Motivational Wardrobe

I'm bringing back Potpourri Wednesday, where I share something that's not directly related to beauty, but still pertinent to one's overall wellness.  I always say (and I'm sure some famous person said it before me), that you should always enjoy the little things in life that make you smile.  Personal wellness always begins with YOU!

Sugar Lips vs. Satin Lips

Fresh Brown Sugar Lip Polish (Limited Edition) and Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15
Retail Price: $22.50 each
Where to find:  Sephora, Sephora.com

Mary Kay Lip Mask and Lip Balm
Retail Price: $9.50 each (price subject to consultant)
Where To Find: Search a consultant near you Find a MK Consultant

I first saw Fresh Sugar Lip products on the Doctors show on CBS.  Before trying Fresh's products, I was using Mary Kay's Satin Lips Treatment.  Both have the same concept: one for exfoliating your lips and the second product for the lip balm treatment.

I love Kate Spade...

...And I love it when Kate Spade is on GILT, an invite-only website for discounted luxury products (get your invite here!).  I've always liked Kate Spade handbags (I only own one that I bought on eBay years ago), and their cosmetic/makeup bags are no different!

I'll take my cereal in an Obol, please :)

Have you ever left your crispy cereal and returned to a bowl of soggy cereal?  Then you have to try the Obol.  My brother convinced me to order the 3-pack (one for me, one for him, and an extra; the 3-pack also came with free shipping).  It arrived yesterday and had a bowl as soon as I got home.  I love it!

The Obol implements the "swoop n scoop" technique.  You place the cereal in the top tier, and the milk in the lower/bowl part.  When you want a spoonful, you "swoop" the cereal into the milk and scoop!  The Obol keeps the cereal and milk separated the whole time.  The only time they are mixed is when you're ready for a scoop.  A crispy bite everytime!  No more soggy cereal!  So simple, yet GENIUS! It also has a handy grip at the bottom (see pictures).  The flat bottom allows you to lay the bowl on your lap or while in bed.  The bowl works for soup and crackers and milk and cookies :)

The bowl is a bit larger than what I'm used to, but I actually don't mind because I eat a lot of cereal :).  It only comes in white/ivory.  It's dishwasher safe, food safe (made of BPA free polypropylene), and made in the USA.

A Quinceanera for Urban Decay

Urban Decay, one of my favorite brands especially for eyeshadow, is celebrating 15 years of fabulous makeup!  To celebrate, UD has a limited edition makeup bag in a fun glitter purple with lots of room to take your makeup on the road!  It has a zippered pocket inside to separate and organize your stuff.  I like the double zipper, as oppose to the one-way one-zipper bags where you have to open the entire bag just to pull one thing.  The interior lining is pretty too!  Check it out here!  While you're there, check out the 15 years 15 pencils item too.  Happy 15th Anniversary Urban Decay!

Photo credit: Urban Decay http://www.urbandecay.com/the-quinceanera-bag/292,default,pd.html

A NEW LOOK...

...to the blog!  I also changed the name!  I've wanted to change it for awhile to something that wasn't so monotonous, boring, or literal.  I wanted a name that has more life, a little catchy, yet simple and represented a little bit of personality.  It shouldn't be that difficult, right?!  I mean who would've thought amazon.com would become a household name.  I should be studying right now (fail), but I just couldn't get myself to study until I came up with a new blog name.  Type A person!  I spent the last few days thinking - at work, in the grocery store, before I went to bed.  I played around with words like my nickname, Belle, and my favorite color, pink, but the names I came up with were taken!


I'm not 110% sold on the new name, but if I want to study at some point this weekend, I needed to come up with something that will keep me satisfied.  I think it's a little girly, but then again I am girly.  Ironically, one of my favorite makeup products is eyeliner, but when it comes to natural looks, the most natural look is a person's blush.  Your own blush is what makes each person unique.  There's something vulnerable, yet delicate about a person's blush.  Who doesn't smile when someone blushes, unless you're a robot and have no feelings.  Blushes leads to smiles, and who doesn't love both? :)


Anyway, I need to hit the books.  Let me know what you think!


(If you're new to the blog, it was once called Makeup Actually.  Work in progress.  There's still a lot I need to do to switch everything to the new blog name!)

Bumble and Bumble arrives at Sephora!

What a coincidence that when I went for my haircut last Friday, they used Bumble and Bumble and just when I was going to research places nearby that I can purchase their products, Sephora announces their arrival to their stores and website!  When I went for my overdue haircut, I left with Bumble and Bumble's styling creme and Rockaholic dry shampoo (look out for this post).  Typical me, I told myself I'll buy their shampoo later when I finish my current shampoo.  I should've just bought it right there in the salon, because I noticed my bottle was running low when I got home!

Ok, so I have pretty fine straight hair, so my hair was washed with Bumble and Bumble's seaweed line.  I can't wait to buy it and use it on a regular basis.

Bumble and Bumble Styling Creme
Retail price: $24.00
Where to find: PR@Partners salons, Sephora, Sephora.com, Bumble and Bumble website

I am mostly a wash-n-go kind of person.  I like easy (and lazy!).  So, I rarely dabble in the complexity of using the right styling products.  Hairspray vs. mousse? Cream vs. gel?  Yea, I'm not good at that (yet).  But in the spirit of becoming a better me, which includes my appearance, I decided with this haircut, I'm going to give my hair the TLC it needs.  So, the hairstylist at PR@Partners in DC, Josh, (whom I totally recommend!) suggested that I try Bumble and Bumble's Styling Creme.  It works well on people with fine hair; it doesn't leave your hair greasy at all.  Now of course, people's hair looks and smells amazing right after a salon visit.  The real test is when you have to do it all by yourself!

It's been a few days, and I love the styling creme!  I have pretty long days, and I hate it when my hair feels greasy or oily at the end of the day because of product.  But, so far, I've gone home feeling like I could even skip a day of hair washing.  I only use a dime size of the creme and run my hands through my hair and blowdry.  I could work on my blowdrying skills, but for what I need my hair to be to brave the long days, it works pretty well!  Bumble and Bumble have been around since the 1970s.  I can't believe I've only heard of them now.

I also bought Rockaholic dry shampoo which is to be used for the in-between-hair-washing days, hangover mornings, or post-gym-no-time-to-shower-yet days.  My hair is still relatively fresh from a salon, so maintenance has been quite low (wink).  When I start getting super lazy with my hair, you'll see a post about this product! haha.



Photo credits:
Bumble and Bumble styling creme at Sephora http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P280533&categoryId=C24070