Napoleon Loose Dust #38 and #39

I found these Napoleon Loose Dust shadows at my Ulta and seeing as I'd never even heard of them before, I wanted to get them to check out and swatch.

My Three Free Zoya Polishes!

Have you/are you guys going to take advantage of the three free polish giveaway at Zoya.com? For anyone who doesn't know, Zoya said they would give away three free polishes if they recieved 20,000 facebook fans.

All you pay is shipping. This sale/giveaway ends January 7, 2011 at 11:59PM EST.

I chose Crystal, Southbeach Ice and Penny (pictured above). Swatches coming soon! Did any of you get any free Zoyas? I've been DYING for Crystal (sooo thrilled that I finally got it) and the other two I chose after I had done a little "window" shopping at the site right before this code was released.

Tagged: Six Sevens

I was tagged by Allison of Alli McBally.

7 things I have to do before I die:

• Visit Amsterdam
• Go on a road trip across the U.S.
• Find a job that I actually can enjoy
• Have something published
• Get an airdale puppy
• Find the perfect (holy grail) combination of makeup/skin care products
• Re-learn Latin (I'm mostly lacking vocabulary)

Peter Thomas Roth Anything But Ordinary Brunette Shampoo Review

I decided recently to try a whole new shampoo line. Beacause these "Anything But Ordinary Brunette" shampoos and conditioners were on sale (and still are here and here, retailing at $7/bottle) I went with Peter Thomas Roth. I'm not real familiar with the brand and these were the first PTR products I've tried.

I've been using this shampoo for several weeks now. Here is what I've noticed:

• My hair is less frizzy, although I still get some frizz. I've taken to braiding my hair most nights before I go to bed and this also helps me cut down on frizz and gives me nice waves in the morning.
• My hair is softer and feels less damaged than it did when I started using it. I'd say overall, it has made my hair look and feel slightly healthier.

Milani "Gems" vs. Wet & Wild "Party of Five Glitters"

I was at the store yesterday when I spotted Wet & Wild's new Spring 2011 nail polishes. They all look pretty bright and fun but I spotted "Party of Five Glitters" and wanted to compare it to Milani's "Gems" polish.

I like how Wet & Wild's polishes all have TV-related names like "Sage in the City," SaGreena the Teenaged Witch," "Teal of Fortune," "Buffy the Violet Slayer" and "Fuschiarama."

Here are the two bottles side by side. Milani, then Wet & Wild. The first thing I noticed about the diffeence was the size of the glitter--Wet & Wild has larger pieces. Then, "Gems" has a more Christmassy feel in this photo while "Party of Five Gltters" just looks colorful. 

Illamasqua "Chasm" Pure Pigment Swatch

This was my first experience with an Illamasqua pigment. 

Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara Review & Photos

I like the design of the box... Black and pink is always sexy and I like the background pattern.

Borghese "Stellare Notte" Nail Lacquer

Today's polish is "Stellare Notte" by Borghese. I struggled a bit with this formula as you can probably tell. It's more a problem with me than the formula but it went on a bit messy despite my efforts.

This shade changes depending on how you look at it. In most natural light it looks almost black but it has a green and a purple shimmer to it depending on how the light hits it.

Illamasqua "Phalic" Nail Lacquer

Today's nails are painted with Illamasqua's "Phallic." I'm not sure why but I'm not a huge fan of dark blue polishes and yet this one was just so luscious and pretty that I couldn't pass it up. I only used one coat. It's a gorgeous dark blue with a lighter blue shimmer. Some nails may have benefitted from two coats but that all relies on how thick of a coat you apply.

2011 Beauty Resolutions

I never stick to any new year's resolutions that I make but this year I decided to do some beauty resolutions and if anything will help me to stick to them, it's writing about my endeavors here. Once I got going, I found I had several new/different things I am excited to try in my skin care and makeup routines.

There are several products I will be reviewing as I stick to my goals, trying to find what works best for me. This post is just a list to review at the end of the year to see how well I stuck to my goals/what I found! I included some of the products you'll be hearing about early this year.

Beauty Resolutions for 2011

1. Always, always wash my face before I go to sleep

I've way too often made the (huge) mistake of going to sleep without first taking off my makeup. It's one of those things you hear about so often but it's so true! It's included on this list of things to keep your skin clear. I've had some bad breakouts from skipping my skin care routine.

2. Find a good toner and incorporate it into my routine

Right now, I have my eye on a glycolic acid toner by Reviva Labs and I think it will be the first toner I try. (I've tried a few cheaper toners in the past but never consistently.)

3. Find a masque I love and use it twice a week (or suggested use)

The first mask of the year I'm going to be trying is Freeman's Mint & Lemon Clay Mask.

4. Find a deep conditioning product and use it weekly (or suggested use)

Plan to try Bumble and Bumble Creme de Coco Masque as soon as possible.