Oh So Innocent!

Early this week, Lauren and I, ran into Walgreen's. Billy was home with the twins. And he called me, to ask me, to pick up a few things. Right after Lauren's dance practice, we stopped. The lines were crazy! And these are the times, when I'm grateful for my kids. My easy going, don't throw tantrum kids. :)

Eventually, they opened the register, in the Beauty section. And we headed that way. Lauren had been a doll! Carrying a card we picked up, some cough drops, and a pack of chapstick. The girl, didn't even ask for anything!

This Mommy, was feeling oh so guilty! You see, I was carry milk, bandaids, some chocolate for Billy, and 4 magazines. Of that stuff, only the first 3 were on our list. So I told Lauren, to pick something out. We had 2 people in front of us. So I wasn't worried.

What I hadn't noticed was, Lauren was eyeing the nail polish stash. All the gorgeous colors, lined up. Immediately, she went for this green nail polish.



Her reasoning, it was perfect for St. Patty's Day! Because she has to dance that day. And won't be wearing green the whole time. I think Lauren's worried about getting pinched. So we bought the nail polish. Mommy might have also picked up a new lipstick. :)

What I will say is, my girls LOVE nail polish. We actually have weekly "nail painting" nights! This week, we all went for "Innocent" nails.

2 things about this nail polish. I LOVE the color. It's not a crazy neon. But a nice, bright green. I also love the consistency of the polish. It's really easy to work with. Even with 2 little girls. 2 coats later, we were ready for St. Patty's Day! Between, that was 3 days ago. And there is no signs of chips! Best $2 nail polish, that I know of!

On a quick note, Happy Birthday Cari! We can't wait to celebrate with you. How exciting this day is. The beginning of you, becoming a real "woman." Happy 13th!

~Manders

MAC Creates Crazy!

I don't usually talk about MAC's makeup collections. Honestly, it makes me mad, that they come and go, almost every 2 weeks! I don't know anyone, that can afford that. The collections usually consist of $600-1000 worth of makeup. That is sold, for a very limited amount of time. With a limited quantity. Leading to craziness!

In fact, I try to not talk too much about them. Even in "real life." But I will admit, that I do enjoy products, from the various collections. I know! But it's the truth.

The problem with these collections is, I fall in love with a certain product. Then I'm not sure, if I should use the product. Or save it. When I finish a "Limited Edition" product, I'm usually sad. I've more than likely, looked for a "dupe." Usually, with no luck. Because, that's what MAC does. Create craziness!

But in the latest collection, Too Supreme, there are some beautiful lipsticks. That are going to be a permanent part, of MAC's collection! Oh yes! That sparked my interests.



Last week, I took my twins on an adventure. To the mall. Over 90 minutes away. So I could drool, over these new lipsticks! They're actually called Sheen Supreme Lipsticks. And the finish, is beautiful! It gives a similar finish, to MAC's Lipglass.

These lipsticks, sell for $14.50 a piece. Don't have a heart attack! I'm sure if my Mom, or MIL, are reading this, they're about to fall over! This is a good deal. As good as "high-end makeup" goes. Because these lipsticks, are almost like a 2-in-1 product. Lipstick, and lipglass. That takes the price, in my head anyway, down a bit. Oh, and this is not even close, to the most expensive lipstick I own. Mom and MIL, pretend like you didn't read that! :)

I've been wearing these lipsticks, since I bought them. Every day! There are some absolutely beautiful colors! I'm not going to lie, I came home with a few. And plain on picking up, a couple of more colors. On my next visit. Now if MAC could only do this, with some of their other products, I'd be a happy woman!

~Manders

A Splash of Summer Color

Do you remember, when I was blogging about my new nail polish? Well, I've slowly been making my way, through all 12 colors. :) And guess what. I have a new favorite! Meet Cherry, Cherry Bang, Bang!



This is definitely, my new favorite nail polish. Partially, because I want it to be warm again. I want to wear my Spring dresses. To see the flowers blooming. And I miss the warm weather.

There is something about Cherry, Cherry Bang, Bang! that just reminds me, of long summer days. Like all my other Sally Hansen nail polishes, the formula is amazing! 2 coats make for a strong and opaque color. That lasts for at least a week!

The color is a nice magenta. With a hint of fuchsia. It's not too bright. Nothing like a neon. Just a fun, summery color. I like this color so much, that I want to find a dress in this color too! What are your favorite colors for Spring and Summer?

~Manders

Back to the Fuchsia

Recently, I found Sally Hansen nail polish on a good buy. Actually, a GREAT buy! They were $4 a bottle. Plus, a buy one, get one half off deal. :) This makeup junkie was so excited! I picked up 12. I know, I have no self control! My favorite one, so far, is Back to the Fuchsia.



It's the most gorgeous pink color. With blue and purple undertones. It really is amazing on. Different from your normal pink color. The formula is a dream too! 2 coats makes for an opaque finish. This is one of those colors, that just makes me happy! What's your favorite Sally Hansen color?

~Manders

Illegal Length Mascara

I have to say, I'm a sucker for a new mascara. But a few weeks ago, even I surprised myself. Why? I'd been hearing a lot of stuff, about Maybelline's new mascara. So when my little box showed up, I was over the moon! What did I find inside? This little beauty...



I'm not a big "lengthening mascara," type of girl. No. I'm more about the volume! Give me some big lashes please. :) But when I'm doing makeup for clients, there is sometimes, a need for lengthening mascaras.

Illegal Length is not just your normal mascara. Nope! It has fibers in the formula. Which is supposed to help add length. Hmm. I wondered if this would really work. Or would I have fibers all over my face. I will say this, I was pleasantly surprised.

Not only did I try this mascara, I had my sister try it out too! This is much more "up her alley." She insists that her lashes are short. That I got the good lashes of the family! I don't believe her. I just use, many different mascaras, to get the look. A year or so ago, she was devastated, when Maybelline discontinued their lengthening mascara. No lie!

We both tried Illegal Lengths, for 2 or 3 weeks. And we were very surprised. First of all, those fibers, don't shed. Not one bit! I never have fallout. But they do add so much length! I don't worry about smudging, or raccoon eyes. The formula is pretty wet. Which allows for building up the lashes. Without turning into "spider eyes." I'm not a fan of clumpy looking eyelashes.

The wand is similar to that of the Falsies mascara. Except it's straight, not curved like the one in Falsies. The bristles are all angled in different directions. Which allows the wand to grab at your eyelashes. This is helpful during application. Because you can manipulate your eyelashes. Making them look as though, you've curled them. When you haven't!

Illegal Length is a really great buy for your money. It's a good mascara. Similar to many of the "High end" mascaras, currently going for $25 a tube! This is one of those products, that I didn't have too high of hopes for. But it has completely shocked me! In a GREAT way. I'll keep a tube for myself. For my bottom lashes. And you'll definitely find a tube in my case!

~Manders

Carbon Mess

I really wanted to love this mascara. I heard and read such good things about it. I bought 2 tubes. One for me to try. And one to try on Lola for the gigs.

My first impressions of this product were really good. I was excited. The brush is a good shape. Allowing you to get into the corner lashes. I like the way it's tapered. The brush is also a nice shape to prevent clumping. I initially purchased the waterproof formula. It's the formula I use for all mascaras.

The color was a deep and highly pigmented black. Much darker than most drugstore mascaras. The formula was also nice. Not watery or runny. But also not thick and clumpy. It applied easily. Didn't leave my lashes clumpy or weighed down. Things were looking good. My lashes had length, volume, and a deep black color.

But as the day wore on, I noticed the transfer of the product. Roughly 2 hours after I applied the mascara, I had raccoon eyes. I hadn't cried, had water splashed on me, or even gone outside. But the mascara was definitely running. I cleaned up my under eye area, and waited to see what would happen.

All day, every time I looked in the mirror, I had mascara transfer. Quite a bit of it. I don't have oily skin. And I've never experienced this before. I was honestly shocked at the mess on my face.

By dinner time, I couldn't take it anymore, I removed the mascara from my lashes. It came off very easily with a baby wipe. And this is the waterproof formula! For the following month, I let the product "dry." I thought that a drier product might result in a better product. But I got the same result when I tried to wear Carbon Black again.

I also tried this product on Lola. During a photo shoot. Again, it applied magically. This mascara has a way of making your eyelashes look amazing. Now Lola does have oily skin, and eyelids. So this was going to be a real test.

Sure enough, the product began running. This was an early morning shoot, outside. Meaning that it was cold. But the mascara transfer was horrible! You would have thought Lola was in a swimming pool. Or crying. After an hour, I removed it and went back to our reliable mascara.

But I wasn't done with this product. I gave Lola the tube, that I'd used at the photo shoot. I figured she could play around with it, and tell me what happened. After trying it out for a few weeks, she really hated it. She tried everything. Including layering it with another waterproof mascara. Nothing helped! I also went out and bought the regular formula. You know what, it was worse. I had horrible transfer.

I'm not sure if it was just Lola and I that had this problem. But it was horrible! The mascara seemed to melt off of our eyelashes and down our faces. This is a product that I would not recommend. Which saddens my heart. Because L'Oreal happens to be one of my favorite drugstore brands.

~Manders

*FTC: All items have been purchased by me. All my opinions are honest, and I'm not being paid to review these products.

Lisa Makes Me Smile

I really enjoy watching Lisa's videos. She has such a soothing voice. And she is someone who really loves to take care of herself.

In a lot of ways, I'm like that too. I think half of being a good mother and wife, is being able to take some time out for yourself. You need to be happy and healthy before you can take care of screaming babies and hungry husbands. :)

Another thing I enjoy about Lisa, is that she is genuine. Not many of the big "gurus" on YouTube are that way. But Lisa is honest and sincere. I really do love that about her! Also, she has some wonderful ideas about makeup. It's making my shopping list a little lengthy. But there are some great recommendations. :)

~Manders

Just Bitten

I've been reading lots of reviews for Revlon's Just Bitten. It's Revlon's new lipstain. And I've noticed how people either hate this product, or love it. I'm thinking, it has to do with the way in which it's being applies.

I wrote a post about Covergirl's Lipstain a while back. But I've also used Revlon's lipstain. I actually really enjoy this product as well. You get the perfect, "I just ate strawberries" look. You can also layer the product for a stronger color.

Like I said in my last post about lipstain, you need to prep your lips before application. I find this to be essential. If your lips are not in good condition, this product is not going to apply correctly.

One tip that I have is to condition your lips before hand. Try using a sugar scrub during your shower. Then your lips will be in good condition. The stain will go on more evenly, therefore, last longer.

Revlon's lipstain is a good product. Especially during the summer. When you don't want to be worry about touching up your makeup, or worrying about your favorite lipcolor melting in the heat.

~Manders

*FTC: All items have been purchased by me. All my opinions are honest, and I'm not being paid to review these products.

Freshness in this Summer Heat

The heat has been pretty harsh around here. I don't know if it's just me, but this summer seems to be especially hot. Lola had mentioned using this deodorant when I saw her in May. And quite honestly, I was looking for something fun and fresh for the summer.

I bought this 2 days ago. Honestly, it's one of the best deodorants I've used. Because I live in the desert, I feel safe to say that. This is a product that is going to keep you fresh and clean feeling. Even in 100 degree weather. Trust me!

The best part about it, is the slight scent. It's not over powering. But a nice surprise as you move about. There are a variety of scents. But I purchased the "Orange Flower and Cranberry." Again, not over powering, but a nice surprise in the heat.

~Manders

*FTC: All items have been purchased by me. All my opinions are honest, and I'm not being paid to review these products.

Lipcolor that Lasts

I always get questions about Lola's makeup. Mostly about the lasting power. Because she works long gigs. Many times, Lola has 4 or 5 costume changes, during 1 show. These are very long shows. Costume changes are less than 2 minutes. Not much time to touch up her makeup.

I rely on long lasting products. One of my favorite products is Covergirl's Outlast lipstain. It comes in a variety of colors. We've tried all of the shades available. They are all beautiful. And are relatively inexpensive. The most expensive I've seen one of these lipstains is $9. Also very easy to find.

I want to share a few tips about wearing a lipstain with you. First, make sure that your lips are exfoliated. And moisturized. Apply a lip balm 10-15 minutes before the lipstain. To ensure that it's completely dry. Before applying the lipstain, ensure that here are no other products on your lips. Like foundation, powder, or facial moisturizers. This will allow the lipstain to set completely.

The application is extremely easy. The marker makes for easy application. And very precise application. If you do happen to make an application mistake, quickly wipe away, before the product dries. If the product does set, use a Q-tip and makeup remover to clean up the mistake.

This is really one of my favorite products to use for Lola. Even for myself. I don't have much time to reapply my makeup with 3 small children. The only downfall to a lipstain is, that it's slightly drying. After the lipstain is completely dry, add a lip balm or clear lipgloss on top. Your lip color will last all day.

~Manders

*FTC: All items have been purchased by me. All my opinions are honest, and I'm not being paid to review these products.

Chanel No. 22

Chanel No. 22 is one of those gorgeous fragrances that Lola introduced to me way back when we first met. It is a light scent. Softer than No. 5. More like a little sister to No. 5. But the scent is elegant, immediately reminding me of an elegant lady. It reminds me of a time passed. Of pure perfection.

This perfume was first introduced in 1922. It is made of white flowers. The notes include: orange blossom, peach, citrus, orchid, rose, ylang-ylang, sandalwood, vetiver, and vanilla. Lilac, jasmine, and rose can also be smelled. You can only purchase No. 22 at Chanel boutiques. It is a little on the pricey side at $175.00 for 200ml.

Honestly, this is an investment piece to any perfume collection. A bit difficult to find. But one of those fragrances that just has you thinking of elegant ladies. One that is always on my Wish List. Chanel No. 22 is one of those fragrances for special occasions.

~Manders

*FTC: All items have been purchased by me. All my opinions are honest, and I'm not being paid to review these products.