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5 easy hairstyles for medium, long, wavy, curly or straight hair posted on April 12, 2011
See Justin Timberlake’s Fashion Show in NYC
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I know this isn’t related to beauty products, but I wanted to put out a plug for my dad’s girlfriend and a raffle she’s in charge of. The money goes toward a good cause (benefiting National Doctors International) and the winner gets a trip to NYC to go to Justin Timberlake’s William Rast fashion show and tickets to the after-party with JT himself! How cool would that be?!? The details are on the poster in this blog entry, but in case you’re unable to read it, here’s the info:
+There’s a raffle for 2 plane tickets to New York, tickets to Justin Timberlake’s fashion show, and tickets to the after-party with Justin Timberlake.
+Tickets cost $9.99 each.
+You can buy as many as you like.
+Tickets are available until Thursday (Dec. 3) on the website www.ndimed.org
+The drawing is Friday night but you need not be present to win.
I just bought two tickets for myself! At the moment, I think there are very few people who have bought any tickets at all, so if you purchase one or two (or more!), your chances of winning are pretty good! And you’re helping out a good cause… so that’s another bonus! Good luck!
XOXO,
Sarah
Your PJ
Enjoy Black Friday and Cyber Monday from the comfort of your home!
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Happy Holidays everyone! The day after Thanksgiving means Black Friday and crazy shopping deals you don’t want to miss out on.
If you’re looking to avoid the chaos of the mall on Black Friday through Cyber Monday, then you’ve come to the right place. I’ve spent the afternoon researching beauty deals you can take advantage of from the comfort of your own home. Below is a list of websites and the discounts they’re offering. Hopefully, they will inspire your beauty Christmas wish/shopping list! Enjoy!
Black Friday/ Cyber Monday Beauty Deals (feel free to leave me a comment if you know of other deals and I’ll post them here):
+LiLash: The eyelash grower is offering the Black Friday/Cyber Monday discount of 25% off the original price of $140, plus FREE shipping in the US. This offer ends November 30th.
+Sephora: The overpriced beauty heaven is providing us with some deals that will make you give in to your guilty shopping pleasures, just this once. Choose from various discounted gift sets. My choice would be the “I Love Sephora Brush Set,” now $29 ($120) value. Sephora.com is also offering FREE shipping on orders $50 or more. Also, enter Promo code: CLUTCH4U at checkout to receive a bonus gift metallic flower clutch with 8 samples.
+Philosophy: Receive free shipping on any purchase amount (no minimum) and up to 40% off of select Philosophy favorites. Enter Promo code “holidays” at checkout.
+Lancome: Receive 20% off your entire order plus FREE shipping with code HOLIDAYJOY2 November 24th through the 30th. I recommend stocking up on Lancome mascaras: “Definicils,” “Hypnose” and “Oscillation.” All three are fabulous.
+Benefit Cosmetics: Use ship code SHIP2009 for free US shipping on orders over $25 November 27th though the 30th.
+Bliss: Get 50% off your bliss.com purchase November 27th through December 1st. Receive 30% off create your own gift sets though December 1st with code GIFT30.
+Saks 5th Avenue: When you spend $100 on Beauty and Fragrance at saks.com, use Promo code BEAUTY9 to receive a $25 Saks gift card plus FREE shipping on your entire order.
+Zoya: Receive 6 green polishes FREE with orders $20 or more, which make for perfect stocking stuffers or roommate gifts! Use offer code GREENFRIDAY. Offer expires after November 27th.
+Shu Uemura: Receive 20% off of purchases $50 or more, pluse FREE shipping with offer code: WISH09. Offer good November 27th though December 1st.
+Eyeslipsface: Everyone’s favorite affordable makeup company is offering FREE shipping on orders over $15. Use code EHCMFREESHIP. Remember, most items from e.l.f. are only $1 to begin with, so it’s a good place to buy gifts from!
Hope this was helpful! Happy shopping (oh yeah, and happy holidays)!
XOXO,
Sarah
Your PJ
Mascara Primer is the real secret to great lashes!
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I’ve talked a lot about mascara in my blog but barely mentioned mascara primer. This is a huge mistake on my part because primer is probably the single most underrated makeup item on the shelves today. For those of you who don’t use a mascara primer, your lashes are not living up to their full potential!
It’s amazing what a little bit of white goo from a primer can do for them: LENGTHEN, LENGHTEN, LENGTHEN!
USE PRIMER! I can’t say this enough.
Currently, I use Make Up For Ever’s “Lash Fibers.” It works fabulously well, but it’s extremely messy, as you can see from this picture of the wand:
Because it lengthens so well, I’m going to keep using Make Up For Ever’s “Lash Fibers” until I find something better. (If anyone has any suggestions for a less messy but still effective lash primer, please leave me a comment to let me know!)
Price? $20 sephora.com
Primer makes a huge difference but you don’t have to take my word for it. Here is a picture to prove it. (My right eye has a coat of primer under the mascara, my left does not):
Isn’t that quite the difference?! ☺
XOXO,
Sarah
Your PJ
A product to skip- Garnier Eye Roller
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Nothing peeves me more than reading great reviews about a product (and having it recommended to me by reliable sources) then having the product turn out to be a dud.
I first heard about the “revolutionary” Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller in an issue of Cosmopolitan that used readers’ ratings to recommend a large number of drugstore products. Cosmopolitan readers choose Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller as their number one choice for eye cream.
There’s this new-ish beauty fad going around that involves pumping caffeine into everything and claiming that it has magical effects on your body and skin. Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Puff Eye Roller supposedly uses caffeine to puff up the skin under your eyes and get rid of dark circles.
The reasoning behind that seemed logical enough, so I did some internet research. Sure enough, more reviews than not said that this roller worked like magic. I searched for weeks to find it in local drugstores.
Eventually, I came across it at Walmart and purchased it to try out.
I have to say I was very disappointed in this product and would not recommend it. Although the packaging is nice, and it’s easy to apply, it did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for my under eye circles other than make my skin feel cool and wet.
At first I thought that maybe I was the problem, not the product itself, so I had my friend Brittany try it. It didn’t do anything for her. I then forced it upon my boyfriend (he’ll kill me when he sees that I’m telling you this) and it did nothing for him either.
This product is all a hyped up scam. Don’t waste your $12.99.
I’d been searching for an eye cream for young twenty-something women for a long time, but this is NOT the one for me. I think I’m going to try using Arbonne‘s eye cream, so I’ll let you guys know how that goes! Do you have any other eye cream suggestions?
XOXO,
Sarah
Your PJ
New Look, Same Old Beauty Blog
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Hi guys! Don’t get freaked out by the new look of my blog, it’s still the same! Because the blog itself is relatively new, I’m still perfecting its style and seeing where I want to take it.
I’d love to hear back from you guys about what you think of the new style. I choose it because I think it looks nice but it’s also user-friendly and easy to read. I was getting some feedback about my old theme saying it was difficult to read the text. Hopefully this fixed the problem. Let me know what you think!
XOXO,
Sarah
Your PJ
e.l.f. cosmetics- As if they could get more affordable!
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Okay, so I finally broke down and ordered from e.l.f. (eyes lips and face). As I mentioned in one of my previous entries: “e.l.f.: A possible beauty breakthrough?” most of e.l.f. products are only $1. No, that’s not a typo, I really mean a single dollar. You should check it out for yourself at eyeslipsface.com .
In case you’re still not convinced to order from e.l.f., maybe this will give you an extra incentive: I found a code online that gives you 50% off of any purchase up to $15. Just enter the code CAROLINA when you’re checking out.
When my e.l.f. makeup gets here, I’ll be sure to let you know how it compares to more expensive products.
Don’t forget to visit eyeslipsface.com and use the code CAROLINA :)
Xoxo,
Sarah
Your PJ
The showdown: Latisse vs. LiLash
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This is an old blog post. More recent reviews (with pictures) of these two products can be found here:
Latisse review, “before” and “after” pictures
LiLash review and “after” pictures
Let’s clear some stuff up, shall we?
I actually did a lot of research on Latisse (and other eye lash growers) before I wrote my last blog post. Now that I’ve been using Latisse, I’ve done even more research and noticed that there is a lot of wrong information about the product on the web.
For example:
This website “puts to the test” LiLash vs. Latisse. LiLash is another product that promises longer lashes. The review is obviously biased toward LiLash. The errors in the review are as follows:
+”Requires a visit to your doctor to obtain a prescription. Most insurance companies do not cover visits related to cosmetic procedures or products. Most insurance companies also do not cover prescriptions for cosmetic purposes, either, so the cost of the product will be out-of-pocket.”
While it is true that Latisse can only be obtained by prescription, it is NOT true that a doctor’s visit is required. I simply walked into the doctors office and they handed me the product. My visit was free of charge.
+”Costs between $125-165 per tube depending on where you live. Each tube lasts only two months.”
My tube cost $120, and if used sparingly (click here to read comment from Linda on how to make Latisse last), can last at least ten weeks.
+”Does not have any conditioning ingredients added to keep eyelashes from feeling brittle or hard.”
This point is actually true, but a lash conditioner or primer will keep your lashes from feeling brittle for WAY less money than LiLash (sephora.com has about a million lash conditioners to choose from). In fact, the way that LiLash works to grow your eyelashes is the same way a hair conditioner works to grow your hair. It helps prevent it from breaking, but doesn’t speed up the process of growth. Latisse has an actual drug in it (Lumigan) that increases hair growth.
These products make similar promises to grow your hair, but they work COMPLETELY differently than each other. LiLash works for women who have dry and brittle lashes, but if you don’t, it won’t help you grow your lashes any longer than your genetics want you to. Keep this in mind when deciding what eyelash grower you should use.
For best results, I would suggest using Latisse and a lash conditioner together (not LiLash though because it is applied the same way as Latisse and they may counteract each other).
Hope this entry clears up any confusion anyone may have.
Latisse– The Secret to Long Luscious Lashes?
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Like many women, I’m not entirely satisfied with my eyelashes. They’re fairly dark, but they’re lacking luster. Could Latisse change that for me?
Week 1 Pictures (before Latisse):
Latisse is the only FDA approved eyelash growth treatment with Lumigan, an ingredient that is clinically proven to increase and speed up hair growth.
Lumigan was originally used as a drug to treat glaucoma patients. Patients applied drops of it to their eyes. One unintentional side effect of the drug was that regular use caused patients’ eyelashes to grow longer, thicker, and darker. This was observed years ago but it wasn’t until recently that the FDA approved the drug to be used cosmetically. The result is Latisse.
Latisse is available by prescription only, but it’s not difficult to get. I walked into my local plastic surgeon’s office simply to ask about it, and I walked away $120 poorer, but with Latisse in my hands. According to latisse.com, “users may see results starting at 8 weeks with full results at 12 to 16 weeks.”
It looks like my journey toward luscious lashes will be a long one, but I’ll keep the photos coming every week, I promise.
To track the progress of my experiences with Latisse, without having to sift through all my other blog entries, go to the right side of my blog labled “tags” and click on “Latisse.
Basic information (from my understanding) about Latisse:
+It’s available by prescription only.
+It costs $120 (per month, which works out to be about $4 a day)
+Possible side effects include darkening of the iris, which is not dangerous to your health
+It is applied once a day
For more information about Latisse, testimonials, and “before & after” photos, visit: www.latisse.com
xoxo,
Sarah
Your PJ
Do You Know What You’re Putting On Your Body?
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After reading my last blog entry about e.l.f. cosmetics, my sorority sister Whitney Boyer sent me the following email:
Hey lady! I was reading your blog and I got really intrigued by e.l.f cosmetics! I went to their website and was checking it out. I read some of the ingredients and wanted you to be aware that almost all of their products contain parabens. Parabens are a chemical that A LOT of people not only have allergic reactions to but they are also endocrine disruptors. Parabens mimic natural hormones in your body and can unnaturally elevate levels of your hormones. Just thought you should know since it seems so new!! If you do end up trying their products let me know what you think!
Love,
Your fellow ingredients junkie! :)
Whitney is right. It’s important to be aware of what you are putting on your skin. This should have a major affect on your product choices.
Whitney and Victoria Lee (another sorority sister) are Independent Consultants for Arbonne International. Arbonne is a wellness and spa company that is “pure, safe, and beneficial.” One of Arbonne’s primary focuses is on the fact that whatever you put on your skin enters your body. I think this is a very good philosophy to keep in mind.
I have a confession: I haven’t blogged about a whole lot of Arbonne products. The reason is as follows: I want to keep this blog unbiased and avoid losing credibility because many people know my friends work for the company. With that being said, Arbonne is a great cosmetics company with a great reputation. Its products are defiantly worth trying. Not to mention that they’re very safe for your skin and body.
Whitney Boyer and Victoria Lee are also fantastic resources for Arbonne information and safe ingredients, if you’re interested. They would both be more than happy to talk to you face-to-face, over email, twitter, facebook, or the phone.
Click here to follow Whitney Boyer on Twitter!
Click here to become a friend of Whitney Boyer on Facebook!
Email Victoria Lee at VLee2@uoregon.edu
xoxo,
Sarah
Your PJ
e.l.f. : a possible beauty breakthrough?
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Anybody ever heard of/used e.l.f. cosmetics? I read about the company in People’s Style addition. It prides itself on selling cheap (most things are only $1!!!) designer-quality makeup and makeup tools. I’m very curious.
Could it be too good to be true, or is it simply a FABULOUS FIND? If e.l.f. is really as good of a deal as it seems, I’m beginning to wonder how other companies sucker us into spending up to $30 on a mascara or lip gloss?
I plan on ordering something from their website soon, so I’ll keep you guys posted.
More info: www.eyeslipsface.com
xoxo,
Sarah
Your PJ
Ps. I just read on twitter that e.l.f. is now sold at Target too…
