Saturday, May 22, 2010

E.L.F. Makeup at TARGET!















"You were born with a 'silver spoon in your mouth.'" - fortune cookie of the day

This is one of those fortunes I had to save because it made me laugh out loud! When the fortune cookie writers get it wrong, they REALLY get it wrong! I was definitely not born with a "silver spoon in my mouth." Odds are, neither were you. For us, and also for women with loads of money who still love a great deal, there is E.L.F. makeup. E.L.F. is an acronym for "Eyes, Lips, Face," and E.L.F. has beautiful, inexpensive makeup shades to complement each of those parts of your body!

This is not your average, cheap makeup. In my opinion, E.L.F. is affordable, luxury makeup. Richly pigmented, the formulations are also very skin-friendly, and many products have been compared by respected makeup gurus to products from MAC and Nars (Studio brushes and Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder, anyone?). Some products, like Complexion Perfection, are all E.L.F.'s own, and give every high-dollar cosmetic company a run for its money! E.L.F. is against animal testing, as well, which is always an important consideration for me.

While I do enjoy getting a big box of fun E.L.F. stuff on my doorstep, and there is nothing more exciting than opening said box and seeing all of those little tubes, compacts, and implements tucked inside the big, clear drawstring E.L.F. bag, I am so jazzed that my local Target now has part of its cosmetics aisle dedicated to E.L.F. products (yes, STUDIO products, too!). I treat myself to a new E.L.F. product each time I visit Target. At $1 or $3, depending on whether the product is from their regular, professional line or from their Studio line, even with my "stay-at-home-mom" budget, I can afford that!

Yes, I realize that E.L.F. constantly has sales codes for their online store that can net you freebies like a professional brush set (with a $20 purchase, use code "EGBST" at the checkout through May 25, 2010) or discounts of up to 50% off Studio line products or even free/reduced shipping offers. These are all great deals, and I've certainly taken advantage of them in the past, and will surely take advantage of them again in the future! However, for various reasons, buying online may be inconvenient or impossible for some of E.L.F.'s customers, and I think it is great that they now have an option for those customers. Plus, for me, it is easier to come up with $1-$3 at a time, as opposed to an online order of $30-$40 at once...which is what I have spent in the past (hey, you gotta make paying that shipping and handling worth it!).

With all of this in mind, I decided to create a makeup look using only products that one can purchase at Target! The products I used were all available at my local Target. Your Target may have a little different selection, but I hope that you will be inspired to create your own look from the E.LF. products you find there. Obviously, you may purchase all of the colors I used at http://www.eyeslipsface.com/, as well. But for those of you without credit/debit cards, teenagers, people who would rather not purchase online, or if you just happen to be in Target and see E.L.F. products and ABSOLUTELY must purchase some (like me!), then this look is for you!



















Thursday, May 13, 2010

Fortune Cookie Wisdom

"You are contemplating some action which will bring credit upon you." - wisdom from a fortune cookie.

While I'm not necessarily looking for "credit," I have been contemplating an action for quite some time, namely adding videos on makeup, sewing, etc. to my youtube channel. I asked for, and received, a new Zoom video camera for Christmas (thanks to my awesome husband, Bart!). More recently, I've been contemplating starting a blog.

However, up until now, I haven't actually made any youtube videos or written any blogposts. Lame, I know. Isn't it strange how the fear of failure is so strong that many times it stops us from trying...therefore, we fail before we even begin? Sometimes it is hard to push through that insecurity and step out...

Well, this is the week! Though conceived much later, the blog is starting earlier (you're reading it now, by the way... ;-) ). AND... my first youtube video will be up within the week! I'll keep you all posted on that, of course!

My purpose here is multi-layered. Primarily, I'm in need/want of a creative outlet. Writing being one of my first passions, blogging seems like a natural venue for this. Secondly, I hope to pass along some tips, tutorials, and info regarding some of my other passions: makeup, sewing/clothing deconstruction/reconstruction, hairstyling, etc. I'll probably also include a LOT of random stuff about my life: anecdotes about life with small children, music I love, poetry, food, quotes, etc.

Without resorting to "Successories," (those awful, pseudo-inspirational sayings most often found on executive gifts and large, framed portraits of eagles soaring above snow-capped mountain peaks) I also hope to encourage you all, make you smile sometimes, and in some small way, inspire you to find your own creative outlet, be it words, music, art, etc. Do whatever makes you feel as if you've contributed to LIFE today!

I'm planning on adding a bit of "wisdom" from my "fortune cookie fortune collection" (yes, I have one!) to each blog. I have dozens of fortunes I've saved over the years. I keep them in a cute bowl in my kitchen. Each one made me smile, made me think, or simply motivated me. Today I'm going to include an extra one, in addition to the one above:

"Joy comes from adventure today. Time to shake the world."

Shake the world today, everybody!!!! (Even if it is just your own tiny world at home with your two little children. ;-) )