Friday, August 10, 2012

To BB or Not to BB

I am a big fan of things that can cover many bases. For example, middle school me was loving the Marc Jacobs Daisy ring with hidden perfume under the gaudy surface. Part perfume, part obnoxious cocktail ring! Win-win. Not that I could ever rock them, but those Reef flip flops with the bottle opener in the bottom? Brilliant.
as gaudy as a New Jersey housewife...dark times in middle school

That's when I discovered tinted moisturizers and "BB" creams, I was immediately excited. I still am iffy on the logistical differences between the two, but in my opinion, it's irrelevant. I have tested enough to know which to continue using, and which to toss!
via

I started by using the Aveeno tinted moisturizer about 6 months ago, and I think I would give it a 7.5/10. The lotion itself tended to clump in the pump (unintentional but awesome rhyme), and I felt that the moderate coverage it provided tended to wilt away within a few hours of application. However, the product did not, in any way, clog my pores or make me feel like my skin was suffocating. I actually felt like my skin quality improved while using this brand, regardless of its non-BB label.

via

Next, I tried the Garnier Fructics BB creme, and used this for approximately 4 months. It's score would probably be in the 7/10 range. The coverage was awesome, and you honestly would not need anything but maybe powder in terms of foundation on a daily basis. However, I found that my skin, which has always been somewhat dry, has never been more oily. I actually used those blotting papers that Sephora tricks you into buying in the lane before the register! I also found that initially, my skin began improving and evening out in tone and texture, yet after a while, I began to break out in small patches that are probably just clogged pores. Not good.
via

The next BB I tried was the CoverGirl BB creme. On this made-up scale I have created, I would rate it a 5/10. It's light, and did not clog my pores or make me very oily. However, it did not provide much coverage at all, and made my skin look somewhat grey and dull. Also, this is not quite a deal-breaker, but I just did not like the way the lotion felt in my hand before I put it on. It felt like a grainy cream and I was initially hesitant to put it on my face at all.
via

Finally, I have recently tried the Arbonne tinted moisturizer, and this would be, by far, the worst in my opinion. The make-up itself gives somewhat good coverage.........aaaand yep that's the only good thing I can say about it! The cream is heavy, and feels like stage makeup, even though it is simply a tinted moisturizer! The lotion makes me very oily and clogs my pores indefinitely. It also is difficult to actually spread on my face, as it is so heavy it seems to snag on my skin. No no no.

So, moral of the story is I haven't found a BB cream/tinted moisturizer that I absolutely love yet, and yet being the operative word! I have high hopes for the L'Oreal brand, and I will be trying it soon!

Sunday, August 5, 2012

The Long and the Shorts of It

Shorts are one summer staple that consistently changes in length from year to year. Whether it's the knee-length bermudas that were all the rage just a few summers ago, the classic 5'' chinos from JCrew, or the cheek-grazing denim cutoffs that continue to infuriate us who do not, in fact, enjoy showing the underside of our backside, (mainly because no one wants to see that anyway)
Exhibit A


So with all of these differing lengths of shorts happening simultaneously, how is one to know which to pair with which situation? For me, there are some rules that are set in stone:

1. Denim cutoffs can never, and should never, be "dressed up" by adding stilettos or any sort of heel.

2. Those under 5'3 should reconsider the bermuda short trend, because it does nothing but cut off your leg line and make you appear frumpy.

3. Just because of some fabric in the middle, doesn't mean you can go shorter with shorts than you would with skirts.

4. In reference to #2, if you are trying to dress up a pair of shorts, ensure that they are of appropriate length, not made of denim, and are paired with an appropriate top, (if they're short, go with long sleeves or a conservative neckline)

5. The shorter the short, the lower the heel. You basically will look like a hooker if you reverse this ratio.
Sorry, Emma Roberts, I guess the hooker look runs in the family!
Aside from my sufficiently lame "Pretty Woman" reference above, I hope that this was helpful, and that the world will start to continue without the heinous atrocities committed against shorts.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Mint-ervention


If you know me, you know my addictive personality. I tend to become infatuated with certain oddities for short periods of time, in which, I immerse myself in the current fascination. Some of these fascinations include; competitive swimming in the 7th grade, Fall Out Boy in 8th grade, edemame last summer, and the list goes on. 

Currently, my, for lack of a better word, obsessions, are; iced coffee with truvia, the olympics, and the color mint.

For whatever reason, the color widely referred to as "mint" (or "sea foam" for lame-os), has been severely lacking in my closet. This lacking was so severe, that after weeks of seeing this color grace the runways, (and by that I mean of course, "grace the runways...as viewed from my computer screen...") I realized I did not own one item of this amazing hue. 

Needless to say, as my new infatuation of the moment, this changed dramatically, seemingly overnight. 

Upon my next few shopping ventures, both the old fashioned way and online, I had accumulated quite a collection of items of the mint variety. My collection is as follows in this artistic representation from a past fascination, Polyvore. 
via polyvore

via tobi



















The items gathered somehow soothed my closet's ache for this lacking section while still remaining a never-ending fascination. 

Stay minty fresh!