The Life of A Ladybug

Just had a meeting with ...

... reps from BeautyBank, which is behind all the beauty lines featured in Kohl's stores: American Beauty, Grassroots Research Labs, Good Skin Pharmacy, Daisy Fuentes Beauty and Flirt!  I'll have more specific information on products and product reviews coming for you in the next several days, but as a teaser, I just want you to know that I am really pleased with the level and wide array of products currently being offered in Kohl's stores.  If you're looking for Beauty for a Bargain or Affordable Alternatives, Kohl's may just be the place for you!

Free concealer samples from Three Custom Color Specialists!

  Three Custom Color Specialists is offering free concealer samples with any online order (no minimum purchase) through April 23rd.

Use it full coverage to conceal redness or dark circles, apply with a wet sponge to use as a foundation or blend with your favorite face cream to create the perfect tinted moisturizer.  Three Custom Color Specialists feels so strongly about their Creme Concealer/Foundation that they invite you to request samples of up to three different shades with any online order.  Just indicate which shades you would like to try in Customer Notes during checkout and get flawless!

Hotter than Hell: Idris Elba

 

If you've never watched "The Wire", you may not be quite familiar with the brooding hotness that is Idris Elba.  You would do well to familiarize yourself, and quickly.  This man ain't nothin' nice, do you hear me?

  Idris' character, Stringer Bell, was the epitome of the educated thug - a serious, hardcore drug dealer and ruthless killer, with the mind of a scholar.  Every moment he was onscreen smoldered with intensity and hotness.  He terrified and thrilled me, simultaneously.  As a B'More chick, born and bred, I have met his like in real life, but none have ever done it as smoothly as this dude right here and he's not really a drug dealer - he just played one on TV!

Now, he has moved on to "The Office", one of my favorite shows.

Hot lippie combo!

Today's lippie combo is hotness!  I was going for the pale pink lip without leaving myself with ashy mouth.  I used: MAC lipliner in BBQ, MAC lipstick in Angel, and MAC Cremesheen in Fashion Scoop.  Try it out and let me know what you think!

Celebrity Tattoo Gallery

I have three tattoos myself and I already have #s four and five in mind.  Do you?  What do you have?  I have a ladybug on my right upper arm, a butterfly on my left outer thigh and a tribal tattoo across the small of my back.

Total Beauty has a gallery of celebrity tattoos up now!

Celebrity Tattoo Gallery

Check out Drew Barrymore's cross tattoo, and plenty others'

Whatever your opinions of tattoos are, it seems that Hollywood loves them. Tons of celebrities are inked. Some, like Angelina Jolie, aren't too surprising, but others were shocking. See tattoos

Hotter than Hell: Orlando Bloom

  This past weekend, there was a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon on one of the cable movie channels and I sat and salivated through it all.  Honestly, only the first of the movies was really good, but there was no way I was going to miss the loveliness of both Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom and hours of it, at that!

Having decided to make "Hotter than Hell" a regular weekly series, I've been jotting down in my blog notebook all of the men I find exponentially hot.  Orlando was already on the list, but after seeing the marathon and then chatting with an online bellydance friend, Brea Morgiane, about how awesome both elves and pirates are (and Scottish highlanders, but that has nothing to do with this post), I decided that Orlando had to be my pick of the week, as he has been both elf and pirate.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

    Lovelies, I have found that which is better than MAC Paint Pots and Urban Decay Primer Potion.  This awesomeness is known as Too Faced Shadow Insurance.  Now, I still love MAC Paint Pots as long-wearing creamy shadows and I will never give them up and yes, they are still good eyeshadow bases.  But I will never buy another genie-bottle shaped vial of Primer Potion again.  As we all saw, all over the Internet, that's just a colossal waste of money - you do not get all the product you paid for.  Not so with Too Faced Shadow Insurance.  It comes in a squeeze tube, so you know you're getting your money's worth of product.  Not to mention that it blends in perfectly with skin and then ... doesn't budge.  I have worn shadow layered over Shadow Insurance for as much as 18 hours without an ounce of smudge.  And, at $17, it is worth every penny.

Proud member of Total Beauty, Glam and the Beauty Blog Network!

Bobbi Brown Brights Eye Palette

  I was overly excited by the prospect of the Bobbi Brown Brights Eye Palette, but loves, save your money.  I just don't think it's worth it.

Admittedly, the compact is really cute.  I love the big mirror and I love the way it unfolds to show the bright little pots of shadow.  But the operative word in that phrase is "little".  The individual pots of shadow are tiny, y'all.  Yes, there are 35 different shades to play with, but this thing is $70!  Come on.  If you're going to charge $70, I think there should be some more going on here.  Especially considering that these shades are totally "fun colors".  If you're not a makeup artist, or under 30, or one who likes to play with your makeup, you aren't really going to put such bright colors to good use.  It's a fun thing to have in your makeup arsenal, but really not necessary.  And I kind of fear the looks that will be made with this if one is kind of a makeup novice.

Day to Night Makeup - Fast!

Do you find yourself going straight from work to social events quite often?  If you do, check out Total Beauty's tip on how to transform your day makeup to evening worthy, quickly!

Transform Day Makeup to Night -- Fast

Pump up your blah workday look to create an evening-chic look

No need to do a full makeup reboot when you need to go from the office to a swanky dinner. We asked makeup pros how to go from a basic everyday face to a sophisticated night look - you wont believe how easy it is! See tips

Cover Girl Cheekers Blush in Golden Pink (Affordable Alternative to NARS Blush in Orgasm)

Well, Cover Girl doesn't necessarily have the most glamorous image, but I've always thought of the brand as having that kind of every woman, all-American flair, and lately, with the addition of the TruBlend and Queen lines, the brand has really branched into the more multi-racial, diverse market, which I greatly appreciate.  I encourage all women to purchase products from whatever line meets their needs.  While trailing down the Cover Girl display at my local Walgreen's, I came across the Cheekers Blush in Golden Pink.  The shade looked interesting in the package, so I picked it up.

I have been quite impressed with the product.  I still don't love that Cover Girl's blushes all seem to have the same mentholated smell (What is up with that?), but I found the color of the product to be wonderful - it is actually quite similar to NARS' Orgasm, if you ask me, but even better on my medium brown skin.  The color is true and long-lasting and, if you can get past the smell, I think you'll be pleased.  And at around $4, it is a great budget beauty buy.