I'm a Lush Lushie

Maybelline Color Tattoos, MAC Paint Pots, and UD Shadows

So after some experimenting (not unlike what some do in college), I found the best way to use the Maybelline Color Tattoo shadows on my oily lids.

I first prime with UD Primer Potion.
Then bring on the pots! I use MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study under my brow bone. Depending on the look I'm going for, I'll use either Bad to the Bronze or Tough as Taupe on my lids. If I do use Bad to the Bronze, I'll also add MAC Paint Pot in Constructivist on the outer half of my lids.

I top with matching shadows to give a little lasting oompf.I usually just use my Sigma E25 brush, but there's no real reason for that except that I love it.

The shadows I use are (from my Urban Decay Naked and Naked2 palettes) - they don't look like they match too well, but in person and on the eyes they do look really good:

MAC Paint Pot Bare Study: UD Sin (not pictured) from Naked palette
Maybelline Color Tattoo Bad to the Bronze: YDK from Naked2 palette
MAC Paint Pot Constructivist: Budted from Naked2
Maybelline Color Tattoo Tough as Taupe: Pistol from Naked2

 

Here, from L to R, starting with upper row:
Mac Bare Study, Maybelline Bad to the Bronze, Mac Constructivist, Maybelline Tough as Taupe.

UD Sin, UD YDK, UD Busted, UD Pistol.

I am a Lush and a Lushie (Citrus Lush Cocktail and a Lemon Drop)

I like to drink cocktails, and I also like Lush bath cocktails. I can't think of a better combination than an evening bath and a nightcap. So I thought I'd start a new series called Lush and Lushie cocktails. First things first. My drinky cocktail was a Lemon Drop. I like mine with 1 part Limoncello, 1 part vodka, 1/2 part simple syrup, and a sugar rim. Yum! For my bath cocktail, I used 1/2 of an Avobath Bath Bomb, 1/2 Sunny Side Bubble Bar, a small bit of Snow Globe soap (Christmas 2011 LE), and the Each Peach massage bar as a post-bath moisturizer. I lit my CO Bigelow Lemon candle (AMAZING) and used my non-citrus-scented Catastrophe Cosmetic face mask.

• Because it's the only one I have right now, I also used my blueberry-based Catastrophe Cosmetic face mask. I have really oily, sensitive, acne-prone, aging, dull skin. I like it, but I don't LOVE it.
• Sunny Side bubbles were so pretty. The water was really shimmery pale yellow (before dropping in the avobath!) and generated a lot of bubbles. I have a small tub, so I needed half and it was plenty. I wish I crumbled more before dropping in the tub, I did a shitty job of it. The citrus scent was really nice, but not strong, so it would be a great match for something like the Butterball, you're not limited to citrus!
• The Avobath bomb is a really bright lemon smell that made the water a gorgeous green color. The lemon was really fresh and reenergizing. I know some people might not like so much zest before bed, but I love it. I feel really clean and like a new person.
• This was the first time I used the Snow Globe and I really liked it. It's (obviously) also really citrusy, but not nearly as much as Sexy Peel or even Bohemian. It's a nice, sweet, muted grapefruit. I cut this small slice in case I dropped it and it melted in the tub, but I used about half of it, which was a nice surprise.

I sipped my Lemon Drop while drawing the bath and watching No Strings Attached, which were the perfect complement to the Lush cocktail. We have a ton of liquor (thanks to Pinnacle vodka's amazing flavors and our liquor cabinet that holds a ton so discretely!), but I normally grab a beer out of laziness. But beer + baths = bad combination, so a martini was a good choice. I got to use some of my booze and it was a better sipping drink, AND mixed with the bath better! (Exception: Summer Shandy. ::drool::) I propped my nook Tablet on a small table we have in our bathroom (pictured above), which was genius! I'm always afraid to ruin my nook or laptop with the water, so I'll put it in a baggie or just read a magazine. Best.Bath.Ever. Well, until I finished my drink and wished I had a second. Or a glass of water. But it was spectacular. Until my husband notices an increase in our water bill, I want to make this a regular thing. How have I never done this with any regularity before?!

Don ' t drop the soap!

I have a few bars of Lush soap in the shower. To avoid getting them wet, I keep them in small Tupperware containers between the shower curtain and liner. But I've found that the soap is still not drying completely between uses. Today I went to a dollar store and got several plastic soap saver things. I put this in the container, soap on top - and voila! Dry soap protected from the elements. I've seen these on amazon and other online retailers for $4+, so getting 6 for $4 was a steal. I also got some new containers that are wider and not as tall as what I'm using, and stackable so they're more uniform. Some of the soap savers I got came 2/pack and are quite small. I slice my soaps into 1" strips, so they'll work nicely and I can fit multiple into the same container, assuming the scents are similar enough not to contaminate the others.

Greasy Lids Are Creasy Lids!

After allllll that driving around to find these damn Color Tattoos, the damn things creased by lunch. I admit I loved the colors. I just expected so much more out of these. I felt like they had the same level of staying power as any old eyeshadow. I put Tough as Taupe on my lid. Bad to the Bronze on the center of my lid, and Mac paint pot in Constructivist on the outer corner. I used Mac Paint Pot in Bare Study under my brow bone. It looked good when I left the house. But I used the washroom at work and holy shit did were they creased. I know I have oily lids (and everything else), but I was expecting more out of these things. Tomorrow I'll try with my UD Primer in Eden underneath. If they still crease, I'll try with powder shadow on top. (At which point I think what's the point - I might as well just wear the damn p0wder and be done with it.)

Essie Luscious Lips is the perfect nailpolish

I picked up Essie's Luscious Lips a while back at Ulta, on clearance for $2.99. I have a million natural and pale pink colors, and never found quite the right one. They were either too sheer, too white, too thick and streaky, or too... you get the drift. So I said "Self, might as well get this one. Looks pretty and it might be a good pale pink toe color for spring."

This pale pink is the perfect shade I've waited for all my (adult) life! It's the perfect shade of pink for my skin, it's more opaque than sheer (I'd say a 3/5 on the Zoya scale of opaqueness), and goes on really smoothly.

Walgreens, you ' re my hero!

So I got one of the Maybelline Color Tattoos (Tough as Taupe) at Walgreens last night. Immediately upon coming home, I determined that I needed Bad to the Bronze as well. I really wanted the teal and purple, but I'm trying to not go crazy. Knowing that Ulta has Maybelline at BOGO 50% off and has coupons - I was hell bent on getting them there. But they're sold out at Ulta online and at every store in my immediate area - I had to look elsewhere. Even full price, I wanted these fucking things.

Drugstrore.com, Amazon, Target.com, WalMart.com, CVS - no dice. But then the Walgreens website told me at 9:50 PM that they have them for BOGO 1/2 off also - and the sale ended last night! But I only got one! Five minutes before closing (my closest Walgreens closes at 10), I hauled ass to Walgreens to get another one. I was victorious! Bad to the Bronze was mine for $3.50!

Mwahahaha - now this shit better be as amazing as everyone says!

WTF Ulta?!

How dare you convince me that I need Maybelline's Color Tattoo, put Maybelline BOGO 50% off and send me a $3.50 coupon (rendering said Color Tattoos BOGO FREE!), only to have only orange in stock online and at three local Ultas. 

Unacceptable! Thankfully my local Walgreens has all colors full priced, so I was able to get Tough as Taupe. I do love it (as a swatch on the back of my hand. It looks delightfully dirty, so it'll look fab on my eyelids), and might go back for the Teal and Purple if they have them online. But WTF - you are a local company and there are 10 ultas within 15 miles of my home. I shouldn't have to order online!

No sleep ' til Brooklyn!

Husband and I are going to New York this week. We'll be there less than 24 hours, there for a record release show. I think he intentionally stopped reminding me when we were going, because he knows how impatient I am and didn't want the barrage of questions. Me: "What are you wearing?!" H: "Jeans and a shirt, I think." Me: "But WHICH jeans and WHICH shirt?" H: "Jesus Christ, it's three weeks away. I don't know." Me: "Cool your jets. Which bag are we bringing? Think we can share one carry on?" H: "We'll be there one day, if we can't share a single day, we have issues." Me: "Um, yeah...Well, I've gotta get back to work now..." We go to a lot of shows, so I feel like I have a uniform of what to wear to shows. (Not unlike Husband's "Jeans and shirt", I reluctantly admit.) But when I have to pack for it, it feels different. Plus, I just like having something to obsess over. So, I have been thinking about how I will pack for this trip. Allow me to try and put words to the thoughts swirling in my mind: It'll be ~40F in New York while we're there - warm (relative to Chicago this last week) - but how warm? Which coat is most appropriate, yet will let me carry my travel bag with, and is appropriate for a show. I loathe carrying coats to shows, so do I suck it up and check it at the venue (frowny face), or suck it up and be cold on the walk to the venue (frowny face). Squee! If the latter, what do I wear to be reasonably comfy both walking outside and during the show? Squee! Packing for personal travel is SO different than fun travel. Do I bring my curling iron? I hope my color bug comes in time! Squee! I wish I kept those Keds, I would have liked to wear them. What about makeup? Should I do my standard neutrals, or do I go more fun? Squee! Will we have a bathtub? Should I bring a bathbomb? What about massage bar? Squee! Maybe we should go to binny's and get some nips, or bring our flasks. Squee! How many books will I finish? Think I can knock through four on the plane? Squee! Hmm, do I have enough Dramamine? Do I have any Zofran left? That would be good. I hope this cold goes away and I don't have to carry cough drops. Squee! Ok - I am clearly a hot mess who should be institutionalized.

Lush-ious Snowcake

My local Lush posted on facebook that they randomly got a wheel of Snowcake soap. (It's January and this soap is not available online anymore, nor has this store had any Christmas items for at least several weeks.) Why yes, it is still BOGO. Of course I wanted some. I knew my mom was already going to the mall for something else, so I asked her to pick some up for me. I asked for two or four bars, depending how much was there, each bar about $5 size. I had a sinking suspicion she wouldn't get to Lush for several hours and it'd be completely gone! I almost went myself, unshowered and ditching the cleaning ladies who were at the house. But I calmed down, reminded myself I've never smelled this in person, and if it was gone, it wasn't meant to be. When my mom got there, she said there was a tremendous amount left so she got a little carried away. She ended up
with eight bars (she only wanted six, but paid for and received eight), and they were all about $8-9 each. I got five of the bars. It's spicier than I expected. I didn't know it was goldy on the edges (ooooh, sparkly). I'm not a fan of the rose smell. While incredibly faint, when I don't like something, it becomes the predominant fragrance. But it's not terrible. I'll try it today and I'm sure I'll like it - but Sexy Peel will remain #1 in my heart. I love it's lemony goodness. I hope that snowcake will grow on me. If you come over to my house, you may find this is the bar we have in the kitchen and bathrooms for hand washing, since I have $35 worth of it to go through!

I ' ve got the bug!

I love the look of peek-a-boo and all-over funky-colored locks. (thatslotta dashes) However, I work in a conservative industry, for conservative clients, with whom I have regular in-person meetings. I did have red peek-a-boo color on my tips for a while and I liked it. Except they weren't bright enough (should have gone to someone with bolder hair herself) and it faded way too damn fast. Then I had weirdly blonde tips after about a week. Thankfully, my (male) colleagues and clients were too polite to rib me about it, and assumed it was yet another girl thing they didn't understand. Highlights look like ass on me. And as high maintenance as I am overall, my hair is the one area I'm not really fussy about. So they don't get updated and I (un)intentionally rock the ombre look. Now I have a lovely warm brown color, wed with my silky strands (thanks amika!), my hair looks like a dark chocolate fountain. I think I've caught hubby trying to dip marshmallows and pound cake in it. I've been eyeing the Kevin Murphy color bug for some time. I couldn't find it in a store near me (ok, I didn't really look that hard), but it's on ebay. Before pulling the trigger, I wanted to see how it would fare on darker hair. I mean, all of the tutorials have been on blondes, so would it look ridic or nonexistant on my cocoa strands? This blog post was really helpful and made me want, nay NEED, the color bug. Like yesterday. So I ordered it on ebay (hello, free shipping!) and cannot fucking wait until it comes.