, I love making my costume. This year I had to go with my Plan B Costume. You have to have a Plan B costume, people.

I was Truly Truly Outrageous Jem!

 Holly also had the right idea. I mean, the only thing better than Jem is TWO Jems!

Costume: Simple Dress

                Glued Belt

                Light up earrings from the Bachelorette Party section

                Black pumps painted a million times over

                Purple tights that I wore all day but kept on because it was cold and I'm apparently old now. 

                Problematic wig that sheds more than I do

                Hot pink makeup. That I had on hand.....naturally.

It occurred to me sometime after midnight that I didn't have a makeup photo for you guys. So this was the best I could do.

Makeup:  Milani Eye shadow in Shocking Pink
                Cover Girl Eye Enhancers In Drama Eyes, I used only the white silver
                Bare Essentuals Round The Clock Eyeliner in Midnight
                Cover Girl LashBlast Fusion Mascara in Very Black
                Cover Girl Lipperfection Lipstick in Spellbound
                Urban Decay Primer Potion

The makeup was really simple to do. First I used the Primer Potion all over my lid and under my eye and on my cheekbone as well. On top of that, the Milani shadow went on great. I managed to make the line with only my brush and went in with a q-tip only at the end to clean it up.  On the inside corners of my eye and on the top of my cheekbone, I used the white silver color shadow from the Cover Girl quad to give the pink some pop. Lined my eyes, put on some mascara and another coat of hot pink lipstick (another coat because I had been wearing it all day) and viola! Brown Jem I became!

I wasn't dance battling anyone that night so I can't say the makeup would last through an intense performance, but I never touched my makeup all night and it stayed pretty darn well!

This year however, Halloween felt different.  First, I had to go with Plan B, but then there's the business of Superstorm Sandy.  sigh.  As an East coaster  Stupidstorm Sandy has taken over my life for the past week.  Last year we had snow ON Halloween, this year we had no power. My house was one of the lucky ones and we got our power back on Halloween night, but there are plenty of people out there still in the dark, a full week later.

If you were able to get up this morning and take a  hot shower and get dressed inside a warm home with a roof on it, then you are truly fortunate also. At any time, but especially in times like this, I urge you to donate your time or money to foundations like Red Cross or the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund. There are plenty of organizations out there helping out and every bit helps.

I am truly grateful to have our power and luxuries back on. Without them I wouldn't even be able to compete in the War of the Wig Hair.

Seriously wig people. What are you using to keep that plastic hair on?? Spit??

I shall not go down in this war without a fight! 

Never Fail

After I found the B.E. Round The Clock liner, it restored my faith in pencil liners. But..... if I could have my way I would add a sharpener, smudging tool and also make it last just a bit longer on my waterline. So my faith may be restored, but so has my mission for the perfect pencil liner.

With that in mind, I picked up the L'Oreal Infallible Never Fail Eyeliner in carbon black $9

First things first, the color. it's a great deep black. When I hear the name Carbon Black I expect something rich and it delivered. It's smudgeable, which is also crucial to me and my run-out-the-door look. The formula is creamy and glides on more like a gel than a regular pencil and on my top lash line, lasts a full day. The package says it last 16 hours and you could probably get that longevity from this if you take the right steps to apply, such as primer, maybe powder etc etc. On a no primer run out the door day, this lasts the day, but I can tell that it starts to smudge onto my eyelid at nighttime, but not completely so I look like someone drew on my eyelid or a fake eyebrow has migrated somehow. 

Basically, this liner comes off as a higher end drugstore purchase of a twist up eyeliner, but it's the tweak of packaging that really made my eyes wide and the corners of my mouth turn up. You see, this liner comes with a sharpener and a smudging tip. But this is no regular tip. This is actually a rubberized nub as opposed to the tiny sponges that usually cap the ends of these drugstore pencils. You know the one. The pointed sponge end that seems perfect at first but really just wipes off whatever you just put on and then gets so built up with product that by the 3rd use is just depositing smudged old liner and wrecking your fresh line. Not to mention the gross germ factor of those sponges. L'Oreal finally figured out a better way.

The tip is angled to give you many sides to work with. It's soft to the touch and is very bendy and malleable so you're not taking a hard piece of something to your eye. But because it's rubber and non porous, it's not wiping off what you've done but just blends or smudges exactly what you're trying to. And the best part is when you're done you can simply wipe or wash it off! Perfect!

There is a cap on the smudge tip and I've found that every time I pull it off the entire end comes off, which is where the sharpener lives. Not ideal, but only a minor nuisance really. I've been using this far more than I thought it would and will probably hold onto this one because it's quick and I love the idea behind it, but it still doesn't stay on my lower waterline for as long as I'd like so I can't say with confidence it's my Holy Grail, but it's pretty close!

So far the Infallible line for L'Oreal is showing to be pretty promising. They have some great products that work well for the experienced makeup hoarder as well as beginners. I suppose if this was a survey I would have to check off  'Would Recommend'.