Angeleno Femme

Stuff I Like + Stuff I Want (Unorganized Edition, Sorry I’m Not Sorry)

Firstly, let me say I’m super stoked to have people hit me up and tell me that, after reading my post about Jack Black lip balm, they went out to buy the balm and have also been pleased by it. So great!

Anyway, here are a few things I’ve been using lately that I totally dig:

Garnier 3-Way Cleanser

I’ve mostly been using a simple Neutrogena cleanser morning and night, but my skin needed a little oomph in the form of some salicylic acid or some other anti-acne ingredient. It just looked dull and a little grimy for whatever reason (er, alcohol from a particularly indulgent night out?). Anyways, I found out about this product while doing research for work and was intrigued by the idea that it’s a cleanser, exfoliator and mask all in one (depending on how you use it). As a cleanser, it’s great, rinses clean. As an exfoliator it’s okay, it does do a bit of scrubbing but I’m a fan of grainier textures (anytime something says it has “micro beads” I’m immediately like “oh, so it barely does shit on the exfoliant front…alright whatever.”). Nevertheless, for sensitive skin, this would work well. And it’s great as a mask — simple clay mask that dries after a few minutes, and as you wash it off it scrubs your face a little for added results. All in all, it’s a good way to save money and counter space. For just a handful of dollars, it’s worth recommending and I’ll use it till it runs out. Contains kaolin clay and salicylic acid among other good ingredients.

Laura Mercier Creme Lipstick in Violet

Laura Mercier is usually my go-to brand for base products like concealer and tinted moisturizer, but I figured, what the hell, I’ll try a lipstick. I swiped this cool cranberry tone on at Sephora and was pleasantly surprised. Infused with a little shimmer, the finish is a pretty, glossy sheen but without the greasy feel of drugstore “gloss lipsticks.” The color is reminiscent of MAC’s Digi Dazzle lipstick in Snazzy except less grainy from the sparkles. The NonBlonde actually has a nice pic of a swatch on skin for you to check out. I’m not surprised by the high quality feel of the lipstick, since Laura Mercier is a top shelf brand. What I am surprised by is how flattering this shade is, even though it’s clearly considered to be one of the brand’s boldest shades in the lipstick line since it’s positioned as the darkest color on the shade spectrum. With that in mind, don’t let its placement fool you — I’m a warm-toned gal who looks like she hasn’t seen the sun in months (because…I haven’t) and the lipstick looks gorge on me. A great lipstick if you want to experiment with a bolder lip color but don’t want to go too high fashion with a super matte finish like I usually rep on my blog. This color is pretty, flattering and feels good on.

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

YEAH I GOT NAKED 2, WANNA FIGHT ABOUT IT?! No but really, this shit is already sold out (but maybe still available on Sephora.com) and I thought I’d be doing my reputation as a compulsive makeup hoarder a disservice if I “waited” to purchase it (pffffft). Let me start by saying if you don’t have the original Naked palette, what were you doing with your Sephora existence this whole time? Anyways, all judgment aside, it was a great palette. I’ve actually taken a pic of the original Naked with the new Naked 2 palette below:

Now, arguably they are both “must-have” palettes by combining UD’s popular neutral shades with only-available-in-the-palette shades. But, if you don’t have EITHER one, let’s weigh our options. Truth be told, I pretty much never use the shades in the middle of the original Naked palette — those golden, olive, dark green, shoddy looking shades just do not do it for me.. The shades in Naked 2 are a bit more “wearable” and in terms of having a palette that creates a complete day or night eye, Naked 2 has the advantage of possessing a truly matte, pigmented black eyeshadow (whereas Naked makes you fuck around with some shimmery black shit which doesn’t always cut it). I also prefer Naked 2 because the shades aren’t so warm/golden like Naked’s are. I find Naked 2 to be more flattering. But, at the end of the day they are both fabulous palettes to own. But if you were really debating, I’d say go with Naked 2 — you’ll get more wear out of the entire palette.

And now, for something I want:

Kevin Murphy Color Bug

In 6th grade I joked with my then best friend, “You just wait. You’re going to see me when I’m older and I’m going to have purple hair.” Sadly, I never quite accomplished that goal since 1. I don’t have the balls or the commitment consistency to actually bleach my hair and then dye it purple and 2. Those comb-in temporary color things always left my hair crunchy in 7th grade, but hey I made an effort. Anyways, Kevin Murphy has come out with something called the Color Bug which is essentially colored hair powder that can color over even dark brown hair (joy!). I want to try the purple to do a “dip dye” look on my excessively long locks, though word on the beauty street is 1. it can be a bit messy to apply and 2. again, it can be a bit messy to apply. My search for salons that carry Color Bug begins…

Photo from Kevin Murphy’s how-to vid:

A nice shot from http://www.hairromance.com

Alright that’s all for now Beauty Geeks! Feel free to ask me questions in my ask inbox :)

XoX

I blogged and tweeted yesterday about Drybar:

For those of you who don’t know what it is, Drybar is a salon devoted specifically to blowing out hair — no cuts, colors, anything. For $35, you go in, have your hair washed and select a type of blowout! It’s great for girls like me who aren’t good at doing their own hair.

The salons are located in LA, NYC and now Texas.

(And they serve you wine or mimosas while getting your hair done!)