MAC Style Warriors

So today I went in to have my makeup done and check out the new Style Warriors collection at MAC. My friend who works there told me it was going to be a "party" and that Kelly Osbourne's makeup artist was going to be there doing people's makeovers. Well, as far as I could tell there was no party. All the MUAs were standing around watching someone put makeup on a model. Was it Kelly Osbourne's MUA? Who knows. The model was dressed in a leopard print maxi dress with crazy teased hair & a bad boob job. I'm assuming she was dressed that way for Style Warriors, but again, who knows. A regular old makeup artist took me to my chair and asked me what I wanted. She was pleasant enough, but she seemed like she was disappointed that I took her away from the "party".

I told her I usually do a neutral smokey eye and nude lips, so she proceeded to do my face using some of the new SW products. She mixed in the Bronze Hero Lustre Drops & some Scatter Rays Solar Bits with my foundation. She used a 190 brush with a very, very light hand and didn't properly blend it in even tho she took 5 minutes to apply it. Then, she did my eyes. I told her that I liked the yellow Bright Future eyeshadow she had on, so she did a look using that and the other 2 new shades, Tempting (a re-promote) and Soft Force. A little liquid liner on the top with some mascara & she was done. For my lips, I really wanted to try the Brave New Bronze lipstick because it looked like all the other lipsticks I had and therefore, I needed this one too. I didn't speak up tho, so she went with the Purple Rite lipstick with Fierce & Fabulous lipglass over top. And, surprisingly, I liked it! It made for a very vivid berry-colored lip. She topped it all off with some bronzer all over my face. Overall, it was very pretty, but I felt like I could have easily done the look myself.

On to my purchases. I went in for the Pink Rebel & Sun Rush Lustre Drops, the Brave New Bronze lipstick & a pan form Sketch eyeshadow. I left with Fierce & Fabulous lipglass, Bright Future eyeshadow, Tempting & Sketch pan form shadows & some pigment jars. They were completely sold out of the 2 Lustre Drops I wanted, so I'll have to order them online.

The goods.
(No flash) Fierce & Fabulous lipglass. Top to bottom: Tempting, Bright Future, Sketch.
(With flash)

MAC Graphic Gardens Collection

Just after I said I how I don't blog about upcoming MAC collections, along comes another one I'm drooling over! Belle Du Jour posted this last week (she's always ahead of the curve) and I've been obsessing over it ever since!

A Nordstrom exclusive, Graphic Gardens is a collection of eye palettes, brush sets and lip products. The black and white floral packaging is to die! I must have everything!!! Nordstrom is an hour away, but it's worth it!

Graphic Gardens will be released on July 17th (July 9th in Canada).


Brush Bags ($49.50)
A black and white twill bag with a separate brush holder featuring a rose or poppy pattern.

Define & Blend 129SE, 190SE, 209SE, 219SE, 252SE
Shape & Perfect 168SE, 187SE, 194SE, 212SE, 275SE

Eye Shadow 6 Palette ($38.00)
A black metal compact with a black and white plaque featuring the repeat signature MAC logo that morphs (holographic) into a black and white floral pattern when viewed from different angles.

Fresh Cut Palette
Floral Inc. (Frost)
Sun-Shy (Lustre)
Fresh Cut (Veluxe Pearl)
Poppy Noir (Velvet)
Bloomcycle (Veluxe Pearl)
Part Peony (Lustre)
213SE Brush

Graphic Garden Palette
Social Climber (Veluxe Pearl)
Botancial Blue (Frost)
Straight Hedge (Veluxe Pearl)
Wild Wisteria (Lustre)
Linear Lilac (Veluxe Pearl)
Graphic Garden (Velvet)
213SE brush

Lip Bags ($34.50 ea.)
A black and white twill makeup bag featuring a rose or poppy pattern.

Summer Crop Lip Bag
Lipstick: Semi-Annual (Lustre)
Lipstick: Garden Bed (Lustre)
Lipglass: Summer Crop (Frost)

Baby Blooms Lip Bag
Lipstick: Soft Illusion (Frost)
Lipstick: Spiceflower (Amplified Cream)
Lipglass: Baby Blooms (Frost)


Look Boxes ($59.50 ea.)
A black carton featuring a photo of a model wearing the look (these are North America only). These will also include a face chart and a step-by-step how-to facechart.

Sun Siren Look Box
Bronze Bronzer Muted bronzed-brown with golden shimmer
Shroom Eyeshadow Soft muted golden beige with opalescent shimmer (Satin) (Permanent)
Amber Lights Eyeshadow Golden peachy-brown with golden shimmer (Frost) (Permanent)
Get Rich Quick Dazzleglass Warm yellow brown (Permanent)
Zoomlash Mascara in Zoomblack (Trial Size) Pure black (Permanent)
181 Brush (Promotional Size)

Seductress Look Box
Belightful Iridescent Powder Gilded peach bronze (Permanent)
Naked Lunch Eyeshadow Minimal pink with shimmer (frost) (Permanent)
Knight Divine Eyeshadow Carbon black with silver/blue reflects (Veluxe Pearl) (Permanent)
Bare Slimshine Light neutral pink with subtle gold pearl (Frost) (Permanent)
Zoomlash Mascara in Zoomblack (Trial Size) Pure black (Permanent)
181 Brush (Promotional Size)

Sweet Tease Look Box
Shell Pearl Beauty Powder Fresh mid-tone peach with gold pearl (Repromote from Sundressing)
Gleam Eyeshadow Barely pinked gold (Lustre) (Permanent)
Mulch Eyeshadow Intense golden reddish brown flecked with golden bronze shimmer (Velvet) (Permanent)
Love Nectar Lustreglass Ultra-soft apricot with pearl (Permanent)
Zoomlash Mascara in Zoomblack (Trial Size) Pure black (Permanent)
181 Brush (Promotional Size)

*Product info courtesy of Temptalia.com

Mommy Must Haves: Baby Feeding

Nikki's just about grown out of being fed baby food, so I wanted to post this awesome product while it was still relevant to me. Boon's Squirt spoon has got to be one of the best inventions ever made! I only wish I found it sooner! I've been using it for a few months now and I'm absolutely smitten. No more messy meals to clean up! Everything is contained inside the spoon and you just gently squeeze the food onto the spoon when baby is ready for another bite. So simple! And very easy to clean.

Boon has a ton of other awesome products, but this one is definitely my favorite! Their line is very cool and modern, plus 10% of their profits go to children's charities. Check them out here: booninc.com.

My Favorite Fragrances

I've been debating whether or not I should make the tag video that's been going around on You Tube for your "5 Favorite Perfumes" and I figured it'd be better to just blog about them instead. A couple of the perfumes I love, I don't have yet or have run out of, so I wouldn't be able to show the bottles in a video anyways. I'm absolutely horrible at describing scents, so I'm not even going to try.

First up, Chanel Chance.


Second, Vera Wang Princess & Rock Princess.


Third, Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy.


Fourth, Britney Spears Fantasy.

Fifth, Ed Hardy for Women.


I also really like Hilary Duff's With Love scents. The original is a bit musky, so I wear it in colder seasons. The second, Wrapped With Love, is much more floral and light so it's good for the spring and summer months. As far as body sprays go, I love Victoria's Secret's PINK fresh & clean. It's rich like a perfume, but not overpowering.

Memorial Day Dream Outfit

I wouldn't be caught dead in shorts (I don't even own one pair), but if I had the legs I'd totally wear them. Florida is too damn hot not to! While the teeny tiny cut-off ones will always be trashy, when done right, jean shorts can be quite stylish.

Jason & I are staying in today, but if I had my way we'd be at a fun beach BBQ with friends and family. Here's my dream outfit. Still working on the dream body...



Kirra Havana Straw Fedora - PacSun - $16.50
2 Pack Of Animal Bangles - ASOS - 10 GBP
MARC BY MARC JACOBS Overlay Tote - Nordstrom -$228
Nine West "Harvey" sandals - Piperlime - $59
Aphrodite Vintage Boyfriend shorts - Alloy - $23.60
RVCA Fierce Grey Tank - PacSun - $39.50

Style Forecast for Summer '09

My predictions for the upcoming season.

HOT

1. Lavender (especially nail polish and lipstick!)
2. Dresses* with ballerina flats, instead of flip flops (save the flops for the beach.)
3. Statement jewelry (try a chunky necklace or cocktail ring.)
4. Bold floral prints (too scared to rock 'em on all over? try a scarf instead!)
5. Full bangs (I think they're makin' a comeback!)

*Single-shoulder dresses have been all over the runways and are sure to be a top trend this summer!

COLD

1. Neon (I'm so sick of seeing neon colored shit everywhere!)
2. Metallic/patent leather-looking leggings (they're not flattering. on anyone.)
3. Frosted lips (I try to force myself into thinking they're pretty, but they're just so 80's!)
4. Super fake tans (with so many good products out there, why use the ones that turn you orange??)
5. One flat hair color (add some dimension for the summer!)

Summer Plans (For My Wallet)

1. Save $$$ for my wedding
2. Disney World for my birthday
3. Splurge at Sephora on perfume & makeup
4. A new Tiffany's necklace
5. My first pair of Louboutin slingbacks
6. An elliptical machine
7. A new Coach bag
8. A Chi volumizing iron

Faith21 - Forever21 Plus Sizes!

A while back, I read a story online somewhere about Forever21 expanding their brand and adding plus sizes. Figuring it was too good to be true, I forgot about it until last last night when I was perusing their accessories (the only things I can usually buy from there). Well, Faith21 is locked and loaded and full of adorable tops, cute basics and trendy dresses made for full-figured girls at Forever21's super low prices! (The jeans only go up to a 16, but most everything else runs XL-2X.)

I love Forever21 for their variety, but get so frustrated that most of the clothing is too small for me so I will definitely be buying some things from this new line!

Here are my favorite pieces:







*WetSeal.com also offers plus sizes. They have a pretty good selection and their sizes go up to 24/3XL.

FOTD: "Shimmer, Shimmer, Quarter Turn"

I've never done a Face of the Day before (mostly because I don't exactly pride myself on my makeup application skills), but I thought it'd be fun to post one once in a while. I love seeing other girl's FOTDs and taking inspiration from their photos.

Today, I kept it pretty simple, but with lots of subtle shimmer. I applied my concealer under my eyes and blended it out with my 190 brush. Then, I added my foundation using my fingers. I used the darker shades in the bronzing strips as a little contour and the lighter shades as a slight highlight using my Flawless Face brush. I topped it off by applying blush on the apples of my cheeks. For the eyes, I swept the eye mousse all over my lids, using my finger, added liquid liner on the top and regular eyeliner in my waterline and finished it off with two coats of mascara. For my lips, I wore a shimmery pale peachy pink shade.

*The flash washed the color out, but it's a pretty mauve/brown shade.

WHAT I USED:
Brushes
MAC 190SE foundation brush
Clinique blush brush
Bare Minerals Flawless Face brush

Face
Rimmel Stay Matte liquid foundation in #300 Sand
Maybelline Mineral Power concealer in Beige Medium
Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips in Vegas Strip
jane. Be Pure Mineral Blush in Rose Silk

Eyes
Milani Brow Fix Brow Kit in #02 Medium
Revlon eye mousse in Brown Suede
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Zero
Wet n Wild H20 Proof liquid eyeliner in Black
Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express mascara in Glam Black

Lips
jane. Aguaceuticals slim lipstick in Beach

Barbie Pink Loubs!

If Barbie were a real woman, she would only wear these heels! (Unless, of course, she was a flight attendant/dentist/veterinarian/teacher that day. Then, she'd wear them in black.)



They are the Glitter Patent Slingbacks in pink from the one and only Christian Louboutin! I am in LOVE!!!

MAC Baby Bloom Collection

MAC Cosmetics Baby Bloom Collection for Fall 2009

U.S. Launch Date: July 30th, 2009
International: August 2009

I first heard about this collection on Belle Du Jour's blog. I'm sure tons of other beauty blogs have already talked about it and I don't usually feature MAC previews, but I'm really excited for this one! I'm not a fan of MAC's foundations, so I'm anxious to try these because they seem like tinted moisturizers, which I LOVE. The lip balms also sound fabulous! The collection of Studio Moisture Tint treatments are chock full of SPF and healing emollients to give your skin a healthy glow and rescue it from future damage.



Studio Moisture Tint SPF15 ($29.50 U.S. / $38.00 CDN)

Light Soft: Pale beige
Medium: Warm beige
Medium Dark: Caramel beige
Dark: Deep caramel
Deep: Dark Rich golden bronze


Suntints SPF20 Liquid Lip Balm ($14.50 U.S. / $17.50 CDN)

Just A Smidge: Soft, pastel yellow with multi-coloured pearl
Lilt of Lily: Soft, creamy pale pink
Pink Tinge: Clean bright yellow-pink with gold pearl
Full of Grace: Soft, sheer rose
Moist Plum: Light lilac with very fine pearl

*ALL PHOTOS & INFO from Temptalia.com.

A New You!

My newest "obsesh" has been doing virtual makeovers on TAAZ.com. You can change your hairstyle and color, add highlights and lowlights, try on full makeup and lashes, and even add colored contacts! It is, by far, the best virtual makeover site I've ever seen. I found out about it from the sweet and beautiful Sarah (sardun1 on YouTube).

So here's my predicament: Should I go back to black or add more blonde and caramel highlights? What do you think??

Coastal Scents SALE!

Coastal Scents is having a sale this weekend!

"Armed Forces Day is Saturday May 16th, to honor our Troops at home, abroad, and their Families, we are throwing a huge sale for the weekend."

16% OFF THE ENTIRE WEBSITE!
COUPON CODE: PEACE

Instructions: Add the coupon code to the shopping cart in the section Coupon or Gift Certificate and press Recalculate. Sale ends Sunday, 5-17-09 midnight EST.

Here are some suggestions: (I have all of these products and LOVE them!)

88 Piece Makeup Palette $21.95


SMACKS lip glosses $4.95 ea.


The Brush Guard $4.95/set

Designer Inspired: Patricia Field

Back again with another new theme! This one is called "Designer Inspired". Lately I've been really getting into translating a high end designer's vision into affordable and wearable looks! I find what I think best resemble a line's "feel" and turn it into an outfit! This one's pretty crazy, but it's inspired by Pat Field afterall!

pat fields by srqsocialite featuring Steve Madden Shoes

POW Ring by Antonio Murphy & Astro
H&M purple blouse
Nollie Krazy Kat Sling Bag $19.99 @ PacSun
Star Studded Waist Belt $12.50 @ WetSeal
Poizen Industries Neon Evil Teddy Trip Mini Skirt 32.00 GBP
"Marvell" Black Leather Heels by SteveMadden

Hot Dad of the Month

Here at Material Instinct, we don't discriminate. If there's a Hot Mom of the Month, shouldn't there be a Hot Dad of the Month? Yes, there should. And now there is! First up, the newly single Ashley Parker Angel.

Ashley's a 27 year old father of one, a son named Lyric Lennon, born in 2004. He's starred in Hairspray on Boradway as well as his own reality show on MTV, There & Back, but Ashley is most famous for being on season 1 of Making the Band where he joined the boyband Otown. "Liquid Dreams" anyone?? (Yes, I was a fan. No hate mail! They were good!)

Currently, Ashley's back in Los Angeles working on new music and twittering.

So adorable.


Carrying his son Lyric back in 2007.


Official DILF.

---->Look, We're Celebrity Endorsed!

What To Wear: Girl's Night Out

This is a new feature I'm starting where I will style an outfit for a particular occasion. First up, Girl's Night Out!

GNO by srqsocialite featuring Guess Footwear shoes

Dress - Forever21 - $14.50
Bracelet - Topshop - 15 GBP
Earrings - Topshop - 15 GBP
Shoes - GUESS - $120
Clutch - Fred Flare - $18

Happy Mother's Day!

Jason's working today, so instead of sleeping in super late and then pampering myself all day, I'm watching cartoons with Nikki. Being left to daydream of what I'd rather be doing today, I envisioned a splendid Mother's Day brunch at an outdoor cafe followed by shopping, of course! Here's what i'd wear:

My Heart...

"With as much creativity as you can muster, show your heart in:"

1 Picture

This one was very hard to settle on. I mean, who can pick 1 picture to define them?! I knew I wanted it to be a picture of my son. He is, after all, my heart and soul. Unfortunately, most of his baby pictures got erased when my harddrive crashed, so I don't have too many to choose from. He was one day old in this picture and I remember being so amazed that he was mine and I was responsible for him. I wished I could freeze time and keep him a newborn forever. (I don't miss the middle of the night feedings or running in to check if he's still breathing though!)

1 Poem


I'm not a big poem person really. I have Jewel's book of poetry and I read it probably 10 times in high school because I loved it so much. But to pick a poem that defined me as a person, I had to go with this one:

"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.



1 Item of Clothing

This one was also tough to settle on. It had to be something vintage-inspired, but that showed off "the girls" too. Something girly, but also fun and sexy. This is from Lily Allen's collection at New Look from a couple years ago. I've been hunting this dress down since the first time I saw it on the New Look website. I've found a couple on eBay, but they're either not in my size or I lose the auction. I love the frilly ruffles on this dress, as well as the sweetheart neckline and full skirt. The belt is super cute too! I will own this dress one day!


1 Song


There are so many amazing songs on the soundtrack to my life, but I guess I'd have to say "At Last" by Etta James. It's the only song I sing at karaoke. I just love the mood it evokes. A close second is "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by The Tokens. I love the harmonies and the silliness of it! (I also love that NSYNC covered it way back in the day.)


1 Place


London. I love everything about it. I will live there one day. You better believe it.

1 Quote

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." -Mae West

1 Disney Princess

I'd have to say Princess Jasmine. First, I liked Snow White (my mom's favorite), then I moved on to Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. But once I saw Aladdin, it was all over. Jasmine was tan, had big, brown eyes and she rocked a huge, curly pony tail! I had finally found a princess I could relate to! One who looked liked ME! I used to want to play her at Disney World when I grew up, but then I saw her in person and she was just a white girl with a wig on! I think she actually had blonde hair peeking through! So, upon discovering that the theme park version was a sham, I gave that dream up for good. Now, if anyone's looking for an authentic (ok well Italian version) Princess Jasmine, hit me up! Just let me get into harem pants shape first!

***Tagged from Modern Marie. I tag anyone who comments - if you're running low on post ideas - try this one, its really fun!

Hot Mom of the Month

May's "HMOTM" is the always radiant Reese Witherspoon. She's beautiful, talented and her choice in men ain't too bad either! She's a mommy to 9 year old Ava and 4 year old Deacon, who are both absolutely adorable! I love Reese because she's a good ol' gal from the south who works hard, always looks pulled together and even admits she hates working out! She seems very down to earth and I admire her career as well as her impeccable sense of style!

Simply Gorgeous.



Playing June Carter in one of my favorite movies, Walk The Line.



With her super cute kids last October.

I found an endearing quote of hers on rwitherspoon.com, “When I first had Ava, I couldn’t afford help,” Reese tells Britain’s Elle magazine. “It was so hard. I was out in Los Angeles, living away from my family. I didn’t really have any friends. And I had a baby. No one else who was 22 had a baby. I couldn’t go out.” But Reese says she finds comfort in her close female friends. “That’s always been the center of my life, female friendship,. “I value the shared human experience, when women are honest with each other. It’s hard having kids. It’s hard having a job. It’s hard having a relationship - for anybody."