I'm In Love With Kate Walsh's Boyfriend

08/12/2012

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No, I’m not doing any home-wrecking or anything devious. But I SO LOVE the Private Practice star's perfume, Boyfriend.  This has been around for awhile now (maybe a year?), and I was intrigued when I read it was “the scent of your boyfriend on your skin.” Depending on your interpretation, that could potentially be weird…

But I’m no stranger to using men’s grooming products because they smell so good! In fact, in high school I bought a whole bottle of men’s cologne just so I could smell like my boyfriend. (It was cute at the time, now I’m rolling my eyes at the thought.)  And I have  been known to wear Men’s Speed Stick from time to time – like, now.  There’s just something about the way your boyfriend – or any man, for that matter – smells, that is so delicious and intoxicating. 

That being said, Kate Walsh’s Boyfriend smells nothing like any boyfriend I’ve ever had (most of them have smelled like knockoff Abercrombie & Fitch or Old Spice. But, I digress.)…But, it does smell GREAT! It’s subtly sweet and spicy, and maybe there’s something slightly masculine going on too.  It reminds me a tad of the Halle Berry perfume I also love. Super sensual and sexy smelling (sorry, Mom, but it’s true.)  I’m not a fragrance connoisseur, so I won’t identify the notes and all that jazz.  But I will say I’m in love with this perfume. 

I have gotten SO many compliments on it (from boy –and girl – friends), and let me point out that no one said “Hey, you smell like a man.” Just “You smell SO GOOD!”  Why, thank you! ;)
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The opportunities for Boyfriend puns are endless...

I purchased this .4 oz. pulse point oil roller ball from Amazon for about $30…I’ve been wearing it nearly every day for about a month, and I’d say about 1/5 of it is gone.  So, it’s definitely a good deal in my book.  Plus, it really has staying power.  When I apply it in the morning, I still smell yummy at the end of the night.

Also, Kate Walsh recently came out with another fragrance, Billionaire Boyfriend, which sounds like a pretty damn appealing concept (unless maybe it sounds like Hugh Hefner; I’m not sure). I’ll let you know if I end up smelling like Maserati leather and platinum money clips any time soon…

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My Urban Decay Fave Raves

04/18/2012

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Despite its gritty name, Urban Decay has quickly become one of the most talked about and sought-after makeup brands.  In an effort to expand the horizons of the color cosmetics industry, UD premiered a line of edgy lipsticks and nail polishes in 1996.  Although they offer a full line of makeup now, Urban Decay has especially succeeded in developing a cult following with their line of eye makeup products.  

Known for their non-traditional colors and intensely pigmented eye shadows, Urban Decay has gained immense popularity with their palettes.  Here are my fave rave UD products:

24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil
I just started using this after receiving it in my April MyGlam Bag.  This thing glides like no other. SUPER smooth.  It lasts for hours and hours, too.  However it is prone to smudging, but only if you do something like rub your eye, or lay face-down on a chiropractor’s table (which I do).  Overall, I give this an A- grade.  I’m definitely considering trying another, more “fun” color in the future. 
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Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion
The Naked Palette
After hearing tons of hubbub about this palette, I just had to have it.  The $50 price tag is a little steep, but it’s totally worth it.  This is the one palette I would recommend to absolutely everyone, and I’m sure it will take me years to finish using all the shadows.  They’re all wearable and neutral, as the name implies.  My favorite shades are Virgin (a matte white-pink-peach color), Half Baked (the best shimmery gold color ever!), and Creep (a super dark, glittery navy).  I haven’t tried the Naked II palette yet, but I’m considering adding it to my collection, pending an enticing sale…
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Naked Palette
Eye Shadow Primer Potion
I used to think primer of any sort was unnecessary and just another step adding time and cost to a full makeup routine.  But then I tried this product when it came along with the Naked Palette.  I was instantly hooked, and now I’ll never go back.  This stuff really works.  It makes the shadow glide on smoothly and really stay put.   It makes your lids look the way they’re supposed to – not greasy, creasy, or smudgy.  Sometimes I’ll regress back to just using concealer on my eyelids, but I can always tell the difference.  Recently I purchased the full size version of the potion, in Eden, versus the colorless version I’d tried previously.  I’m totally hooked to the tinted formula; it creates a beautiful, even surface, while brightening up the eye as well.
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Eye Shadow Primer Potion in Eden

Urban Decay has a great website where you can get all this neat-o stuff.  Free shipping on orders over $50.  Who doesn’t like free shipping?!  Free samples with every purchase.  Who doesn’t like free samples?!  I like them both.  A lot.  

Another cool thing about UD’s website is that they’ve suggest dupes for some of their discontinued eye shadows.  This is especially exciting for those UD addicts who’ve been with the brand for years.  Any makeup maven knows how tragic it is when one of your staples is retired, so finding a suitable stand-in is awesome.  The trade offs aren’t exact, but it’s pretty neat that Urban Decay is providing this for their die hard fans. 

Future Fave Alert:  After hearing it was on sale for more than 50% off (thanks for the tip, Emily Eddington – emilynoel83 on YouTube), I decided to purchase the Book of Shadows IV, which I will review once I’ve used it a few times. 

Keep rocking, Urban Decay.

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My Favorite FREE iPad Apps

01/25/2012

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 Although I never considered myself a "techie," I have recently been sucked into the "i" phenonmenon.  That is, I'm obsessed with my iTouch and iPad.  In fact, I use them both so much, that I feel compelled to share this short list of my favorite and most-used apps. 

I won't talk about Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube because those are pretty standard, and I assume most people have and use those pretty frequently. 

Here's my hot list:

Netflix
What it does:  Streams online content available through the regular streaming monthly membership. TV shows, movies, workout videos.
Pros: So convenient.  This is definitely my most-used app of all time.  I use it when traveling, in bed, on the treadmill, everywhere! It streams very will with little or no loading time at all, for the most part.
Cons: Sometimes the picture can get blurry.  I think that probably has more to do with the Internet connection, but who knows. Also, it's not quite as easy to navigate as the regular PC-friendly Netflix site.

HBO Go
What it does: Any HBO subscriber (on Comcast, Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, etc...) can watch tons of HBO moves, shows, documentaries, etc. on demand.
Pros: There are way more titles available to watch on the app as there are on Time Warner Cable's HBO On Demand. Pretty much every season of every recent show, and tons of movies!  Works pretty much the same as the Netflix app.
Cons: I had a VERY time figuring out how to register for the program after becoming an HBO subscriber. There were a lot of steps, and I couldn't find help online anywhere!

Sleep Pillow
What it does: This is basically sound machine app to help you sleep, similar in function to those sold at stores like Sharper Image or Brookstone.
Pros: There are a lot of options for different sounds, even in the free version (water flowing, wind, fans, white noise, ocean, ice cubes clinking, etc, etc.), and you can also set the timer so the app turns off after a certain amount of time.
Cons: There's no one sound that I really love. And, you can't combine multiple sounds, as you can on many stand-alone machines.  Plus, one of the sounds (mother's heartbeat) doesn't work.

Glow Draw
What it does:  This is like an Etch-a-Sketch for the year 2012.  You use your finger to doodle and shake the iPad to erase.
Pros: You can choose different colors and "pencil" widths. It creates pretty cute sketches, and it's great for on-the-go Pictionary, or entertaining kids.
Cons: It would be cool if there was an option to save the pictures you draw as an image on your iPad. Also, it's sometimes hard to remove the image by shaking.

Bible
What it does: You can read different passages, or choose the option to have the old British guy read to you. Pretty cool.
Pros: The app allows you to leave bookmarks, or share certain passages.  Also love the reader's voice.
Cons:  Sometimes the app gets messed up and reads the wrong section, but that's only happened a few times.

BeFunky
What it does: Similar to Instagram, but with more options. Easy, on-the-go, hipster photo editing.
Pros: You can save to your device, or post to Facebook after editing. More editing options (crop, rotate, brightness, etc) than Instagram.
Cons: I can't think of any! It's a great app!

What are your favorite apps? I'm always looking for beauty, fitness, and entertainment apps! Comment below!
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