Ulta — My New Fun Find

I’m so excited! Imagine my delight last month when I discovered that a new Ulta store had opened 5 minutes away from my house. This must be like when a junkie finds out his dealer has moved into his neighborhood! I am very addicted to beauty products!

Before this, I have only been to one Ulta store, which wasn’t nearly as nice as mine (oh, yes, it’s mine!). I love the mix of high end products with ones you would find at your neighborhood drugstore. It’s so much fun to dream of splurges why you are buying more affordable treasures.

On a recent trip to Ulta, I decided to check out their own cosmetics brand. These items are very affordable, ranging from the regular price of $6.50 US for an eye or lip liner to $14.00 US for mineral powders. But be on the lookout for sales, they often price their cosmetics for much cheaper.

I found myself intrigued by their eye shadows and eye liners. I’ve been recently into shadows with a bit of a sheen to them. The colors I chose are Gold Leaf, a shimmery medium antique gold and Pearl, an shimmery ivory shade. I used the Gold Leaf on my upper lid with the Pearl under my brow bone. I find that this is a nice day look. The only down side is that the end of the day, the colors faded quite a bit. I bet with primer underneath, they would last longer.

I also purchased Ulta’s Kohl Eye LIner in black. This is a very creamy liner that glides on easily. I used it on my upper lash line for my day look. Although this is a nice liner, like the shadow it was almost completely gone at the end of the day.

For the price of the shadows and liners, especially on sale, these are good products and I would recommend them.

The Mascara De Jour — Exceptionnel De Chanel

Exceptionnel De Chanel
Exceptionnel De Chanel

WOW. Not much more to say, but WOW!

Okay, I obviously have lots more to say (I do love to write!). So… lets start from the beginning.

My lashes are puny. and short. and very sparse. A mascara makes me happy if it gives me the appearance that I have any lashes at all, and if it doesn’t smear under my eyes five minutes after I’ve applied it. I’ve learned not to ask for much for my lashes, but this amazing Chanel mascara has exceeded all of my mascara hopes and dreams.

Chanel’s claim for Exceptionnel De Chanel is that it lifts, curls and gives volume to lashes with it’s revolutionary six-sided brush. Three short, soft sets of bristles are inter-mingled with three longer, stiff plastic combs.

The trick is to rotate the wand as you lift up and out while applying the mascara. This curls, thickens and lengthens my sorry little lashes. The effect is almost false eyelash-esque. I even had to get used to the feeling of such long eyelashes. Weird but very cool.

This mascara retails for $28.00 American on the Chanel website. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a worthwhile mascara splurge. Enjoy!

Hello to all Fellow Beauty Lovers!

Hi all! My name is Lorena and I have recently turned 40. Ugh, right? Not really. I have found the secret to eternal youth is a positive attitude, love (natch!) and really great beauty products. I try to always have all three with me; especially a really great lip gloss, fantastic mascara, and concealer for my under eye circles (I have 3 kids!).

The purpose of this blog is to share my love of all things beauty with others who also have this obsession. I will be reviewing the older products that I can’t live without as well as new, exciting products that catch my eye. Any feedback and reviews from readers will always be welcome.

Tomorrow I will be reviewing a Chanel mascara that I just received and maybe a few other fun products, (I’m planning a trip to Sephora in the morning)!

So until then, have sweet dreams and a beautiful morning!