Cheap New Shtuff!

So I managed to get a bunch of stuff for all of $30. AND I managed to cram it all in to a reusable Target bag (you know, the crazy-cool ones that fold up in to your purse all wallet-sized like a super-awesome-mega-sweet Transformer?). Seriously, I need to have one of those pay-by-the-pound/bag thrift stores open up near me. I would make that store my bitch.

I found two little makeup items I've been kinda sorta lusting after when I wandered in to Victoria's Secret for a few pairs of panties. (Hilariously, when it comes to VS, nothing BUT these particular panties fit me properly. But them panties are faaaabulous and definitely my favorites. Big-bottomed-tiny-waisted ladies, check out the cotton string bikinis!) These are the limited edition Sheer Blush Cheek Tints in Spotlight and Idolize, respectively, and they're purportedly dupes for the YSL gel blushes. SOLD! I'll keep you guys posted, but because they were LE, are now on clearance, AND cost me all of $6...I'd also suggest you head to VS ASAP if you're interested.

I scored a couple of $2 tees at Salvo. I haven't listened to Alesana's music yet, but the shirt is just. Yeah. So me! And I found another one of those crazy shirts with the goo-font letters and cartoony horror images, a la that puking eyeball shirt I love to death. Gawd, I wish I knew where those came from. >_X As with most of my creepy Salvo tees, these are going to be converted in to sleeveless shirts, cause I don't like sleeves all that much.

I also got some uber-cheap basics from Forever 21 and Goodwill, respectively: a black cami and a pair of skinny jeans.

The biggest scores came from Body Central: sleeveless, high-neck crop tops and high-waisted black shorts! Oh, I can't even handle it. <3 My sister and her friend loved the shorts and the checkered top, but did their best to talk me out of the fantastic video game-esque monstrosity on the right. And by monstrosity, I mean NEW FAVORITE SHIRT EVER. I can't wear to wear it...

...and by the way, my mom thinks it's super-cool. So NYAH!

I've also been working towards sheerer and sheerer base makeup to prep for the Week Of No Foundation Or Concealer! Here I'm wearing just a tiny dot of MAC F&B and some Clinique Airbrush concealer under my eyes. I think I'm getting used to it, but I definitely should've compensated with an extra layer of blush and highlighter!

Bad Outfit #20: Post-Mommy-Makeover Mall Run

My mother is a truly beautiful woman, inside and out. But for the past 5 or so years, she hasn't paid much attention to herself. She didn't wear makeup, she'd buy new clothes for herself and take them right back the next day, and she spent most of her weekends cleaning and doing favors for the rest of the family. Sunday, however, was a little different: she bought new clothes and proudly showed them off to everybody, she went to a knitting class, she didn't clean a single thing, and--to my great shock--she dumped out her small container of ancient makeup and asked me, "What do I do?"

Now that my mom has a quick 5-minute routine she can do before she goes to work in the mornings, she needs some fresh stuff and an organizer! My dad chipped in, and I got my mom this cute little acrylic stand at Wal-mart. You'll also notice a few things that were once mine in there: Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy (which she just LOVED), Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes (I'll probably repurchase this for myself at some point), and--no, you're not seeing things--my Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Moist Glow in Tansoleil. It just looked so pretty on her NC20-25 skin that I figured I'd just borrow it from her when I needed it. :) I also got her a brand new lash curler (a green Cynthia Rowley one, just cause green is her favorite color) and a darker, slightly more yellow shade of her Clinique foundation to sample.

But, um, since we were out, I got myself a few things...

...plus a few clothing items. All of them are black, and 3 of the 4 have skulls on them.

And for the record, I gave my mom my extra tube of Lipstick Queen Jean Queen, which she wore throughout the day and kept in her purse...seriously, guys, that lipstick is just so wonderful for so many skintones and age groups. I'm wearing it in these OOTD pictures, too! (Which, by the way, this outfit was far more flattering in real life, but we were kinda in a hurry to get some food in to our gaping maws, so we only took two pictures.) This was a rushed-but-comfortable outfit that I put together to showcase my beloved Triumph boots AND cut down on the sheer amount of black I wear. Y'know, cause there's a colorful coat. And some brown. I TRIED, OKAY?!

 .

COAT: American Eagle Outfitters plaid peacoat

SHIRT: Pink Floyd concert tee, thrifted

JEANS: Forever21 skinny jeans

BAG: Target

BOOTS: Dr. Martens 1914 Triumph

.

I also wanted to let you guys know that I'm totally, honestly working on a bunch of reviews, mostly of foundations. To be honest, I'm a little burnt out from months of hunting for a dry-skin friendly, super-pale foundation that sits nicely on my skin, so I'll probably go over those in a slew of mini-reviews. I know it's not as thorough as my usual foundation reviews, but...you guys understand, right? And I've got a few other new products that I'll probably shove together in another set of mini-reviews, like Rouge Bunny Rouge Sea of Clouds illuminator and a L'oreal liquid liner.

...yeeeeah, I've got a lot to do. Ignore my scary desk o' samples and, instead, enjoy this cute picture of my kitty re-experiencing the smells and sounds of the outside world!

Bad Outfit #17: LCWBD

For those of you not in the know (ie, those of you didn't grow up listening to the exact same music I listened to as a kid), LCWBD = "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress," by The Hollies. This really isn't a great example of a LCWBD, because I'm wearing a skirt, not a dress, I'm very short, and I ain't that cool. But whatever, it's a long black skirt and I love that song. IT'S MY BLOG AND I'LL TITLE IT WHAT I WANT TO!

CROP TOP: "God save the villain!", Threadless (cut up)

VELVET SKIRT: thrifted

BOOTS: Bollo, Vince Camuto

BRACELET: Forever 21

Bad Outfits #9 and #10: Keeping the Essentials

I knew it was going to be a rainy, icky day, so I wanted to brighten it up by wearing...um, lots of black. But hey, I love black, I love fishnet, and I love Doc Martens, so it's a winning combination, right? I assumed I was going to go for a short walk and yoinked this on:

But then I realized it was still kind of Pennsylvania-warm-and-humid-and-sticky outside, and I was probably wearing a bit too much. (No, really!) I also decided that I really wanted to wear a dress and I really didn't want to deal with my hair. So I kept the essentials--black, Docs, fishnet--and switched out the rest. I'm actually surprised that this $5 dress went so well with that fishnet top; you can't even tell it's a separate piece!

Then I got back in to my pajamas to do work, only to find out that my services aren't exactly needed today. Ah, well. Such is life!

FISHNET: Hot Topic fishnet shirt

BOOTS: Dr. Marten's 1B60

CROP TOP: Body Central

MILITARY CAP: thrifty find

JEANS: Forever 21 skinny jeans

DRESS: thrifty find

EARRINGS: Jolliffe Jewelry

 BASE: Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Primer, Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in Sx02, Skindinavia setting spray

EYES: La Femme brow pencil in Taupe, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, false lashes by Darkness (style WZO?), Prestige My Biggest Lashes mascara, Milani Liquif-Eye eyeliner pencil in Black, Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Skinny Jeans, Wet n' Wild Comfort Zone palette

 

CHEEKS: NYC Blushable Cream Stick in Plaza Pink [D/C]

LIPS: Sue Devitt lipgloss in Coral Sands

And a kind-of important note! I'm actually going to be in North Carolina for the next 10 days or so, so I won't be able to send out blogsale items and may be a bit delayed when it comes to responding to comments. I have a few posts queued up for when I'm gone, so the blog shouldn't be entirely blah and dead in my pseudo-absence. :)

Bad Outfit #4(.5), FOTD, Empties, and a Mini-Absence

I find it difficult to use products up. It's not that I don't love my stuff and use it often, but rather, that I use so little of a product at one time that they just kind of...last a while. I have, however, checked up on my stash and plucked out a few items that I've managed to finish, or almost finish, over the past month. Obviously, I've gone through several jars of the Avon Nurtura face cream, which is my HG night cream; my current jar is the one I used to keep at Jessica's apartment and is already 2/3 of the way finished. My mini-Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour hand cream has been a favorite of mine and will probably be empty by the end of the week.

The eye cream sample was a sweet gift from an MUAer, but unfortunately, this particular product didn't impress me. The same goes for the rest of the products in this bunch...the Nivea Kiss of Moisture lip balm was probably my biggest disappointment, since people rave about it. It's not bad, just...not amazing. I've been keeping it on my desk and will def have it completely finished by the end of the month. I can't bring myself to use any more of the MAC Studio Tech foundation or the Korres lip butter in Jasmine, so I'm Back 2 MAC-ing the foundation and RAOKing the lip butter. And while I've never cared for most MAC Lustre lipsticks or glittery products, I DID manage to finish the MAC Stroke of Lust lipstick by using it as a lip, cheek, and brow highlight at guard and drag shows.

Not pictured, but worth mentioning, are my Prestige My Biggest Lashes mascara and Jordana Fabu-liner, which dried up last month after long and faithful service. Don't worry, they've been replaced. ;)

Now for my outfit and FOTD from this past weekend. As you can probably tell, I traipsed in to my brother's room and asked him to take a picture of "my entire outfit"...he only photographed the top half. T_T Luckily, the bottom half isn't anything new; this is actually a mid-calf dress I got from Forever 21, and I paired it with plain black leggings and my beloved Doc Marten 1B60 knee-high boots. Maybe you can't see the whole outfit, but you can see my stupid faces! :D

And for the face: my sister yoinked back her point-and-shoot for a night out, so I quickly took some webcam shots before heading out to see The Dark Knight Rises.

 BASE: MAC Face & Body foundation in N1 + White, Clinique Airbrush concealer in 01 Fair, Skindinavia setting spray

EYES: Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Jordana Fabu-liner in Black, DiorShow Maximizer lash primer, Prestige My Biggest Lashes mascara, CoverGirl Eye Enhancers in Mink, CoverGirl Eye Enhancers in Tapestry Taupe, La Femme brow pencil in Taupe, Anastasia clear brow gel

CHEEKS: Revlon PhotoReady cream blush in Coral Reef, Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight

LIPS: Revlon ColorBurst lip butter in Candy Apple

NAILS: Orly Ancient Jade

CLOCK RING: Laure Leonard designs

CLOCK EARRINGS (not visible here): Jolliffe Jewelry


And now for a quick bit of news: I'll actually be absent from blogging for most of the next 2 weeks. My boyfriend is flying in from North Dakota to visit, and I'm going to be a bit preoccupied showing him the sights and sounds. :) If I can find the time, I'll do a blog post about it!

Bad Outfit #2: Suspended

My mom isn't generally in to my fashion or makeup, but she seems to view my skull suspenders as a lesser evil than, say, my tall Doc Marten boots. I wanted to be comfortable and casual today, but still showcase some of the punk roots of my youth.

TOP: plain black t-shirt from Forever 21
JEANS: Sarah Jessica Parker Bitten boot cut jeans (discontinued)
RING: Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" print, from Laurie Leonard designs
NECKLACE: gift from my sister
EARRINGS: skull keys from Claire's
SUSPENDERS: Hot Topic
NAILS: China Glaze polish in Flip Flop Fantasy

 BASE: Skinfood Red Bean BB cream in Shade 1, Clinique Airbrush concealer in 001 Fair

EYES: La Femme brow pencil in Taupe, Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing mascara, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Jordana Fabu-liner in Black, MAC Chromagraphic pencil in NC15/NW20, Lancome eyeshadow in Pink Zinc, Wet n' Wild eyeshadow in Brulee, MAC eyeshadow in Satin Taupe

CHEEKS: NYX cream blush in Boho Chic, Benefit High Beam

LIPS: MAC lipstick in Viva Glam VI Special Edition, MAC lipglass in Viva Glam Gaga I

Sim-Sim does not approve.

Bad Outfit #1: Zombie Audrey Says Goodbye to YouTube

 If you came here from my YouTube channel and watched my goodbye video, you probably saw this crazy mop of hair, the belt on my wrist, and a rather fabulous lipstick. What you didn't see was my favorite part of this outfit: Zombie Audrey! Yes, a creepy homage to the incredible Audrey Hepburn actually beats out my beloved Doc Marten 1B60 boots and one of my all-time favorite red lipsticks--sue me.

 TOP: black cami from Forever 21; Zombie Audrey t-shirt from Threadless.com

JEANS: Forever 21 skinnies

SHOES: Dr. Marten 1B60, patent black

BRACELET: thrift store belt

 BASE: MAC Face & Body foundation in N1 and White, Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer in Sx02

EYES: Benefit Creaseless Cream shadow in RSVP, Urban Decay 24/7 liquid liner in Perversion, Milani Liquif-Eye eye pencil in Black, La Femme brow pencil in Taupe, Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing mascara

CHEEKS: Benefit High Beam

LIPS: MAC lipstick in Lady Danger