Sometimes Yaya

LASplash at a Drugstore Near You

The love story with drugstores and me is that when I wander around aimlessly before my purchase, I am almost always guaranteed to find something new. Either to the market or to just lil’ me. This time around? LASplash. I saw these at a Duane Reade. Bright colored eye liquid eyeliners and equally bright colored mascaras.

If you know me, you also know that I try nearly every color mascara out there because I just adore them. The trick to getting the color to pop is to have a dark eyeliner, and/or using a primer for your lashes or a white mascara. This will make the color pop even more (think about mixing paints: a blue will pop more if added to white than if added to brown).

These babies were $6.49 each but I also found them online at CherryCulture.com. The site has a rewards program that is a bit better than Duane Reade so if you are trying to get the biggest bang for your buck you know what to do. Also – I am not sure if other drugstores carry this brand yet. I know Duane Reade has the least amount of BOGO sales out of all the drugstores I frequent (but I still love it dearly). The mascaras on the site are $4.99 each and the liners are $5.99. If you get up to free shipping, you’re getting them for a bargain. Also? The brand has eyeshadows, lipglosses, lipsticks, and glitter. You can check out their main website here but be warned they sell for $6.99 (but they have a full collection of ALL colors, and a Twilight inspired glitter mascara collection), so choose your battles lol.

Check out more pictures and swatches below!

Don’t laugh. You can see me taking the picture in the reflection. I just had to do it though, saw it and out came the camera! These are the mascaras. Peep the black with glitter one on the right!

These are the liquid eyeliners. I really like the bold colors.

I was in the store looking at every one of these and then opening them up to see what the inside held. The main pet peeve of mine with drugstores is that you rarely get to test the product before you purchase it, and even more rare is the ability to return the product if it’s not a good fit for you. I even had a saleslady come up to me and tell me to stop opening these products and I had to bite my tongue back not to be rude as they ALL said ‘Tester’ on them. Anyhoo, the colors of the mascaras are pretty much the same as the packaging.

Almost all of the mascaras had this brush. I like this kind of brush (also seen on CoverGirl Lash Blast and Chanel Inimitable). Instead of a winding brush it is rubberized with little spokes coming out. I feel like this kind of brush gets the best coverage and the least clump.

And of course only one stinkin’ mascara out of all of them had to be special. The light blue (or Blue Fantasea) is the only one with a different wand. When I checked the Cherry Culture site though, they had way more colors. So I don’t know if the other colors have different wands as well.

For the eyeliner swatches, refer to the image above where I showed toy the liners in their display case. I swatched the colors from left to right.

These colors are all pretty vibrant, no? I am most impressed with the most right hand green liner with a hint of shimmer.

This was a smudge test. The bottom smudge was right after application, and the top was after about seven minutes, when I was sure it was dry. As you can see it sticks pretty well, but when you smudge it at first the color leaves in sections instead of blending. This would not be a liquid liner you want to blend with for a look.

This is after ten hours of wear. I had this on my hand as I finished my holiday shopping the day before Christmas. My honey and his family have a big get together at their house and so of course after weeks and months of procrastinating I was out and about all day. This means that I used lotion and washed my hands with water once. I’d say it’s not great, but not bad either.

I will be doing a more thorough review of these babies soon as I got a couple of both the mascaras and liners to try out for my readers.

On a completely different tangent – when you read their name aren’t you tempted to call them ‘Lash Splash’ instead of LASplash? I know that’s what I’ve been doing!

Have you ever tried LASplash? Seen this in your drugstore? Like the swatches?

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Playing With Napoleon

I received a video in my inbox a while back about Napoleon Perdis with an overall brand mashup. It showed him working on lucky models, introduced him, and showcased many of his products. Try as hard as I did, I could not upload the video here. Chalk that up to me still being a rookie with Blogger. I can give you the link to the video on YouTube though… and you can click on it and check it out here!

I captured a couple of the screen shots because one of the models got me itchin’ to recreate the look. I ended up struggling way too much to create a tutorial, but to make up for my troubles (no pun intended), I followed up with a pretty long photo shoot with me and myself. I even made my hair act like the 80’s were back.

Just so you know: Napoleon Perdis has two makeup lines. The namesake higher end and the partnership with Target called NP Set. I have a couple of the NP Sets and that’s precisely (New Orleans) what I used to recreate the look. Since they are found at Tarjay, I reached into my stash and used the Jemma Kidd lipstick that I purchased for review (remember it here?) and used it to have an all Tarjay look. Check it out after the jump!

I used the NP Set New Orleans eyeshadow trio to recreate this look right hurr:

I tried and I tried and I don’t know if I succeeded, but I do know that I found out an orange/brown look can be pretty snazzy if mixed with white.

The model in the inspiration picture doesn’t have her eyes rimmed with black liner, but I felt like it was necessary. What do you think? Would you change it?

Felt like the hair was too flat in the first two pictures so I started to mess around and foof up my hair. Yes y’all. I call this foofing. I also did that model look (I like to call it that) where you stare at nothing and kind of pout and kind of not lol.

Couldn’t take myself seriously for long…

The look transforms into something else entirely when you swap in a neutral-ish lipstick for a red. I used NYX in Elektra. Oh and that face? I’m not disgusted… I was trying to make an amused look… I’m not a model, I’m a blogger! 🙂

It gave me the urge to break out my crazy headband and polka dots. Foofed some more and goofed around with the camera.

How are you liking it? Check out the video?

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Talk It Out Tuesday – Shopping Partners

Hey there kiddies. As I rummaged through the MOJ archives, I realized that the last Talk It Out Tuesday was over a month ago! So of course, it’s time to ask some questions and talk it out.

How does your partner treat your shopping habits? This could be a current or past instance.

Whenever I go rummaging for beauty products, my other half prefers to stay out of it. Not that he will refuse to go, just that when he does go he has nothing to do, so he ends up standing there. It’s really because he has no interest in glosses or mascaras, or if China Glaze has a new collection out, or which celebrity was last seen getting a mani with it. Also, being that this isn’t necessarily his passion, I don’t get the ooh and ahh shared excitement of a new glitter or holo polish, or shadow. I like to do the beauty shopping alone or with the gals. Shopping for clothes is much easier because I like to get his input and point out ridiculous outfits, and I can alternate between men’s stores where we can find stuff for him, and then stores for me.

Image credit: edited game scene from DeviantArt user Janeko

I actually consider myself lucky. I have plenty friends who face shopping with their ladies for anything as an extreme hassle and are just party poopers throughout the whole experience. I’ve dated a guy or two in the past that was like this, and it just ruined the whole stinkin’ experience for me (and if you know me – you’ll know it’s always a good experience lol!).

What about you? Is your partner your shopping partner?

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Korres Never Fails

Everytime I post or find a product from Korres, I am equal parts in love and addicted. At first? I was a bit skeptical. What does this organic product have to offer for me? Now? Well, now I know the answer is everything!

From skin care to lip treatments, I have been turning to the brand for guaranteed happiness. This is exactly what I got when I purchased my first Korres blush (44 Orange). I bought it way back when I was at the Artist Summit in Miami, so you’ll understand the urge for me to showcase it to you. I’ll put this bad boy into action soon, and of course, you’ll be the first to hear about it. Check out the swatch after the jump and let me know what you think!

Let me say as much as I love fancy or witty packaging, I also love when a brand knows just how to be a perfect minimalist. Where the product is simple – a square with not much show about it, and just a simple font describing the product. Still looks pretty awesome, doesn’t it? Success!

The top is one swipe and the bottom is two. The color is very buildable and can be blended to a glow similar to that after just the right amount of time in the sun, to whatever depth you want it to be.

Want to get it? Purchase the Korres blush here: mine is 44 Orange.

What do you own from Korres? Have a favorite blush?

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Have you tried a DIY project recently?

When something crosses my path too many times, it starts to become a mini obsession. Whether it is shopping, crafting, reading, etc. I end up doing it like a madman until I tire myself out and then the miscellaneous closet grows bigger and bigger. Are you the same way?

As I have mentioned before, large necklaces are everywhere. The it accessory trend of 2009, bib necklaces ushered in the mixed medium neckwear. Every time I spot one in a store I am tempted to buy one and each time the good ones are either out of my budget or aren’t as good as I want them to be.

So I’m on a DIY kick.

I used eBay and took a quick trip to Michael’s for some crafts and bought some jewelry at Forever 21 and $1 necklace/bracelet street vendors and am trolling the web for awesome tutorials. I think my first attempt will be with ribbon, as that is much easier than using metal, prying it apart and clipping it back together. I don’t even know if I’m using the appropriate lingo. 🙂

Image credit: DeviantArt user bchurch

Check out the faves I found as inspiration:

Oh did I pique your interest?

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=myowju-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0060841303&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrMaybe some of these sites will give you a good start for the DIY bandwagon that I am clearly late to jump on:

Tutorial by Meagan. She also has great outfit posts and DIY everything else whenever the mood strikes.
This tutorial on craftzine.com is probably a high level tutorial. Looks super fancy. Want to make one now!!
Now this? Some ribbon and what could be a keychain holder – or a metal ring. M.I.S.S has the perfect tutorial here!
And an elegant pearl necklace tutorial at Style Me Pretty.

Have you done any DIY projects? Know a good tutorial? Let me know!

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Magazine Weekend: Fitness Magazine Jan ’10

So now that we are back in full swing at MOJ, I am at the ready with plenty a Magazine Weekend mention for how to keep your winter full of tips and minimize your lack of knowledge on beauty and… warmth.

When I was younger, I couldn’t understand how I would be going out with friends and would find others wearing a simple hoodie, or a light jacket and I was the one standing looking like the Michellin man with my bubble jacket, mittens, ear muffs, a hat, ski looking pants, and more. How were these people not immediately transforming into icicles? Then I got older.

Between meeting the honey (who always looks like he needs to be wearing 2 more jackets but is actually nearly always warm), and observing others, I have learned the tricks to layering clothes without looking like a bear, as well as feeling like a twig about to fly away and freeze.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=myowju-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00005N7Q6&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrThanks to my favorite winter jacket, I can skip the second step in this tip from Fitness Magazine‘s January issue and wear a butter soft long sleeve top (my favorites are the super thin cotton 3/4 sleeve tops at Uniqlo) under my jacket. But I will make sure to use this tip when I am trying to look extra cute with my feather light trench coats (which have no inkling of warmth). The best part about all this (other than being warm)? You can make use of all your fancy summer tees, your fall cardigans, and your winter jackets! Talk about seasonless attire!

I’d also check out the rest of the magazine if I were you. They have great fitness pointers, a chart about how effective your working out is if you are alone, at home, with a friend, etc. Some other great info? I learned whether or not you can really lose weight the day before an event, and which snow activities burn the most calories (how do you feel about sledding)?

How do you layer?

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Nail Polish is Once Removed

I have had this product in my possession for a while now and am finally putting it to good use. Being a nail polish fan, sometimes I carry up to five bottles of color on me and when the mood strikes I expect to be able to do a mani on the fly, or remove it just as fast.

Whenever I wanted to do that, the method was simply running to a dollar store or drugstore for the cheapest nail polish remover. This of course had to end because I was amassing more bottles than a whole salon may need, and also because of the bulkiness. Can’t be cute with a large size remover bottle in the purse!

I visited my Rite Aid and purchased Once Removed Nail Polish Remover. This little jewel was interesting because it looks a bit bigger than a normal polish bottle, and the remover applicator is a polish brush as well. It cost me $4.39, but check out the rest of what I think about that after the jump.

Please read the important notice at the end of this post if planning to purchase this product.

I used a strong red color to test out the effectiveness of the product. Put out into main distribution in 2000, Once Removed is described as “the only brush-on, wipe-off polish remover on the market.”

“The product is applied with a brush. After a 15-second wait, nails can be wiped clean with a cotton pad and are ready for repainting. Once Removed has appeal because users will not need to touch the solution, says SMS LABS Inc (the manufacturer). It’s neater and provides an easier way to correct the smudges and smears of home manicures.“

My first attempt with a cotton pad left my nails a mess. The cotton pulled away into little pieces and left my nail looking a clumpy mess. I found that this product works best with a tissue.

With your nail polish ready for removal, use the brush to apply the product on each nail. It applies a bit like water and I like to make it a medium thick layer on the nail (thin layers don’t pull enough polish off). I like to apply it to all the fingers first and by the time I reach my pinky, the 15 seconds you have to wait has passed. Use a tissue to wipe off the polish from your nails. I have found that if you have multiple coats of polish on, you may need to repeat the removal process. For example, my mani was done with three coats:

You don’t need more than one tissue, and when removing, don’t use excessive force. This is what your nails look like once you apply the product. I used the tissue to clean up the brush so that the remover in the bottle doesn’t start to get murky from polish leftovers.

Three coats and one swipe is what brings you this photo. As you can probably imagine, I was wiping the polish off the nail in one long stroke and so the main part of the nail cleaned was the center.

It takes a couple of attempts for me because I want every single ounce of polish gone when I am using remover. This is a great product for on the go removal for me though.

Pros: Portable, and compact, this is the only product of it’s kind that I know of. It is also affordable and doesn’t require touching the remover. I like to do my own nails so sometimes I am peeved to fix a nail only to find that the cotton pad with remover ruined my other hand, or if I have to specifically do my pedi first so that I don’t ruin my mani when removing polish. Another big plus for me? It doesn’t have that acetone stink to it.

Cons: Now this is a big one. If you are interested in purchasing this product, READ THIS first!! While researching this product, to place a link for purchase, I have found out that this product contains GBL, a “precursor” to the drug GHB, which apart from being highly addictive and illegal for consumption, has often been used in the date rape drug. There are even instances of people drinking this product to get their fix of the drug. You can read about this here and check out the non-profit Project GHB for more info.

Honestly, this by itself would make me not want to purchase any more. It’s still a bit crazy to me because I had no idea about any of this until I typed the name of the polish remover into Google. Organizations and companies are urged to voluntarily remove this from their shelves and I am not sure if my Rite Aid had this as leftovers or is still stocking their shelves with Once Removed, but like I said, I don’t think I will be a repeating customer.

What do you think?

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Anatomicals – Crack is Wack

After reading past reviews of mine, you would probably come to the correct conclusion that I put more thought into the product than just the product itself. Even if a product is effective, if nothing makes you pick it up from the counter at your nearest store, or from your nearest e-tailer, nobody gets anywhere. The company doesn’t get the money they rightfully deserve for a great product, and you miss out on the product experience of having something so perfect for you land in your hand. So companies hire Public Relations and Advertising teams. And Yaya? She tries to pay attention to those efforts as well.

So where does Anatomicals fit in this equation? Well. Let’s inspect. Start first with the website here. The page lets you choose if you want to be introduced to the company here or just go straight into a purchasing cloud nine here. Want to know more? Of course you would. The page flashes images and keywords on them. Cheeky. Pimpish. Urban. Lush. Defiant. Punky. Alluring. Etc. Catchy. The company is described to simply trying to make your life better, and says if you are not interested, to click over (won’t tell you where, it ruins the surprise!).

Now we stand with a definite opinion about the company. Not sold yet? That’s okay. They gave you enough to ponder about. Love it? I knew you would. Enter stage 2. The quirky and loveable product descriptions usually done with white font on bright color block backgrounds. This is for more than just the random ‘let’s read the label’ moment. This makes you read. A bit like the Vitamin Water tidbits they have (on the Dragonfruit one they promise no real dragons were hurt in the making of the drink). You read the clever title and the description.

Now you might be hooked.
As some of you may have learned through my Twitter feed, I spent this weekend on the slopes trying to catch some snow waves. Despite my efforts, I spent most of my time eating snow and tenderizing my tushy as if it was getting ready to be someone’s dinner. I ended up calling it a day and hobbled home with a bruise here and there and my pride a bit more tarnished than the snowboard who taught me a lesson in smooth sailing.

But there are some things that I was prepared for. First, I was coming from NYC where the weather isn’t exactly peachy. I was prepared for cold. Second, I knew well enough that sunscreen was the number one item to pack, as the rays reflect from the snow to your face (which you probably have facing towards the floor as you try not to fall… oh just me then). Last but not least? I knew that with snow and frigid weather follow winds (more often than not). This almost immediately puts nightmares of cracked lips and skin in my mind.

Which brings me to my review of Anatomicals Stop Cracking Up lip balm.

We’ve adequately covered the fact that the company is great and the packaging is catchy… right? Well let’s introduce the quality of the product.

At first, I was skeptical about a clear balm. First because there are so many on the market and second because the applicator wasn’t the usualy lip gloss-y norm. Then I applied.

I tested the product twice. Once at home to check how my lips felt with the product. Soft. Not sticky. No smell. No fuss. The applicator? Didn’t make a big deal at all, didn’t make it harder, and applied just as great as any other good lip applicator. Then I hit the slopes. My lips kept to the program and remained soft throughout every single one of my haphazard drops on my bottom.

The only qualm I have with this product? It is not stated whether or not it has SPF in it, so you might want to either research it more, or not wear it as often if you’re in a ski/snowboard/snowmobile weekend extravaganza.

I’m equally won over by the packaging for the other lip balms available from the company (available for purchase here – they’re from across the US pond so I’d say the balms are roughly 6$).

Disclaimer: This productwas sent to the author for review by the manufacturer/PR. All reviews on MOJ remain unbiased and unpaid. For more info, feel free to contact the author.

Have you tried Anatomicals? Have a favorite balm? Let me know!

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Rimmel Celebrates in the US

As I was trolling my favorite subscriptions in Google Reader (which by the way, do you check the posts I share with y’all? There’s plenty of good stuff on the net and you can check it out in the pink square below labeled ‘Shared Posts’ on the sidebar or click here) and guess what I read about? Someone is reaching their birthday!

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=myowju-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001S02ADG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr Rimmel London is said to be celebrating their tenth year in the United States, and rumor is, they are going all out to celebrate it. Why for almost as long, they have had famed model Kate Moss as their product headliner for nearly every advertisement (7 years).

While looking around the website a bit in preparation for reporting my findings, I found out about all the new and recent additions to the Rimmel roster. I also checked my girl Britt on www.clumpsofmascara.com and found out that she’s a fan of nearly all their mascaras!

I am loving the hot pink packaging for the new Max Volume Flash Mascara (sucker for packaging I am). All of their mascaras have gem colored packaging and fancy wands. Plus did I mention this is a drugstore brand?

But it doesn’t stop with the face! I’m also completely curious for their 60 Seconds Vinyl Mirror Nail Polish. I have to admit I have NEVER tried their products, but feel like a celebration is as good time as any to start!

The site is also chock full of giveaways and contests. They have a membership area where you can read and post reviews about products, and plenty of pages with looks. This might not sound special to you, but I appreciate when a company is more than just information online. Isn’t it nice to create a community where people can communicate with each other? Communicating in a community that is international and longstanding is probably as much fun as using their products (which really, you don’t have to try to realize that a decade+ old product must be doing something right)!

All images are from Rimmel‘s site and organized by Yaya from MyOwnJudge.net. All images found on this site belong to the owner.

Did you want to see what Kate Moss, Lily Cole, or Sofie Ellis Bextor wear on their shoots? Want to effortlessly and inexpensively pull off the model FOTD? Click on over! They also show past campaigns for Kate (clearly I spent some time on the site). Here are the three faves I put together! Which look is your favorite?

Are you a Rimmel fan? What product would you love to try from them?

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I’d Rather Him Naked…

PETA always gets a bit more attention this time of year for the mere fact that the colder weather brings out fur coats and other attire that they don’t necessarily approve of. Are you familiar with the group? I am, but barely. The organization fights for the ethical treatment of animals. Everyone has probably heard their mention from anything like hearing Pamela Anderson speak to the ads they post up. Who can forget the paint throwing incidents on fur wearers?

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=myowju-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0312559941&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrPersonally, being born in Uzbekistan (formerly part of the Soviet Union), I have worn a fur coat or two to make up for the frigid weather that seeps through the winter months. I don’t know if I can take the no fur approach being that I wear leather as well, but I do support ethical treatment of animals. For example: if a cow is on a farm and is going to be killed for meat, I don’t see anything wrong with also using the hide for garments/etc. but only if it’s done humanely. But I digress.

As people start to buzz about the ads popping up in the US capitol, of a famed first lady in ads, I am stuck on something else. I have been seeing plenty a female pop up in the ‘Rather Go Naked…Than Wear Fur’ ads, but nary a naked man. The closest? The recent shoot with R&B singer Mario where he shows off his tattoos to ‘make ink and not mink’. Here’s the problem: he’s wearing pants.

Check out the photos after the jump. There is a poll embedded in this post, won’t you please visit the original to vote?

Khloe Kardashian

Christian Serratos

Danity Kane

It might be a different campaign, but still. If females care enough to shed clothes, males should too. Especially good looking ones. Otherwise I might just have to get angry with the organization for being a bit sexist. Or do you think people (males and females alike) would rather ogle a female nekkid body than a male’s?

Check out the PETA main page for the ‘Rather Go Naked‘ campaign and to find out more about the organization here.

What do you think? About fur? About the campaign? Let me know!

Poll: Fur Free or Fur Fabulous?

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