MakeupAlley Swaps

Sorry I've been MIA again (and again and again...), but I've been clearing out all the makeup products I never (or rarely) wear and posting them on http://www.makeupalley.com/ for swaps.  I've gotten a huge response and have been spending a lot of time after work on putting packages together.  Yesterday I shipped 7 packages, tonight I will ship 4, and tomorrow I already have another 3 swaps planned that I need to put together and ship.  It's madness, really, but it's also a lot of fun.  I'll get a lot of products that I've been wanting to try and I'll even get some products from overseas, such as dazzledusts, Jemma Kidd (which we have some of in the US, but not as much as they have available), and a Sleek palette.  I'm really really excited, but behind all that enthusiasm is a tiny bit of worry and skepticism.  A lot of trust goes into swapping and I'm hoping that everyone I've made "deals" with is honest and will follow through with their end.  I have taken some precautions, but still... it takes a lot of faith to do this!

Have you ever done a swap on makeupalley and what was your experience like?  Good/Bad?  Have you ever come across a swaplifter?  Let me know if you've ever tried it and how it went :).

MAC Goodies

The drought has ended!  I haven't purchased a MAC product from their collections in the past 5 months.... until yesterday.  I ordered a few things online from their MAC in Lillyland and All Ages, All Races, All Sexes collections and I'm so excited!  I also got a few things from their permanent line that I'm really happy with too :).  I'll film a haul video tonight and post it here :).

Did you buy anything from either of these collections?  What do you think about them?

Apology

Good evening, everyone!  I just wanted to stop in really quick and let you know what's been going on.  I realize I haven't posted in a while, but I was extremely busy with Christmas and New Year's celebrations... and then my dog passed away last week :(.  I've been devastated and haven't been able to wear any makeup besides foundation and waterproof mascara... so I look kind-of like a mess right now.  Plus, all of the crying has given me bags under my eyes and I've been having trouble sleeping.  All-in-all, it's been an awful past 4 days, so I hope you all understand.  Every time I start talking or thinking about our puppy, I start crying, so it might be a couple more days before you hear from me again.

Thanks for your kind words (on twitter) and support during this hard time.  It's crazy how much of an affect animals have on our lives, and how much it hurts when they're gone :(.

Rest in peace, Magnum.  We love you.

Missing my hair!

Before I cut my hair this past June, I was so excited about trying a short style and doing something completely new for my look.  I donated my hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, which I also felt great about.  For the 5 months after getting it cut, I had been in a honeymoon phase and I still loved everything about it.  Until now.  I'm missing my long hair soooooooo much!  I keep seeing pictures of me with my hair long and curled all pretty and I want to look like that again immediately :).  I know that it will take some time, but I still wish it would grow longer. 

Have you ever made a drastic change to your hair that you eventually regretted (even a little bit)?  Do you do anything special with your hair during the "grow-out" phase?

Product Rave - Mary Kay Mineral Powder Foundation

I've never been a huge fan of mineral powder foundations. Mainly because I've always had troublesome skin that's very oily. Since I moved to a humid climate my skin has gotten worse, so I've turned to thicker, heavier coverage liquid foundations such as Make Up For Ever's Mat Velvet + and Revlon Colorstay. I love those foundations and they work for me, but I've still kept my hopes up that someday I could find a mineral foundation that worked for me. Up until this week, I've only used mineral foundations as setting powder for my liquid foundation. It covers better than regular powder, doesn't irritate my skin as much as normal loose powder, and gives more of a matte finish.

I decided to take a chance on Mary Kay's mineral powder foundation and I'm so glad I did! I don't know what's different about it, but I am really loving it :). It comes in quite a large sifter jar and I use my Sigma kabuki brush to apply it. All I have to do is tap my brush in a little bit of product, swirl it in the lid, and then buff it onto my face. It gives such a nice finish and feels really nice and light on my skin. It isn't exactly matte, but it doesn't claim to be. Nor is it oil controlling (that I know of), but it does a pretty good job at keeping my skin balanced - moisturized, but not oily. And when I touch my face throughout the day (bad habit), it doesn't come off on my fingers.

Now for the negative:
If you take a look at the sifter jar, you'll see that it doesn't have the new "click-lock" closure that the Bare Minerals foundation has. This doesn't bother me, it just means that if I travel, I would have to cover the sifter with tape or something so that the powder doesn't fill the top of the container.

That's the only downside that I can find about this. The price is very affordable at $18, which is much better than Bare Minerals Matte at $28 (and I prefer this over BM). It currently comes in 6 colors, however I believe they're going to add another 4 (or more) colors in mid-December.

Also, I bought all of the products mentioned in this post and my opinion has not been influenced by anyone.

YouTube Contest!

I have passed the 200 subscriber mark (yay!) and I promised to do an actual contest when I got there, so here we are! :)

I just ordered the contest prizes yesterday and they're currently en route, so now I have to decide on a theme. That's where you, my subscribers/followers come in :). What kind of look would you want to create for a contest? The two that I was thinking of are "favorite everyday look"... but that's kind-of boring. The other one I was thinking of is "favorite New Year's Eve/Holiday look". I think I might go with the NYE/Holiday theme, but if any of you give me a better idea (& I choose it), I'll send you a prize to thank you :).

So please, give me your contest theme ideas asap and I'll decide what to do this weekend :). Thanks for your help!

Hair Experiences

After going brunette for about a month, the color started fading and didn't work with my skin tone at all anymore. It ended up being a dingy brownish-red, but it was kind-of metallic looking and just weird. So I used my birthday (right before Thanksgiving) as an opportunity to visit a friend and get my highlights back, as well as a trim :). I'll try to post a picture soon, but I just wanted to share how much more comfortable and happy I am with my hair now. It really can change your whole look and make you feel like a different person!

However, one thing that bothers me about getting my hair done is that you're at the mercy of the stylist and you can oftentimes leave the salon feeling very awkward. I'm a very non-confrontational person, so I avoid making comments if I don't like the way they style it. If I know that the cut and color are good, I can usually deal with a poofy style until I get out to my car. Also, they can sometimes use products I really don't care for. For an example of both (style and products), she styled my hair by back-combing it and making it very poofy (hello, Texas hair!). She also put all of my bangs across my forehead, which doesn't work because of my oily skin (and it made me look like I was 12 years old). Finally, she used a spray that smelled like peppermint and it was very suffocating. I kept smelling it throughout that evening and finally had to put it in a ponytail to get the smell away from my face. Gag! :)

Like I said, the color and cut are great, but have you had any experiences like mine? What are your best and worst salon memories? Let me know in a comment below :).