Santa Brought Inspiration for Christmas!

I’m back! I hope you all had a beautiful holiday; I know I did. Since last posting, I’ve made what’s called an “interstate move,” from Orlando to Nashville, and been busy settling down– only to plow right through Christmas.

Santa Claus knew I had everything a girl could dream for: A loving family, a beautiful Lily Dog,  and a new winter wardrobe. However, he also knew that my beauty closet was MISTAKENLY packed away in portable storage units– including my professional brush sets– and I was suffering miserably. So, he took a trip to Ulta and got me several makeup GEMS.

Devout readers know that I’m a fan of Carbon Black Mascara, by L’oreal over expensive brands. However, Benefit’s They’re Real Mascara is my new favorite! The formula itself lengthens and thickens lashes, but the wand proved amazing as well.

I’ve generally avoided non-traditional wand styles, but this one separates lashes like a dream and coats evenly. In addition, the egg shaped ball at the tip of the wand creates the perfect tool to lengthen lashes with vertical strokes. I really like this product and encourage everyone who is frustrated by their mascara formula to grab a tube!

My second cosmetic introduction, of the season, was to the Australian originated line by Napoleon Perdis. I am in love with the neutral metallics shadow palette– and might have to go back for the purple one too! Sometimes, I feel like metallics look a little…funky. In a bad way. However, these finely milled pigments spread evenly and produce a glimmer suitable for a day at the office or a night on the town.

Aside from the gifts Santa Claus brought, I would also like to mention the makeup brushes I recently picked up at Target. E.L.F. brand brushes are a must have for anyone who wants a nice brush set, but doesn’t want to pay an arm and a leg for them! In fact, I like them better than some of the “professional” brushes I’ve purchased in the past. The selection is decent, the quality is good, and the price is right as they range from $1-$5 each! I especially love the contouring brush. This is a testament, once again, that you don’t always have to pay high dollar for quality tools and cosmetics; one often finds themselves paying for the brand name as opposed to the product’s actual value.

So happy to be back blogging! What fabulous cosmetics did Santa bring you this Christmas?

I gave the dog a designer bath and all I got was this lousy growl.

The dog hates getting a bath about as much as I hated getting shots as a kid. I hid under the exam table; she slinks under the bed. I used to scream and cry and Lily can’t help but whimper. Poor Mother always received nasty looks during and after the whole ordeal. Karmatically, my canine companion reflects similar scowls. The whole thing sucks.

Although I’m forever changing pillowcases, when all the sheets come off the bed, the dog gets a bath; Lily is more instinctive than most Malteses and scoots under the bed before the comforter hits the floor. She gives me the please, no, Mama eyes.

I look away and a part of me wonders, what’s so terrible about dirty dogs, anyhow?

My inner-Aesthetician insists she’s going on strike if I allow a stinky pup to sleep on the pillow beside my face. My inner-responsible/mean dog owner concurs.

Lily’s regular shampoo is Matrix’s Hydrotherapy; it’s effective and gentle on her hair (the hypo-allergenic Maltese breed has hair, not fur), but she always retains the faint odor of wet dog. However, tonight we tried Pet Head’s Dirty Talk Shampoo and she smells even better than when I pick her up from the groomer.

The scent, “Fruit Fantasy,” smells divine and reminds me a lot of the [now discontinued] “Fruit Cocktail” conditioner Farouk produced until the mid-2000s. Pet Head products are all and cruelty, paraben, DEA, and sulfate free. Because the product is sulfate-free it does not bubble like other products containing foaming agents. As a result, the product rinsed away quickly and cut Lily’s torture time in half. Bonus.

She seemed a little less testy this time– all residual resentment melted as she methodically gnawed on a bone.