Get the London Look!

Every one knows that I love me some grey nail polish, especially if it has something unexpected like a bit of shimmer or opalescent flash to it.
Night Life by Rimmel has both, and it makes me really happy that in indoor lighting, it has more of a "greige" feel to it, but as soon as light hits it, it really comes alive.

Bargain for a Buck (Or, More Accurately, $3)

I really like E.L.F because they're a super cheap brand that still has pretty good quality products, and their make up removing wipes are no exception. On an average day, I've got about two coats of mascara on, Milani waterproof liner, eye shadow, and some kind of primer, so taking it all off can sometimes be a bit of an adventure.

I think this is actually a pretty "light" day for make up.
And, OMG, ignore the untamed brow!

E.L.F's make up remover wipes take off all of my make up (gently!) and doesn't leave behind a greasy or tacky residue that other, more expensive brands do. There's also absolutely no stinging whenever I accidentally get it in my eye, which I cringe to admit, happens on a fairly regular basis.

For $3 you get a pack of 20 7x7 wipes, enough to get you through almost three full weeks, assuming you use them every day. These guys are perfect for on-the-go or to store in your car for last minute touch-ups or make up melt downs!

Also, I love that the package has a lid that actually clicks closed so that all the wipes don't dry out by the third time I use them!

Party of Five Glitters

I've had this polish floating around for several months and I bought it mostly because I'm not crazy enough to shell out $18 for a certain nail polish I'll only use a couple of times. I'm not gonna name names or anything, but I'm humming a pretty popular birthday tune that talks about happiness...

Now I'm not sayin' that it's the best dupe in the world, buuuuuuuuuut, looking at swatch pictures, it's pretty darn close.

"Party of Five Glitters" by Wet N' Wild is a much more manageable $2 and looks pretty swell over most solid colors. Instead of throwing it on over black, I just did it over my Essie "Trophy Wife" manicure and I'm pretty pleased with the results, especially since it hides the imperfections in my nails!

Trophy Wife?

I don't know that I'd say that this polish has me thinking about trophy wives, but it does have me thinking about luxury, so I guess it's not too much of a stretch.
"Trophy Wife" by Essie is a beautiful teal with a slight metallic finish that is just gorgeous on shorter nails. I used three coats to make it fully opaque and then topped it with Orly's Glosser. The slight bubbles that you can see in the finish is from a combination of damaged nail beds (silly me, I had solars for about two months) and my bottle of Glosser getting a wee bit old.




















I'm not really one for only wearing certain colors during specific seasons, but I can see "Trophy Wife" transitioning from Summer into Fall really well, especially paired with neutrals.

Long time no see!

So it's been about eight months since my last post on here, and I feel kind of bad about that, but I made the jump over to tumblr and didn't see the point in keeping two blogs active. However, I've been thinking about reviving this one and basically cross-posting all the beauty related stuff from tumblr over here!

Besitos,
Ashleigh

Let's Talk Customer Service

Customer service is one of the most important things to me, not only as an avid shopper, but as someone who is studying Marketing. Word-of-mouth is possibly the most effective form of advertisement, with negative reviews garnering more attention than positive ones. With increased attention to bloggers and vloggers who share their honest opinions on products and their individual experiences with companies, there are some who really need to step-up their game. The customer is, amazingly, not always correct, but they do need to be kept happy to ensure repeat business. There are a few places that I don't actually shop with in-store (Sephora, I'm looking at you), some employees that I try to avoid altogether (streaky blue-haired useless boy at Ulta, you know who you are), and some stores that I will no longer shop with all together (CVS) due to varying forms of poor service.
Today's focus is on the level of customer service that e.l.f. provides. As ya'll know, I placed an order with them a few weeks ago and have been pretty happy with the products I received. Unfortunately, my tube of Posh arrived damaged, so I emailed their CS department to see if there was anyway I could return it for a replacement. The next morning, I woke up to an email from them that said:

We apologize for the item(s) damaged from your order.

We are sending the item(s) to you as quickly as possible and apologize for any inconvenience.


Sincerely,
the e.l.f. team

e.l.f. Cosmetics Affordable Luxury

Okay, so pretty general and to the point, but I guess not everyone can be verbose with an amazing command of the English language. Modesty. I gots it.
Anyway, ten days later, I had a lovely little parcel in my mail box that contained an unbroken tube of my beloved Posh, and I did a gleeful dance.
e.l.f. has proven themselves to be a great company to order from, not just because of their products, but because they seem to actually care whether their customers are happy, and want to fix issues before they turn into large problems.

XOXO,
Ashleigh

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!

Quick! You've overslept and only have fifteen minutes to become your fabulous self; what do you do?

First thing's first: If you use hot tools, plug them in immediately to let them heat up.
While you're waiting for that, wash your face, brush your teeth, then fill up your basin with warm soapy water for a duck's bath.
Use bobby pins (or a cute clip) to pull back the front of your hair. If you straighten or curl your hair, use your flat iron/curling iron to touch up any bits that went wonky while you slept.
Moisturize!
Quick swipe of liner, two-three coats of mascara to make your eyes look wide open, your favorite lipstick, and some powder.
Get dressed.
Get out the door.

Sad thing is, this is my routine about two days out of the week.


XOXO,
Ashleigh

Rescue Me!

What do you do when a lipstick gets smashed or breaks? Do you just toss it or try to salvage it? Apply it with a lipbrush or with your finger? When it happens to me, I make it into a gloss.

You'll need:

Smashed or broken lipstick
Rosebud salve, Vaseline, or lipbalm
Small container



I use approximately two parts lipstick to one part rosebud salve.



Mix, microwave for about 45-95 seconds, then mix again to make sure it's a homogenous mixture. Using the rosebud salve (or vaseline... or lip balm...) gives the gloss moisturising properties and makes it a little sheer, so application is practically goof proof.



Finally, something to do with my Bare Minerals containers ;)

XOXO,
Ashleigh

Feelin' Minty Fresh

I've had a strange desire for pastel blue or green nails for the past couple weeks. I considered ordering the Eyeko Vintage polish, but since I've never used Eyeko before and don't really want to pay s&h on one item, I've been trawling Target, wading at Walmart, unearthing at Ulta, desperate to find the perfect shade. I've seen a couple by Essie that I'm considering buying, but to tide me over, I bought Minted by Revlon. It's a gorgeous color, just like liquified spearmint gum, and so light and frothy looking. I don't even care that Fall is the wrong season to wear pastel on my nails, it just feels soooooo right.
 But of course, nothing can ever truly be perfect. While the color is amazing, application is horrible. It's streaky and prone to drag marks, takes forever to dry, and bubbles if you look at it wrong. I finally had to use four coats of color and two coats of topcoat to get it to look somewhat decent, but I think the work is worth it.



Revlon polish is $3.99 at Target.

Quick lipstick tip

The holiday season is quickly descending upon us, bringing with it parties, merrymaking, frivolity, and the occasional drink. Now, you and I know that more often than not, if we're wearing lipstick, it leaves that tell-tale mark on the rim of your glass. On one hand, at least you know for sure which glass is yours. On the other... it's a little tacky looking. So what do you do? If you (discretely) lick the edge of your glass before drinking, it won't leave a lipstick mark. Honest. You may want to practice this at home before you try it in public, else you may be known as "the rim licker," which could bring up a whole slew of issues.
If, even after practice, you can't quite get it down, use a lip stain. Revlon's Just Bitten lip stain is great, long lasting, and comes with a super conditioning balm. L'Oreal has the Infallibile gloss, which dries down to a stain-like finish, but be warned, after eating and drinking, it does fade pretty quickly. If you need to change your stain quickly, or you want to get it all off before bed, try eye make up remover.

XOXO,
Ashleigh

E.L.F Haul!

I'm so excited! I just got my order from E.L.F and there's all kinds of gorgeousness to see! Now, forewarning, this is going to be a very picture heavy post, so we're just gonna go ahead and put all of the fabulousness behind a cut.

I've Done It!

If you follow my Tumblr, then you know that I've been wearing the OPI Burlesque collection and wearing a new color almost every day. The glitters from this collection apply so much better than the Alice glitters, but it was still a bit of a pain in the ass, something that I don't really understand. China Glaze has beautiful glitters that apply and wear well, so why can't OPI? Heck, even Hard Candy has some great glitter polishes that practically have to be sandblasted off.
And then, inspiration hit. I was playing with Sparkle-icious and thought "Maybe it doesn't stick well because my nail bed is too smooth from frequent buffing...?" so I got my buffing block, and really lightly buffed the surface of my nail to take of the sheen and give the polish something to cling to. I then did three thin coats of Sparkle-icious with a layer of CND topcoat between each coat.
Using that method, I only had one casualty at work, which is pretty amazing. I'm constantly opening boxes and moving around furniture, so it's amazing if regular polish gets through the day unscathed.



I really like Sparkle-icious. It kind of reminds me of Mad As A Hatter, but it isn't nearly as blinding, and it has gold, teal, and fuchsia glitter

I bought my OPI at Ulta for $8.50

Take It All Off

It's pretty safe to say that a consistent theme of my blog are things that are quick and easy. I think beauty products should not only make our lives and our exteriors prettier, but I think they should make our lives a little easier as well, so that's why I get so excited when I find one that's not only easy, but effective. Enter Neutrogena Eye Make Up Remover Lotion. Gah, that's a bit of a mouthful, but it's okay, because it's an awesome product.



I wear quite a bit of mascara, and usually a slick of black, winged out liner on a regular basis, and I have absolutely no problem getting every trace of it off with a pea sized amount of the Neutrogena. I just squeeze a tiny dab on my fingertips, massage it in a circular motion into my eyelids and eye area, then use a cotton ball to clean it all up.



 I was expecting this to maybe leave a little bit of a greasy feel to my skin, since it's a lotion base, but once I get everything wiped up, there's no funky residue.
I love that this so easily obliterates my make up while simultaneously being gentle on my skin, since the eye area is so delicate and the constant pulling and tugging we do while removing eye make up and washing our faces can cause premature wrinkles.



As you can probably tell, I have absolutely no make up on in that picture, not even a trace of foundation left under my eye to cover that dark circle there!

You should be able to pick up a tube at most major retailers, like Walmart, Target, Walgreens, etc. for around $4.

XOXO,
Ashleigh

One Big Tease-y

Tease-y Does It, part of OPI's new Burlesque Collection is a gorgeous, vampy shade.  The base color in it is a deep, plum-y shade and it has very fine, red sparkle that's evenly distributed throughout so when the light hits it the right way, it glows.



 This'll be a great shade for the dark Autumn evenings and will transition well into the Holiday season.




As usual, OPI runs about $8.50 a bottle depending on where you get it. I usually pick mine up at Ulta because they run specials fairly often.

Buxom Babe Seeking Buxom Lips

I'm normally not a very big fan of Bare Escentials. A few years ago, I got the Bare Minerals starter kit from my local Sephhora, followed the DVD instructions, and was kind of underwhelmed by the results unless I caked on about an inch of product. I don't know how I discovered the Buxom Lips Full Color lipgloss, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the packaging. As previously stated, I'm an bonafide sucker for cool packaging, and the slim cardstock tubes have pictures of burlesque inspired women, while the tubes themselves are very sleek. There's a lot to be said for clear tubes with silver writing.



Anywho, onto the product. I bought Buxom Lips Full Color lipgloss in Temptest, a gorgeous pinky neutral shade. It's very much so a "my lips, but better," color. It has a very subtle gold shimmer that adds dimension to your lips, which works very well with the slight plumping this product offers.



Wearability is pretty awesome with this and I can normally get at least an hour wear without any fading, smudging, or feathering.



Like a lot of other lipglosses, it has a standard doe-foot applicator, but this has no sharp edges and ample cushioning.
You can pick up Bare Escentials products at Sephora and Ulta, and the lipgloss goes for about $20. It's not cheap, but it's worth the splurge.

XOXO,
Ashleigh

And visions of sugar plums danced in their head!

My inner five-year-old loves flavored lipglosses; so much so that I have a box full of them. Vanilla and mint are my end-all-beat-all favorite, but every so often, I like to get something a little outside of my comfort zone. I was delighted a few weeks ago at work (Pier 1) when I saw that we got Sugared Plum lipgloss in stock just in time for the holidays.



As the name suggests, it tastes sugary, but not so much on the plum. I do like how it wears, though, because it's slightly shimmery, yet not gritty, and my lips feel moisturized without being a sticky trap for my hair to get stuck in.
I was a little worried when I opened the tube and saw that the gloss itself is an opalescent shade of lilac. Uh, corpse lips? No, thanks! I got over that phase when I was about twelve. But I applied anyway and was pretty pleased with it. It applies sheer with just a touch of the opalescent shimmer, so if you just like your glosses to shine, this one is for you.



For just two bucks, it's a cheapy cheap way of brightening your day.

XOXO,
Ashleigh

Organic deodorant?

Are you one of the many girls (or guys!) that's unlucky enough to have a bad reaction to conventional deodorant? Yeah, me, too. For years I've gone back and forth between all different kinds, trying to find one that didn't make my underarms itch or burn or break out in nasty little bumps. I was always really self concious of wearing tanktops, even around the house, because I felt like everyone would be staring at the bumps that would seemingly multiply. I tried Ban, Dove, Secret, Mitchem... none of them really worked for me. Anytime I would buy another stick of the same product, I knew I was just resigning myself to discomfort, but here in Texas, deo is a must.
One of my girlfriends finally suggested that I try organic deoderant, so off I went to H.E.B, in search of organic deodorant that didn't smell like flowers-and-butt and wasn't going to break the bank. Enter Tom's deoderant. At less than five dollars a stick with a light lemongrass scent, I was all over this.
Since Tom's is organic, it does not contain aluminum, something that a lot of people (like me!) have reactions to in deodorant. In your typical stick of, oh, say, Dove, aluminum works to close essentially close your pores so you don't sweat and stink up the joint. In lieu of aluminum, Tom's uses hops which works to prohibit the growth of bacteria, the biggest source of underarm funk.
Tom's works pretty well as a deodorant, but I do want to point out that it's not an antipersperant, so if that's what you're looking for, you may want to keep searching.

XOXO,
Ashleigh

I'm knackered

If you and I are friends on Facebook, then you know that I just started with C25K. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's a running program to get you from Couch (C) to running a 5K in 9 weeks using progressively more intensive work outs. It's really great for people (like me) that want to get in better shape, but are unsure of where to start.
I really enjoyed doing this tonight, because you start off with a five minute walk to warm up, jog for a minute, walk for 90 seconds, and then alternate until you've been jogging/walking for 20 minutes and conclude your workout with a five minute cool down. By about the third time I was supposed to jog, I started thinking to myself "I could totally just walk now... no one would EVER know..." but then I thought "Okay, I would know! Just keep imagining more toned legs!" and that kind of helped to get me over the hump. Well, that and next time Lipglossiping posts an update about how she's doing on C25K, I don't want to feel guilty!
There's an app for it in the Droid (and stinky iPhone) market, which is actually pretty cool. It times everything for you and has a cheery little "ding!" to let you know when one section is done. I will be honest, though, after the fourth "DING!" I wanted to throw my phone, but that's just because I hate running.
I'm tentatively looking forward to Saturday when I'm going to do Week 1 Day 2... Look for sporadic updates (:
You can find a really great site for it here with some more information.

XOXO
Ashleigh

What Product Has You Buzzin'?

This week, I'm all about Burt's Bees Hand Salve. It's packed with things like sweet almond oil,  olive oil, bee's wax, and vitamin E with a healthy dose of Eucalyptus oil so it's not only super nourishing for your skin, but it also has a slight medicinal smell in a completely pleasant way.



I really like the metal tin that it comes in, partly because I'm a sucker for cool packaging, and it's also pretty handy for me to tuck into my purse and not worry about it leaking all over the place and turning everything into a gooey mess.
Since it's a salve and not a lotion, it does go on pretty thickly and takes a few minutes to sink in. Once it does, though, it makes a huge difference. My hands are much softer, visibly smoother, and are lightly scented. If you're like me and you're the kind of gal that worries about different fragrances mixing, don't fret; it doesn't last long. If you're busy doing a lot of things with your hands, I would reccomend waiting until you have a few minutes to rub it in and let it absorb completely so it doesn't get that greasy feel.
The colder the weather gets, the more I'll be using it and applying it to not only my hands, but my elbows, knees, ankles and feet to keep them pretty and supple through the Winter.

Over all, I'd give it a solid A. You can usually pick up Burt's Bees products at Target, Walmart, Walgreens, and most other major retailers with most of the products under $15.

XOXO,
Ashleigh

PS: Burt's Bees does not test on animals, so that's another few points in their favor.

Purse Inventory

Yesterday I was sitting in the Starbucks on campus with one of my friends and I pawed through my purse for about five minutes looking for my lip balm. After five minutes, I gave up and just started pulling everything out, piece by piece, determined to find that darn Eos lip balm!
Scattered through my purse and in my make up bag I had:
12 red lipsticks/glosses
5 nude lipsticks/glosses
1 plum lipstick
2 lip balms
3 black liquid liners
1 purple liquid liner
1 navy liquid liner
5 eye shadow duos
1 Too Faced eye shadow palette (Naked Eye)
5 mascaras
1 lash curler
1 brow pencil (blonde)
2 eye shadow brushes (medium brush and crease brush)
1 pressed powder
1 bronzer/highlighter compact
1 face brush
1 concealer/highlighter
1 moisturizer
1 pack of make up remover wipes
2 nail polishes
2 perfumes


It took up the entire table. Seriously


Who needs this many lipsticks?


At least they're all pretty!


I have no explanation for this.

I may be a touch crazy after all. What's in your purse?

Xoxo,
Ashleigh