Safe Travels Lie Ahead

...for my make-up and brushes, that is! Between all the visits up north to SF, business trips, weekend sleepovers, and vacations I've had over the past year, it's embarrassing to say that I wasn't armed with the proper travel kits for my beloved items! After much searching, the Sephora Calypso Hanging Bag ($10) and Bare Escentuals Deluxe Brush Roll ($35) are my new favorite traveling companions.

Besides being adorably pink, the Calypso bag allows me to fit a good amount of products in its three clear compartments. The depth of each compartment allows for some stacking (2 MAC quads/2 MAC Skinfinishes), so it's actually pretty roomy.

A problem I've always run into is having to dig through my messy makeup bag for smaller items, such as, sharpeners, eyeshadows, and travel-sized primers and lotions. With this bag, I can see exactly where everything is. The hanger also makes for easy make-up application in the bathroom. For only $10, this was such a great deal for something I desperately needed.

Another thing I'm so glad I found is the BE brush roll. My brush collection has expanded quite a bit over these past few years and I even adopted the Sephora-style glass jar with beads (such a great, great invention) to keep them safe at home. Taking them on trips was a little more of a hassle. I love the simplicity of this case and how neatly it locks up. It's hard to imagine that it can carry so many brushes! Besides containing 10 slots for large brushes and 10 slots for small brushes, the brush roll also has a little pocket for my beloved MAC 182 kabuki brush. It's too good to be true! My most used brush and most neglected during my travels because I've stuffed it in so many random places each time (sometimes resulting in crimped bristles due to my carelessness). Now that shall be a problem no more!

Stocking Stuffer Ideas - Beauty

Only a few short weeks until Christmas! The weekend after Thanksgiving, my roommates and I immediately went out and got decorations for our apartment - lights to line along the ceiling, a small (fake) tree, wreath, and garlands to make the place festive, I love it! This week, my holiday checklist included booking trips back home to California (so excited) and dreaming up cute gifts for stocking stuffers, white elephant exchanges, and secret santas. Here are some beauty-related ideas for gifts ranging from $25-50...

1) anything from LUSH! From Michelle's post here, there are many yummy smelling goodies to pamper a lucky person on your list. For a newbie, I'd give the famous bathbombs (there are so many varieties to choose from) or bubble bars, both would make shower/bath time rock. Bath bombs are $5-6 and bubble bars are $6-7 , so while it's not cheap to enjoy regularly, these would make great gifts.  Lush skincare also consistently receives raves but they're harder to pick for somebody else since you don't really know their skin type/concerns (so feel free to self-gift!). If there's a store close by you, I'd recommend taking a walk, soaking up the smells, and choosing several to try.

2) Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner sets - holiday sets are AWESOME. Not only do they often offer a brand's best selling products, but they give the recipient choices, and they're economic to boot! I like this set of eyeliners from UD - quality is tops with super smooth and soft drawing ease, doesn't smudge (hence the "24/7"), and a rainbow of colors to experiment with! These are perfect for nights out, since who really needs a full-size bright green eyeliner?! It'd just sit sadly in my traincase. And I try to love all my makeup by rotating and using them fairly regularly. This particular set is $36, and comes with 9 mini pencils, but there are two other sets I like also, with 4 larger pencils + a glitter liner.

3) Perfume sampers - still think these are a genius idea. Hook, line and sinker - the sample vials of Sephora's best smelling fragrances let you try each scent without the $$ commitment, and later you can exchange for a full size bottle of your favorite pick. Easy peasy.

Other quick ideas:

- cult favorite items if the recipient doesn't already have them: NARS blush (Orgasm is the ubiquitous shade, but I like Deep Throat better), Shu Uemura eyelash curler, YSL Touche Eclat pen.

- beauty books: Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin for a lover of dramatic and bold makeup, Bobbi Brown's manuals for the girl who enjoys simple and basic makeup. Not beauty related, but I've also purchased Nina Garcia's The One Hundred on pieces that every girl should have in her wardrobe. This was a great book for when I first started working and wanted to build my closet with timeless items.

Blushing Winter Cheeks

t's not hard to tell that shu uemura is a definite Coastalpolitan favorite! I can't help but fall in love each time I walk by the counter at the mall and although my collection is small and humble, my shu uemura goodies are fun and irreplaceable!

Like Janice, I'm absolutely obsessed with blushes. "Um, why do you have so many?" is a reaction I get most often whenever a friend rummages through my makeup bag. So that I can have one color to fit each mood and setting, of course! Plus, what girl doesn't love pink (okay, maybe that's just me)?

The current look I've been aiming for is the perfect pink hue--the kind that's usually triggered by walking outside on a cold day. As most of my days are spent indoors (boo.), I had to find something to help me fake this illusion. I actually bought two blushes to add to my collection recently, Glow On in M Pink 30 and P Peach 45, but M Pink 30 is the one I'm in LOVE with. Gorgeous color that it is, the color seemed a bit overwhelming to me in the beginning. However, I've finally mastered layering this on with the perfect light swipes and haven't worn any other blush since!

As luck would have it, you can pick up Pink 30 (1 of the 3 shu blushes offered) for 20% off via Sephora's F&F Sale!

EDIT: Unfortunately, these beauties are all sold out on Sephora.com, but trust me when I say that this is worth the $21 regular price!

Sephora Friends and Family 2009

Sephora's Friend's and Family started today and runs until November 2. I haven't had much time to think of all the fun things I want to get, so all I have picked up so far are the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser and Soy Face Cream. After getting a facial at the Fresh Espace back in April, I'm in LOVE with their products and am excited about the chance to incorporate them into my daily skincare regime! I have read so many great reviews and the fact that they smell so fresh (I know, I know, but it's so true!) is just an added bonus. If I can think of some great undereye or anti-aging treatments, I'm definitely in for another order before this ends...

Although the promo hasn't been advertised nearly as much as in the past (what, no special flyer or email notification, Sephora?), you can enter FF2009 for 20% off your entire purchase. Remember you get 3 free samples of your choice and free shipping on orders over $50.

Cheers to the start of Friends and Family savings for us all!

The Gift of Choice

When it comes to buying presents, I'm really quite good at getting stuff that I would want, and assume that if I am as enraptured by it, of course the lucky person would be more than happy to receive. Flawed logic much?

This Christmas, while searching for presents that I other people would like, I stumbled upon the Scent Sampler Kits at Sephora, a genius idea that lets your be-gifted choose their favorite scent from a possible 8-10 selections, and turn in a voucher for a full-size bottle! It takes the (not fun part of) guesswork out of gifting and injects a fun activity for the recipient to partake in. Also, I've never understood how people can give perfumes to others, without for sure knowing it's that person's signature scent, since smell is such a personal and subjective characteristic.

Each kit includes vials of trial-size samples (you know, the kind that Sephora gives out with online purchases), and is $50, a good deal considering that the full-size versions of the samples cost more than that on its own.

There are four sets to choose from, including one for the men in your life. With so many varieties of perfume, each set targets a different type - the "Bestseller" for fragrance newbies and girls who want to try the most popular scents, the "Trend Setters" for girls who are looking for a new olfactory experience, and "New Classics" which have heavier scents and may a good choice for older sisters and moms. For guys, there is 1 set, and includes my personal favorites - Bvlgari Aqua and YSL L'Homme.

For the ones who want to upsize - for $70, there is a Deluxe set, and includes 8 vials of glass samples that are miniature replicas of the large sizes, allowing your loved ones to try each scent for longer, and also keep the cute bottles afterward.

Happy gifting!

Sephora Beauty Insiders Offer

My gruesome week at work has been uplifted by a pleasant Sephora Beauty Insiders surprise. I found a $15 off $35 gift card in my inbox tonight!! I was so excited because I couldn't get myself to buy anything during Friends & Family week. But now... things may have changed.

Some things that I have been lusting after:

Philosophy Microdelivery Wash: I like my Mario Badescu Glycolic Cleanser, but this cleanser seems to have so much more oomph in it. I've heard great reviews and have been wanting to try this for quite some time. At $22 for a 16oz bottle, this would be a steal!! My problem is that I never finish any cleansers that I have because I'm always buying new ones!

Smashbox Photofinish Primer: Yes, yes, this product comes off almost "overrated" because it's talked about so often. As someone who's tried again and again to resist, I finally tried some samples and am hooked!! This makes my Napoleon Autopilot Primer seem like quite the dud (one that smells amazing, but doesn't do much). I fear that I will end up being dependent upon this and going broke repurchasing it in the future. 1oz for $36 is a pretty hefty price.

I'm not sure which one I will go with yet, but I am looking forward to picking something up this weekend. Check your email, because this offer should not be missed!

Have a great Thanksgiving. I'm still debating if I will make it out to any Black Friday sales. Sleep is one of my most wanted items as of now.