What beauty products are in your refrigerator?

Vichy Eau De Thermal Water, Evian water, Laneige Water sleeping mask.


Do you keep beauty or skincare products in your refrigerator? My hubby thinks it's funny and grumbles that they are in the way. But in all reality I have seen him use my water sprays to cool his face off when he has been working in the yard LOL!

Some products just have that extra oomph when they are chilled and although these are just 3 of mine at this time, I have had others in there as well.

When you live in Texas, the refreshing sprays are just the right thing when my makeup is melting off (or when I am having a hot flash from hell)! The Laneige water sleeping mask seems to just make sleep conducive along with hydrating my face so well.

Let me know ladies, what do you have in there? Do tell!!

Blessings, Sherry

A Duochrome moment Urban Decay, Wet N' Wild and Kat Von D

Swatches corresponding to top picture from left to right:
Urban Decay Lost
Urban Decay Lounge
Urban Decay Backfire
Wet N Wild Comfort Zone palette bottom right

There is such a gorgeous mystery to duochrome shadows. They offer such variations depending on the movement and catching of the light. They look exotic on the eyelid and are just plain fun to wear!

Like a magpie spotting shiny baubles, I gravitate heavily to deep jewel colors and duochromes that just make me pick them up! Sometimes, I use these as accent areas on my eyes and on occasion, yes I use them all over my eyelids!!!!

Then I remembered the two others I have:

Kat Von D Shape Shifter Shadow in (left) love letter (right) on the road


Much to my dismay and then to my giggling self, I noticed that THEY ALL LOOK ALIKE!!! I can definitely see where my favorite colors are and the shifts in duochromes that speak my name. Sigh. I really really thought that I had such a great collection of different duochrome shadows, yeah right!

So I will have to remind myself that I need no more duochrome colors in purple, green or brown because my stock is stocked LOL.

No matter, with the sun shining and faces becoming more glowy and bronzy, my colors will have fun in the sunlight. Do you have some fav duochromes that you just love to use? Do tell!

Blessings, Sherry

Blushing Spring beauties

Blushing Spring beauties swatches from left to right:
Becca Mineral Blush in Flowerchild
IT Cosmetics Vitality Cheek Flush in Matte Sweet Apple
Milani Baked Powder Blush in Luminoso
Stila custom color blush, self adjusting pink
Becca Beach Tint in Guava and Watermelon


I have a red face. I have hot flashes. I love blush. These pesky problems do not stop me from seeking out and using gorgeous blushes and finding a way to wear them without looking quite ridiculous.

I have learned to use a redness calming primer, a great foundation and a sweep of color that is not my own natural craziness! It actually works, well errrmmm until I blush, get a hot flash or overheat, then I look like I am about to have a stroke until it calms and the gorgeous blush shines through just right.

There is something about a fresh blush color that is just the right amount to make me look like I am a healthy specimen of a human. After many tries and lots of experimenting, I have found when I wear blush, people tend to comment about how sparkly and alive and pretty I am that day. Worth the blush wars that my natural candy apple red loves to compete with!!

These particular blushes just make me smile. It's spring, there are flowers everywhere, the sun shines and healthy is a good look. So I don't think I will ever get a kick out of trying a beautiful blush to get that lit from within glow that we all crave.

Have you tried any of these? Do you have suggestions about ones I might love? Do tell!!!

Blessings, Sherry

Too Faced Melted and Metal Spring Lippies

 

Top to bottom:
Melted Metal Dream House
Melted Metal Metallic Violet
Melted Metal Metallic Peony
Melted Ruby


If you want a beautiful "in your face in a good way" colorful spring lippie, then these are the ones for you! I absolutely adore lipstick, lip gloss, lip stains, lip creams oh my. I do not adhere to any dang rules about what someone my age should or shouldn't wear (ok there are some that I know would be downright silly of me to wear and the purple is as close to that as I will go:). I love to wear them and sometimes just a lippie that I wear is the extent of my "face" that day.

Too Faced and their Melted and Melted Metal lines were a no brainer for me to purchase. The colors are fantastic, the tubes are easy to haul around and a couple of them (Ruby for one) leave behind a stain like nobodies business! The Metals are shimmery no doubt, but not enough for me to say that I won't wear them. They just seem to glow quite well on my lips and perk up any look I am going for that day (or minute for that matter:).

One caveat is that the sponge and tip of the applicator can get downright gunky so I am always cleaning them off. Otherwise, as a lippie junkie, I say bring it on Spring, 'cause I got some colors for you!!!


Blessings, Sherry

 

Radiance Primers

 

 

Left to right:

Lancôme La Base Hydra Glow

Urban Decay Naked Skin Illuminating BB

Nars Radiance Enhancing Light Optimizing Primer

Botanics All Bright Radiance Balm

MAC Strobe Cream

Laura Mercier Radiance Primer

 

 

 



(Swatched heavily) Top in shade, Bottom in sunlight

 

 

 

 

It is a known fact that as you get older you lose that natural radiance that you had when you were younger. Although I bemoan this lack of glow, I am grateful that there are plenty of products from high end to less expensive to add back in that pretty youthful glow!



 

 

As you can see by the swatches there are several that are verrrryyyy bright and verrryyy radiant. However, if you use these judicially they make a beautiful lit from within glow that can't be beat!

 

The Lancôme Hydra Glow is subtle and works great as a base before makeup. It just makes me look a bit more peppy and livelier and oh does that make me smile. The UD Naked Illuminating BB once buffed into the face is great on its own and isn't disco ball bright, it can also be worn under makeup for a lit from within glow.

 

 

Nars, MAC, Botanics and Laura Mercier I find work so much better (for me) when mixed with my foundation beforehand because they each have some serious sparkle and shine going on. I can also use them as highlighters on the top of my cheekbones and eyes.

 

Cream radiance primers/boosters are so easy to use and are excellent for my mature dry skin. But I definitely have to be careful as disco ball is NOT a look I carry off well! Now back in the 80's when I played in a metal band in clubs, bring it on!

 

Spring is a time of the year that I feel like a fresh glow is a hit. The sun is shining, flowers blooming and "lighting up" just helps me look fresh and younger. So I love my bevy of radiance primers and boosters to pick. The choice of which depends on the occasion.

 

 

Ladies, what are your top picks for radiance? Have you used any of these? Do tell!!

 

Blessings, Sherry

 

Ahava Dead Sea Water Mineral Hand Cream

Left to right: cactus & pink pepper, water, mandarin & cedarwood



Hand creams, lotions and potions were so NOT part of my skincare routine for a long time. Then 20 years ago I became a nurse and hand care was priority. I usually grabbed the cheapest, best smelling stuff off the shelves to try to quench the desert dry after washing my hands a zillion times a day AND using antibacterial gel. Guess what? Some cheapies work great, others, waste of money.

In my 30's it became more of a priority to quench, protect and have a product work well and last. Regardless of the price in most cases. I started researching and reading reviews, I asked my co-workers, I went through dozens. I found some that were excellent and some that the price was their only claim to fame.

Ahava was a brand that I became aware of through Ulta several years ago when they started carrying the brand. Because I like exotic and different "flavors" and liked the reviews, I bought a large size cactus & pink pepper tube and fell in love. With the smell, the feel, the quick absorption, the long wear and the ease of purchasing it was a partnership. Well the price was a bit much I thought.

Then I saw the tiny tube trio set at my Ulta and for $10 I could have 3. All would fit in a scrub pocket well and I could have a different "flavor" whenever I wanted. AND, ladies my $3.50 off coupon from Ulta was accepted! Love got deeper I tell ya!

If you are looking for a great hand cream, smells awesome without being overpowering and from a brand that takes the time to really put great ingredients in their products, this is it. Grab the trio from Ulta and try it, you just might have to have one on you and in your purse and and and.......

Have you tried Ahava hand creams? What is your favorite scent? Do tell!!

Blessings, Sherry

Onomie Beauty

I received an email regarding a sample kit from www.onomie.com , a brand that I had never been aware of before. They were giving a sample/try it kit for their Bright Concealing Elixir and their A.C.E. Illuminating Eye Treatment. I collect numerous different types of beauty products,  lippies are #1, concealers hold the #2 spot. So I signed up (it was easy) and received the trial kit soon after.

Before we go on, let me tell you that the company checked in with me via email at time of signing up, while waiting on the arrival of the product samples and after I received them. Talk about customer service!!!

The sample kit contained 3 shades of Bright Concealing Elixir and one universal A.C.E. Illuminating Eye Treatment. Without thinking I opened up the shade 1 (very light) and swatched it without pictures *sigh. So today before I did my daily face, I thought that this would be a good time to put the products into action! I used shade #2 Cavendish (concealer) and the universal illuminator.

As you can see from this before picture, I have some purple/brown/blue undereye circles with a Rudolph red nose!

This is after applying the product and before setting with powder. Pretty impressive!

I then finished my face and applied setting powder and setting spray, made sure that my albino lashes got some color and made sure to apply the A.C.E. Illuminating Eye Treatment along the tops of my cheekbones and under my brow bone as they suggest.

Quick face this morning! Check out the picture that follows for the subtle glow of the Illuminating Eye Treatment:

Just right for me! I am impressed with this brands concealer/illuminator products and if you sign up at www.onomie.com and receive the sample kit, you can get a discount when you purchase the full size products. Follow them on @OnomieBeauty and check out for yourself the products they carry. They will also help you match your shade if you email ShadeBrigade@Onomie.com .

Have you heard of Onomie Beauty? I think that the samples worked really well for me. Now it's time to get the full sizes!

Blessings, Sherry

The Story of my Cleansing and Skincare Routine- Part 1

My daily cleansing routine with the products that I mix and match as needed.
Left to right:
Nuance Cleansing Face Oil
Simple Cleansing Micellar Water
Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser
Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Daily Scrub
Glamglow Thirstymud


I am serious about my skincare. VERY serious. I have found over the years that a cleansing routine as well as the various serums, exfoliators, treatments do way more for me than just makeup alone. This roundup here is just the cleansing, because trust me ladies, the aftercare skincare is way more involved and I love it that way :). However, I wanted to talk about these that I grab the most and what they do for me.

When I am wearing makeup, or serious sunscreen, I always clean first with an oil. It just tends to get right to the heart of the gunk on my face and is gentle and hydrating. I will usually follow up with micellar water because if there is stuff on the cotton pad, the second cleanse happens with the Clarins gentle face cleaner. These products help to not strip my poor dry face (hello menopause) into the desert cracks it could become! The Glamglow Thirstymud cleanser is if I feel like there is just some deep cleansing necessary. I have been blessed with blemish free skin my whole life (knock on wood) HOWEVER, there still pops up a lone bump on my chin or cheeks and aggravates me no end. Deep cleansing is how I get them gone.

I have always exfoliated. First, I love the thought that I am literally resurfacing my face by getting all that old skin off and letting fresh skin shine through. Now back in the day, I used harsh exfoliators every    single    day. Apricot kernels etc (you know who I'm talking about). Then as I got older I realized the harsh had to go. I still exfoliate nearly every day, but with gentler products and skincare with acids and glycolics. The Biore (ok yes I could have gone into the kitchen and gotten my baking soda) just made it easier to have by the bathroom sink and this product smells divine! It exfoliates without being harsh. The Aveeno touts its brightening side effect and at my age brightening is a kick ass thing!

Depending on how dry and tight my face is, these products get changed around like a poker game. It's kinda fun to mix and match and figure out my game plan. Then ladies, there are the nights that a straight up cleanse is all that's happening.

Cleansing is actually the easy plan in my skincare war waging. Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Cleansing and Skincare Routine story. That is where it gets quite interesting in strategy alone.

Do you mix and match? Or are you the straightforward no- nonsense type (no judging here either way)? Do tell!

BTW, I won't ever stop exfoliating :)

Blessings, Sherry

Spring Face featuring Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow

Quick, easy and seriously glowy! My spring face consists of great base IT Cosmetics CC Cream with SPF, Maybelline Age Rewind concealer, Beauty blender is a must as I cake easily *sigh, UD eyeshadow primer in Minor sin, Curl those lashes and give a couple of coats of Loreal Butterfly Intenza waterproof blackest black, warm up the face with Physicians Formula Argan Wear Bronzer, follow with (IMO a dupe for Orgasm) Milani Luminoso blush, a beautiful subtle highlight with Josie Maran  Argan Enlightenment Illuminizing Veil. Finish off with Tarte lip sculptor in Intoxicating. The eyes are all about the below:

 This is Revlon Illuminance Crème Shadow in Skinlights

One swipe swatch on the arm with some pretty good color payoff. The eyeshadows believe me can be used for highlights as well!

I am seriously lazy in the morning and want a quick face to get out the door. There is nothing easier in my opinion than a crème shadow. Swipe and run. These don't crease when I use a eyelid primer. They do tend to fade on me, however; I have never been able to keep eyeshadows on my eyes my whole life. They look awesome for about 4 hours then just GONE. But that doesn't stop me from doing an eye look anyway!

I can seriously get away with doing a 20 minute face with these products and that is a win. The older I get and the more power surges (hot flashes) I have, makeup has some nerve just disappearing even after primer, setting sprays, a tad bit of powder. I even make sure that I moisturize and let sit for some time before applying makeup. So, there is that HA. Stop me, nope.


Ladies what is your favorite spring face? What are some products that make you feel like a flower budding open for the light of the season? Do tell!

Blessings, Sherry

Welcome back to the blog ya'll!!!

After moaning, crying and impatiently waiting as well as trying to do blog posts on my Android, my internet at home has finally arrived! I have taken a lot longer off my blog than I wanted to but today it's all coming together! When you move into an older house (now just wait a frickin' minute, I am almost as old as this house!) you have to cope with new fangled things like fiber optic lines being drilled into the house and elegantly placed to allow me to come back to the internet. Whew!

So here is a preview of upcoming posts:

Fresh faced Spring Blushes

New Earthy, Bronzy Milani Everyday Eyes

Smooth Revlon Illuminance Crème Shadow in Skinlights

Tarte LipSculptor lipstick/lipgloss

Pretty Spring Sandal Feet

Also be sure to follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/gypsynurse66 to see what's up before the products hit the blog and some that are pure fun!!
 

Hang in there ya'll, I may not leave my laptop for some days yet...gotta catch up and get rolling. Thanks to each of you that have held on and stayed a part of my little blog, ya'll mean the world to me!

Blessings, Sherry

IT Cosmetics Illumination Celebration Foundation and Mini Brush

Several years ago I got caught up in the IT Cosmetics products and love them. Because my skin is mature, dry and have pigmentation problems the Celebration Foundation was too dry. In came the CC cream and it was love at first swipe!

However,  because I also have a red face and suffer from hot flashes, my skin can benefit from the occasional touch up. The Illuminating Celebration Foundation compact and mini IT brush fit the problem and as a solution  they are magic.

When I sweat or have a 'power surge" lol placing a bit of this product on the affected areas give me confidence to carry on with my day. It doesn't cake on me and blends beautifully leaving my face intact.

IT Cosmetics have such an awesome list of products that we mature women can use and feel good about them. Do you use IT Cosmetics?  What are your thoughts on the Celebration Foundation?

Blessings, Sherry