Cafe Ala Stephanie

She Space Haul and Swatches of browns

2008-06-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Got my She Space haul in today! Don't have tons of time to blog... but here are some swatches of theshespace.com browns

Essence of Beauty Brushes!

2008-06-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

In my never ending search for quality, affordable beauty products, I discovered Essence of Beauty brushes. You might remember reading from earlier, but I ruined my Estee Lauder blush brush, and had to find another. Honestly, I was pretty shocked how difficult it was to find a brush soft enough that it wouldn't scratch my face to death, and one that wouldn't put a huge dent in my pocket. Enter: Essence of Beauty.

One thing I have is the duo eye brush set. It comes with 2 crease brushes - One "normal" size, the other smaller. At first, I thought the smaller one seemed useless because it was so small, but I actually reach for this one more than I thought. It's perfect for blending colors on the inner lid together.

The second brush in the duo set is the regular size brush, I would compare to the MAC 224 blender brush. It's very soft, and fits perfectly in the crease to create deep contouring.

The last brush I bought was the Essence of Beauty Blush Brush. It is an angled blush brush, and is VERY SOFT! Softness is important to me, because having harsh bristles on your face can cause redness. It's at a nice angle, and is perfect for contouring the face. I do wish it were a *tad bit* bigger.

Did I mention the best part? These brushes were $5.00!
These can be purchased at www.cvs.com or any CVS location!

Cherry Culture Haul!

2008-06-07T11:40:00.001-07:00

Woo hoo! It's finally here - My CherryCulture.Com haul! These are the goodies I got... (from the left)

NYX Jumbo pencil in yogurt - Don't be fooled, this is not pink AT ALL. It's def. brown. However, it's suuuuper creamy and really made my eyeshadow POP! with color.

Wet N' Wild jumbo pencil - I didn't get this from Cherryculture and I'm not sure why it ended up in this picture. lol.

NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss in barbie pink - WOWWW, that's all I can say. I hate sticky lipgloss - HATE IT, and this is verrryy creamy, not a hint of stickiness, and the color pay off is amazing to boot - Very pigmented. Who can resist a bubblegum pink lip?

NYX round lipstick in Indian Pink - Smooth creamy lipstick, and it was a dollar! Nicely pigmented, but beware - it's not pink at all - definitely more of a peachy coral.

NYX Ultra Pearl shadow in Mink - This had a 100% would buy again rating on makeupalley.com, so I gave it a try. It reminds me of MAC copperized! Definitely a great dupe. VERY pigmented. I applied this on top of the yogurt pencil, and it looks great. It's a dark brown with copper flecks in it. My only nay on this product is that it comes in kind of weird packaging that makes it difficult to get a brush in - I have to dump a little bit out and then rub my brush in it. Oh did i mention it was also A DOLLAR! Makes me wonder if buying MAC pigments is just silly.

Last but not least is the free lipgloss that Cherryculture sends with every order. It's ok - smells nice, no color pay off though - hey, it was free.

SWATCHES L to R - Pearl shadow on Mink, applied dry. Yogurt pencil, Barbie Pink, Indian Pink

Pigment and SheSpace swatches!

2008-05-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

First let me say, I am SO STOKED that these finally came in! I ordered 5 sample pigments from www.thebodyneeds.com and they included a bonus. I also ordered 2 full size pigments from www.theshespace.com. The She Space pigments are not MAC pigments, they are mineral pigments.

MAC pigment samples include...
Chartreuse (LOVE this color! A gorgeous lime-yellow)
Golden Olive (A pretty shimmery deep green with golden flecks)
Quick Frost (Not a fan of this one - Didn't show up well at all)
Vanilla (A pretty off white color with pink reflection)
Helium (Weird texture to me, didn't adhere well, but a pretty pinkish purple)
Reflects Very Pink (Not sure where I'll ever wear this, LOL! But a very pretty bright hot pink glitter)

The She Space pigments include...
Boogie On Man - (Pretty gray with subtle blue reflection)
Broken Rules - (pretty orangish-brown with subtle pink reflection)

A lot of people aren't too familiar with The She Space pigments. They're all mineral pigments that are sold in 3 gram jars, and like MAC pigments, will last you FOREVER. I actually think TSS is more pigmented than MAC.

Above are The She Space pigments. Below, MAC Pigments

Brush review and video contest

2008-05-23T09:43:00.001-07:00

So, I entered a video contest on youtube hosted by pursebuzz.com
Here is my video - cheezy I know, and really bad video quality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5nQH6_uZpw

GREAT LASH!?!?!? WHY PEOPLE, WHY!?

2008-05-20T16:18:00.000-07:00

Allure came out with their 2008 Reader's Choice Awards.
The winner of the best drugstore mascara is... Maybelline Great Lash. I'm not sure why this mascara gets rated so highly in magazines and why it always gets these prestigious awards. I've tried it, and, well, it's a total piece of garbage. It clumps worse than anything I've ever tried, it's goopy, the bottle dries quickly, the wand is terrible, it doesn't curl. I could go on. Everytime I see a bottle of great lash, I am thrown back to the 80's.

I'm not trying to sound like a makeup snob, but I think the reason this is always rated best drugstore mascara is because the people who buy great lash have probably never tried anything good. You can't miss what you've never had, right?

Don't get me wrong - I wear drugstore mascara! Maybelline mascara, actually! Full and Soft, it's amazing. It is 100 times better than Great Lash. I have worn really nice expensive mascara before, and Full and Soft is just as good if not better. I just don't understand the fascination with Great Lash - Can someone fill me in?

TAG! I'm it - Beauty secrets

2008-05-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

My Foundation: I am a pretty faithful Clinique foundation user - They put things into their foundation so that it actually HELPS your skin! My foundation de jour is Clinique Work Out in Cloud
My Mascara: I am in love with Maybelline Full and Soft! It's cheap and it works!
My Blush: *sigh* I know it's cliche, but I use NARS in Orgasm
My Day Cream: I've been using Clinique Superdefense religiously, it has SPF 25 in it, but I've recently discovered its not photostable, so the SPF In it is useless. Currently searching for a new one.
My Lipstick: I love Wet N Wilds lipsticks! They're really cheap and look high quality. I've gotten tons of compliments when I wear this!
My Beauty Product Brand: Everything :) I love to try different brands. I'm curretly in love TheSheSpace
My Essential Beauty Product: Foundation. I wear it always. And ProActive moisturizer - Even if you don't have acne, it's such a smooth wonderful lite moisturizer
My Favorite Makeup Product: Pigments, I LOVE THEM! Any kind - MAC, NYX, SheSpace
My Perfume: I'm not really into perfume.
My Nails: OPI! OPI! OPI!
My Feet: See Above.
My Hands: I don't have dry hand problems, praise the Lord.
Three Products to bring on a deserted island: ProActive moisturizer, Clinique Workout, Powder It powder from SheSpace
Woman I Admire for their Beauty: Hm, tough one. I'll get back to this.
Woman with the Best Sense of Style: I like... Reese Witherspoon
My Ultimate Dream: Graduate from College, get married, have 2 1/2 kids, etc.
My Favorite Fashion Publication: I don't read fashion mags.

Caboodles Train Case - Not for Jr. High anymore

2008-05-15T17:38:00.000-07:00

You remember Caboodles - and probably owned more than one. I personally had a plastic clear pink box with sparkles. It was the hip thing to have as a sixth grader! I put all of my Bonne Bell make up in it too - they make those little "Smackers" lip stick/chap stick things. I owned them in weird bizarre flavors like cherry coke. As fun as this reminiscing is, there is a point.

I was in the market for a train case. I have a decent amount of makeup, and up until now I had been keeping it all in the myriad of Clinique gift-with-purchase bags I had. I decided to buy something bigger that I could keep everything in. After doing some research (I research EVERYTHING by the way), I decided to go to my local Walgreen's and buy this Caboodles Ultimate Organizer train case for 29.99. Click here to buy it

I was reluctant at first - I'm 20 years old! Shouldn't I be buying a train case at Sephora? Isn't Caboodles a little out dates? Then I realized, I'm a poor college student who can't really afford anything more than Caboodles. How did it turn out?

Here is a picture I took - both sides extend fully, I just left one of them up so you could see it better.

When I opened this thing up, I was shocked how spacious and roomy it was - this thing is pretty big! It is on the heavy side - about 5 lbs, and 12 inches tall. It comes with 2 little keys so you can lock up your precious pigments from unsuspecting roommates... The inside is made out of jacquard fabric so it's easy to wipe out. The outside is made out of this strange faux leather. It's the only thing I don't like about this case. It seems like maybe it could dent easily? I'm not sure. If you don't care about how the outside of your case looks, then this is irrelevant. It seems to be pretty sturdy as well.

Overall, I'm happy with my purchase. For 30 bucks, it's good quality. I almost wish it was a *little* smaller, but my makeup collection will probably grow...

So anyone else have this? Opinions, comments?

XOXO - Gossip Girl

2008-05-13T11:22:00.001-07:00

I'm Obsessed with this show - I really am. The lies, sex, drama, alcohol - But there is only one thing that I can say about it at this point.

I HATE GEORGINA

Thanks darlings :)

It's like buttah!

2008-05-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

So I was digging through my makeup stash and found my Clinique Colour Surge Butter Shine Lipstick
It was one of those things I bought just so I could get the free gift with purchase. I own it in the color "First Love" and it really is a cute little product.

Besides being a stylish case, this lipstick is not like any other lipstick you've tried on before. It's more like lip gloss, and glides on very sheer and smooth - well, it goes on like butter, hence the name. It's not too over powering, and provides a nice bit of shine.

My only qualms with this is that you have to reapply it through out the day - it doesn't stay on very long, just like lip gloss. I usually wear this if I just plan on going out shopping. It's not really the best to wear if you plan on having an all day/night event like prom.

Here's a little tip I like to use though - when you're applying your foundation, put some on your lips too. Then, choose a lipstick and put that on your lips. Pat your lipstick with a little powder. This will help set the lipstick and make it last SUPER long, then put some gloss (or Clinique Butter Shine) on top. And Bam! You're good to go!

No Chip, Please

2008-05-04T13:53:00.000-07:00

I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my nails - I try to buy nothing but the best, naturally I'm in love with OPI. But one day when I was checking out the OPI selection at Target, I saw this stuff under it.
*Sally Hansen No Chip 10 Day*

I HATE IT when my nail polish chips the day after I put it on. Because I wasn't willing to give up the colors of OPI, I decided to try a clear bottle to use as a top coat.

This stuff is only 3 bucks, and boy is it worth it. I tried it on top of 2 coats of OPI color, and no chip for over a week on my hands, and my toes lasted even longer. It also gives a really nice high gloss shine! I highly recommend to anyone who hates having a perfectly good manicure ruined.

NARS Orgasm

2008-05-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

I just got my new NARS Orgasm in the mail (For you non make-up savvy people, Orgasm is the name of a blush made by NARS). I was expecting big things because this blush is more over exposed than Britney Spears. Sephora and every magazine out there rates it the best blush in the world, and for a price tag of 25 bucks, it better be!

I got mine off of ebay for a bit cheaper. When it came in, I wanted to use it right away, but I decided to clean my brushes first instead. (It's always a good idea to clean your makeup brushes regularly to make sure bacteria is cleaned off, especially if you're switching products, so there's no cross contamination). I went to clean my blush brush (from Estee Lauder) and long fiasco short, I ended up ruining it because I rubbed it too vigorously against a paper towel. I used my powder brush to apply it instead, and it was nice, but I feel like I can't give it a fare shake without using proper brushes. I bought a smashbox blush brush off of ebay, and I'm waiting for that to come in.

It's a really pretty peachy pink color with a gold shimmer. It might be a bit too shimmery for some peoples tastes, especially if you usually go really lite on makeup. It does give a very natural look though when applied just to the apples of your cheeks. You can build it up, though, for a more dramatic appeal. For people who don't love the shimmer, NARS Deep Throat blush is a good alternative.

I love this blush - don't get me wrong - but would people stop obsessing over it! There are other blushes out there people!

If 25 dollars is going to break the bank, there are defiantly some other choices of high quality blush for cheaper - I'll do a post on that later.

What do you all think? Anyone have NARS orgasm? Love it? Hate it?

My first finished project

2008-01-12T06:23:00.000-08:00

So lately I've embarked on this knitting voyage - One that's proven to be quite difficult. I made a few things before, like little squares, but they were quite pitiful. Ross asked me to make his little niece, Baby Audrey, a scarf. We went to Micheal's Craft Store and picked out Lion Brand Velvetspun in carnation. It calls for 10 1/2 size needles. I Cast on 10 stitches and knit the whole thing until it looked long enough. Immediately, I noticed it was very forgiving. I have a problem with consistency in tightness of my stitches, but this stuff is so fluffy you can't tell! I'm ecstatic I finally finished something... Here it is! Please give me your feedback, I want to improve!

Next on the needles, a scarf requested by Ross. I'm going to use suede yarn in a coffee color. Hopefully it looks a little more manly than baby Audrey's scarf.

In other news, I'm judging home school debate today. Fun? Not so much. But I love helping people learn to be better debaters. I have a tournament next weekend. I plan on doing quite well :)

Being back at LU is great. My roommates are... well... lets not talk about them.

Until next time...