No Shy Violets Here

Meet my favorite eyeliner of late: Elizabeth Arden's Smoky Eyes Powder Pencil in Black Violet (say that five times fast). Despite its sultry coloring, this little baby can take you from day to night.

I smudge it on my lashline for daytime wear. The creamy pencil glides on and dries to a powdery finish which is incredibly easy to smudge. For after-hours wear, I trace along the waterline. Personally for me it wears more violet tone than black but for some it tends to wear more black. I think it's a nice alternative to the traditional black pencil and adds a little fun with its inky purple hue.

I rub my eyes a lot, A LOT, and this liner sticks around. It also managed to take me through an evening out in 100+ degree weather and maximum humidity. That's a definite win in my book.

Vacation

I'm taking a little break from all forms of technology this week and will be back to beauty business on Monday! Plus I forgot my camera cord and can't upload photos. Whoops!

Sweet (Smelling) Dreams

With great olfactory power, comes great responsibility. I'm just kidding! But with a super-powered schnoz such as mine you do wield a bit of sensory power over the masses.

I can detect fragrances a mile away. I often find myself saying "Do you smell that?" only to be answered simply with a puzzled look. Of course no one else can smell that. I despise being stuck on the train with food smells or an unpleasant perfume because even though the offender can no longer detect the subtle smell, I can.

Even though my nostrils are super-sensitive, I love being surrounded by comforting fragrances. A lot of my memories are tied to smells. A whiff of sunscreen brings me right back to my childhood at the beaches in Florida visiting family; pine needles whisk me to the holiday season; jasmine reminds me that summertime is right around the corner.

One of my longtime favorites has been the Egyptian Cotton linen spray at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I tend to buy two or three bottles at once so I'm never without. It's that good! Plus I'm terrified they'll stop making it and I'll have to ration my remaining supply. I like to spray this on my sheets as I'm making the bed, so later when you go to sleep you get layers of the scent lulling you into slumber. I also love this spray for towels to freshen mid-week before they need to be washed, and the couch for a freshening up.

The smell is soothing and not cloying at all. Floral notes of lily and jasmine combine with woody undertones all mingling to create a scent that, to me, just smells like home. A bottle will last for quite a while, a few spritzes and the scent lingers for days. I don't think you'll be able to walk around Bed, Bath and Beyond without searching for this. You'll be happy you did.

Your (Blotting) Papers, Please: Sephora Bamboo Charcoal

There is some killer glare out there today! Oh, it's the reflection off your shiny forehead, you say? Let me help you with that: try one of my new Sephora Bamboo Charcoal blotting papers. Things are looking a little brighter, and a lot less shiny.

Mmm charcoal, such a magical word when it comes to oily skin. These nifty little papers are super thin, like tissue-paper-thin, so err on the side of caution when snatching one out of its pretty blue (or pink or orange) leopard case.

The double-sided paper obliterates shine without messing up your makeup. Yay! Because I don't know about you but I tend to perspire heavily only after I've applied a full face of cosmetics. I don't need it to slide right off. Bamboo and charcoal are both natural antibacterial agents so they help keep pores clog-free while upping the paper's absorbency.

Fact is, even though we're ladies, we sweat. We just don't have to look like we do. Keep this convenient little packet in your bag for on-the-go touchups. Buy here.

Mani Minis

I'm pretty adventurous when it comes to trying new beauty items. There are a few things I'm more hesitant about than others: anything heated or electrical designed to come in contact with my face, and kooky colors that are better suited for the schoolyard as opposed to the office.

But for the sake of being informed, sometimes I'll take one for the team. So while I was perusing the polishes at ULTA over the long weekend, I ran across mini bottles of Orly in a staggering array of colors. I had not seen these before. The idea is pretty ingenious. Honestly, how often have you wanted to test out a color but thought better of it for fear of painting your nails once and then the bottle of (insert disparaging adjective here) polish slowly separates into its parts in your closet never to be used again? It appears that problem is now solved.

I decided to pick up two colors I would surely never, simply on a whim buy, and one color I would buy but would certainly prefer to give 'er a test-drive before buying the full-sized model. Don't get me wrong, each of these colors is in their prime at the moment: neon orange, yellow and murky green. That being said, I was fairly confident orange and yellow were not my colors. The green was the least vibrant of the bunch and could definitely pass for daytime wear. Being they were minis I happily snapped up all three and concluded that even if I only used each once, it would be worth it.

The next evening whilst lazing about on the patio I pulled out the polishes to test each out on a single nail. I was taking this experiment in color very slowly. I wasn't ready for a whole-hand commitment yet. First orange, then yellow and then the green. Each shade dried and I was left with highlighter orange (Holla), pale, pastel yellow (Lemonade), and dark, earthy green (Wandering Vine). I sat there staring at my nails; the neon orange was entrancing. I kind of loved it. The yellow (which I originally shied away from for fear of having pee-yellow nails) grew on me. I must admit, it too, was a lovely shade. And while I knew I would love the green, it turned out to be my least favorite of the three.

After color trial of three nails each a different shade, I decided to go with the orange for the week in all its safety-cone glory. You might be able to see my nails from space, they are that bright, and it is nothing short of mood-elevating. The moral of this story is experiment with things outside your beauty norm, and get them in mini form (just in case you don't love it).