Some polishes are neither or

A while back, just before Christmas, I spotted these and had to get 3 for 69 sek. Dirtcheap, definitely dirtcheap. I remembered having seen them over at Saint-Bella's blog and I had been looking for them ever since because I can't resist trying a new brand. Plus, I like the design. I know that most polish-connoisseurs aren't fond of square bottles but I prefer them as it makes storage so much easier. The selection available wasn't very exciting but I managed to get 3 that weren't far too similar to anything in my collection.

However, the formula is hardly worth the 23 sek($3.48) each bottle cost. It's thick. Not even thick as syrup, thick as honey that's been in the fridge. The gold was thick and streaky.
However, they're durable. Really durable. Haven't been using base- or topcoat and it stays on for 4 days without any major chipping. I guess that this means it was actually worth it even though it was a pain in the **** to use. I also guess I should buy some nail-polish thinner.

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She's got red lips, she's got blood on her fingertips

There's a red theme going around and I am guessing it was Lipglossiping that kickstarted it all with her Red series, encouraging everybody to wear a bit of red.
I do have what I consider the perfect red, Devil from Make up Store, which is a cold scarlet red. Rarely wear it though because a good red requires impeccable skin, white teeth and being able to remember you are indeed wearing makeup. I have and am neither. Rather than wear more cover and remember to be a lady at all times, I just don't wear red.

But when I do, like today while taking the dog for a walk in the pouring rain, I look like that. Add a flash and you get that startled I didn't do what you just think I did-look.

Now the other Lipgloss-blogger, Lipglossbitch has her 3 from 1 going on and this week, it's all about budget lipstick. Now I must confess that I am not sure what budget means deep down because really, all the cheap american brands cost a lot more over here (compared to what you guys pay) so in the end, it doesnt mean much. I guess one could call it drugstore-brands but I would have to pay just as much for a L'Oreal as I pay for my favorite brand Make up store.
That being said, I picked my favorite 5 of which 2 are from Make up store, ie, not a drugstore-brand. They all come in the 100-150 sek range ($14.98 to $22.50)

From above;
Make up Store's Berry
Make up Store's Devil
Sephora's own 829 (991)
Nivea's Chocolat Exquis (85)
Sephora's own 664 (971)

The Sephora lipsticks were bought as a part of a lot on Ebay. A lot that had all types of red, some blue, some yellow, some green etc.The best lipstick I have ever come across - highly pigmented, easy to work with and stays on like a charm. My favorite lipstick of the bunch above is the first, sheer and as if you had just had some raspberries. You can see the color better below.

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MNY in the house!

When I read at Lipglossbitch that Maybelline New York with it's cute Nylon-like packaging was coming to Sweden, the cynic in me figured it was probably going to be a lot more expensive than it's supposed to be. That's what you get for living in Europe, everything that might be considered budget-friendly on one side of the pond gets overpriced on this side. So, when I heard that MNY was going to try and stick close to the original price-settings, I figured it was wishful thinking.

While I may be a cynic, there's still hope in my heart so I went to look for MNY in some of the stores where it was supposed to be sold and imagine, the prices were much like those at HM. Affordable color to the people, yeah!

While the nailpolish-range wasn't anything spectacular, there was still enough for me to make it hard narrowing it down to 3 bottles. Hadn't I been on a very tight-budget, I'd easily walked away with 6 or 7 polishes. A 7ml polish was 29.50:- ($4.30) which can be compared to Depend's polish which is 25:- for 5ml ($3.65).
There was also a moment where I wanted to buy a piece of the display, but that's just me - hooked on good design/kitsch.

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Walking the green line

Recently I've been in a green phase and I just got 2 to add to my collection. They're both a brand I haven't heard about before - Golden Rose. I googled it and found some old blogreviews and a website, but nothing more. Why? Wrong side of the sea? Not enough pr through the right channels? Bad rep? From what I can gather from the american website, they're cheap enough to be hoarded en masse and the color-range is pretty good.

I gave mine a quick testdrive and while they weren't opaque (actually far from it, 4 coats and still visible nail line), they were easy to work with and dried fairly quick. One looked like a neon in the bottle (2nd from the left) but was more a green grapes-type of green than a true neon. The other polish was a sheer pear-green jelly with glass specks.

The only thing that bothers me is that I can't find a list of ingredients. Not on the bottles and not even on the original website. But then again, I guess the general public cares less about what's 3free and what's not, than the nailoholic does?

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Not even going past 2nd base

It's been a while as the dog ate my homework the lightning ate my internet.
When you're used to doing everything on the net, from checking the temperature to arrivals and possible adventures, life becomes incredibly dull when the internet's elsewhere. At first that is, then you forget everything about anything that needs to be done, checked or answered and just read a book instead.

That or try something new. Like a powder. Would you believe me if I told you I am a powder-virgin? It's true. An old Max Factor powder and me went out a couple of times back in -96 or so but there wasn't any spark. No connection, nothing. We went our separate ways, I stayed with sheer foundations and it went straight into the bin.
Sure, the powder made my face stay matte through whatever ordeal I put it through, but it also made me look like the bearded lady with a fuzzy nose. It amplified every imperfection and made the tiniest pore look like a crater.

So, when I got powder in the giveaway-bag from WetnWild, I didn't really know what to do with it and I still don't. It's the cutest packaging I have seen as far as budget-powder goes, but I can't just have it around as decoration, can I?

It's a compact powder in Natural from their Natural wear-line that's supposedly eco-friendly wih all natural ingredients. It even comes with instructions which I, powder-newbie, first followed and then ignored. Patting powder under the eyes doesn't seem like a brilliant idea as it just makes my so-called fine lines appear to ge geat canyons. Instead I ended up using this powder as I usually do (using sheer or bright eyeshadow), as a way to fix my eyeliner and eyemakeup. A powdery primer like we did in the 80's.

But that's not how you're supposed to make use of your powder, is it?
How do you make yours work for you?

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Not for the fainthearted golddigger

I know that there are some people that consider freebies cheap and sure, if it's free it doesn't cost a thing, so yes, it's better than cheap! I don't think cheap is a bad word, I embrace cheap. I have little to no budget and when a blog I like is hosting a giveaway with things I like, chances are I am participating.

I know that some blogs have recently been ranting on and on about how giveaways are a way for bad/lousy/uninteresting blogs to gain popularity and therefor find themselves on the PR-companies' lists, but I personally think that's trunk full of bollocks.
Who cares what does what and why? If somebody buys products with their own money to host a giveaway, how can that be considered a yell for freebies and attention? Even if it happens to be furnished by a company, who cares? It really irks me that the cool kids are so anti giveaways. Why is that? Should we all pretend we're all high-end creatures that can't stand anything that isn't gold-plated? Is there's some hierarchy where only the cool VIP-people should be on the send-list?

If you haven't gotten it by now, this is a PRO-GIVEAWAY post.

Above you see my latest winnings. I rarely win, but when I do, it feels like Christmas! I get to try things chances are I couldn't afford or wouldn't be able to get my hands on. I like makeup and nailpolish for what it is, color for the face and not must-haves for the hip, so winning some Wet'n'Wild (through Facebook) is just as amazing as winning some Aussie haircare products (through Makeupoholic). The highlight so far though, was winning products from Stem Organics which is a company that I have read a lot about but couldn't afford to try myself. So far, it's the greatest skincare products I have ever come across and that thanks to a giveaway.

And hey, while we're on the subject of giveaways, darling Feline over at Alizarine claws is putting together a giveaway but needs some more followers to meet her goal of 333.
The Hungry Asian has an ongoing giveaway ('til this Wednesday) where you have a chance of getting your hands on some lovely polish by Eyeko as well as Color Club and some frankenpolish made by herself.

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Come here Kitty, Kitty

Have you ever seen anything so pretty?
Purple polish with pink, blue and silver glitter. While it sounds horrific and most of all, sugary sweet, it is quite outstanding.
It's another one of the Kitty polishes from H&M. This time she's emo with a painted heart (for a tear) and the peace sign. Unless she's supposed to look kawaii? That could be it. Or maybe even Visual Kei? The color certainly suggest it.

The color is called "Cool summer", contains 15ml for 19.50:-. ($2.50 for an 0.5 Fl) It's sibling, a cupcake-pink, is called "Sweet summer".

Above you see it coupled up with it's sibling and one of spring's Hello Kitty polish, "Garden Green". The latter was on sale as it's soo last season.
Together, the 3 look like stacked candy but the first picture is more color acurate of both purple and pink polish.

Even though I am not a Hello Kitty-fan, I think that H&M has hit it right on with their Hello Kitty-polish. To be honest, I like it even more than their regular colors!

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money, money, money...

So I was having one of those days where I balanced my checkbook after a period of summer where I had not been paying any attention to our bank account. We hadn't been spending a lot of money, or so I thought. $5 here, $10 there. Then I realized I owed $132 on my Chevron Card (we use our credit cards to build credit and pay them off right away). So I owed $132 and I suddenly I realized I only had $131 in my bank account. WAIT, WHAT $131 - Just days ago I had $600 in my bank account!!! What had I done???? Well apparently being irresponsible doesn't work and those little spots here and there add up quickly! After moments of irritation at myself and realization that I would have to pull money from the savings, I decided to move on with my day, at least we're healthy and have food in the freezer! THE LORD ALWAYS PROVIDES... I thought about a paycheck I was expecting from working the elections, but that was June 8th and it was expected to take 40 days so there was no hope I'd get that. THEN I checked the mail and guess what was in it, and it was for $185, not $175!!! The day continued to get better when I asked Phil to clean out a box we've had for a year and he pulled out a box with probably $15 in change..... GOD IS GOOD... He always takes take of his children - I just need to make sure I watch that bank account!

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Want some glitter with that day-cream?

I just ran out of day-cream and since budget is not just tight, but next to nothing, I went shopping for whatever I could find at the local supermarket.
I have come to realize that the less effort I put into getting the perfect moisturizer, the more pleased I am with what I get. It has to be something for sensitive skin and preferably with SPF.
There wasn't nothing much exiting, the usual L'Oreal, Garnier, Nivea (which I already know I can't stand the smell of) and of course LdB. The latter is my favorite in the budget-category alongside the classic Oil of Olay. LdB has had the same scent all these years and as I have heard Oil of Olay is to some, LdB is the scent of grannie to me. She always used that brand and I guess that is why that scent makes me feel comfortable.
Neither of these have an SPF though so when I spotted that the product I felt least inclined to buy, Dove's Pro-age, had SPF 15, I knew which one was coming with me home.

It's not that I have anything against Dove, I just think that the Pro-age-campaign (aka a part of the Real Beauty-campaign)  is bogus because it's all about being proud of who you are by using products with an anti-wrinkle effect. It's all pro about being anti, but they're not saying it out loud.
To be honest, the first Anti-age product from Dove I saw on the shelves (ages ago) was the deodorant and I just didn't get the idea. Do older women have a special stench or should be make sure our armpits are tight and showing no sign or aging? I don't find it empowering that they're using the word Pro or that they say they're all about celebrating beauty at any age as it's still an anti-wrinkle product.

However, I've been so anti anti-wrinkle products that I decided that maybe I should actually know what I am talking about. You see, I've ever tried any. Never saw a reason to buy something that is meant to fight tomorrow as I welcome change and maturity. Life looking all the same for 75 years must be incredibly dull.
Ok, I stray, but I think this means that this is something I am passionate about. I am passionate about being anti an anti-product which would make me pro and oh, here we go, Dove Pro-age! Was that what they were thinking? I guess it's working on everybody but me:

"For the first time, a brand is talking to women about aging in a positive tone. Continuing its ongoing commitment to widen the narrow definition of beauty, Dove, the global beauty brand, is boldly challenging the "only young- is-beautiful" stereotype with the next phase of the Campaign for Real Beauty: pro-age. Designed to expose what our anti-aging society has been hiding, pro-age celebrates women 50+ by showing their honest, real beauty."
from Goliath

Nevertheless, product purchased and box opened. Too much packaging for one simple tube that is supposedly extra-sealed to make sure you get a fresh product. Personally I feel it's just a trick to keep you from trying the formula before you buy it. Reading the fine-print on the box you're soon about to toss out, you're told that it contains the patented ingredient CLA and that it has 3 ways of giving your skin luminosity by making it appear brighter and reducing fine lines.
Now I don't know what CLA is (as I am no scientist, just a fan of Google) or if it actually does what it's tricks, which is to speed up the skin's renewal, but one of the optical tricks is fine glitter. Yes, you read right; glitter. Not shimmer, but what looks like crushed glitter. Your hands and everything you touch will make you look like a walking discoball. Glitter reflects light,sure, but do they really think we're that dumb? Or are they thinking that women a certain age are so unused to being sales-pitched that they embrace whatever is thrown their way?

The day-cream is just as good as most other day-creams I have tried. Sinks in fast and doesn't get greasy, but makes your skin feel a bit silky and cold.
It has the big pros of having an SPF and being more affordable that most sunscreens for the face, but I really don't want glitter on any other part of my body than my nails. As far as the anti-age affect, I could care even less now than when I bought the product. Reading Dove's statements about the products and the campain did most definitely have a negative effect on this closer to 40 than 20-woman.

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Oh, no she didn't?!

When I was a kid, the cool girls wore blue mascara. If they were ultra-cool, they wore emerald-green mascara. When that trend re-surfaced a while back, I looked the other way. It was a trend that didn't ring my bell. However, I've always wanted a bright red mascara. Not to use on the whole lash, just the tips. Like an accent. Enough to make people look but not be able to pinpoint what is off.

So, when I spotted this beauty online, I knew she had to be mine. She might not be red but a good wine-color is fine by me. At first I thought it might be a counterfeit but it seems it's the real deal from Smashbox' That's a wrap which is discontinued.

This is my first Smashbox-product ever. I rarely buy high-end make-up simply because I can't afford it. Spending time lusting over things I'll never get just isn't my thing. It just makes you feel like a loser and I know better things to do with my time. But when I stumble upon it for next to nothing, I can't help myself. I paid roughly $7 for two mascaras, 3 eyeshadows and a lipstick, which are all from a collection long forgotten. Atleast the internet has forgotten and swallowed it whole without even a burp.

I guess that when I say I am living in the past, I really mean it!

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Hard(core) eyeliner

Sometimes things just don't work out. You want to give it a try and you give it your very best..eh.. 30 SEK/$3.80, but all you end up with is dry glitter with the occasional lump of glue.
That is what you get when you buy discontinued makeup on Tradera/Ebay - a hit or miss.

I am not a glitter-girl and this was my first and only attempt at being one. I can take a hint, I can.
Even if it would have had the best formula since whipped cream, it still wouldn't have worked. Glitter on my face just looks like 3-year old did my make-up. Neh, this Too Faced-eyeliner goes into Iggy's  play dress-up box.

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Come on Barbie, let's go party!

I started this blog on a dare ("Lisa writing on beauty, what a joke") but also to keep myself busy. To keep myself sane. I have had some medical issues this last year that's turned me into a bitter hermit, even online, and I needed a challenge to get back out there.

So far it's worked wonders on my photography - I want to pick up my camera which is something I haven't in the last 3 or 4 years. What it hasn't worked wonders on is my wallet. It was thin to begin with and 2 months into this Rugby beauty-business, it's starving.
So, I've made a decision to save my wallet and prevent it from committing suicide:

no buys over 50SEK irl ($6.35) and online, I will only go hunting on Tradera/Ebay where 100SEK ($12.75) is the limit.

I know this sounds awful as well as ridiculous to a proper beautyjunkie, but I don't like the "Oh, nice, I want it feeling" that comes over me every other minute as I read all of your blogs. It's like the list of must-haves just gets bigger and bigger when deep down, most of the things listed aren't things I really want.
I am not a shopper and not a hoarder, I'm a girl that likes to pose my nailpolish and take clickiticlick-photos of it. I guess nailpolish is my Barbie?

In the end, I'd rather spend $19 on the new novel by Joyce Carol Oates than a brand new OPI in the local stores. Makeup and nailpolish is ridiculously overpriced in Sweden and I can't justify spending that much money on it.

The polish above is Dream on from Sinful Colors and it is much more fuchsia in real life than my photo suggests. $5 online at Tradera, a good buy. It's posing with a spread in an old Bust magazine (dec/jan 09)

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Back on track

I've had a horrible night and a pretty bad day but there it was, a polish from the giveaway I won at Nails etc to the rescue. A lovely pea-green polish that's almost opaque after one coat and it's so easy to work with. After the Isadora massacre, this was just what I needed to get going again. Above is a one coater applied 2 minutes before I had to run off and pick Iggy up at the daycare.
In a minute, I'm going to do a 2nd layer and make sure it looks immaculate. Ah, Go green from Glam nails Beauty UK, I love you.

This is just what I love about make-up and nailpolish in particular - fast, easy and colorful. Doesn't have to be expensive to be good clean fun.
Simply put, I don't wear nailpolish to be the prettiest gal on the block, I wear it as a pick-me-upper.

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A compilation of thoughts....

First off, the post before mine "Dare to Be Beautiful," inspired my post, so please stop reading mine and refer to that one first... really stop reading mine - that one is SO amazing... ok now that you've read that one, welcome back to mine.

The Lord is so wonderful! Today I've been thinking all day about our blog and what I would write today. So many topics have run through my mind - here's how it went (PS I really hope you read the post before mine before you read my crazy thoughts) 1. Has everyone heard about the Duggars, I love them, but I especially love them since they got rid of their jumpers! 2. I could write more about money saving techniques. 3. I could post my grandmother's banana bread recipe that I'm using today for the first time... but then I sat down to write something and read the Dare to Be Beautiful post! THANK YOU to the mom who wrote that!

I never buy things for myself, as I am constantly worried about making sure I spend Phil's paycheck in the most thrifty way possible. He is always trying to get me to buy a sweater or some shoes, but I always head to the store and end up coming back with nothing - I'm always saying "we can't afford it." Today I saw a white purse at WalMart and I really wanted it - it was only $10. I contemplated for 30 minutes, walked outside, actually got in my car to leave and thought "hey I can treat myself to one thing!" I just got paid from an event I helped work, so I'll make sure to tithe some money, spend a little bit, and throw the rest in savings to pay my student loans. (student loans are a whole different blog- don't get me started) To my surprise I didn't feel guilty for buying the purse, instead I'm quite excited about my purchase. Then to my delight I read the Beauty blog! Now I could have spent my money on a dress and while the issue of practicality still remains, I AGREE women should remmeber how important it is to feel and look beautiful. Phil says he doesn't care what I wear, but I know it makes him proud when I look nice and dress more feminine. Yesterday I worked an enchilada dinner and got enchilada sauce all over my dress, but I felt good in a dress and I didn't just roll in jeans and a shirt ready to get dirty.

If our wardrobe needs a little updating and there's a few dollars left in the bank account, let's head to the thrift store, or Target, Kmart, Walmart, Old Navy, even a sale at a nice store... let's remind people you can be attractive and modest during our dress dare! People need to realize they can be feminine and fashionable! We don't all have to wear jumpers to be modest (PS there's nothing wrong if that's your preference!) So perhaps sometime soon I'll treat myself to a new dress and realize it's worth the money .... I'll try not to feel guilty :)

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Cheapo and the vanishing makeup

Ever since I first heard about MAC's Greasepaint, I've been wanting one. Ever since I saw Ivonne's photo of her with said product, I knew I had to get it or something like it.
Seeing as that particular line won't launch over here and my wallet is too thin to take on ordering and shipping from the States, I decided to go cheap. I read, googled, read and googled some more.
After a while I finally came across something I knew I had seen and that I could get my hands on. Somebody somewhere told me that Sally Hansen's old Color sticks was similar to Greasepaint and as I remembered having seen them online at our swedish Ebay (aka Tradera), I put a bid on them. For less than $5, I had 3 Color sticks in my hand.

This morning, I tried it out and well, it wasn't all that greasy but they felt more like crayons than eyeliners, so it was a go. 2 hours later, a long dogwalk later, I snapped this photo of what was left of my Delicate blue from Sally Hansen.

Greasy, ain't it? So greasy, it melted away and left a babyblue mess. Lilac racoon-eyes.

Now, if I could only find the person that told me that Sally Hansen's Colorsticks were deadringers for Greasepaint sticks and I would grease them up alright...
Lesson learned - this is what you get for being cheap.

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I don't want your money honey, I want your love

I am nowhere near being a makeup snob. Trendy brands, makeup-artists, what celebrities wear what - I just couldn't care less.
That means that when you take a look at my stash, you might find some things that some of you might consider slightly unsettling. The sensitive should look away for I am to present to you my favorite trio which might be what most people would consider a bust, incredibly tacky or novelties.

Like for instance, Jessica Simpson's Dessert Treats and Dessert Beauty. Did you test it? Even after you saw the horrible ads with words such as kissable, sexy and tasty? Did you buy it? Did you even, ehum, like it?
I did. My favorite 3-in-1 product comes from Dessert Beauty and is a creme blush called Sweet Cheeks. The shade is called Juicy and is a bubblegum-pink that works on my cheekbones, eyelids and lips.

Number two on my beloved list is from a brand that is an either or. Either you like it or you think it's a waste of good money. We're talking Maybelline. I have grown fond of their lipsticks but for some odd reason, it always happens when they're discontinued. I'm always too late to get on the train.
Below is Wet shine lipstick in the shade Cherry rain.

Then there's my third product that could be considered a Oh no, she didn't, but yes she did and she does like Rimmel. The cheapest of all cheap makeupbrands I have ever come across and I consider it to be quite fun and daring. A sign of me getting old perhaps?
The formulas might not be awardwinning, but every now and then they hit the nail on the head as they did with this product. Metallic stars, it's a roll-on eyeshadow in nifty packaging that means you will never ever have a bag full of eyeshadow. My shade is called Star slam and is a pastel-pink with blue shimmer.

This is what it looks on. The blue shimmer is more direct when applied wet and blended it looks purple.

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When Life Gets Crazy...

I am sure that many young adults can relate to hectic and overwhelming daily schedules. Between being in escrow for a home, working 2 jobs and being pregnant, while my husband is juggling work, grad school and taking care of his exhausted wife, life for the past couple of months has been absolutely nuts in our novice household. We've tried to cut out some social activities, but even so, it seems as though we don't have time for LIFE right now, nevermind cooking and cleaning the apartment.

Does anybody have any suggestions for quick and budget-friendly meal ideas? Our take-out bill is getting out of control. I would greatly appreciate any organization/time-saving tips that might help us out until things cool down a bit!! Also, any suggestions for keeping up our prayer/spiritual life...Sadly it seems like that this always one of the firsts to get put on the back-burner!!

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