Makeup Alley

I will admit that I love reading magazines like Allure, where they talk about various beauty products, and often rate them according to a panel of experts in skincare and beauty.  I also enjoy other magazines where I can drool over clothes and shoes, but I can very seldom afford to try those items (or even find them, where I shop!).

And I do enjoy blathering on about various products (hence this blog), and I have a couple of friends who also do, so we do a lot of e-mail exchanges about various products and topics (neither lives nearby, so I seldom get to see them in person).

A few years back, one of them told me about Makeup Alley.  Do you know it?  It's an online site where reviews of different products have been contributed by members.  All ages, all price ranges, all personal opinions - and a great place to get a feel for things you might want to try.  You can even filter the reviews by your skin type, age, etc., which can be particularly helpful.

Like most things in the universe, I like to form my own opinions in the end.  But this site is really wonderful for giving you an idea of what "real" people think, as opposed to marketing and beauty editors whose raison d'etre is to get you to buy the products.  There are also forums where you can ask questions and get specific answers to them from various members.

If you have never visited, you should check it out.  It's free to join, and other than a monthly "What's New" e-mail newsletter, they never bug you with other messages/spam.  If you do decide to join - or even if you are already a member - you can even avail yourself of my reviews!  My username there is Gitte, *and I think I have approximately 20 reviews that I've contributed.

Please note that this post is my opinion only, and I have not been asked to write it by Makeup Alley or anyone associated with it.  I just wanted to tell you what my experience with it has been.

Enjoy!

*One of the e-mail friends referenced above used to call me "Brigitte," and then shortened it to "Gitte."  It's a useful username, since it's usually not already in existence.  :-)

Sharing Some Love

When Google Reader faded into the sunset, I had decided to give both Feedly and Bloglovin a try.  Both have their good points, but I found it easier to organize things on Bloglovin, so that's where I usually check for updates on my favorite blogs.

The other day, I was poking around to see what was listed under their "Top Blogs" and came across We Heart This.  After reading a few of their posts, I added it to the blogs I wanted to follow.  It covers a lot of different things - food, fashion, beauty to name a few - and seems to be aimed at an average person, not only those who can eat at fancy restaurants or wear haute couture.  I thought I'd share it here, in case anyone wanted to give it a try.

The other day I read this post, and decided to play along.  So here goes.

My version of 3 Things - The Best of Summer So Far:

Best food you ate this summer:  Fried pickles!  I never had them before, and a place opened around the corner from our house where they are on the menu.  WOW.

Best cocktail you drank:  Frozen margarita.  Because a) it's a margarita, and b) it's frozen.

Best Makeup Purchase:  L'Oreal Paris Infallible Le Rouge lipstick, in color #138.  I was on my way to work one morning and realized I'd forgotten to put on lipstick.  Not the worst thing, but I like lipstick and without it, I look pretty washed out.  So I stopped at a CVS that I usually pass, and for whatever reason, chose this color.  I don't usually feel like I can wear red lipstick, though I do love it, but that morning I decided that was the shade for me.  Not only is it a pretty color, but it stays on for a really long time.  At first, I thought it was awfully expensive for a drugstore lipstick, but now I think it's a really great deal!

So there's my list - what about you?

MAC Matters

Well, hello again - sorry to be such a slow blogger recently.  Between my husband's birthday and Thanksgiving almost back-to-back, I was doing a lot of different things and running around to be ready.  The birthday celebration was a success, and we had a lovely Thanksgiving, so it was all worth it.

Anyway, I was cruising around some of the beauty blogs I read, and came across this post.  I will admit to being a makeup fan, and had on occasion wondered if I should sign up for so-called "Beauty Boxes," through Birchbox, etc.  The only thing is, as much as I love makeup and skincare products, there are a lot of things I don't ever use, and some brands that just don't seem worth the money to me.  So why spend a certain amount every month and maybe get lots of stuff that I don't want?

I like most of the MAC cosmetics that I've tried.  I don't have luck with the foundation usually, but I do love their eye makeup and lipsticks that I've bought in the past.  They are pretty decently priced, and they are a cruelty-free company, which is a big thing to me, as well as being environmentally aware.  And, I admittedly probably waste $21.00 a month on random stuff which I likely also forget about soon after.  So I decided to join Pammy and some others in the MAC Matters project, where you build your own core cosmetic collection, spending only $21.00 a month.  I am always intrigued to see if I can follow these kinds of challenges, be it cosmetic, books, or exercise.

My first MAC purchase in this challenge was the Penultimate Eye Liner.  I am currently experimenting with eyeliners, and the person who cuts my hair was wearing this the last time I saw her.  She looked amazing, and said she loved this particular product.  So I decided to give it a try.  I haven't fooled with it a whole lot yet, just a couple of times, when I've managed a very fine line.  Which I like, and am happy to start with, since it's better than suddenly having two black eyes!  The cost was $18.50, so even with tax, it was well within the price limit.

I think I'll enjoy this - no subscription, no pressure, and if I happen to miss a month, or decide to quit, there's no long process involved.

I'll keep you posted.  :-)

Week Two and a Link for You

Here I am at the end of Week 2, and though it was not as committed a week as the first one, I still managed to do OK.  I went to the gym for my fitness assessment and beginning workout program this past Thursday.  The guy who helped me was really nice, and really encouraging, and seemed to "get" what I wanted to do.  He gave me a workout program that he wants me to try and do at least three times a week for the next six weeks.   Of course, I didn't do the whole thing on Thursday, just "samples" and though I was sore on Friday, I wasn't as sore as I expected to be.   So I ended the week with 1 trip to the gym, and an extra 5.35 miles walked!  (I forgot to weigh myself, but will be happy if I stayed the same - I'm pretty sure nothing was lost this week ...)

I had planned to go to the gym today, but woke up feeling like I was coming down with something, and could barely drag myself around to take a shower and do laundry, so I stayed put.  Hopefully, I'm just really tired from my extra long work day on Friday.  I had the option of a shorter work day, but wanted to work the longer day so I would be able to have some comp time.  Anyway, I have been extremely tired, and then today felt crummy.  I'm hoping that tomorrow I'll feel back to normal, or at least close.

On another note, one of the beauty blogs I read talked about a new site that will be offering beauty products, which sounds similar to Sephora, but maybe with a few higher-end things as well.  It's called Coterie, and I went ahead and signed up, because, well, what the heck.  Even if I don't buy anything, I do enjoy looking, you know?  If you would like to sign up, here is a link I got when I signed up to pass along.  We'll see what it's like, I think it is supposed to go live pretty soon.

And that's that, I guess.  Here's hoping this week will be a good one!