Nail Biting – The Quest to STOP

I think I’ve mentioned before my lifelong penchant for nail-biting and my struggles with it. Sometimes I can just stop cold turkey for a few months, but a stressful situation will no doubt drive me back to gnawing. Ugh. Well, I have a special event coming up and yes, I could just get acrylics or gel nails, but I don’t want the expense, upkeep or artificial look. So I’ve challenged myself to just stop now so that by then I will have presentable hands.

In my quest to stop this awful habit, I researched a product to help me, (because heaven knows I can’t do this on my own) and I found Mavala STOP on Amazon with lots of rave reviews. For $10, plus $2 shipping, it’s way cheaper than $50 + tip gel nails.
It arrived yesterday so painted it on at the end of the day. It dried quickly so I decided to try a nibble to see if the taste would be enough to stop me from gnawing – what a regretful decision that was. The taste I was met with can only be described as Liquid Plumber+vinegar+battery acid+antifreeze from 1914. FOUL.

Today, after a morning of showering and several hand washings, the gross taste hasn’t faded, although reapplying once a day will be a good idea. If this aversion therapy is the key to having nice nails, I’ll stay with it. Stay tuned and I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

*Please note that I just can’t post a picture of my nails now because they are just that embarrassing…
PolkaDot

Sonia Kashuk Brow Kit Review

Sonia Kashuk Brow Kit

I think I’ve mentioned before the importance of paying attention to your brows as they frame your eyes and complete a polished look. That’s why when I spotted this brow kit in Target for $9.99 I felt giddy. As someone who frequently changes her hair color, this kit looked perfect! And the minimalist packaging is sleek and typical of Sonia Kashuk. I was thrilled to try it.

The kit doesn’t come with a brush, so I used a stiff bristled slanted brush and found that I had to dig the brush deep into the waxy pot to get any color to show up. The waxyness kept my brows in place, but I wanted color too. I don’t know if I got a dud off the manufacturing line, as makeupalley has so many rave reviews, but back to Target it went.

I’m back to using matte shadows for my brows.

xoxo ~ PolkaDot

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred – OW

So this morning I dragged my ass out of bed at 5:15, ate a banana, had some water and with fear in my heart, hit Play on this DVD.

I’ve been working out in the morning for about a week and I started out with the Denise Austin Boot Camp DVD because I did her workouts on Lifetime when they used to have them. Denise is great, but I knew Jillian would be more challenging.

The Shred video has 3 levels – as you progress, you go up a level. But each level also has two girls behind Jillian. One does the more advanced version of each exercise and the other a more beginner/intermediate version, so it’s very customizable to your needs. All you need are dumbbells and a mat. There’s a warm-up and then an exhausting mix of cardio/strength. Jillian stresses that if you want to get fit in a 20 minute workout, you need to push yourself and minimize resting. She’s motivational without being nasty or mean. So far I like this video and am looking forward to seeing results.

As a side note, I work out so early because if I don’t do it first thing, I will never do it later in the day. This way it’s done, over with and energizes me for my morning. I’ve been enjoying a better, more restful sleep as a result of working out too.

Everyday Minerals – New Packaging FTW

Wish I would use this up so I can buy a replacement in the new packaging that looks like...

 

...this.

I have the following complaints about this blush: 1) it’s the perfect everyday blush, 2) it lasts all day 3) it’s well pigmented 4)they give you plenty in the container and it lasts forever 5)it’s $5!

Why on earth are these complaints you ask? Because I seem to have bought the bottomless container of blush that will never die, meaning I can’t ever replace it with the cuter packaging they have now (in pic #2).

What a smart move on Every Minerals’ part though – sleek, girly new packaging that lacks that bizarre Target logo, but kept the same low prices. The website is also cute and easy to navigate, although a tiny bit overwhelming. And unless I didn’t look hard enough, I haven’t been able to find ingredient lists. Otherwise, EM is a great value and lots of people rave about their mineral foundations which come in various formulas for a good range of coverage.

Review: SpaRitual Nailpolish in Drop Dead Gorgeous

SpaRitual's Drop Dead Gorgeous

When I saw this cool toned slightly irridescent/shimmery deep violet at a day spa last summer, I knew I had to try it. I justified the $9 price tag by telling myself getting this is cheaper than a manicure and I will get many uses out of it. Boy, was I right. As beautiful as it is as a rich fall shade, it will work in winter and even summer with a tan.

As for the SpaRitual line of polishes, they are vegan and toulene/formaldehyde free, so they don’t have that gnarly polish smell, nor are they you know, poison. I’m on day three of wearing this polish and haven’t been delicate with it – I’ve done some cleaning and lots of dishes without so much as a chip. I’m impressed. I’m going to have to scout out where to get more as I don’t frequent day spas, but this polish gets 5 out of 5 PolkaDots.

My silly indulgence

Part of the lipgloss collection

 

A while back (my apologies for the delay) ctkathy asked me how many lipglosses I owned, which prompted me to snap this picture of my lipgloss/lipstick makeup drawer. It would appear as though there are about 20 glosses, 10 lipsticks and a few pencils. Even though I snapped this picture weeks ago, something stopped me from posting the answer to ctkathy’s question immediately. Over the next few weeks, I discovered the various glosses I hoard in my purse, car, bathroom, and desk drawer at work, more than double my original estimate of 30 lip items.

At first I felt sort of ridiculous, but then I realized it’s not like they’re YSL or Dior glosses at $30 a pop – most of them are NYX or Maybelline that I got on sale at CVS or ULTA or even the occasional Dollar Store gloss. And this is one of the few indulgences I allow myself. Having said this, I give you permission to enjoy whatever your silly indulgence may be, because if it makes you happy and isn’t hurting anyone, then why not?

Smooches!  ~PolkaDot

Don’t Pack Away the Summer Dresses Yet

Paired with a long cardigan and tall boots, your summer dresses can enjoy extended use through the fall season. A knee length dress is appropriate for the office, but the shorter length is great for a date or a night out with friends. The key to this look is that the cardigan should be about as long as the dress. I tried it with a shorter, hip length cardigan, which wasn’t as flattering as it visually cut me in half.

Forgive the silly look on my face, but I had to concentrate on keeping the phone still to get a clear pic. Took about 11 tries.

Meeeeow: PolkaDot has (real) claws again

I've managed to not bite long enough so that my talons look like THIS. Woo!

For non-nail biters, I don’t think you understand what an accomplishment this is. First of all, I grew out all the damage from when I had acrylics over the summer and then I did my best to not bite. Did I cheat? A bit. I did still bite the sides of my nails and sometimes nibbled at the sking a bit. EW. I know I know.

BUT I currently have 10 chic squared off natural nails to enjoy. The polish on them is OPI’s Bubble Bath with an OPI top coat and OPI Nail Envy in matte as a basecoat. I also ran out to Sally’s and bought an $8 glass nail file that is supposed to be gentle on the nails and last forever. Those cheap cardboard files can shred your nails. And don’t ever file back and forth – one direction only. This has also helped keep my nails in good shape. As any reformed nail biter can tell you, it’s those little snags and chips that are most tempting.

I do have a vicious cycle of biting and then not biting, so while I have these nails, I shall enjoy them.

Enjoy your weekend! Blowing kisses from my well manicured hands!  LOL  ~PolkaDot

Giovanni Shampoo/Condit & Leave-In Review

I have a new love: Giovanni. No, it’s not a Jersey shore cast member – it’s a fantastic line of haircare products that are all natural, organic, and packaged beautifully in sleek, minimalist bottles.

Giovanni Smooth as Silk shampoo & conditioner

I have been a long time user of Giovanni Smooth as Silk shampoo and conditioner. As you can see, there is only a small amount left, so I can vouch for its effects over time. The ingredients are natural, there is a light citrus scent, and it moisturizes without weighing down my fine, highlighted hair. I like variety, so I have an arsenal of shampoos and conditioners to choose from and every time I use this combo, I have a good hair day. I also feel comfortable using these on my hair daily with no worries of harsh sulfates causing further damage.

So you can imagine my happiness when recently I discovered Giovanni’s Vitapro Fusion leave-in spray.

Giovanni Vitaprpo Fusion leave-in spray

It leaves my hair less frizzy, more manageable, and protects it from heat if I choose to blow dry or flat iron my hair. Best of all, I feel great using Giovanni products because they are natural and certified organic. I can say there is a definite improvement in my hair as a result of using this product line. I’m also interested in trying their volumizing styling foam to replace my alcohol soaked mousse.

I’ve seen Giovanni products for around $7 or $8 on amazon.com, drugstore.com and Wegmans, but recently saw them on sale at RiteAid for $5.99. I believe Target carries Giovanni as well, but the best prices I’ve found have been at www.iherb.com.

Out of 5 PolkaDots, I give these three products a 5!

Giella Nailpolish Review: Greige

Giella Greige Nailpolish

I was recently sent Giella’s newest nailpolish, Greige – a shade their website describes as “a neutral beige with a touch of gray.” I keep hoping that the even after the triple take I did, the price is NOT $25. For nailpolish. Just checked again, and yep.. it’s $25. For that amount of money, I would at least expect the color description to be dead on, but I see no hint of beige after application – it’s more gray with a touch of lavender. Admittedly, it is a nice fall shade. I opted to paint my toes with it.

I'm an awful nail painter - pls excuse the paint job and the bony toes.

Do you see any beige in that color? Even in various lights, I don’t. But on the positive side, this nailpolish is formaldehyde and toulene free and dried quickly. Even better though, it applied beautifully and only required one coat. As much of a nailpolish spazz as I am, I even managed to apply it without streaks.

I think OPI polishes, which are my favorite for quality and staying power, are a better value for nearly 1/3 of the price of one of these.

The price and incorrect color description gives this 2.5 out of 5 Polka Dots. It would have rated lower if not for the toulene/formaldehyde free formula and ease of application.

http://www.giella.com/productList.aspx?c=301

PolkaDot’s Intro

Hello lovelies!

How excited am I to try the world of blogging! I love all things girlie, sparkly, pretty and fun. I’m pretty sure I was a bird in a past life as I will easily walk into something as a result of being distracted by something shiny. Or my own reflection.

As a person who LOVES magazines, I am prone to devouring bits of info. I am a walking encyclopedia of health, beauty and wellness knowledge – not that I always follow my own advice! But I do love to dish it.

I love to play with make-up and try different looks. I’ll admit that for work, I usually don’t try. I mean, it’s work and I do not work in a place that requires glam. Through many years of trial and error and many products purchased and tried, and discarded, I have tons of tips on beauty and health.

My first post after my intro will be a list of all of my favorite make-up products – this will be an evolving list. I can’t wait to see where this blog goes! Smooches!

PolkaDot’s Favorite Make-Up

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE make-up. I love it for its ability to transform your looks – dramatic, playful, professional and polished, glam.. etc. Being a girl means you can transform yourself daily – if you want to. Below is a list of my favorite products to achieve my favorite looks.

FOUNDATION

L’Oreal Bare Naturale Mineral Foundation in Nude Beige 460

I even prefer this over Bare Minerals. I always wait until CVS or Rite Aid have a BOGO sale and then I stock up. This goes on beautifuly with buildable coverage. I tried Revlon minerals and found it was too matte. With this, your skin shines through – I can’t imagine ever going back to a liquid.

CONCEALER

L’Oreal Bare Naturale Concealer in fair/light or light for summer

I usually buy a lighter concealer than my foundation because I find it better covers my undereye circles and tames any redness. Again, waiting for a BOGO sale is best. I like this just as much as the Bare Minerals concealer, but I do use the BM concealer brush which is excellent.

FINISHING POWDER

Bare Minerals Mineral Veil

The BEST hands down. It’s $$$ though so I only use it for special occasions or when I know I’m going to be photographed.

Revlon Photo Ready Translucent Finish Powder

This is a good every day finishing powder. Just like the L’Oreal products, it’s best to wait for a BOGO sale with these to stock up. It features slight shimmer to perk up your face a bit. I put this on with a big fluffy powder brush from Coastal Scents.

BLUSH

NARS Orgasm – the perfect peachy flush

Too Faced Pink Leopard – subtle pinky peach sheen

Rimmel Natural bronzer in sun bronze + Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips in Malibu Strip on top

Brush – MAC 168 Large Angle Contour Brush

Back in the day, I used to avoid blush thinking it was just for old ladies, but now find it essential to completing my look. I look best in cool tones pinks and peaches. If I want to feign an illness, which I would NEVER do, of course *cough cough* then I would skip blush.

 EYE PRIMER

Cover Girl Clean Pressed Powder for around $5

People like Urban Decay Primer Potion but that is 3-4x the cost. Buy a CG pressed powder and apply it to your lids with the puff and enjoy no creases all day. And that compact will last you a loooooong time. Save your money for nicely pigmented eyeshadows and blushes. Although a MAC Paint Pot is also an excellent primer – see my review of PPs. They are worth the extra money.

 MASCARA

Maybelline The Colossal in Very Black

Colossal comes in a fat, bright yellow tube which is big fun, but more importantly, gives you full, lush lashes at a great price. Beauty buffs will tell you that Maybelline Great Lash is best but personally, I find it goes on thin and doesn’t do much for my lashes in terms of lengthening or thickening. It’s overrated.

 EYELASH CURLER:

Shu Uemura – ’nuff said.

 EYESHADOW(S)

MAC – Shroom (subtle everyday brow highlighter)

Stila – Kitten – shimmery and so pretty. more powerful brow highlighter or a great base for making other colors pop – also Wheat – Stila powder shadows are amazing because they feel so creamy and a tiny amount goes a long way. They can be used wet or dry.

L’Oreal High Intensity Pigments in Sassy (taupe/brownish color) super pigmentation for a drugstore brand!

Jane Eye Zing in Clubbing – a shimmery deep charcoal color perfect for going out – my 2nd place drugstore brand eyeshadow in terms of pigmentation

Urban Decay in Midnight Cowboy – super glittery and also fun for going out

MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study - can be a primer or go on alone for a subtle, shimmery effect

Coastal Scents 88 Metal Mania Palette – outstanding pigmentation and gorgeous, universally flattering colors

Honorable mention: people love NYX Styx for shadows or in place of a MAC paint pot. I have yet to try one of these – I have no excuse since they’re so inexpensive!

                         EYELINER

Styli Style 24 hour self sharpening pencil in black

LIPSTICK

L’Oreal Fresco 528 – a rosy nude – discontinued, but one of my all time favorites

MAC Creme d ‘Nude

I am not a huge lipstick person. I love a strong eye with a more nude, neutral lip.  I look like a “lady of the night” if I try to go beyond a nude-ish color.  

LIP GLOSS

MAC Underage – a gorgeous pinky nude color

ULTA brand glosses also seem to have pretty good staying power

Revlon holiday limited edition gloss quad – mauves

LIP BALM

Rosebud Salve

Good ‘ol Vaseline before bed

NAIL POLISH

NOTHING beats OPI for staying power and amazing colors

PolkaDot’s Least Favorite Make-Up

FOUNDATION

Anything liquid.  *Although I did used to use MAC Studio Fix which was pretty good applied with a MAC foundation brush. Still not as good as minerals though.

Most liquid is goopy, masky and fades away after a few hours. If I want to do a day-to-night look, I have to rewash my face entirely and start over. With most mineral make-up, I can rebuild my look after it fades a bit throughout the day.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I do not like Revlon ColorStay Mineral Foundation. The packaging and brush leaves much to be desired and it is way too matte. I love a semi-dewey, glowy look. If matte is what you’re after, then you may like it, but I would recommend the use of a different brush (Coastal Scents kabuki on a stick is amazing) and moving the make-up into a different sifting container. Thank heavens CVS has a no-questions-asked make-up return policy.  

CONCEALER

Again, anything liquid

However, I must mention my beloved L’Oreal Bare Naturale Concealer here stricly for its packaging. As a concealer, it’s fantastic – I go over this in my Favorites post. BUT, the packaging is awful. I wish they would knock $3 off the price just to get rid of that silly useless brush. To make it useable, I dump the L’Oreal concealer into an old Bare Minerals container without the sifter. Otherwise, getting the product out of the L’Oreal container is super awkward.

BLUSH

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Blush

Ew. This stuff never went on evenly on the first two or three tries so by the time I had two even cheeks I looked like a garage sale China doll. See the item below for the completion of this look.

 MASCARA

Sephora Lash Stretcher

Yes, this stretched my lashes – into what appeared to be five giant individual lashes. 

 EYESHADOW(S)

Bonne Bell Eyeshadow in Café Classic

I knew better. I knew this was going to be cheap and awful, but the third color down was the PERFECT shade of taupe and if it worked out, what a find! Well, it was a nice shade of taupe – after about 5 or 6 coats. Way too much effort.

Physician’s Formula Eyeshadow Shimmer Strips in Bronze Hazel Eyes

I like the idea of shadow colors bringing out your eye color – so I purchased this thinking it would make the green in my hazel eyes pop. Instead it looked like I managed to barf on my own eyelids. The colors were just HORRIBLE on me. Maybe on a warmer skin tone it would be nice, but the pigmentation left a bit to be desired too. PF has these baked eyeshadows that you can use wet which I think are much better.

All Cover Girl Eyeshadows

Unsatisfactory color pigmentation. Now, I haven’t tried a CG eyeshadow in ages, so maybe they’ve improved their formula, but I’m gunshy about trying again.

Honorable Mention after CG: Maybelline Eyeshadows

Revlon Illuminance Crème Shadow in Precious Metals and Not Just Nudes

Ok, I have a love/hate relationship with this. When I want to be out the door in a hurry, I love that I can slap these colors on my lids, swipe on some mascara and be on my way. And the colors in these two palettes are gorgeous and flattering. However, even with my eyelid primer, by mid-day it creases. I want to use these up because I don’t have the receipts anymore and don’t even know where I bought them. I hate wasting stuff so I’ll use it up and not repurchase. A MAC Paint Pot (even at $16.50) is a much better value here – I don’t even need primer with it!

                         EYELINER

Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner

Should be renamed Revlon ColorStRay. Get it? Stray not Stay? Yeah…

Also any liner that isn’t an automatic twist-up pencil. I don’t have the time/energy/desire to deal with a flipping sharpener.

LIPSTICK

Anything bright red. NOOOO.

NAIL POLISH

Fast drying formulas. Always chip off in one day or less – never fails.

FRAGRANCE

I know this is a make-up post, but I deserve all the public humiliation I’m going to get just for even trying this. For some reason, one day, I spritzed the Celine Dion Sensational perfume on myself and liked it. And bought it. What I was thinking, I couldn’t tell you. It actually smells like rotting candy – if there is such a smell. The container was kind of pretty which also lured me in. I hate wasting things but actually threw this away with about ¼ of the bottle left. I couldn’t even bear to hand it down to someone else. Blech.

PolkaDot’s Purse Essentials

PolkaDot’s Purse Essentials

 

So for years I went along with a purse that was a black hole of beauty products. Can’t find the lip balm in the purse? No problem, buy a new one. By the time I got around to cleaning out my purse, I’d discover that I had at least a half dozen lip balms in there, my compact was cracked from being tossed around, my package of blotting papers had opened and was everywhere, etc. It was just a mess.

The solution: a darling make-up bag to hold it all.

The one I have I just bought to replace an old one that was getting pretty raggedy. It retails for $8 from ULTA but I got it for $6 on sale. The only drawback is that it’s stripes and not polka dots. Boo.

In the make-up bag I have:

Clean & Clear blotting sheets – these are great, especially on hot summer days.

A small, plastic wide-toothed comb for when I wear my hair straight.

Band-aids – because you just never know.

Nail file – as a nail biter, this is essential to smoothing down any rough ends that are tempting to nibble on.

Revlon gloss quad – another holiday edition.

Physicians Formula Eye Definer liner – for when a touch-up is necessary.

Alba Organic Pineapple Quench lip balm

Maybelline Shinylicious gloss in Caramella – has a yummy, caramel smell and a beautiful mauvey, mocha color.

Opti-Free Express Rewetting Drops – for when my contacts feel like paper.

Tweezerman tweezers – daylight in the car can be great for taking care of those stray eyebrow hairs.

A rubber band – because sometimes PolkaDot overindulges during a great meal or has an ice cream binge and PolkaDot’s pants become uncomfortable. Loop the rubber band through the hole and then around the button and voila! You have an extra inch or two of space. Aaaaaaah.

Safety pins – a button pops off your blouse, no worries. You won’t be the most popular girl in the office for the wrong reasons if you have safety pins.

Outside the make-up bag but worthy of mentioning:

A Hard Candy compact – I’ve had this for years, and never use it. I find the blotting papers do a good enough job freshening up my face without removing any make-up. Might be time to bid adieu.

Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea hand sanitizer – because the world is gross.

Avon Moisture Therapy hand cream – this stuff is amazing. I love foam soap, but find it incredibly drying. A dab of this cream and I’m good through a few hand washings.

Cheap and Easy – the way PolkaDot Likes It

I’m talking about Witch Hazel!

This beauty goldmine has a million uses, can be found anywhere and is inexpensive. The one I’m currently using from Wegmans is under $2 for 16 ounces.

Use it as a toner: as the weather warms up and humidity increases, I like to put some on a cotton ball and apply it to my face after I wash it. It gives me extra insurance that every bit of make-up is removed and it helps keep oil at bay. I usually skip this in the winter because I do tend to have drier skin then.

Before applying polish to bare nails: if your fingers or toes don’t have polish on them already, swipe some WH to remove any oils or moisturizers so that the polish can cling better. This is better and less drying for your nails than using a nail polish remover for this purpose.

Cuts and scrapes: WH is a painless way to clean cuts and scrapes. I think people even use it for bug bites, but I’ve never tried that.

Overstock.com for High End Fragrances

http://www.overstock.com/Health-Beauty/Bvlgari-Omnia-Crystalline-by-Bvlgari-Womens-2.2-ounce-EDT-Spray/3543373/product.html

I fell in love with Bvlgari Crystalline perfume last spring for its fresh, non-intrusive, clean yet sweet scent. This fragrance has all day staying power too. You pay full retail for it at ULTA, Sephora or a department store, but at overstock.com, it’s $41.99 for 2.2 ounces – retails for $69.50.

Overstock doesn’t always have all fragrances in stock – it can be hit or miss. For instance, they don’t have my beloved Marc Jacobs Daisy currently, but they did about a month ago. But I still recommend overstock because it’s reputable and their shipping is dirt cheap.

With Mother’s Day coming next week, maybe you can surprise Mom with her favorite fragrance while saving some pennies.

Smooches!  ~ PolkaDot

The Straw: Your Secret Weapon Against Dingy Teeth

Coffee, red wine, teas and colas are the greatest enemies of white teeth.

Much like properly shaped eyebrows, white teeth do much to brighten your face without cosmetics. Most of us trot over to Target and buy a box of Crest Whitestrips or something similar and in 3-14 days (depending on what formula you use) presto! Whiter teeth.

A toothpaste with a “whitening formula” will help maintain your pearly whites, but your biggest ally in keeping the look is quite simple: a straw.

When you sip any of the drinks mentioned above with a straw, you avoid staining your front teeth as the liquid bypasses them. I drink lots of tea at work but also keep a stash of straws so I always have one.

Why is this worth an entire post you say? You can simply just rewhiten right? The truth of the matter is that with every whitening, your teeth become more porous and therefore more fragile every time you do it – much like bleaching your hair, except you can grow out damaged hair. Plus as convenient and lovely Crest Whitestrips are, they still taste gross and it is not a pleasant process. Crest Whitestrips people will tell you it’s safe to whiten every 6 months, but they also want to make a profit.

Using a straw I can stretch out my whitening to every 18-24 months.

Keep smiling my lovelies!  ~ Smooches!

MAC Paint Pots: A PolkaDot Love Affair

MAC Paint Pots top: Bare Study, bottom: Painterly

First and foremost, I must send some love to Mr. PolkaDot for letting me have a solid half hour in a MAC store this weekend sans complaint. MWAH!

On to the review!

MAC Paint Pots are an outstanding purchase. As you know, I am all about value. These little pots are $16.50, yes, BUT they last forever, have several uses and are just amzing. Some gals use brushes, but I like to apply PP with my finger.

Top PP: Bare Study

Bare Study is the more shimmery of the two. I’ve used this as a shadow base and worn it alone with just some mascara. Alone, it really opens the eyes and gives you a fresh, effortless look. Under shadow, it acts as the foundation for a shimmery look. I used Bare Study on Saturday when Mr. PolkaDot and I were out and about in upper 80 degree heat and high humidity. My eyes were perfect all day until I washed it off. I also used Stila Kitten and Wheat shadows (applied wet). Bare Study is also beautiful when with a small brush it is applied to your inner eye corners to really open your eyes.

Bottom PP: Painterly

If you have a lighter skin tone, this is the second PP I recommend having. If you have a darker skintone, the two PPs I recommend are: Groundwork (a matte satin) and/or Constructivist (frost). Painterly gives you the perfect blank, matte canvas for your shadow to cling to. I’m wearing it today with a combo of three matte colors in the brown family from the Coastal Scents 88 Warm Palette.  http://www.coastalscents.com/cfwebstore/index.cfm/product/1871_122/88-warm-palette.cfm

I’ve also been told that Painterly is good for applying it to the lips before lipstick to create a clingy neutral base – especially if you’re going for a nude lip.

PPs have a tendency to dry out after a while but storing them upside down and screwing the caps on tightly definitely helps with that.

If you don’t have a MAC store near you, they are available at: http://www.maccosmetics.com/ and search for “paint pot.”

Make-up Mirror Rec & the Benefits of Lemon Water

Make-Up Mirror from www.jerdonstore.com

I can’t stress enough the need for good lighting when applying make-up. Poor or uneven lighting can result in using a heavier hand than necessary and looking like Courtney Love on a bender.

This Jerdon model is a cult favorite since the ’70s. I bought mine about two years ago at ULTA. It retails for around $34.99 but ULTA sometimes has a 20% off one item coupon that would be great for this. I’m dedicating a post to this mirror because I moved last year and didn’t dig it out until recently. I didn’t feel like making the room on my dresser – sad excuse, yes.

But what a difference using it makes! Suddenly my blush is perfectly even and eyeshadow goes on with more precision. This has a 1x-5x magnification mirror. If I’m feeling the need to deflate my self esteem I’ll turn it to the 5x – but most days I stick with the 1x.

Lemons - an antioxidant packed beauty wonder. Photo from sunkist.com

Everyone knows the benefits of drinking lots of water throughout the day, but adding a healthy squeeze of lemon to each glass packs a powerful dose of Vitamin C and antioxidants that protect against wrinkles and aging.

I buy a bag of lemons and slice them in half. I squeeze half a lemon into a large 20 ounce glass, drink half and then refrigerate the rest of the drink including the other half of the lemon. I like to try to go through at least 1 or 2 lemons a day if possible. At restaurants, I always ask for water with extra lemons too. I’m accustomed to drinking it without any sugar (stay far away from artificial sweeteners!) but if you must sweeten it a bit, you can try some natural stevia, which you can buy in most health food stores or the organic section of your grocery store.  http://www.stevia.com/

Gorgeous Hair Accessories – PolkaDot Rave!

Elegant Elle on Etsy.com - Gabbi Cream Flower Headband

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheElegantElle

For beautiful, unique hair accessories for a special date, wedding or anytime you want to stand out, visit the Elegant Elle boutique on Etsy.com.  The featured photo is PolkaDot’s favorite one – it goes well with my current haircolor (light brown).

Blair on Gossip Girl made this look popular. If you go for one of these accessories in your hair, remember to keep the make-up soft, romantic and simple. A flowy or gauzy top, or a feminine dress completes the look.

Technique for Thick, Lush Lashes

PolkaDot's favorite mascara - Maybelline The Colossal

Thick Lashes With This Easy Technique

The mascara you use is important for creating thick, lush lashes – I love Maybelline The Colossal, others swear by Benefit BADGal, L’Oreal Voluminous or Cover Girl Lash Blast. But the way you apply it makes all the difference. I use this technique which comes from make-up artist Carmindy and her book The Five Minute Face.

Open your eyes wide, look upward and place the wand at your upper lash roots for a few seconds, then wiggle it slightly and then work the wand through the rest of your lashes. Concentrating on the roots gives your eyes that lush, wide awake look. Just like concentrating mousse or a volumizing spray at the roots of your hair to achieve fullness, this technique works similarly. Looking up while you do this allows you to better place the wand at the root, but also helps avoid accidentally putting mascara on the eyelid.

Voila! You now have lush lashes and mascara-free eyelids!

PolkaDot’s Sunglasses Envy – Oakley Breast Cancer Edition

Oakley's Enduring Pace Breast Cancer edition

 PolkaDot Likey

Since when do you get to donate to a worthy cause and look super cute? This is one of three Young Survivor Collection from Oakley where $20 per pair goes to the Young Survivor Coalition – a non-profit that helps young women affected by breast cancer.

http://www.oakley.com/women/ysc

 

Polka Dot Obsession, Moisturizer Tip and Review

I wasn’t kidding when I said I loved polka dots.

I should probably seek treatment for my polka dot addiction.

 

Good morning all! Just wanted to share with you a sampling of my polka dot collection. Clearly, it’s my favorite print. It’s versatile, innocent and timeless. Even today I’m wearing a 3/4 sleeve black and white polka dot button down top. Hello Kitty is there because of her PD dress. Also included is: luggage, a weekend bag, a sham from my PD comforter set, stationery, flip-flops (a recent gift from my dear friend!) mugs, cell phone cover, insulated lunch bag from Target and Victoria’s Secret Pink flannel PJs.

This photo doesn’t include all my PD stuff though: I have PD scarves, aprons, underwear…even giant dot wall pops in my bedroom from Home Depot.  http://www.homedepot.com/Decor-Wallpaper/WallPOPs/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5Zbc0qZ3wp/h_d2/Navigation?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Yeah. I love polka dots. But enough of all that. On to a brief review and today’s tip.

Let Your Face Moisturizer Sink in For 10 Minutes..

..before applying any kind of make-up. If you use liquid and you want a dewey look, you can go ahead and apply the liquid fairly quickly, but then wait at least 10 minutes before applying any blush or finishing powder. Also wait before applying mineral make-up. Neglecting to do this will result in an uneven, cakey look. Powder needs to cling to a smooth surface that is free of moisture. I use Alba spf 20 facial moisturizer for sensitive skin. I got it at Wegmans on sale for $3.99.

PolkaDot's daily moisturizer

 

Product Review: L’Occitane Radiance Moisturizing Cream

I received a sample of this product and tried it yesterday. It claims to “illuminate the complexion.” I saw no such illumination nor radiance. I expected a product with a hint of shimmer to give that popular dewey (not oily) look. I didn’t really like how it felt once it was on. It was ok – it didn’t cause any breakouts or anything, and I’m sure it’s fairly good for your skin, but there is no spf even though they insist you use it morning and evening. I’m not putting on a moistuizer that doesn’t already have an spf in it – my mornings are hectic enough.

At $36 for under 2 ounces, this is not for me. http://www.dermstore.com/product_Olive+Radiance+Moisturizing+Cream_14372.htm

Stila Pro Artist Palette #1 Rave

$28 for 6 gorgeous shades -what a "Steal-a"

As someone who appreciates a deeply pigmented eyeshadow, I especially love Stila shadows. They go on wet or dry and even dry, have a creamy texture. They are beautiful, flattering shades for all skintones. The first four in this palette are going to be the most wearable for everyday, but the last two are gorgeous jeweltones that would go great with a smokey charcoal eye. The third color from the left is the much acclaimed “Kitten” which is a cult favorite among make-up mavens. These shadows have a bit of shimmer so if you want a matte look, avoid this palette.

An individual Stila eyeshadow pan is $18, making this palette an outstanding value.  I would recommend tossing the sponge applicators and using quality brushes though. 

http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod2170007#details

L’Oreal HIP Eyeshadow in Sassy = MAC Satin Taupe

L'Oreal High Intensity Pigment Eyeshadow Duo in Sassy

The taupe side of this eyeshadow duo is an EXACT dupe for MAC’s Satin Taupe. I can’t speak for other HIP shades as I haven’t tried them, but this one is amazing. It’s my favorite dark taupe for nighttime – I only use a brow highlight and cover the entire lid with it. I don’t bother with a crease color when I use this, which then gives me that smoldering, intense look.

The taupe part of Sassy is the perfect neutral taupe for most skin shades. The pigmentation is super impressive for a non-high end brand. Drugstore.com has it for $7.99 which isn’t bad, but if you stalk the Sunday coupons and check the drugstore fliers, you can get a BOGO or a Buy One Get One 1/2 Off sale.

I am on my third pot of Sassy – that’s how much I love it. Although sadly enough, I haven’t tried the blue/green shade so I can’t comment on it.

When concealer just doesn’t cut it…

PolkaDot's favorite brand of tea

…brew a bag of chamomile tea, refrigerate it for a few minutes, then  place it on your eyes to reduce puffiness and darkness. Chamomile’s anti-inflammatory properties reduce the amount of fluid that can build up under the eye as a result of too little sleep. Drinking the chamomile also helps you relax and unwind so that you can sleep better. It also aids with tummy troubles.

PolkaDot’s Favorite Make-Up Blogs & a Lip Gloss Rant

I love checking make-up blogs and reading magazines for beauty/wellness advice that I can condense and pass on to you.  Scroll to the bottom of this page you’ll see a blogroll with my favorite blogs and websites. Here I break down my current top 3 beauty blogs, but I really love all on my list.

1. Make-up Geek http://www.makeupgeek.com/

Marlena is amazing – she has tons of great tips and make-up application tutorials. I will say I think she is a bit heavy handed with the eye make-up – especially for daytime looks, but you can take her advice and use softer colors and less shimmer. One thing I really like about Marlena is that she uses high end products but often suggests drugstore alternatives or will do entire tutorials using NYX or other inexpensive brands.

2. Lollipop26  http://www.lollipop26writes.com/

Laura is a sassy Brit whose self-deprecating humor is refreshing on a beauty blog. She also does video tutorials on youtube. In addition to her make-up advice and reviews, I like her overall style. She always looks chic and gorgeous. Laura is the queen of the smokey eye/nude lip combo.

3. Pursebuzz  http://www.pursebuzz.com/

I recently discovered pursebuzz and love that she not only gives beauty advice and reviews, (on a mix of high end and inexpensive products), she also does beautiful hair tutorials.

4. Honorable mention:  http://belledujournewyorkcity.blogspot.com/

Belledujour reminds me of an American Lollipop26 – a chic gal with great advice.

 Sephora Brand Lip Gloss – Ick

Sephora Brand Lip Gloss - tastes like chemicals

I’ve tried a few tubes of Sephora brand lip gloss and have been disappointed each time. The photo is Precious Pink but like most of their glosses, it goes on very clear. I would expect at least a hint of the color that the tube indicates. It’s sticky and tacky, but most lip glosses are so this isn’t my complaint. I’m grossed out by the chemical-y taste. If Drano had a lip gloss line, I’d imagine it would taste like Sephora brand glosses.

MIA lately, Artifical Nails and Body Moisturizer tips

First of all, I’m so sorry I’ve been away so long. I’ve been sick and miserable and not even the best make-up application could hide it. I’ve also been pretty whiny as a result of said illness and didn’t feel you all should suffer through that. Finally emerging from the misery of my cold, although I still am stuffy, I have two tips for you today. 

Tacky fake nails = better than bitten down nubs.

So last week I bit the bullet and got acrylic nails. This is only after repeated attempts to try to stop biting my nails on my own. I finally caved when I felt like no matter how nice I looked, my hands looked gross, which just ruined the entire look for me.

The picture is of my hand today, 7 days after getting them done. I have a few tips for getting the most from your acrylics from the time they are freshly applied to the two weeks when you go in for a fill. There are two things you can do to make your nails look good between fill appointments.

1. Ask for a French manicure with clear polish and white tips (like in the pic). This way you don’t see an obvious color growing out. I get the color fix on my toes. Oh and if you do clear, make sure you stress that you need a UV coat or they will turn yellow in the sun.

2. The night before your appointment, apply jojoba or any hydrating cuticle oil to your cuticles after soaking them for a few minutes in warm water. Then very gently push them back so as not to cause any tears or cuts in the skin, which could make you susceptible to infection. Having pushed back cuticles allows the technician to apply the acrylic farther back on your nail bed and as your cuticle grows back over the next two weeks it will sort of cover the growing out area – if that makes sense.

I hate the look of obviously growing out fake nails. With these tricks, my fakes look as natural as possible.

Jergens Naturals

 Add Mineral Oil for Super Soft Skin 

For an inexpensive way to get velvety smooth skin and get the most mileage out of your moisturizer (I’m currently using Jergens Naturals pictures above from drugstore.com – about $6) just get some mineral oil or baby oil. I prefer mineral oil because it has no fragrance and I don’t enjoying the cloying baby oil scent at all.

I usually take about 6 pumps of the Jergens lotion and add about two quarters-sized dollops of mineral oil to that – mixed up in the palm of my hand. I rub my hands together and moisturize everywhere. It’s even better if you do this when your skin is slightly damp to plump up the skin and better retain the moisture.

I haven’t had a problem with dry winter skin and I feel like doing this soothes my skin better after a little too much sun. Your skin will feel like velvet – especially if you do this after exfoliating. It takes a few minutes for the mineral oil to sink in, but that’s why you mix it with the moisturizer, otherwise you’d be super greasy.

Enjoy your weekend and I’ll try not to be such a stranger! 

~PolkaDot

From Glamour magazine: 4 ideas for your eyes

Limited edition Urban Decay four pencil and glitter liner set – $20 at Sephora.com

The June issue of Glamour (page 80) features four great ideas to give your eyes that little extra something for a special night out or formal occasion.

1. Wing your eyeliner with a flick at the outer corners – this will give you that sexy cateye look. Try a 1/8″ line to start and go bolder and longer if you get braver with this look.

2. Fake eyelashes – some of my favorite beauty bloggers highly recommend the Ardell brand which you can pick up at any drugstore. They swear it’s easy, but I’ve never mastered them.

3.  Fill in your brows lightly with tiny pencil strokes for an instant lift - I recently tried this and CAN’T BELIEVE how polished it makes you look.

4. Trace gold sparkle liner on top of whatever you’ve already got on – the Urban Decay sparkle liner in the above photo is gorgeous and isn’t at all stripper-ish when applied on top of black liner on your upper lid.

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P261100&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=3806#

Score! The leopard flats I’ve wanted for literally YEARS

Leopard goes with everything. Meeeow

So in like 2006 I spotted a pair of leopard print flats on a co-worker and nearly died from envy. Hers were over $150 and I was like, cute, but hell no. Ever since then, I’ve been on a quest to find a reasonably priced leopard print pair to call my own. Over the years I’ve found contenders, but they’ve been either too expensive, had a pointy toe, too uncomfortable or just sold out in my size.

You can imagine my joy when in Sears of all places I stumble upon the find of the decade for, *drumroll* $14.99. Normally I find Sears shoes to be cheap and ugly, so landing my leopard flats there of all places is still a bit unsettling – but for that price, who cares!

Deep Conditioner Rec – Neutrogena Triple Moisture Hair Mask

There should be a warrant out for my arrest for how abusive I am to my hair. I run the gamut of hair sins – especially chronic highlighting/coloring. For this affliction, Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask is a lifesaver. Avoid the roots and run through your hair after shampooing, leave it on while you shower and when rinsing you will find your hair has turned to silk. No lie. I find it does however weigh my fine, wavy hair a bit, so if I want a lot of volume, I don’t use this, but for my hair I wouldn’t use this more than twice a week anyway. With summer coming, I can add sun exposure to my list of hair sins, so I will be sure to keep up my supply of this conditioner.

Drugstore.com has it for $6.99 but I think it may be a little cheaper at Target or WalMart. Others love the Matrix Biolage deep treatment, but but the Neutrogena is a more economical option. Another inexpensive deep conditioner is Aussie’s 3-Minute Miracle. It’s under $4 and has amazing reviews. I haven’t used it in many years so I can’t do a fair assessment, but I do remember I liked the fragrance!

The Beauty Items I Owned for 94 Seconds and Other Drugstore Buys

Sometimes you do get what you pay for.

This photo was taken yesterday evening with those two N.Y.C products on the dash of my car. Why that setting? Because moments after buying them I had the sneaking suspicion that they would suck, so I tested them in the car, was sorely disappointed and marched back into RiteAid to get my $4.50 refund.

RiteAid currently has a buy one get one 50% off sale on N.Y.C. items and the cream blush stick was featured as a “miracle under $5″ in Glamour, so I had to try it. The blush was a good color (South Street Seashell – a tan peach) but had little color payoff and even before I was finished with my return, it had worn off of my hand.

As for the lipgloss (in Park Avenue Pink), this was a true disappointment. I thought it was going to be a cheaper MAC Oyster Girl dupe.

MAC Oyster Girl Lipglass

This gloss had ZERO color. It was straight up clear. I don’t even know how it looks so pink in the tube and then goes on clear. Infuriatingly disappointing.

The good news, is that for around $8 I got four great items that I love!

Maybelline Gel Liner and .99 Wet 'N Wild Polishes

After hearing great things about the Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner, (Blackest Black) I took advantage of RiteAid’s 40% off Maybelline sale, plus a $1 off any Maybelline eye product coupon that was on an end cap. With tax, it was $5.68. I tried it out last night and love it! It goes on beautifully and easily – I like the length of the brush better than L’Oreal HIP’s gel liner brush or Jane’s Gel liner – both are very short and don’t give you the same ease of control.

For .99 each, I couldn’t pass up those Wet N’ Wild nail polishes in fun summer colors (L to R) Strawberry Burst, Grape Crush and Cotton Candy Delight. Grape Crush I bought specifically with Mr. PolkaDot in mind as he is a diehard Baltimore Ravens fan and this is the perfect Ravens purple. I can’t think of a better way to show my team support than purple toes.

PolkaDot’s Trick to Making Your Eyeliner Stay

Inexpensive Image Essentials Brush

To make sure your eyeliner stays put all day, invest in a stiff, slanted eyeliner brush (the one pictured is very inexpensive, but I can’t recall where I bought it because I’ve had it forever! Maybe KMart?).  I reach for this brush daily.

Take the brush and dip it into an eyeshadow that is either the same or very close in color to your liner. Brush the excess off on your hand and pat it gently over your eyeliner. The shadow will lock it onto your lashline and you’ll look freshly applied all day.

Coastal Scents Metal Mania Palette Review

$24.95 for 88 gorgeous and wearable colors

I love love love this palette. All 88 shades are shimmery, but not insanely so, which immediately make almost all of them wearable. Colorful matte shades are trickier to wear and to work with. I don’t love every single shade, but these are pretty well pigmented and the color selection is outstanding. A few weeks ago, I was actually inspired to try an orange and purple eye – and loved the result!

If you want to dabble in some fun colors, but don’t want to invest a ton of money into fun shades from MAC or Urban Decay, this is a great, budget friendly way to get your fix. Used with a good primer (Too Faced Shadow Insurance, a MAC paint pot or some pressed powder) these shadows shades last all day.

I will also do a review for the CS 88 Warm palette as that has a mix of matte and shimmer shades in beautiful neutrals.

If you are going to buy from Coastal Scents, “like” them on Facebook to get notices of their Friday sales . Sometimes it’s 15% off palettes, or currently $10 off a $50 order. Their shipping is super fast too.

http://www.coastalscents.com/cfwebstore/index.cfm/product/2049_122/88-metal-mania-palette.cfm

Happy Memorial Day all! Be sure to thank the veterans in your life for their service and take a moment to remember all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

PolkaDot Ponders The Allure of Makeup

I’ve been thinking about why I love makeup so much. I mentioned in previous posts that I love its ability to transform you into anything you want, the way you can take your favorite feature(s) and essentially put a spotlight on them with the right colors and strategic placement. Don’t have prominent cheekbones? Sculpt them with some matte bronzer. Are your eyes on the smaller side? A smokey eye, an eyelash curler and a great mascara are all you need. For thin lips, lipliner and a strategic dab of gloss in the center of the bottom lip suddenly plumps the pout.

So we’ve determined that you can do all these wonderful things with your face without the expense and horror of plastic surgery. Of course makeup’s allure also lies in the fun packaging and marketing that the gets me drooling in Sephora, ULTA and MAC and even drugstores.

But there’s more to it than that. The answer came to me Sunday morning when Mr. PolkaDot was waiting for me to finish my beauty routine so that we could make our brunch reservation. I could tell he was getting impatient – and understandably so, since I like to take my time on weekends. Sensing his impatience made me realize how much I love the ritual of my beauty routine – how it’s a relaxing start to my day. It’s a 5-20 minute stretch of time that I truly treasure and enjoy. I love choosing eye, cheek and lip shades that coordinate with my outfit, mood and what we’re doing for the day. It sounds complicated, but I love it. And I think I would love helping others with it, which leads me to… Barbie.

My first victim - bwahahaha!

I’ve been getting asked by several people to help them with their makeup for special events, which I would LOVE to do. However, I must confess, I’ve never applied makeup on anyone but myself. The wheels were turning on how I could practice on a non-human, so I thought maybe one of those Barbie heads might be good since she can’t cry or yell at me if it goes sour. Unfortunately the Barbie pictured is meant for hairstyling so I’ll have to find a human victim, er, um … volunteer.

One thing I do know is that I love this blog. I love passing info that I’ve found useful or beauty bargains onto you. I love sharing tips and techniques that may suddenly make colorful eyeshadows or fake lashes less intimidating, or make you realize that a little self pampering to start your day can make you a better mom, employee, friend, etc. My makeup routine is like other people’s morning cup of joe – that wonderful pick-me-up that starts my day off right.

Smooches! ~ PolkaDot

Red Nails are Tres Chic, N’est-ce pas?

Revlon Red - for warm skin tones

 

Revlon Cherries in the Snow - for cool skin tones

The French do classic feminine better than anyone on earth and nothing screams femme fatale more than chic red nails. A makeup artist and native of France, Laura Mercier recently told Women’s Health that French women do their own manicures where they start the process by first soaking their hands in warm water with lemon juice. The lemon rids the nails of any yellow stains that a red polish would leave behind – plus the citric acid is an amazing exfoliator.

To pull off red nails, you need to find the right shade for your skintone. As someone with cool tones, I would look awful in Revlon Red (a yellow-red) pictured above, but the blue-red Cherries in the Snow is perfect on me. Revlon nail polishes are typically under $5. The ones pictured are $4.79 from www.drugstore.com.

For all things chic and French, check out one of my favorite bloggers http://jadoreitall.blogspot.com/2010/04/french-beauty-secrets.html

I Don’t Care How Cheap Bic Soleil Razors Are, RUN AWAY

Don't do it!

So a few weeks ago I was tempted into straying – straying from my committed relationship with my Schick Quattro. I was lured by a BOGO coupon and the Mango Papaya fragrance. Tropical fruit scented gams you say? Sign me up!

Sure it smells nice, yes. You can have nicely scented, scraped up legs with extra messed up knees and ankles due to the non swiveling head. The Schick Quattro spoiled me with its lightweight design and swiveling head that makes it so much easier to those tricky areas. I felt like I shaved with sandpaper – awful product!

My Dream Set-up

Do you remember when Victoria’s Secret dressing rooms used to have that striped pink wallpaper? It was a two toned pink, super girly and so pretty. If I could get my hands on that, and if I ever had a big enough house, I would outfit an entire room in it and make it my “dressing/make-up room.”

What prompted this post was stumbling upon this mirror.

Oh how this puts my little Jerdon mirror to shame...

I saw this and a choir of angels began to sing.

This mirror would complete my dream room. I’ve always loved the lighted mirrors at Sephora, but this blows those out of the water – and it comes in pink! (plus grey, black and off white) Unfortunately, for $349, it’s not happening. I probably should pay car insurance for the quarter right? Right. But it’s fun to dream!

http://www.vanitygirlhollywood.com/products/lighted-vanity-mirrors/broadway-table-top-lighted-vanity-mirror.html

Beauty Accident Leaves PolkaDot in Stitches

Yep, you read that right. I had a beauty accident that sent me to the ER last night. After washing my face (so that leftover makeup doesn’t stretch out my pores and make me break out the next day) I reached for a cotton ball so that I could tone with witch hazel. Well I dropped the glass lid shattering it and the next thing I knew, my foot was gushing blood. It all seemed to have happened in a split second – very surreal.

Mr. PolkaDot was wonderful in taking me to the ER and letting me squeeze his hand when the needle was put in my foot to numb it.  I was pretty proud when the nurse practitioner told me I was “tough” for not screaming.

So now I hop around on one foot (what a workout let me tell you!) and am hoping to heal fast. Instead of foundation, blush and eyeshadow, my current essentials include, gauze, Neosporin and anti-inflammatories. LOL

I wanted to do photos and a full review of some brushes I bought on sale at AC Moore for $11 total that have the potential to be awesome. But I don’t have it in me to do any reviews or in depth stories right now, I hope over the next few days as I’m on the mend, to still throw out my favorite tips or any other fun discoveries.

Here are my two tidbits for today:

1.)  Use code MACMONDAY for free overnight shipping today only from MAC. You still have until midnight!

2.)  In my sedentary state, I’ve been playing on the ‘net and found a great new beauty blog: www.nouveaucheap.blogspot.com

The author focuses on drugstore brand items of value and offers plenty of reviews and dupe possibilities.

In the meantime, if you have full use of both feet, take a moment to fully appreciate that as I didn’t before yesterday! Smooches!  ~PolkaDot

Highlighter Trick to Make Your Lips Stand Out

Quick Tip: To draw attention to your lips, apply a tiny bit of highlighter (cream or powder) right above the cupid’s bow area. Then line and fill in with lipstick and/or gloss as usual.

You can get a highlighter at any price point – I have a decent powder one from Wet ‘N Wild that I bought a few years ago. Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips are great as is LORAC Illuminating cream or Benefit Highbeam (not my favorite, but people swear by it). A light, shimmery eyeshadow can also double as a highlighter.

Quick Tip #2: Make Your Own Custom Gloss

Turn any powdered eyeshadow, blush or loose pigment into a brand new custom lipgloss. Scoop a small amount of vaseline or clear gloss onto the back of your hand. Add a bit of your powder or pigment (less or more depending on how opaque you want to go) Mix together and apply with either your finger or a lipbrush. If it’s a combination you really love, scoop some vaseline into an empty Rosebud tin or something similar and apply more powder to have a supply of your fabulous new custom gloss.

2 Seconds of Effort = Thicker Lashes

After foundation and concealer, apply your pressed or loose powder to your T-zone to set both, but also try a quick dusting on your lashes. The powder will help bulk up your lashes for a thickening effect.

Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo Review

2.5 ounces goes a long way

As former daily hair washer, I can tell you that it really is better not to wash your hair daily. But having fine hair with roots that get oily fast, I always just washed daily anyway – until about two years ago when I discovered Oscar Blandi’s Pronto Dry Shampoo. The 2.5 ounce bottle has lasted me about a year and a half which makes the $19 price tag a little easier to handle.

I put a small amount of the powder in my palm and then pat it into my roots. The oil is absorbed and your roots get some lift too. There are two drawbacks: 1) it’s a little messy, so don’t wear your black catwoman outfit when applying and 2) the smell is of it is gross, but luckily it doesn’t linger.

The Pronto powder doesn’t leave a white film or residue in your hair – even for brunettes. However, baby powder, which I’ve also tried for oil absorbing purposes, will.

All in all, this is a great product that saves me time, money and wear and tear on my dyed/highlighted fine hair.

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P254307&categoryId=C14100

A Cheap Face Primer Alternative

I’ve recently discovered the value of a face primer. After moisturizer sets in for a few minutes, it is applied to the face and provides a smooth, clear canvas on which to place your makeup – and as a bonus, helps your makeup last all day, evens out pores and lines and controls shine.

The beauty industry’s cult favorite is Smashbox’s Photo Finish Foundation Primer at $36 for one ounce. With some research and reviews from other beauty buffs, I found a much cheaper, but just as effective alternative.

Apply this to your face.. wha..??

Yes, that is in fact a Monistat product – Monistat Soothing Care Powder Relief Gel at around $8 at drugstore.com, although I actually got it for $5.99 at Target. Dimethicone is the main ingredient and is also in the Smashbox primer. I don’t use this everyday, only when I want a super flawless finish and extra lasting power. This is especially good for wedding season and any other formal events where you want to look your best.

Directions:

Again, apply moisturizer and let it sink in to your skin for at least 5-10 minutes. Take a tiny amount of the gel, smaller than a pencil eraser and apply it to the middle of your face moving outward. You definitiely want primer on your nose, apples of the cheeks, chin and forehead, where you’d have the most oil and makeup is most likely to slide off throughout the day. I don’t know if this is necessary, but I like to let the primer set for a few minutes before I start applying my face makeup. That’s it – enjoy your inexpensive, flawless finish! That tiny tube will last you forever too.

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=139254&catid=26832

Makeup Kit Essential: Essence of Beauty Crease Brush Duo

Run, don’t walk, to your local CVS and purchase this brush duo for $5.49.

A great value - Essence of Beauty Crease Duo Brushes

Good brushes do most of the work when applying eye makeup and this duo is a fantastic value. Use the smaller brush to apply shadow on the lower lid to create the always popular and flattering smokey eye. The larger brush is the perfect crease brush to create definition and depth. Both brushes are dense and well made and an absolute must-own. Sometimes CVS has a Buy One Get One 50% off sale too.

Just for fun post: If Money Was No Object…

All from www.sephora.com

YSL Face Highlighter, $65 - OUCH! but sooo pretty!

Dior Iridescent Shadow in Ready to Glow - $58

NARS lip gloss in Turkish Delight - $24

 

NARS Lip Lacquer in Chelsea Girls - $24

 The NARS Turkish Delight underneath Chelsea Girls is GORGEOUS! It was the perfect pinky/peachy/nude/taupe – tough to explain. I tried it a few weeks ago and fell in love, but couldn’t justify $48 for lipgloss. I couldn’t justify any of these things, but it’s fun to dream!

Moisturizer Update – Castor Oil

Over two months ago, I blogged about adding mineral oil to my moisturizer and how soft if made my skin. http://polkadotglam.wordpress.com/2010/05/21/mia-lately-artifical-nails-and-body-moisturizer-tips/

I do still like that method of moisturizing, (although some people have a bad reaction to mineral oil) but have made a new discovery that involves castor oil. Now I add a quarter size dollop of castor oil to my Jergens Naturals moisturizer and enjoy soft skin, (although not as soft as with the mineral oil) but after about a week of use, the bumps on the back of my arms are nearly gone, and I’ve had them for years!

Swanson castor oil - $5.29 for 16oz

Cator oil has been used for its healing properties and particularly for anti-aging and skin conditions. It is anti-bacterial and anti-microbial, which explains how it helped the keratosis pilaris, or those gnarly bumps on the back of my arms. Some people also cleanse their skin with a mix of castor oil and extra virgin olive oil – the castor can be a bit too drying on its own, which is why people with oily skin like it.  I can tell that for winter, I will probably add a more hydrating natural oil to my moisturizing routine.

I bought 16oz at Swanson Vitamins – you always want to get cold pressed castor oil. Swanson is also a great source for Burt’s Bees products at a good price with cheap shipping.

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/SW999/ItemDetail?n=0

A new favorite: Too Faced Absolutely Invisible Candlelight Powder

Too Faced Candlelight - A quality powder that imparts a subtle glow

I’m a huge fan of luminous skin – skin that looks as though you have an unexplainable other wordly glow – not a radioactive Chernobyl kind of glow, but you know what I mean.

On the hunt for product(s) to provide me with this effect, I have encountered items that either appear to glue chunks of glitter on the face, or on the opposite end are far too subtle and have no effect.

The Candlelight powder is finely milled, lasts all day and casts a subtle, gorgeously ethereal glow. It’s not too much for everyday wear and paired with a cheek highlighter, will give you extra oomph for an evening or formal look.

From Sephora:

Candlelight’s multi-functional hue can also be used as a base color on lids, under the brow bone for brightening, as an all-over highlighter, and blended into bronzer or blushes.

Out of 5 Dots, this item gets 4. $25 is a bit spendy, but I may raise to 5 Dots if the compact lasts a long time. Stay tuned.

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P241300&categoryId=B70

2 Things I Reeeeally Don’t Like: Haul Videos and Lip Stains

While I must thank several youtube beauty gurus for inspiring me to start my own beauty blog, (allthatglitters21, lollipop26, pixiwoo, kandeejohnson etc) most of them do these dreadful “haul videos.” If you’re unfamiliar with these, it’s basically a video where they show you the heaps of makeup that they just bought. Some people don’t like them because they feel it’s like showing off – that’s actually not my problem. Typical haul videos are a waste of time because the products are not tested or reviewed since they are newly purchased. If you’re going to do a haul video, use the products for a week or two and then do a simultaneous review and/or tutorial if applicable.

However, not all haul videos are useless – ones that feature clothes/accessories can actually be helpful if you like a specific beauty guru’s personal style and wish to copy it.

Speaking of things I don’t like, let’s move on to lip stains.

Cover Girl Outlast Lip Stain

 So I was fascinated by makeup and girly things by a pretty early age, so you can imagine the struggles I had with my strict mom who refused to let me ever even play with makeup for fun or even paint my toes until I was a teenager. Not one to be thwarted by parental rules, I got my mitts on a bright red Crayola marker and decided to paint my pout.

Back in my day, these things were NOT washable.

 Sweet heavens, I looked stupid and couldn’t even scrub it off before mom spotted me. I looked like I ODed on Hawaiian Punch for a few days, which was a far worse punishment than the grounding I got.

And that’s what this new batch of lip stains remind me of – like you just drank beet juice or worse, colored your mouth with a marker. This is a trend I won’t even be trying because I know how it’s going to turn out – my 8 year old self can tell you all about it.

But if you really must have a lipstain, here’s a link to drugstore.com: http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=208384&catid=147916&cmbProdBrandFilter=59240  Also read the 2.9 out of 5 lippies reviews on makeupalley.

Milani Crystal Gloss in Whisper – review

$4.79 at CVS - Milani Crystal Gloss

On the constant hunt for the perfect milky pinky nude gloss, I thought that for under $5 I’d try the Milani Crystal gloss yesterday. I realize it’s inexpensive, but I’m getting a refund. It’s not a bad lipgloss, but it doesn’t perform the way I would like.

It is incredibly sheer, although shiny and pretty and doesn’t have an awful fragrance or feels too goopy. For bargain glosses, so far my preference is NYX. You get tons of gloss, a beautiful color payoff and a nice scent. If you like a sheer gloss, then for the price, this may be for you.

Glossy smooches! ~ Shelle

I DO Exist!

And here is photographic proof:

C’est moi.

I figured it was about time to show my mug considering I do a makeup blog. This is a recent photo from a wedding where I was quite pleased with my overall look.

It was an evening wedding so I went to work having done a daytime look and then built on it for the wedding. I usually wear mineral foundation and the beauty of that is you can build on it when you get home without having to rewash your face and start from scratch like I feel is necessary with liquid foundations. I darkened my eyes with dramatic dark grey/brown shadows, reapplied NARS Orgasm blush and MAC Shell highlighter and finished off with MAC’s Creme D’Nude lipstick/Underage Lipglass Combo. It was a 10 minute touch-up and I was ready to go. It took me longer to get the zipper up on my dress! 

Soft hands and hydrated nails/cuticles tip

QUICK TIP: Give your nails some TLC by warming a bowl of olive oil and soaking them for 10 minutes before bed. After the soak rub some granulated sugar on your hands for about a minute. Result: super soft hands plus hydrated cuticles and nails that are less prone to breaking or cracking.

PolkaDot’s Favorite Inexpensive Lip Gloss

 

What retails for $5.50, has a GORGEOUS range of pigment rich colors and smells great? NYX Mega Shine Lip Glosses!

The NYX website just had a 50% off sale, so I stocked up on six or seven new colors, but you also catch sales at ULTA. ULTA frequently has $3.50 off $10 coupons or 20% off sales. I love MAC Lipglass, but for 1/3 of the price, NYX is an amazing less expensive alternative.

www.nyxcosmetics.com

1 Twip and 2 Tips

1. Follow me on Twitter!  http://twitter.com/PolkaDotGlam   

2. Don’t smash your lips together after applying gloss or lipstick. It makes the color/gloss less intense and will wear off quicker. Think about if after you applied eyeshadow you took your fingers and pressed them on your lids. You would disrupt the pigments and they would fade faster – same thing with gloss and lipstick.

3. Have leftover conditioner? Don’t waste it, use it to shave your legs! Gives a smoother shave than shaving cream. I buy the .89 Suave Coconut conditioner. Smells summer-y year round and makes my legs super smooth.

LORAC Oil-free Luminizer Review

LORAC Oil-free Luminizer in Pearl

I just love the current plethora of products dedicated to making us look luminous and radiant. When I think back to the dark red brown lips and super matte skin of the ’90s, I shiver. I can’t imagine ever not using highlighters and skin illuminators.

This brings me to LORAC’s Luminizer which I have used for a few months now and can do a fair assessment.

PROS

This luminizer is made with good ingredients, casts a beautiful, non-glittery or iridescent color. It works best mixed with moisturizer, or applied on top of moisturizer just under foundation – but only to the tops of cheekbones, down the nose and forehead. It also looks beautiful artfully blended on the collarbones.

CONS

It’s not cheap. The pump dispenses way too much, so you have to unscrew the top and swipe off any excess on the neck of the bottle. If you try to apply it over foundation, it’s difficult to control and your “subtle glow” becomes obvious pearly stripes. Also, if you apply it under foundation and then apply a primer, the primer somehow kills any luminosity you would gain from this.

I think the cons of this product outweigh the pros which means I have to give it 2.5 out of 5 Dots. I will use this up because it wasn’t cheap, but I don’t see myself repurchasing this.

NYX Summer Love lipstick is the sh%#!

There aren’t enough dots in the PolkaDot rating system for this lipstick – j’adore it to no end. 

NYX Summer Love Lipstick

This is the perfect, inexpensive cool-toned, taupe-y,  nude-y mauve. Looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove it. Love it. The end.

And it’s under $5.

Glo Minerals Makeup Session @Blueprints for Hair & Skin in the Poconos

I had the good fortune this past weekend to get invited to try a fully made up face with Glo Minerals products at Blueprints for Hair and Skin in East Stroudsburg, PA – a full service salon that will take care of your makeup, hair, skin, nail, hair removal and relaxation needs for women and men.

I arrived Saturday at 10 am and met Jenna, (who is a DOLL) my certified makeup artist. Immediately I loved the sophisticated, neutral décor and whatever that heavenly scent was, I must find out, but it was nothing like perm solution or anything gnarly like that. A good smell can just set the tone for the whole visit and I was in for a great one.

I was already loving my first glance at the Blueprints’ makeup station, full of Glo Minerals products. The colors for eyes, lips and cheeks are gorgeous –and well pigmented. A stab of doubt hit me when I saw what appeared to be a limited palette of foundation colors, (Glo Sheer Tint Base) but Jenna expertly mixed two colors on the back of her hand and made my complexion flawless.

GloMinerals at Blueprints for Hair & Skin - East Stroudsburg, PA

As she was making me up, she convinced me that it is best to apply concealer after you apply foundation. Her reasoning was that once you apply foundation, you see where you might need a bit of extra coverage and go from there instead of caking on concealer and then foundation for a heavy, cakey, layered look. I didn’t experience any dreaded chalkiness or cakiness either from the Glo powder Jenna applied to my T-zone to absorb oil.

As someone who has made up many ladies for proms, weddings and taught makeup application, Jenna zeroed in on my best feature, my eyes, and played them up perfectly with a pinky peach on the lid and a deep purple shadow liner. It came out natural and gorgeous. She was open to my suggestion of smudging the top eyeliner for a thicker line. The look was finished with a pinky berry gloss shade, which is one I wouldn’t have chosen for myself, but actually liked and thought it was very pretty. That’s what’s great about having someone else do your makeup – they can open up your eyes to one little thing you never thought you would like. A final spritz of GloMoist Hydration mist, which smelled like heavenly roses, and I was out of there.

Jenna told me to expect to have to touch up my makeup in about six hours or so, but I have to say that my look lasted until about 8pm. I looked fresh and dewey all day, but never had to touch up for shine – not once! Tres impressive. I’m thinking that a combination of the powder, hydration mist and primer that Jenna used gave my look longevity on a very warm summer day.

As someone who’s been a shut-in for most of the summer due to a foot injury two months ago, I took home a bottle of gloBody Bronzer, $33, which is a beautiful lotion that takes the sting of ultrawhiteness from your exposed body parts without the hassle/stink/streak risk of self tanner. It has a very subtle, glowing shimmer that isn’t too much, but is enough to sort of visually photoshop skin imperfections.

I had a wonderful experience at Blueprints for Hair and Skin this past weekend and hope to visit them again. If you visit Blueprints in the Poconos, tell them PolkaDot sent you – and say hi to Jenna for me! 

Smooches!   ~ PolkaDot

http://www.blueprints4hairandskin.com/

Blueprints for Hair and Skin    (570)421-6245

 http://www.glominerals.com/

2 Quick Eye Tips

1. Smudged your mascara? No need to panic. Simply wait for the smudge to dry completely and gently rub at it with a Q-tip until it’s gone. See? No need to redo your eyes.

2. Try navy or deep royal blue eyeliner for a subtle change  that brightens eyes. Do this around the waterline for extra oomph. This especially looks gorgeous on brown and hazel eyes.

Maybelline Volum’ Express Mascara Reviews

Maybe she's born with...thin, spidery lashes?

There are two things you can say about me for sure: 1.) I love thick looking eyelashes and 2.) I love getting the most for my money – meaning that if you’re supposed to switch out a mascara every 3 months, then darn it I will use one up until the 90th day. You can imagine my disappointment when I hated this mascara so much, that I had to chuck it around day 20.

It was several years ago that I started my steady relationship with the Volum’ Express line with this very black tube. Thick, glam lashes always resulteld. Recently, I tried the Volum’ Express The Colossal and have loved that as well. But never dreamed the originial in the black tube would be so disappointing. Maybe I got a dud in the factory line? I don’t know, but sparse, spidery lashes are not for me and neither is this mascara. Out of 5 Dots, I give this 1.

Volum' Express the Falsies - a bit better

So I moved on to the Volum’ Express line’s newest addition, The Falsies in an attractive teal/fuschia tube with better luck. While I don’t get the thickness I necessarily want, it does a nice job of fanning out my lashes and holding a curl without looking spidery. I’ve read reviews that complained of flaking after a few hours, but I haven’t experienced this. Out of 5 Dots, I give this 3.5.

After 90 days of The Falsies, I’m going back to my original favorite, 5 Dot mascara, Maybelline Volum’ Express, The Colossal in the bright yellow tube. I’ll never stray again! At least not until they change the formula…

6 Beauty Benefits of Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

I just did a Makeupalley.com review on this:

http://www.makeupalley.com/product/showreview.asp/ItemID=82474

Swanson Extra Virgin Coconut Oil - a miracle worker!

EVCO is an amazing miracle – it has so many uses.
For cuts/scrapes, it speeds healing and takes away pain. It’s much better than Neosporin.
As a hair conditioner, coat strands from 30 mintues to all night and wash out for wonderfully moisturized hair. Helps with static in the winter.
I use it to cut my Jergens naturals lotion as an all-over moisturizer. It would be a little too greasy on its own, but added to the Jergens makes a wonderful lotion that leaves me soft and helps with any redness or bumps. EVCO has natural anti-bacterial/anti-microbial properties that can help skin issues. I think my decolette/chest area which has very delicate skin is also looking better.
At night it gloriously removes eye makeup and I also rub it on my face for about a minute or two before washing it off. Once a week, I add some granulated sugar to the EVCO and gently exfoliate my face before bed.
EVCO is also wonderful for chapped, dry lips.

Google “extra virgin coconut oil benefits” to see all the amazing healing properties and uses. I buy it from Swansonvitamins.com – I get their brand in a large, dark brown container for only $5.99. I’m already on my second tub and have this as a permanent staple in my home.

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/SWF035/ItemDetail

Get More Staying Power and Better Coverage from Your Mineral Makeup

I had heard many months ago (I don’t recall the source) that you could apply mineral makeup with a moistened brush for better coverage and a more airbrushed look. Two days ago I felt inspired to try this technique with terrific results!

MAC Fix+, L'Oreal Bare Naturale, Coastal Scents Mini-Kabuki and Bare Minerals

I felt like I would want more control from a dense brush, so I used my Coastal Scents Kabuki On a Stick ($5.95) brush with my Bare Minerals foundation in light. The results were amazing – gorgeous, long lasting coverage, less shinyness throughout the day and I didn’t need as much concealer as usual. Best of all, I felt like I actually used less makeup than usual, which is great because Bare Minerals ain’t cheap. All I did was apply two squirts of the MAC Fix+ ($19) to my brush and buffed the makeup on.

The next day I tried it with L’Oreal’s Bare Naturale mineral makeup. I sprayed the brush it comes with twice but was only able to cover my forehead and half a cheek before I had to squirt again and apply more makeup. While I had to use more makeup and Fix+, I got the same gorgeous wear, decreased shine and staying power that I did when I used Bare Minerals.

I know you can try this with water as well – it will give you better coverage, (be sure to slightly dampen the brush, not soak it) but I really think the Fix+ is what’s helping my makeup stay fresh looking all day. This technique makes mineral makeup go on creamy and gives you heavier, yet natural looking coverage.

Try this – I think you’ll love the results. I’d love to hear how it turned out for you!

Smooches!  ~PolkaDot

http://www.coastalscents.com/cfwebstore/index.cfm/product/1849_37/kabuki-on-a-stick-close-to-the-handy-buki-brush.cfm

http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/spp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT177&PRODUCT_ID=388&QUERY=Fix+

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P61003&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5737

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=172551&catid=107423&cmbProdBrandFilter=4433&fromsrch=L%27Oreal+bare+naturale+mineral

My Look on Saturday – UD Naked Palette

I apologize for this not being the best picture, but this was my look this Saturday. And yup, that’s a Caboodle – it’s great for travel. 

Everything you’ve heard about the Urban Decay Naked Palette is true – it’s that awesome. I continue to be impressed by the quality and versatility of this palette. The first color on the left (Virgin) also doubles as a gorgeous cheek highlight. On weekends I like to go for a heavier eye with black liner, whereas weekdays I opt for a softer brown or grey liner. On my cheeks I had NARS Laguna bronzer with Orgasm blush. Lips were simply MAC Underage Lipglass. I am still loving using the MAC Fix+ to moisten the brush and apply my mineral makeup. It kept my makeup fresh and near perfect in heat and humidity.

6 Random Tips

Confession: sometimes I get lazy and post quick tips to my Facebook and Twitter accounts but don’t always put them on the blog right away. Here are the last 6 Tips I posted in case you missed them.

1. Omega 3s

Increase your omega-3 intake for gorgeous hair/skin and to prevent wrinkles. Good sources are nuts, tuna, salmon and olive/canola oils. Beauty starts from the inside out.

2.   ‎Natural Eye Makeup Removers

Two inexpensive, effective, naturally hydrating eye makeup removers: extra virgin olive oil and extra virgin coconut oil.

3.   Uncross Those Legs

Try to avoid sitting with your legs crossed. Doing so decreases circulation and causes varicose veins.

4. Powder Foundation for More Coverage

For fuller coverage, use a powder foundation to set liquid makeup instead of pressed powder.

5.   Discount Makeup

Check Overstock.com for your favorite makeup brands – sometimes they feature value sets at discounted prices.

6.   Summer Look: Bronzer+Highlighter

As summer slowly comes to an end soon, try the bronzer+highlighter along the tops of cheekbones (no blush) look for a luminous, sunkissed glow. My favorite combo is NARS Laguna bronzer with The Multiple in Copacabana as highlighter. You can also try Rimmel bronzer with Jane shimmering bronzer as highlighter.

L’Oreal’s HIP Jelly Balm Inspires Lipgloss Layering

L'Oreal HIP Jelly Balm in Plush

L’Oreal’s High Intensity Pigment line has amazing eyeshadows (Satin Taupe is one of my favorites!) and liners that you would swear are high end with their quality – and their Jelly Balm gloss is no exception.

I was attracted to this cool salmon pink Plush 120 shade so I picked it up for around $5 at Walgreens. While it’s a gorgeous color on its own and long lasting, this gloss has another use: layering. I layer it under shades that I find too frosty and would otherwise throw away, and it tones them down. I can layer this under any gloss and give it a totally new look. If I find a gloss it too warm for my skintone, this cool tones in this shade neutralize it, making it more wearable.

Bottom line: whether or not you go out and buy this exact shade doesn’t matter. Don’t be afraid to layer and play with your glosses/lipsticks because you could create your signature shade from countless combinations. Have fun playing! 

Smooches! ~ PolkaDot

P.S. For quality and value, the HIP Jelly Balm gets 5 out of 5 Dots.

PolkaDot’s Gross Start Into Beauty

Notice this is going under the “Rambling” category…

So picture it: I’m like 7 years old, wandering outside during recess when what do I see on the ground? A used, gross frosty pink ’80s perfect Wet ‘N Wild lipstick to call my own. Yes, I swiped this germy lipstick and treasured it like it was the Hope Diamond. See, Mama PolkaDot was kind of strict and wouldn’t allow me to even paint my toes or even pretend play with makeup. A half hour hit of Lysol wouldn’t have rid that thing of heaven only knows what was on it, but it was a covert victory and the start of a lifelong love affair of all things beauty and girlie. 

The end.

Smooches!   ~ PolkaDot