NAILS THREE: BURT'S BEES LEMON BUTTER CUTICLE CREAM

I don't know what to say about this cuticle cream.  I'll say this, I'm going to finish it, but I'm not sure I'll ever repurchase.  Let me explain.

The Good: This has the most heavenly scent of lemon and being Burt's Bees it is mostly natural.  Being solid it can be traveled easily without leaking, and it's nearly impossible to use too much.  

The Bad: It's kind of sticky and gets all over the packaging.  That means when I open the packaging my hands are already sticky before I ever even touch the product.  The product has to be worked to warm up and then rubbed into the skin.  

I think this is a good product and when you need a deeper cuticle condition *ahem* you haven't been taking care of your hands *ahem*, but over all I prefer an oil.  I've used the Sally Hansen cuticle oil in a pen that smells of marzipan.  You know the one.  I liked the ease of application better.

I have another cuticle oil from Butter London that I'm planning on reviewing soon so keep your eyes peeled for that one.

MAKEUP THREE: PIXIGLOW STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING LINER

This eyeliner has been in my stash for awhile and I had completely forgotten about it until what shall henceforth be referred to as "The Great Makeup Clean Out of 2013".  

I picked up "Straight on till Morning" Liner from the PixiGLOW collection at Target back when Pixi released the Tinkerbell/Peter Pan inspired collection.  This liner is a bronzey, green with sparkles that is so smooth and creamy.  It is truly beautiful.  

I'm not sure I should even be writing about it in case it, or a dupe, are impossible to find out in the real world instead of a makeup hoard like mine, but I gotta tell ya, if you can find something similar then get it.  So flattering as compared to straight black or brown.  

MAKEUP TWO: LORAC PRO PALETTE

Stop the world.  If all other palettes went to palette Heaven, or Hell (depending on price, packaging, and pigmentation), then I'd be fine because a little while ago I caved and bought the Lorac PRO Palette.

Sephora, and MakeupbyTiffanyD, convinced me to throw out $42 and walk away with this and you know what?  I don't regret it one bit.  Is $42 steep for some eyeshadow?  Yep.  Have I paid more?  Unfortunately, yes.  Does it live up to the hype?  Yeah.  Do I wear it every. single. day.? Uh huh.  

See?  Problem.  Even after a clean out and sale I still have at least ten palettes that I need to be using.  I mean, come on just using one palette?  But I just keep reaching for this bad boy.  So much so that if you saw my shameful YouTube mini haul I'm proud to announce that I returned the $59 Marc Jacobs Lolita Palette that was nearly $20 more expensive and twice as powdery.  

*insert my judgey face here*

NAILS TWO: MAYBELLINE COLOR SHOW BROCADES 760 GILDED ROSE

Are you seeing this?  I mean, are you really freakin' seeing this polish?  I got a coupon from CVS for $5 and I spent it on this and another polish that I'm hoping will debut on my blog soon.  Both are Maybelline.  

This absolute beaute is from the Maybelline Color Show Brocades collection, 760 Gilded Rose.  I adore this.  I haven't attempted to take it off so I don't know much of a pain removal is going to be, but whatever. Worth. It. I've clearly got some chips, but not bad considering I literally slapped it on without base coat or top coat three days ago.

If you're interested I'd recommend heading down to your neighborhood drug store and searching this baby out since it's limited edition.  You can thank me later. 

NAILS ONE: NYC QUICK DRY NAIL POLISH 202 GRAND CENTRAL STATION

The topcoat to end all top coats.  Eff off Seche Vite.  I don't need you or your ridiculous price tag.  This top coat set me back about $1 and it's amazing.  NYC 202 Grand Central Station.  Glossy, quick drying and inexpensive? 

Forever repurchase.

MAKEUP ONE: BUXOM FULL-ON LIP POLISH IN DOLLY

Okay, so I just did a massive clean out of makeup.  Disposed of some rancid/questionable products, donated some to a couple of friends, and just generally got a better idea of what I was going to be working through.

The consolidation of my lip collection left me with, well, should I even say? What the Hell?  If I can't be honest with the internet cosmos then who can I be honest with? I was left with 56 lip products.  

If you want a break down:

26 Lipsticks

15 Lipglosses

8 Lip Balms

4 Lip Stains

3 Lip Pencils

I'm planning on reviewing each one individually on here.  Eventually. In the meantime I thought I'd tell y'all about my newest acquisition.  

Say hello to Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in the shade Dolly.  This was a free gift from Sephora Inside JCPenney's that I received a mailer about and couldn't wait to get my grubby little mitts on.  And boy, am I glad I did.  I freakin' love this gloss.  It isn't sticky and it's gorgeous.

I will give a warning that this is a lip plumper and therefore does have that peppermint tingle, but it's pretty slight so I think unless you are super sensitive then you should be fine! Run, don't walk, to try this bad boy out and see what you've been missing!

SKINCARE ONE: LUSH BREATH OF FRESH AIR TONER

So, before I can review this toner I have to give an adequate back story.  A gentleman who shall remain nameless, but is very important to me has struggled with his skin for his entire youth and young adult life.  I have never offered any advice to him because I think having bad skin is kind of like being "overweight".  People constantly bringing it up and telling you what you should and shouldn't be doing to fix the problem.  

Eventually he said something to me about his displeasure with his face and his frustration with not being able to clear his skin no matter what he used.  I asked him what he was using and he used a single drugstore scrub on his face daily.  That's right folks.  A single product.  A scrub. Twice daily.  *sigh* Boys!

Off we went to the mall and I dragged him into LUSH to get some samples to see if he would use the products.  Fast forward and his face is fixed.  He loves his regimen and it loves him.  So, the last time we stopped by LUSH to pick up a few products for him I was smelling the smells, as ya do, and picked up this toner.

I'm currently, as you well know, working on using up all the hoards of products I have that I need to get through so I was finishing up this Bobbi Brown product in my toner step that I liked, but wasn't necessarily sold on repurchasing.  Finished that and picked up this...

HOLY MOTHER OF REFRESHING! I love this toner!  This toner smells so clean and fresh.  It is so nice and moisturizing and it's inexpensive.  It was $9.95 USD for this size and I think it is so worth it.  I really, really recommend this product for someone with normal or slightly dry skin.  This has made my skin, and me, very happy.

PETITE PLEASURE ONE: THE MINI-GHOST

I'll let you in on a little secret.  I am very easily scared.  Like, I hide my eyes during The Oogie Boogie scene in The Nightmare Before Christmas.  Or fast-forward.  Whatever.  It's just too much, okay?  That said, I love Halloween!

Decorations.  Pumpkins.  Candy.  And now this.  Holy Crap! My love for Beanie Boos, basically Beanie Babies with giant eyes, has been totally enlarged and carried to the next level by this little guy.  The second I saw him in the Hallmark store I was all over it.  I mean, get real.  Mini ghost wearing a pumpkin with large eyes?  Consider that baby coming home with Mama! 

Now, if only I could convince myself it's appropriate for him to be displayed all year long.  

FIVE FOR ONE SPECIAL

June's Fab Five

Wait, what? A blog post?! Shock. Horror.  

Alright, officially noted lack of posting in like, a year, and officially contrite.  Now, onto what I'm here for and what I'm really excited about.  

I have been in the process of using up all the ridiculous amounts of makeup, haircare, skincare, and other "girlie" detritus that takes up every bit of spare space and far too much of the money in my life.  

Since embarking on this journey I have held myself to a tough standard of only purchasing things that I need.  You know, completely out of every face primer so I go buy one.  Just one and use that up before I buy another one.  

I know, I know.  How boring and un-beauty blogger of me, but let's face it folks.  The economy is tough and my man is tougher and if there isn't room in the bathroom for his two hair products, deodorant, body wash, and shampoo because I'm hoarding thirteen bottles of toners I'm not really enthused about then, "Houston, we have a problem."  

So, things have been going well, but now I'm running into a problem, not lack of enthusiasm, no way.  How cathartic to rid myself of all this clutter, especially the stuff I push to the back of the cabinet and try not to look at because it was expensive, but I don't want to use it because it smells/looks funny or it was limited edition or whatever weirdo obsessive beauty blogger excuse I try to make!

The problem is I have used up a lot of the quick stuff.  Many of the samples and most of the stuff that was half used so now I'm running into the ever loathsome, "This product is never going to be empty."  So to kick my butt into high gear again and to focus myself on particular products instead of flitting from bottle to bottle like a hummingbird and seemingly getting nowhere I have made myself a task for the remaining months of 2013.  

This being the first of June makes it the perfect day to unveil it.  On the 1st of the month I will post five products that I have challenged myself to finish by the end of the month.  In contrast, I have seven items that I want to purchase so badly I dream about them, scroll the internet to make sure they aren't gone yet, and constantly mention the ways they would make my life better to anyone who will listen.  So, at the end of the month if I have used up my five products then guess what?  I get to pick a single item from the list and purchase it with no guilt and an extremely intricate happy dance that took me two weeks to choreograph.  

The photo at the top are the items I have challenged myself to finish by June 30th.  May the force be with me!

HELLO, AGAIN...

Whew! What a year and where has the time gone? Out the window.  I assure you.  It's crazy and with all the changes my life has made recently clearly blogging and vlogging ceased to be important to me, but I'm back.  

Clearly, the blog crisis number one was some sort of error and melt down that resulted in all of my old blog entries being deleted.  Crap.  Oh well, such is life and I'm moving on.  Clean slate, clean start.

Hopefully, tomorrow a vlog will go up on my YouTube that's just a general chit chat and catch up.  I look forward to seeing you all in the near future and thanks for stickin' with me. 

I'll just leave with with some of my favorite iPhone snaps from 2012. Enjoy!

DISCOVERED STEAM ROLLERS

LOVE THAT FLORIDA SKY

SUCH A CAMERA HOUND

ACT II: PETER AND THE STARCATCHER

BUTTERFLIES IN THE MALL

WHEN I FOUND MY BRUTUS

IN THE STAIRWELL FINDING WALDO WITH LAWRENCE

WHO'S THAT GIRL? IT'S JESS...WAIT, AMANDA CHEYENNE!

BEAUTIFUL YELLOW FLOWERS

SOUTH PACIFIC WITH DINAH AND ONE OF HER MANY PILOTS

ADLER AND I JUST SPEND OUR TIME TAKING PHOTOS

THEATER WILL GIVE YOU SOME SERIOUSLY NASTY BRUISES

HOW MY BEST BROAD FEELS AFTER AN AUDITION

HOW I FEEL AFTER THE SAME AUDITION...

YES, THAT'S A TURKEY TAIL MADE OUT OF LIFE MAGAZINE.

BRUTUS AND I BEG FORGIVENESS

ARTISTIC AND MUSICALLY GIFTED? JERK.

AN OLDIE BUT A GOODIE

ALMOST, MAINE AND ALMOST ON STAGE

10 INCHES OF SNOW IN ONE DAY. KEEP IT GANGSTA ST PAUL.

WE ARE SO FINE.

IT'S THE HOURS OF PRACTICE.

MY NEWEST BEANIE BOO ACQUISITION.

YEE-HAW!

THE REDDEST OF LIPS.