Sweetassgal here hoping everyone is enjoying their summer.  We're here in the thick of the 100 degree plus heat in the Sacramento Valley and that means one thing for me...vanishing makeup!  I can almost never maintain a well made up face when I open the door and that wall of heat hits me like a Mack truck!  As my skin starts to glisten, everything I've applied simply seems to slide right off my face!  So at this time of year I tend to lighten up on the make up a little.  Softer, more shimmery colors highlight my eyes, a dusting of powder helps keep down the shine and soft glosses take place of heavy lipstick.  
 
Taking a break from one of my favorite color palettes I broke out my lovely little cube of UltraPure Cosmetics Eye Shadow in Glisten.  I love the packaging from the outside.  It's very modern clear cube that allows you to view the content color from below and it puts me in mind of a beautiful white deco vanity stacked with these gorgeous little cubes in a rainbow of potted colors.  Something about them makes me want to play with them they way you would poker chips, using them to bet and to up the ante, clicking them between my fingers back and forth.  I'm weird I know but I get these strange little urges when something perks my interest.
 
Opening up the packaging I found out why I shouldn't play with my makeup!  This is a loose pigment and a large amount of it had settled in the sifting cap.  As soon as I opened it I spilled a lot of the contents onto my fingers and my pants.  Lesson learned.  My first impression of the super fine powder that was left on my fingers is that #1...Glisten is a GORGEOUS summertime golden hue perfect for highlighting and brightening your eyes and #2...it's so super fine that I couldn't even feel it on my skin.  This bodes well for lighter application in the hot summer months.  Application was simple as I dipped my brush in the top and gave a sweep across my brow bone, into the crease of my eye and just a little underneath on the outside corners.  It gives you a golden goddess type of look that makes me want to braid my hair in interesting patterns and wear breezy white dresses with large gold cuffed jewelry.  There I go with my urges again.

Forgive me for a moment, wonderful people of Megs, but Sweetassgal has to ponder a few odd thoughts to get to the point of this review.  Today I'm thinking about dirt and being dirty.  Much like Batman's nemesis Two Face, I have two very conflicting minds about the subject.  On one hand there is the very prim and proper little girl who loved to get dressed up in her party dress...and the other side of her who thought it would be a good idea to rub dirt on her legs before the party to make it look like I had a tan.  Got my butt beat for that one!  As a mom who fights the battle of the forever dusty house no matter how much I Swiffer...and then the gardener who loves to get my hands deep down and dirty in the earth even if it is evidenced by brown crescent fingernails for days following.  Finally as a woman, there is the side of me who loves lady like things like fresh crisp lace linens and fine china...and the other side of me who wants to throw on my trampiest outfit and go dance my dirty-ass socks off with my husband all night long!  What side of this hot button issue do I fall?  Who knows?  I'm half Christina Aguilera with her cotton candy hair and Old Hollywood glam and the other half Miss X-Tina romping around in leather butt chaps minus the booty poppin'.  This Miss Thing doesn't booty pop unless I want to start a tidal wave across the ocean in Indonesia!
 
So as you can see, conflicted as I may be on the subject of dirt and just plain ole' getttin' down and dirty...I was even more torn when I found a little sample pot of Ferro Cosmetics Eye Candy Mineral Eye Shadow in...you guessed it...DIRT!  Was this going to bring out the earth loving garden goddess in me or turn me into a smokey eyed vamping temptress?  Hum. Who do I want to be today?
 

Meg here! I have some exciting news! I shot a beauty segment for Extra! last Friday with Terri Seymour (who is just lovely.) I'll let you know when it airs. The topic of my piece was "Celebrity picks." I've learned a lot about what the A-list uses just by becoming friendly with the creators of the products. It wasn't a hard topic for me to speak about. When I found out that was my topic one item popped immediately into my brain! What celebrity doesn't use YSL's Touche Eclat?

The iconic gold pen has been in my makeup bag for years. It really brightens around the eyes and manages to erase fatigue. I like to use it right under my brow to highlight the eye as well. You get a concealer, and eye brightener and a highlighter.

I found some pretty good tips on additional ways to use it on the Sephora site. I'm going to try the chin tip tomorrow. Here's what they say "Touche Eclat banishes shadows and tired-looking eyes by adding light and creating an instant lift to the eye area. Touche Eclat widens eyes when used between the eyebrows and along the sides of the nose and created fuller looking lips when used in the hollow of the chin and around the contour of the lips. It's formulated for all skin" types and for anyone who wants instant radiance, luminosity, and lift.

I wear makeup almost everyday: if I don't have it on, start worrying because it means I'm either in a hissy fit snit or sick and trust me, neither state endears this Goddess Granny to anyone! I love the stuff and never cease to be amazed or fall victim to the latest greatest or not so and new to the market brands available: a generic "Sephora newsletter" basically translates as personal correspondence with my name on intended just for ME because I believe they might suspect (due to the amount of cash I leave at their counters per year...) that I take the art of makeup and beauty in a serious way?

Odd thing is that although I wear and enjoy cosmetics most days, I hate to fuss and like to get the task done once so I can be free to pursue other pastimes that don't leave me obsessing over perceived flaws quite so much: sewing a seam or baking cupcakes can be a bit more relaxing therefore, I appreciate high-quality products that wear like the devil, come in flattering colors, and that do what they say they will as again, I am a sucker for them but at the same time I do hold my pretties to a high standard of quality and performance-a lot like my men!

I also LOVE "boutique brands" as much as I do the giants of industry and am a serious online shopper: you ask, "You buy MAKEUP online?" Yep...a lot of it and most of the time, it's a satisfying process! It's mostly a matter of location with me and if I CAN get into town to browse it's great but most weeks I'm simply too busy for the luxury of it so I do a LOT of my browsing and shopping online with excellent results overall. I have also found that in terms of "customer service", many physical storefronts can't and don't even try to compete with the usually excellent and genuine service so many online retailers offer. I scout, plot, question if need be, and order without regret in most cases. Many places even offer color matching...

So I am literally in awe over the concept of doing biz that the folks at Michael Todd Cosmetics obviously understand perfectly: their incredible and interactive website is "entertaining" and offers over 200 pages of virtual-products, photo "look" galleries that show how products are used to achieve the face of your dreams, and over 1,100 products in a dazzling array of colors and textures to choose from! THIS is a "virtual reality" I personally could get lost in and never want to leave! Michael Todd himself has been an actor, model, and makeup artist. He sought to present his line of incredibly high-quality and pure product-line in a most original and rather spectacular manner and truly showcases the pro- makeup artist mantra, "Perform...Reform...Transform" in conjunction with his company and internet superstore! There's even a "Live Chat" feature onsite that encourages questions of potential customers because Michael believes that, "It's not enough to have the best ingredients or formula but that you also much treat your guests like a Queen!" That sure works for me. Most "service" I've received at physical cosmetic-counters recently has been less than royal.

Meg here! I'm hijacking the greeness of this Tuesday for the effectiveness of Botox. I really needed my botox by the time I got to The Epione Center in Beverly Hillls and sat with my friend Dr. Simon Ourian. I have been traveling a ton and I just generally am always a little stressed out-by the end of my three months my face is haggard!

As you can see from this clip, it was the end of my three months. I have tomorrow's clip where you can see nothing but pure delight as I get my botox injections. My Dr. Ourian is the largest provider of Botox in the country (maybe the world) he knows all the tricks he uses pediatric needles so I literally don't feel a thing. If you're a baby then you're already catered to.

"The women come around every time I'm pourin' shots..."

LMFAO...no,not laughing: that's the name of the group who sings that nasty but damn it's catchy song "Shots!" Goddess Granny is SO not cool enough to know this on her own, it's a song on the playlist my Zumba (high-intensity FUN and fabulous workout classes!) instructor kicks our butts playing. I am not a big drinker but yes, an occasional "shot" is actually good for both the experience and the memories if the conditions are right and I prefer mine to be Tequila if possible. Gotta' love that it's still one of those things in life that you KNOW will have an outcome that's unpredictable if you're lucky and in the right place with good people! Shots...

You have also gotta' love a highly-successful beauty company that designs it's self after a cocktail lounge and names the fabulous products in the line after cocktails: where else can a girl indulge without caring what her hair and face look like or if she'll do something stupid that will get her blasted out on YouTube? You can take a trip to the "Tini Bar" and actually come away prettier than when you entered without the benefit of a "shot" for courage! You can "stir up custom looks and colors to suit any taste" and then choose from literally dozens of way to make YOUR specialty beauty-cocktail a reality! Your "mixology class" can be credited to your nails,your lips, or your eyes and I promise it's just about the most fun you can have sober or online. There are some "physical" Tini locations as well and the website allows you to see if there is one near you so you can REALLY get giddy and goofy over cocktails with the girls!

Hey everyone...Sweetassgal checking in today for an uncharacteristically short Green Chi Tuesday.  Our daughter graduated from High School over the weekend and we had a HUGE party for her full of friends and family over the weekend.  It was incredible and we were so blessed to have such a showing of love and support.  But after all the planning, shopping, yard work, cleaning, hosting and clean up I am ONE tired chickie!  Plus I'm behind at work and gearing up for a two week travel itinerary for open enrollment so I've got to keep it short and sweet this week.  Just a few things I want to mention...
 
#1...CONGRATULATIONS to our beautiful daughter Samantha Provost (a WHS grad and total Meghead) and to all of the girls out there who are finishing High School and stepping out into the world.  It's an amazing experience and is one of the best times of your life.  It's when you get to find out who you really are and who you want to be!  Here's a secret no one really told me when I was that age.  Between 18 and 28 you are going to be like five different people.  Seriously...you will change who you are, how you dress, what you like...everything will change every few years or so.  Run with it! Have fun!  Experience life and all it has to offer and for GOD SAKE don't settle for anything less than you deserve.  Just enjoy the ride while you're young and leave all that boring grown up crap like marriage, mortgages and daycare for your thirties (or hell...even later than that if it’s right for you) where it belongs.  Be young while you are young and ride the roller coaster with your hands flying in the air screaming YAHOO all the way!  It's a special time in your life and one that ends all too soon so go out there and just be OUTRAGEOUS!  Then come back here to Megs and tell me all about it so I can live vicariously through you all!  he he

"Summertime...and the livin' is easy!" In the words of the immortal Janis Joplin, it CAN be but for many of us, it's also the "least pretty" time of the year because you HAVE to be outside, near water, deal with heat and humidity and yes, even put on a swimsuit and brave the depths once in a while!
A girl's self-esteem and routine really can change when the season does,right?

Goddess Granny is MUCH more a creature of dark rooms and indirect lighting who prefers the shadows of Autumn to the bright sunshine of Summer but alas, I married a "sunshine-y" kind of guy and currently live in the parched and HOT South of Texas so I'm obliged to make an attempt once in a while but believe me, I do NOT look my best when the 100 degree temps start rolling in! My hair blows up and does a weird sort of wave without style thing, my skin protests both the sun AND the heat and my makeup? I am not a girl who can simply slide out the door with nothing but a smile on her face and have finally found products and a system that works so I can still enjoy my life without looking like Shiny the Clown in sorry smeared makeup when I go out and about!

We all have that "one thing we HATE about ourselves, right? I know, I know...we're supposed to accept and love unconditionally but we still have that tendency to focus on it because well...it BUGS us! In my case, it's my thin, sparse, wayward, shapeless eyebrows. You with those luscious ones have my spite in a nice way but seriously, it seems that this topic is one that MANY of us are dealing with for a variety of reasons: a bad wax or pro-job, medications that cause thinning-hair, age related changes, over plucking...you name it, I see it as a rather constant issue in the world of beauty that SO many fight with on a daily basis! We will refrain chatting about those who have fallen prey to "permanent" methods of correction because I have seen some that are VERY well done but alas, many are not and it's another topic altogether.

Jas here! Don’t you love it when you add a minor new item to your wardrobe or just a touch of virtually imperceptible enhancement to your beauty regimen that alters your appearance enough that people notice and rave about how great you look but can’t quite put their finger on how you’ve done it? “Wow, Jasmine, you look great! What’s different? Did you get a haircut?” Yes! Victory! It’s usually a new eye shadow or a new part in my hair, but it makes me happy all the same. I think that’s one of the most fun things about being a woman and a slave (voluntarily, ha-ha!) to the the practices of the standard beauty regimens. You get to play around with the subtle nuances of your look and morph into someone new for the moment. It’s the closest thing to magic that I can perform anyway!

Of course I’m sure we all love trying the latest breakthroughs in beauty and cosmetics, and for me mascara is at the top of the list. However, I expect a lot out of the makeup I choose. My idea of the perfect mascara is one that lengthens, thickens and volumizes; but it cannot get that overly clumpy, spidery look and be gentle on the eye. The worst thing to me is a mascara that is powerful enough to provide all these things, but burns my eyes because of the materials they use to make it “fiber-like” or so “waterproof” that I can go for a run through the rain, take a dip in the Pacific, and still wake up the next morning with it still perfectly caked on (blah! Not my cup of tea...)

Y'all know I "know" a lot about products,right? Actually too much sometimes. Then why oh why do I almost start to hyperventilate when I set foot in say Sephora or Ulta? I am guessing it's because even Goddess Granny gets overwhelmed by all the choices! SO many products that I get all bedazzled and can't zero in but it does seem that lately, many items are simply the same old thing either with new packaging or one or two new colors added to the mix. Some of my favorite brands like Urban Decay, Benefit, and Lorac do of course continue to set the bar very high and are constantly rocking the market with fabulous new products so I usually head to those displays first...oh, and of course I hit the "Tarte" aisle asap because this brand never fails to delight me either!

We are already in love with Tarte's exceptional cheek and lip stains and their primers are to die for! but they have created a product that is SO fabulous and original, it's become my new Holy Grail item almost instantly! We all love that dark,sexy eye-look right? I know we've been chatting about all the fabulous color that is so "in for Spring" on our eyes and I know we're having fun rocking the rainbow look but sometimes and for me it's for date-night with my guy,I want that ridiculously sexy, maybe a tad sleezy bad-girl dark eye worn with a ton of beige lipgloss look that is such a classic, every siren sings it's song from time to time! Problem IS, it's also one of the toughest to pull off without turning into a hot-mess of black smears and running the risk of racoon-eyes but he genius's at Tarte have figured it out for us with their "EmphasEYES Inner Rim Eyeliner Pencil" and my date-night look will henceforth be a LOT easier to pull off! Before I could only achieve this perfection if I slept in my eye makeup-a huge no no.