Nothing But Nails

Hi:

Tao by Zoya (main color)
Over the Top by Essie (accent nail)

Penny here! As many of you know I have a 'thing' for nail polish. I've gotten lots of questions lately about the polishes I've been wearing so I just thought I'd share some of my finds. So far I stick to a few of my favorite brands. The apple of my eye right now are Zoya's 4-Free polishes ($8). As mentioned in my July 25th post, Zoya is a great long wear, polish with over 300 colors to choose from (www.zoya.com). As a 4-Free polish Zoya's polishes are free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphor.  Back in July I reported that the only down side was that these polishes were not widely available. Well since then I have now found Zoya in my local ULTA Beauty stores. According to their Customer Service department, these polishes are only sold at spas and salons. You can plug in your zip code on their website to see where the polishes are sold near you, or call: (800) 659-6909, Customer Service.

Marina, by Zoya

I also still love OPI ($9.50), and Essie. I also have a couple by China Glaze and my splurge buys are from Rescue Beauty Louge (www.rescuebeauty.com, $18; usually buy on sale). I have a new Sephora by OPI color I haven't tried yet as well. I try to keep my personal collection to 45 bottles or less. LOL! I gave away about 5 bottles last week. I just prefer to buy my polish and take it with me to the nail salon every two weeks. That way I'm sure to get the look I want and not have to worry about whether they have my colors.

I'm currently wearing Tao by Zoya (see pic above)...from their Fall Collection called Smoke & Mirrors. I bought 6 colors from this collection but didn't keep them all. I get so many compliments on Tao when I wear it. There is also a similar color in the same line with a hint more blue than gray, called Marina. Check them out! I love to change my colors with the seasons so I've been doing lots of dark to medium tone colors...lots of grays, wines, purples and rich hues. I don't go ga ga for sparkles around the holidays but I may pull out something dark with a gold or bronze shimmer like Jem by Zoya. (read full story...)

Penny's Pinked

Hello my lovelies!

Even if you lived under a rock some place you would know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) month. :-) Nevermind that the month is almost over...its never too late to show your support. I don't think I know anyone who has NOT been touched by breast cancer or some form of cancer in their lives. It has taken the lives of so many and will threaten many more if we don't continue to support the research and technologies that are hopefully bringing us closer to a cure, and helping to prolong lives today. Take a look at the statistics from the National Cancer Institute (NCI):

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast

Raise Awareness by Essie, $8.50

Here are some other organizations to check out as well:

• http://www.breastcancer.org/
• http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/default.htm
• http://ww5.komen.org/

Some of you may have already seen this article from Total Beauty with 10 myths about the causes of breast cancer. Interesting stuff. Check it out:

http://www.totalbeauty.com/content/gallery/bca-myths?lc=nw1895-1

Penny believes that every penny counts (no pun intended)! LOL! So whether you give $1 while paying for groceries, or $5 while buying cosmetics; or whether you write a name on a ribbon to hang in the window in honor of a loved one; or wear pink all month long...every gesture of support generates awareness and hopefully education. Early detection is key. So Penny's been pinking it up wherever she can and just wanted to take a moment to share some of the easy ways (while beauty shopping) that you can contribute to finding a cure for this disease.
 (read full story...)

Penny's Sharing

Hi all:

Penny stumbled across this article on Bobbi Brown's website and thought it was worth sharing. It talks about 'being yourself' and being proud to accentuate your features...instead of focusing on what you may consider your flaws. Make-up should be fun and should enhance your features...even Penny sometimes forgets that.

Check it out (paste link into browser if not active): http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/cms/learn/be_who_you_are_beauty.tmpl

Enjoy.

Be blessed. Be beautiful.

P

Lip Sync

Hi folks:
Last night I began chatting with my cousin about the 'nude' lip look I was wearing with my burgundy smoky eyes. The most important tip for a good nude lip is to first diffuse your own natural lip color with a lip pencil that matches or is close to your skin tone. If you blend the pencil over the entire lip it gives you a nice blank canvas to work with.

On my eyes I wore a Bobbi Brown's Cream shadow in Cement as a base. Then I smoked out my eyes with MAC's eye shadows in Sketch topped with Agate (Limited Edition) for some shimmer. I also blended in Bobbi Brown's Eye Shadow in Cocoa in the crease and above. I finished with Urban Decay's 24/7 Eye Liner in Zero (black) on my lids and smudged across my lower water line. I finished my lower lash line with a dusting of Sketch eye shadow over the black pencil to keep it in place.
I was wearing the following lip products:

Selma Hayek's NUANCE Color Vibrance Lipstick in Shimmering Nude ($9.99, CVS only)

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/promoContent/promoLandingTemplate.jsp?promoLandingId=1401#

Sephora Collection Nano Lip Liner in Belle Beige ($5, Sephora)

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P236904&categoryId=C17367&shouldPaginate=true

I also love to finish the look with this gloss; its the perfect compliment. I sometimes wear just the liner and the gloss too.

MAC Lustreglass in Love Nectar ($14.50)

http://www.maccosmetics.com/products/spp/shaded.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT166&PRODUCT_ID=PROD707&SKU_ID=SKU3557
(read full story...)

Penny's UPDATE - Blank Face

Hi All:
Since my post on September 17th about facial cleansers/make-up removers I tried a new product I have come to like. On one of my many visits to Sephora I came across another great find in the bins near the check-out line with the travel size and mini items. I've been curious about the Boscia brand for some time. So I was pleased to see the mini-bottle of  Boscia's Makeup-Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil (mini was about $10-$17).

This cleansing oil contains a blend of botanical oils that break up make-up without drying out the skin; much like my beloved Bobbi Brown Cleansing Oil ($39). Bobbi Brown's formula contains olive and jojoba oils for softening, while ginger root extract is said to soothe and calm the skin. Boscia is a natural line and the Boscia's Makeup-Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil (5oz, $26) is paraben-free, phalate-free, and free of dyes, and perfumes. It is really gentle and has a slightly cooling feeling and smell (possibly from the eucaplyptus and menthol), but neither lingers. The Bosica product also contains jojoba oil, as well as, rose hip oil (Vitamins A & C), and coconut and palm oils. I love that it takes off all my make-up and cleanses my face well without any drying or tigthening. It does not leave an oily residue and rinses clean. And unlike the Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleanser and Make-up Remover mentioned in my previous post, it does not burn my eyes or have a strong smell. Although the Neutrogena product is the most budget friendly, I prefer the Boscia cleanser and would definitely buy this again.

Be blessed. Be beautiful.
P

Penny's Addiction

Hello Friends:
Have you ever heard of lip balm addiction? Well, Penny began to wonder about her own penchant for lip balm so it was time for some research. I don't mean research for the newest and most effective lip balm on the market by advertising standards. I mean research on whether or not there is something called 'lip balm addiction.'  According to my findings lip balm addiction is a myth.  Yes, I now know there are groups out there dedicated to 'support' lip balm abusers (who knew?) but there is no scientific or medical proof that constant use of lip balm is actually an addiction. There is nothing in lip balms that is habit forming or that compells us to be psychologically dependent on them, so continous use is not considered an addiction. So why does Penny have a tube of lip balm within arms reach at all times...home, purse, car, office, etc? Inquiring minds wanna know. LOL!

Lips normally have a very thin oily film on their surface that provides natural protection against moisture loss. As someone with generally dry skin and eczema, I didn't think it unusal that I had dry lips (not usually chapped, but dry). I also have to consider my frequent beauty product trials as some may have adverse effects on me. For example, there is something in MAC lipsticks that cause my lips to dry out severely and crack at the corners. After several trials I found that I could use their lip glosses but not their lipsticks, and I can't use anything constantly for a long period of time. I don't wear lipstick or lip gloss every day, but I do apply lip balm multiple times a day. Lately I feel like the more lip balm I apply, the more I need to apply it. So it got me to thinking....why do my lips feel dry all the time? Is there something in the lip balm that's causing the dryness? That is one theory. Because I don't lick my lips often (a common cause of dryness), I had to consider the ingredients in my lip balms. I've used many brands over the years such as Chap Stick, Blistex, Burt's Bee's, Aquaphor, Palmer's Medicated Lip Balm, and Sephora's Super Nourishing Lip Balm. I noticed that I often used "medicated" lip balms to soothe my feeling of dry lips and I enjoyed the tingling sensation caused by most. However, many of these balms, even the 'natural' ones, contain menthol, camphor, or peppermint oil which have been said to be a 'cause' of lip irritation and dryness. Some also contain fragrance and citric acid both of which I have a sensitivity too. So what is a gal to do to get a more perfect pout? (read full story...)

Blank Face

Hola!

Question for all your make-up mavens out there....what do you use to REMOVE your make-up at night? I hope that no one is going to bed with make-up on. Humph! If you are, just don't let Penny know...she gets all worked up over things like that. LOL!

Penny has tried a number of make-up removers over the years and some may get foundation off but not mascara; others may get mascara off  but not foundation; so the search for one good product went on. Some of you are wondering...what's wrong with good old soap and water? LOL! Nothing at all...if you want to spend some time 'beating down the mug' (as one of Penny's friends would say). LOL! I always seem to have residue if I don't use something to break down the waterproof gel eyeliner, lipstick, and the various formulas of mascara I like to wear. Eyeshadow and foundation come off pretty easily with soap and water, but some products need an oil-based solvent to dissolve them.

Penny's favorite make-up remover/cleanser is Bobbi Brown's Cleansing Oil ($39, Bloomingdales). I love the feel and smell of Bobbi Brown's product but most importantly I love that it removes ALL my make-up at once. I put the oil cleanser on a dry face and gently rub it over my lids and lashes, and even my lips. This gentle oil dissolves everything and doesn't burn my eyes or leave my skin dry. The only drawback is the price. It is too expensive to purchase on a regular basis but is good for someone who doesn't use make-up often therefore allowing it to last longer. I love that this is a one-step process for cleaning my face and removing my make-up. BB Cleansing Oil is very similar to the more expensive Shu Uemura Cleansing Oils. Shu Uemura was said to be the pioneer of cleansing oils that remove make-up while maintaining the skin's balance.

Before I discovered BB Cleansing Oil, I used Clinique's Take the Day Off ($18, Sephora) for many years. This product is advertised as a make-up remover for "lids, lashes and lips" and it works well on all three. Just shake well before using (you will see the liquid separates in the bottle); saturate a cotton ball, and gently hold over your lid allowing the product to penetrate the eyeshadow and mascara for a few seconds, then wipe away the make-up. You may have to do this a few times. The only thing I didn't care for is the slightly oily residue this product left on my lids. But you have to wash your face afterwards anyway. What I did like was that it did not irritate my eyelids like other removers I tried in the past. My skin is super sensitive and my lids are easily irritated due to allergies. But this product worked fine. (read full story...)

Foundation Fix

Hi there!
Penny misses you all. It's been a hectic month and a half, and I wasn't able to get here, but here I am. Before I get into my love for the change of seasons and all the fun fall trends that I've been reading about these past few weeks, I want to talk about my latest make-up foundation. Cover FX Total Coverage Cream Foundation SPF 30 (Sephora, $42).

With my melasma becoming more of an issue this summer (due to my own neglect and being out in the sun), I needed a full coverage foundation.  The Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation, and the L'Oreal True Match that I started the summer with wasn't enough to cover all my dark spots without a lot of concealer. The Cover FX was a referral by one of my favorite beauty bloggers (MusingsofaCityGirl-Cindy Diaz). I asked her for some suggestions and decided to try Cover FX. It is a foundation and concealer in one, which I so desparately needed. I was trying different concealers at the time because I noticed that in flash photos my MAC Studio Sculpt concealer was showing lighter under my eyes (reverse raccoon). I'm still not sure if it was a concealer problem, powder problem or foundation problem. But with the Cover FX this issue was greatly minimized.

Cover FX comes in over 30 shades but I highly recommend getting a professional to assist you in choosing the right shade for you. I was originally going to make my first purchase online, but eventually called around to three different Sephora locations before I found the product. When I went into the store I had a post-it note with the shade "I thought" was the right one for me, based on what I researched online. But when the sales rep offered to help me and swatched it on my jawline, I was completely off. The shade was too light. Turned out I was in a whole different category and after about three swatches we found that I was a B15. Since I get very pale in the colder months, I'm sure to purchase a different shade then by going back to Sephora and getting swatched again.