TBB: Cheap Thrills and Big-Ticket Darlings #1!

Super excited to debut my new column over at The Budget Babe!
 Head on over to check out what Sydne of Sydne Style has to say about her wardrobe!

My Foundation Family

Maybe its because I have been cursed blessed with skin so pale its nearly translucent, but foundation has always been my favorite makeup product... weird, I know. But to me, there's nothing more gorgeous than perfect, even skin.

When you're so pale you can see almost every vein in your entire head, there's obviously a lot of trial and error. My foundations and I have been through a lot over the years, but these guys are the top of the lot. Even if you aren't pasty like me, most of these come in a variety of shades. I do believe this lot is better suited to dry skin (another "blessing"), but play around and see what works for you!

Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua came into my life via the all-knowing and all-powerful Lisa Eldridge, my makeup deity. Once I saw she used it on my favorite person ever in the entire world, Gemma Arterton, I knew it had to be mine. Gemma and I have similar coloring (though I haven't been blessed with her gorgeous freckles), and my skin is quite combination, so I had high hopes. This is tied for my #1 favorite... super light, super blendable, and perfect for no makeup-makeup. It looks like you're wearing absolutely nothing and simply have lovely skin... yes, please. This is best applied with fingers as its water-based,  with a quick shake-up before slapping some on. Just be warned-- the color range on this one is incredibly limited, so those with darker skin are better off with Perfection Lumiere.

The very first foundation I ever bought was Clinique's Even Better Makeup. I was fifteen and my mother refused to let me wear makeup without first taking me to the counter and being shown how to correctly apply. ... THANK YOU, Mom! Since then I've repurchased more times than I can count, and given how light this little bottle is getting, I foresee a trip back to the counter in the near future. Clinique's Even Better is quite a "traditional" liquid foundation, I think-- medium coverage, quite thick out of the tube, though I've found it tends to settle in fine lines if I haven't blended well enough. This is a great "everyday" foundation as its a bit more affordable than the rest, and my poor pale skin appreciates the SPF 15. There is a massive range of shades with this baby, too. Double win!

On the very rare and magical occasion I'm having a good skin day-- or, let's face it, if I'm feeling incredibly lazy-- Smashbox's Camera Ready BB Cream is locked and loaded. Like most (all?) BB Creams, Camera Ready blends perfectly into the skin. Its a great simple, minimal base with sheer but buildable coverage... perfect for Sunday mornings at the grocery store or and exhausted coffee run. I'll apply a second layer of Camera Ready to the parts of my face that need a little extra help, usually my chin and my nose, but even then its sheer enough to let my freckles and natural skin show through. Also perfect for gross summer days! This only comes in five shades but they seem to be quite versatile, and if you can't find a shade that suits you perfectly these are really easy to mix with other bases.

Vichy's Dermablend Corrective Foundation is another Lisa Eldridge-suggested buy. Last winter I had an unfortunate run-in with some sort of face cream that left my skin covered, and I mean covered, in ugly little bumps and red all over. After watching an acne-covering tutorial by-- you guessed it-- Lisa Eldridge, I hunted down some Vichy to try to look less like a victim of leprosy. I finally found a few tubes at my local pharmacy and picked up the lightest shade... which, pathetically, ended up being too dark for me. Its not that noticable for spot concealing, but when used all over as a true foundation, I had to mix it with a bit of the Smashbox to get the proper color. Vichy Dermablend definitely covered all my spots, but did tend to emphasize the dry bits. This one is FULL coverage, so good if you have a breakout or acne, but a little too heavy for everyday use. Its good to have waiting in the wings, just in case of another tragic skin day. Color range is a little pathetic and best suited to medium skin tones, unless you mix like I have to.

The most recent addition to my foundation- and tied with Vitalumiere for #1-- is Diorskin Airflash SPRAY foundation. Yes, ladies and lads, spray foundation. This was a formula I had never considered until one day, while weak and browsing Sephora's teasing display of new foundations,  I gave the back of my hand a quick spritz. And then angels descended from the sky, everything started to glow, a harpist appeared and started playing romantic melodies-- it was me and Diorskin Airflash, alone together in a room, in love. Without a second thought, I picked up my shade and marched right up to pay. A whopping $62 USD-- but so worth it. Airflash- like Chanel's Vitalumiere- gives me seamless coverage. I'm still working out the best way to use this one, as spraying directly on my face dispenses way too much makeup, but I feel like using a brush makes it settle in pores and fine lines more. I know lots of people love using sponges like the Beauty Blender for spray products, buuuuuut Ms. Eldridge says no way, so I say no way. Airflash has incredible staying power, comes in a really respectable range of shades, makes my skin feel like velvet, and gives me that perfect glow I'm always searching for. If you have this little guy and have any tips to help with application, though, help a girl out!!

 What are your favorite foundations? I'm always excited to check out new reccommendations!

xoxo, Molly

Secrets From the Floor-Front

Last September, me and my faithful nude pumps stumbled into the Prudential Center in Boston for my first day as a stylist in (what the managers called) an “affordable luxury” clothing store. As a saleswoman for clothes that still had a hefty price tag, I learned some very valuable lessons from my time as a stylist, even though the gig was pretty short-­‐lived.

I’m here to share my retail-­‐working-­‐survivor wisdom with you, and hopefully spare you some of the same tragedies I suffered!

1. Styling is Key.

Many times I’d see something hanging on the wall or folded on a table and wrinkle my nose, thinking it was absolutely hideous and that no one could ever possibly buy it.

...But then the visual team would work some magic and drape a mannequin in said horrendous sweater, and my world was turned upside-­‐down. It was gorgeous. I had to have it. I’ve folded that thing a thousand times and never imagined it could look like THAT!

LESSON: You can make almost anything look amazing. Be open-­‐minded and creative with your clothes; you might come up with an unexpected masterpiece!

2. Fit does NOT equal size.

Every time a new collection arrived, all of us stylist had to try on every single piece in the store. It sounds like fun, but really it’s a few hours spent sweaty and locked in a tiny dressing room. By my third pair of pants and fourth dress though, I had zipped and buttoned my way into a startling discovery: my “size” was all over the place.

One pair of pants was too tight while the next fit perfectly; the second dress swum under my armpits while the sixth made me look pregnant. Even in one store with its own in-­‐house brand, 

I was fitting in everything from a 6 to a 12!

LESSON: Try things on, and don’t pay attention to the number on the tag!  


3. Don’t Splurge on a Silk Blouse and Ruin it with Chinese Takeout
Minutes after my first training session, I emptied my wallet and splurged on a gorgeous cream-­‐colored silk blouse that had caught my eye during my first interview. I needed it! I could wear it to work! Who cares if the price tag made me want to vomit!

Well, I toddled on out for my lunch break wearing that blouse and scurried over to the food court to scarf down some Orange Chicken before I had to be back on the floor. Eating fast and messily, it was only a matter of time before a giant, oily splotch of Orange Chicken sauce splattered riiiiight down the front of my brand new blouse.

Even after a panicked trip to the drycleaner, my beloved shirt was ruined. I literally wore it for four hours.

LESSON: Wear a bib. Or eat a salad. Either way, protect your special pieces.


4. Just wait...it’ll go on sale.
Perhaps this is an addendum to my last lesson... If I had only cooled my jets with that silk shirt, I could have saved a TON of money, and maybe I’d keep it safe from stains.

By nature, I’m impulsive and impatient, so it makes waiting for a sale difficult—especially when, as a stylist, I was surrounded by the same temptations for hours upon hours every day.

I’d break. I’d buy. I’d kick myself when it was 30% off two weeks later.

 LESSON: Take a deep breath and settle your racing heart. Keep an eye on what you love and take your time—chances are, you can probably save some money. But if you see something going fast and you cant get that dress out of your head, make your move before its too late!

5. To Thine Own Style Be True!

Every time “Employee Day” rolled around—the magical day when we all got 60% off everything in store—the floor was electrified with excited whispers and planning and debating as stylists scurried to grab everything they wanted.

More than once, I felt a lot of pressure by others to buy a certain dress or skirt—“That’s alllllll over the lookbooks” “We really want to up our sales on that one” “What do you mean you don’t like mustard yellow? It’s one of our key colors this season!”

By the end of the day, I had dropped a ton of money on clothes that I didn’t really like. I’d let my environment and my coworkers talk me into buying things that weren’t really my style. Being surrounded by things that I really didn’t love suddenly became all I ever saw, and I lost sight of myself and my style.

LESSON: Trends are overwhelming, shoes blow up on Pinterest, and every blogger seems to have those pajamas—but that doesn’t mean you need to like it. Know who you are and what you like, and dress with confidence!

(image cred: Club Monaco)

TBB: Burts Bees Review!

My first post is up on The Budget Babe! Click on over to read my review of 

Burt's Bees Sensitive Facial Cleansing Towelettes!!

Marks & Spencer AW13

Okay, kind of freaking out. On 19 August, British retailer Marks & Spencer-- M&S-- issued a press release revealing their autumn collections campaign. And, well, its RIDICULOUSLY amazing.

It's kind of surprising for M&S, which I knew as a mostly-grocery store. You could always find a couple of gems in their clothing and housewares sections, but this? This is insane. The gorgeous campaign is shot by ANNIE FREAKIN' LEIBOVITZ and features a dozen of Britain's strongest and most inspirational women. The lineup:

        Nicola Adams Olympic Gold Winning Boxer

        Monica Ali Award-Winning Author

        Helen Allen Nurse of the Year 2011

        Darcey Bussell Retired Principal Ballerina at The Royal Ballet

        Grace Coddington Creative Director of US Vogue

        Karen Elson Supermodel and Singer

        Tracey Emin Artist and Professor of Drawing at the Royal Academy

        Ellie Goulding Multiplatinum global recording artist/Brit Award winning Singer/Songwriter

        Helen Mirren Multiple Award-Winning Actress

        Laura Mvula Breakthrough Singer/Songwriter

        Katie Piper Burns survivor, television presenter and charity campaigner.

        Jasmine Whitbread CEO of Save the Children International 

The campaign hits M&S's website on 13 September... P.S.... They offer free shipping to the USA and Canada- score! For more info on the collection, as well as full outfit details for each of the ladies, check out their press release!

 

photos via Marks & Spencer

xoxo, Molly

Molly Dressing 101: Lots of Grey, Even More Black

 

Shirt - Gap / Skirt - Topshop / Sandals - Zara (sold out, similar here) / 

Bag - Mulberry via Second Time Around

My first ever outfit post!

Apologies for the crappy iphone pictures and even worse editing-- these are skills I have not been blessed with. Hopefully I'll get some learnin' in the near future and my pictures will mature a little... hopefully. Literally I'm at like, second grade level when it comes to photography/editing/etc/etc. 

But onto the outfit! I've worn this tee an embarrassing number of times since I bought it two weeks ago-- so much so that I haven't even taken the tags off the second one I got in white. These sandals are also a dream. If you couldn't tell from the incredibly exciting outfit above, I like simple and minimal-- the skinny straps of these babies are right up my alley. They alllllllso have little gold studs hiding at the heel, which I love.... Love so much I bought another pair in white.

Apparently this is a pattern.

xoxo, Molly

UK Beauty Bits : The Unattainable

As a dedicated Anglophile, my love of all things British doesn't stop at Prince George and scones. The UK is home of some of the best drugstore makeup there is, a lot of which is impossible (or impossibly expensive) to get here in the USA. 

Because I'm a complete madwoman when it comes to my UK shopping, I already have a must-buy beauty list saved on my computer, waiting impatiently to be thrown into action. 

Your day will come, lovely list. 

In the meantime, I thought I'd share some of my cravings with you! If you frequent UK beauty blogs you'll probably recognize most of these, and if you ARE a UK beauty blogger with a big heart... well... I will reward you handsomely for your easy access to Superdrug.

COMPLEXION

  Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot Powder - £12 / Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer - £7.49 / 

Hydraluron Moisture Booster - £16.66 / Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - £4.19

NAILS

 Barry M Gelly Nail Paint (in Lychee and Grapefruit) - £3.99 / Barry M Gold Foil Nail Effects - £3.99 /  

Bourjois 1 Seconde Nail Enamel (20 Perle Illusion, 03 Beige Distinction, and 04 Taupe Classy) - £5.99

COLOUR

 Bourjois Little Round Pot Cream Blush (03 Rose Tender) - £7.99 / MUA Undress Me Too Palette - £4

That MUA palette... I mean, come on. And Hydraluron seems to be the newest must-have for gorgeous skin- ugh, deprived dull-skinned me. Any international beauty bits you're craving? What are your favorites?

xoxo, Molly