Vacationing in Portugal...and Makeup in Europe

Hi Everyone!

I know I haven't been blogging for quite a while.

I was vacationing in Portugal with my husband.  Believe it or not, when we first bought the tickets to go on vacation, my first thought was, I can't wait to get there so I can check out the European makeup scene.  I know.  I'm a sick person.

So when I saw a Sephora in Portugal, I nearly soiled myself.  Unfortunately for me, shopping at Sephora in Europe was a sad, sad experience.  Ladies, if you want to buy from Sephora, do so in North America.  Sephora in Europe is a FORTUNE...and they're months behind in terms of products and promotions.  So what do I mean when I say it's a fortune?  Let's say you want to buy a product that in would normally cost you $20 USD at Sephora.  In Portugal, no matter the brand of the product, the rule universally was that you could add at LEAST $10-15 to the original price and THEN convert it to Euros.  So it'd cost 30-35 EUROS.  When you factor in the current exchange rate (which hovers around 1.3 Euros to the dollar), it was $39-$45.50 for a product you could pay $20 for on US soil.

It was just so, SO disappointing.  And I didn't find anything in the store that could exclusively be purchased in Europe.  The only real difference I noticed was that Sephora in Portugal carries Chanel and Shisheido cosmetics, which normally are carried by the likes of Nordstrom, Neiman's, Saks, etc. over here.

I also found some L'Oreal products in Portugal.  Not in Sephora...in Cosmetics "Outlets".  Some of the products even seemed unique to Portugal.  But I'm sorry...I'm not paying $19 Euros for L'Oreal cosmetics...I don't care how unique.

The real jewel, cosmetics-wise, of Portugal came in the form of a Kiko Milano Makeup shop.  Kiko Milano is an Italian brand of makeup that, as far as I can tell, cannot be purchased in the US...not even on their website.  I was already somewhat familiar with the brand, as my brother lived in Italy for several years and would occasionally bring me some of their products.  Kiko makes fantastic products of excellent quality at reasonable prices.

So when I saw a Kiko shop in Portugal, I was overjoyed.  I was also fortunate enough to wander into the store on a weekend when they were having massive clearance sales.  It was meant to be.  Check out the GORGEOUS things I found!

One of the two blush trip palettes I bought.  This one was coral.  The other was mauve.  They were on sale for 5.90 Euros each!  They contain two blush shades & a highlight!

I got this GORGEOUS eyeshadow palette as a Birthday present for a good friend of mine.  The pigmentation of these shadows is FANTASTIC.  My only regret is not purchasing another one for myself.

I grabbed a tube of this gorgeous, creamy lipstick for 1.70 EUROS.  PENNIES!!!

Picked up some great polishes for CHEAP!

This is the softest blush brush EVER.  And it applies product beautifully.  I got it for 5.90 Euros.  Not a bad deal for a brush of this quality!

So next time you're in Europe and looking for some makeup, skip Sephora and find the nearest Kiko Milano store for some boas compras (as the Portuguese would say)!

Xoxo,

Cathy

June 2013 Favorites!

Hi Everyone!

I hope you're having a lovely Friday!  I am traveling to Chicago tonight to begin the apartment search and thought I'd post my June Favorites before I go.

This month, I'm changing things up a bit and sharing my favorites via my blog and not my YouTube Channel.  I hope you don't mind.

Anyway, so for the month of June, I have three products that I've been LOVING.  And they're all new to me.

First up is a product that's been around for a while and has a ton of hype...the BeautyBlender.

Ah, the BeautyBlender.  I've been avoiding buying one for so long because this little sponge will run you $20.  For one sponge.  I thought that was absurd, so I refused to buy one...until I had a giftcard to Amazon.com and was able to snap one up at no cost to me.
So it arrived at my house, in all it's adorably packaged glory...and I couldn't WAIT to test it out.  And, unfortunately for my wallet, it's 100% worth the type.

How does it work? 
You dampen the BeautyBlender with water and wring it out.  Once dampened, the BeautyBlender will expand to double its original size.  They you pick up some foundation and "bounce" (stipple) it onto your skin.  You can use the pointy side for hard-to-reach places like the sides of your nose and the round side for forehead, cheeks, etc.

Why is it awesome?
I love this product because it does three VERY important things.

1) Because you dampen the sponge before you pick up the product, the sponge doesn't absorb the foundation and you actually use LESS product than you would applying the foundation with a brush.

2) It takes the foundation-y feeling away from wearing foundation.  It makes your foundation almost feel airbrushed.  It doesn't feel like you're wearing ANYTHING at all.  I completely forget I'm wearing foundation at all.

3) It blends beautifully.  You can build up foundation, if you need to, without looking cakefaced.  A good foundation blender is a great tool to own.  And I LOVE the way this blends.



Next up is the Wet n Wild eyeshadow trio in "Walking on Eggshells."

I love this trio for a few reasons.

1) It's a great palette to create a complete everyday eye look. 
2) The colors are subtle, which makes it sort of idiot proof...for days that you're half asleep putting on makeup.
3) It's CHEAP.  I paid $2.99 for the trio PLUS a small tube of mascara.  God, I love Wet n Wild!
4) The color payoff is great.
5) There isn't a ton of fall out from the shadow.  (ie. They're not overly powdery and crumbly.)
6) The color lasts a LONG time...especially with a primer.

It's really a no-brainer awesome product.

Last on my list is a product I bought a week ago and am COMPLETELY obsessed with:  Yes to Blueberry Makeup Remover Wipes.  I got these at Target.  They're $5 or so for the pack, but if you bought two or more packs, you got a $5 Target gift card.

I love these wipes because they smell AMAZING, just like blueberries.  I'm not sure what active ingredients are in the wipes, but I am assuming they're all natural because they are SO gentle.  Seriously.

You know how at the end of a long day, when you want to remove your makeup, you pick up a wipe and start scrubbing your makeup off.  And it's not too bad, but sometimes it'll sting when it comes time to remove your eye makeup.  Yeah, this doesn't happen with this product.  I've removed eyeliner that I tightlined with and put on my water line with these wipes...and it doesn't sting my eyes.  It's AMAZING. 

Also, the wipes leave my skin feeling refreshed and moisturized.  They don't dry out my skin with alcohol like so many wipes will.  I HIGHLY recommend picking up a pack.


So that's it for this month's favorites.  Comment below and tell me...which products have YOU been loving this month?

Xoxo,

Cathy

Big News!!!

Hi Everyone!

So I have some really huge news.  Don't worry, it won't impact my blog, or my channel.  This is news of a much more personal type.  I've been waiting several weeks to make the announcement, but we wanted to wait until things were official...so here goes.

After nearly six years together, and nearly one year of marriage, Jeremy and I have an announcement...


We are going to be...


...moving to Chicago!!!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.  As soon as you get married, whenever you tell anyone you have news about anything, they automatically assume you're going to tell them you're pregnant.

Well in this case, that isn't it.  My uterus remains vacant, thank you very much.  But after nearly six years of living in Boston together, we're heading to the Windy City.  We're really excited to start this next chapter of our lives, and explore living in a new city.

The next few weeks are going to be crazy making for me, as I have to sublet my current apartment, fly to Chicago and find a place there, go on vacation to Portugal, and move half way across country, all in the span of a few weeks. 

Wish me luck on this crazy adventure!!!

Xoxo,

Cathy

How To Wear a Red Lip

Hi Everyone!

This morning, as I was getting ready, I wanted to mix it up a bit.  The easiest way to do that when you're in a rush is to wear a lipstick in a different color family than you typically wear day-to-day.  So I decided to go fishing through my lipstick drawer and see what struck my fancy.

I ended up pulling out a Rimmel London lipstick in Jetset Red.  I really love a true red lip, especially when done with a neutral eye, winged black liquid liner, and glowy skin.  It's classic.  It's elegant.  And it's appropriate for all seasons.

The only problem with a red lip is that a lot of people are terrified of doing it "wrong", so they never ever wear it.  (Justifiably so, I might add.  There are few makeup looks worse than a red lip gone wrong.)  So I thought I would share the "right" way to wear a red lip, in hopes that some of you may get inspired and rock a red lip.

Step 1:  Choose the right lipstick

• If you have yellow undertones (think Asian, Latina skin), your best bet is a true brick red, or an orangey red.  Avoid blue-toned reds at all costs.
• If you have cool undertones (think Scarlett Johanson or Emma Stone), your best bet will be a blue-toned red.
• If you're hesitant, wear a lipstick with a more sheer finish, like a Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple.
• A more sheer, glossy finish is also not a bad idea for the warmer months. 

Step 2:  Prep your lips

• Moisturize your lips.  Any chapstick will do.  You don't want to have any skin peeling or unevenness for a bright color to cling to.
• For a long lasting look, line your lips with a matching (or neutral colored!) lipliner.  Once lined around the perimeter, fill in the remainder of your lips with lipliner.  Once fully colored in, run your finger over your lips and smudge the lipliner into the lips.  Sort of creating a stain.

Step 3:  Apply Lipstick

• If you're scared, start with a little bit of lipstick.  You can always build up later.
• Don't forget to hit the corners of your mouth to distribute color evenly.
• After you smudge, go along the edges of your mouth with a Q-tip (or your finger, if you're lazy like me), and make sure that your edges are smooth and within the bounds of your actual mouth.
• Once all that's done, open your mouth and insert your (clean!) finger.  Suck on it the way a child would suck their thumb.  Pull out quickly.  The lipstick you just transferred to your finger is the bit that would later end up on your teeth.  You're welcome.

Voila!  You have red lips just like me!



Xoxo,

Cathy

Makeup Moneysaving: Depotting my Cle de Peau Concealer!

Have an empty? Maybe you just think you do! I've learned that sometimes even when a product LOOKS empty, there's TONS more product in the container. I thought my Cle de Peau concealer was empty, and a fluke accident showed me how much more product was still left in the tube! So glad I had that accident!

Check out this tutorial to learn how to depot an "empty" product and save some money!!''

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