Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil

Wanted to quickly give this product a shout-out, because it has been a game-changer! Ran out of my Ben Nye black eye pencil and had it forever so I didn't know what to turn to next (it wasn't my fave). Did a little research and decided to go for the Urban Decay. It's a little pricey ($20) but WELL worth it if you use liner on the regular. "Glide on" is absolutely right! It's so creamy and smooth and one quick swipe is all it takes, rather than going over and over the same line like so many other, harder pencils. This also offers a much more precise line. Such strong, vibrant color payoff too, which I imagine is all kinds of fun when you branch out into the other 39(!) shades they offer. But the black (Perversion) is nice too. The only caveat to this product is that since it is so nice and soft and creamy, you basically have to have their Grindhouse sharpener (another $10). Anything else will mangle your pricey pencil and leave you sobbing for the money down the drain.

Via UrbanDecay

Ikea Odds and Ends

Made the 2+ hour road trip to Ikea last week. My first time! Loved it. It's like Disney for designers and if you've never been, it's quite the experience and well worth having at least once. Here's what I couldn't leave without:


The EIVOR Throw. It's a heavy acrylic sweater knit blanket in a dashing black and cream stripe. It looks stunning on the back of my couch. And it's a generous 4' x 5.5' which is nice. 

The DIOD Glasses. Beautiful smooth white blown glass. Sadly, one perished before we even made it home, which brings me to my 2 IKEA gripes.
1) They don't bag, wrap or package anything for you at the checkout. Once it's scanned, it's your problem. It's all very assembly line, cranking people through as quickly as possible. Well and good until nothing makes it home alive.
2) You can't order anything but the huge furniture online. I can't even replace the damn thing without 4 hours of driving. Ugh.
Anyway, 2 sizes: 3" 8oz and 5" 16oz

MÅLTID Serving bowl

Fancy angular bowls to glam up your table. Very Euro-chic. I'm detecting a theme in my kitchen...

 

 

And finally, this beast of a shelving unit, the VITTSJÖ. Weighs a ton and barely fit in the car. Thankfully all those glass shelves made it home in one piece! But I was able to put it together by myself with only a Phillips head in under 2 hours. Not bad!

 

Review: Lush Ro's Argan Body Conditioner

Lush Ro's Argan Body Conditioner

If you haven't yet tried anything from Lush, a store full of indulgent bath and beauty products, start here. I got to try this stuff in store, courtesy of an overzealous employee. It smelled great and felt pretty good, but I resisted because of a rather steep price ($32.95 for a mere 7.9 oz) but as the day wore on I became absolutely obsessed with the smell. It's "rose jam" but smells figgy and fruity and floral, not strictly rosey. You slather it on in the shower, let it sit for a few, rinse off and pat dry. This takes the place of lotion and beautifully conditions the skin. It's sort of a once a week treat and I love it! All their products are hand made using fresh ingredients and ethical sourcing practices. Buy some here!

40 Carrots Eye Gel Product Review

After spending the evening searching the internet for more of this stuff, I wanted to do a quick product review and recommend this lovely product. It's the Carrot and Cucumber Eye Gel by 40 Carrots. I stumbled upon this randomly at Marshall's or some such discount store for about $7. Best thing ever! Great under eye gel for night. With a healthy dose of retinol, it has a little bit of a tingly feeling to it. That may be an issue for some of you with super-sensitive skin, but it makes me feel like it's working! I've found it to be wonderful for little fine lines and general under eye issues like puffiness. It works really well and fights aging and I will be buying more of it.

MAC Prep + Prime

Product Review: MAC Prep + Prime Translucent Finishing Powder

I cannot help but sing the praises of this glorious product (and MAC isn't paying me to either!). Seriously, if you are in search of a great finishing and setting powder this may be your HG.

Unbreakable: A Unisex Fragrance

I've been curious about this fragrance for a while now and finally I had the opportunity to give this a try a few weeks ago. I have my reservations about most celebrity fragrances. What do they know about perfumery anyway and who wants to add $ into the pockets of people who did nothing more than have their faces slapped on a bottle? But I do enjoy an occasional episode of Khloe and Lamar and I was pleasantly surprised to see them doing quite a bit of stressing over this thing and putting some actual work into it. Good enough - I'll try it out.

And I have to say, I was not disappointed. I wasn't sure what to expect going in. Unisex fragrances are not easy to pull off and CK One, the lone success story, launched a bit before my perfume-wearing days. After a few minutes of wearing this, I noticed a strong scent of tobacco with a little bit of chocolate and vanilla. It's really a great scent that opens up and does nice things the longer it wears. Not for you if you love florals and very feminine scents (in which case, I'd recommend Kim's) but I wouldn't necessarily describe it as masculine or musky. It strikes a very delicate balance and it's a nice, warm, unexpected scent. It would be great for a sexy night out. Unfortunately I can't give you the true unisex review because I've yet to smell it on that big handsome man I call my own but I suspect I'd enjoy it a good bit. Give it a try!