Betty Brown's Beautification and Banter

Hard Earned Appreciation

2009-03-16T10:08:00.002-04:00

There are some things in life that you can never fully appreciate until you get a chance to experience life without them. Living rent free in your parent’s house. A job that may not necessarily be be your dream gig but it gets the bills paid and you don't fantasize about committing felonies against your coworkers. The ability to eat a tray of macaroni and cheese, half of an apple pie and

Moving Epiphanies

2009-03-13T01:17:00.007-04:00

Just a little over two weeks until the big Florida move. My apartment is on it's ear. Boxes fill the rooms. The trashcan runneth over. It's amazing how much the "Ooh. I can't wait to try it!" product quickly becomes the "That ain't gonna do nothin' but take up space and add wieght." product. Can someone please tell me why I have 3 different mayonnaise conditioners? Better yet... can some one tell

2009-01-27T00:35:00.007-05:00

*Walks in and opens the blinds to get some light up in here*Daaaaang! It's dustier than mug up in here! Where ya'll been?Oh... That's a question that I need to answer huh? Lol.Things have been a little hectic on my end. Apparently homes don't move themselves and have the nerve to require packing and what not?!?! *Gives the boxes in the corner the side eye and sucks teeth*I am trying to get back

It's Official... We Are In a Recession!

2009-01-06T09:45:00.000-05:00

How do I know this you ask? Because MAC is having a sale! That's right! A sale at MAC! I know that I wasn't the only one flat out flabbergasted when I saw the email. I had to get up and look out the window t see if pigs were flying. I would have checked to see if Hell froze over but if it's in Connecticut it's been frozen for a hot second now. MAC has a Friends & Family Sale every year but

New Year, New Blessing, New Challenges

2009-01-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! Doesn't the arrival of a new year always feel like a chance to start fresh and new? A way to start with a clean slate? Let's just shake off the heeby jeebies of last year and kick start the new year five pounds lighter shall we?A few phone calls and unforeseen blessings has given my family a chance to relocate to Florida. *looks out of window at the fresh snow that

2008-12-30T11:00:00.000-05:00

Hey bellas! I hope every one's holiday was super. Did you make through them relatively unscathed? The holidays can be crazy stressful. I make it through them buy humming and surrounding myself with polish fumes! Lol.Here are few of my recent NOTDs.This is China Glaze VIII. It's a wonderful dark eggplant creme. Very chic. The

My $30 Alternative to the Clarisonic

2008-12-24T13:00:00.000-05:00

Mr. Brown has pretty much put the kibosh on my plans to get a Clarisonic facial brush. When I called him in to watch the HSN presentation he said "We have a Sonicare toothbrush in the bathroom right now. I can go and grab you some extra brush heads and you can have a ball." Then he laughed. Hard. And went into the kitchen. Boo.With my hopes dashed and my spirit broken (yes, I am that dramatic), I

Yes to Carrots Wants Send You to the Movies!

2008-12-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

I love Yes to Carrots' C Me Smile Lip Butter!It became an instant HG because it kept my lips from peeling when I used lipstick. I knew it was a winner when Mr. Brown inquired "Where's that carrot stuff? This other stuff is crap."There ya go people. That other stuff is crap. Lol! I was excited to find Frosty Loves C lip butter set at my local Walgreens for $9.99. It is a the perfect stocking

Another Letter to Ms. Sally Hansen,

2008-12-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

You're going to stop playing with my emotions Sally. First this. Now your latest breakdown in communication. Just when I think I can actually start to love you for something other than your Megashine, Insta-Dri and Quencher you fall back right into your foul ways. Can you even imagine my delight when I stumble upon a gleaming, virginal display of your new Insta-Dries? Only a desperate seasoned

Free Misa Nail Polish!

2008-12-18T13:10:00.002-05:00

Holy sheep! I don't know if you all know this yet but Scrangie is the woman! And to celebrate her awesomeness Misa is giving her readers a FREE bottle of polish! Any color! All you have to do is pay $3 for shipping and it's yours! But who can choose only one color right? Well you can order up to 11 bottles for $1.50 each for additional shipping. Shucks.... How about just make it a smooth dozen

AHA's & BHA 's 101

2008-12-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

Grab some tea and get comfy Bellas. Today we're going to talk about Alpha and Beta Hydroxy acids. We always see brands flaunting them as ingredients and hear skin care gurus preaching of the virtues. But do well really know much about them how to use them?Oh... You do?Well there is bound to be someone here that doesn't so no spoilers please. On a molecular level, AHAs and BHAs are very similar.

My Latest Weapon In the Battle Against Dark Spots

2008-12-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

Most of you know that post inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) is an ongoing battle of mine. Over the years I have tried several lines that contain AHAs in order to get rid of the marks. The results have been mixed to say the least. Some items made my skin super dry while. A few gave minimal results while others just didn't do anything for the PIH. But they all delivered smoother, more radiant

Smurfette Makes the Big League!

2008-12-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

Stop the presses! OMG! Too Faced Cosmetics has a new Smurfette inspired collection! I know that I am probably the only one this excited. Don't ask me why, but Smurfette was my ace book koon! Her and Wonder Woman. I still remember fighting crime and saving smurfs in my under-roos. Ahhh.... Those were the days.There are 5 limited edition pieces in all so get it while it lasts! It's available only

Philosphy Sale!

2008-12-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

I don't' really make it a point to do posts on sales. If you are like me, your inbox receives so many emails trying to get your cash that your Paypal account is running for cover. But I just had to share this one!My latest health and beauty kick has been Philosophy shower gels. For a long time I was a naysayer and an unbeliever thinking "It's just soap. Why is it so friggin expensive?" Then I

2008-12-10T19:21:00.005-05:00

I wasn't planning to post this but I can't stop looking at so I figured it must be worthy of an STS post.It's a part of the long DC'ed Sally Hansen Magical collection. This is called Ruby Slipper... A name FAIL in my opinion because this bad boy is straight pink. But whatever... I still love it to pieces. I resourced this little

Dirt Cheap Never Felt So Good!

2008-12-08T12:56:00.007-05:00

I know that I am not the only one.I know that I am not the only one that has come across Montagne Jeunesse skin treatments, took one look and kept it moving. I am far too broke to be a beauty snob... but you gotta draw the line somewhere. They are packaged in bright and obnoxiously colored individual use packs. The models on the pouches are wearing masks embellished with curiously large

It's probably the wrong season for such a bright FOTD but....

2008-12-05T12:55:00.004-05:00

...It's cold as penguin snot here in Connecticut! The sun slipped behind a cloud weeks ago and hasn't been seen since so I was desperate for a pick me up.FaceSkinPrep FX (This primer is something else! A full review to come soon)Cover FX creme in B35NARS blush in Outlaw (it really is there in real life lol.)Pure Luxe Silica PowderEyesMAC Pharoah paint pot (shadow base)MAC Fresh Green Mix MES

2008-12-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

When I first laid eyes on the Cover FX display at my local Sephora my jaw dropped. Other than MAC and MUFE I had never seen such a wide selection of shades. There is a whopping 32 shades available in the cream formula and 25 in the liquid! Impressive right?Since Cover FX was developed to cover skin imperfections like port wine

Lush Makes Bath Time Fun... And Expensive

2008-12-03T00:00:00.001-05:00

My first trip to a bricks and mortar Lush this past weekend did three things. (1) Created a $50 hole in my wallet, (2) convinced me that I need to take more nice, long , hot baths and (3) woke up my creative DIY side because there has got to be a cheaper way to battle the ashe then dropping $12.95 on a King Of Skin Body Butter every few weeks. Here are a few quick and dirty reviews on my haul. No

Hey Hey a Giveaway!

2008-12-02T18:40:00.002-05:00

The wonderfully sweet Joi of Beauty Blvd. is having a great giveaway! She is giving 5 lucky readers the chance to win a tube of Rx For Brown Skin Body Butter. Lil' sis Brittany from Clumps of Mascara already did a lemming inducing review. I have the body butter and it's just as divine as she said! So cyber-trot on over to Beauty Blvd. for your chance to win!B.B.

RX For Brown Skin- Just What The Doctor Ordered

2008-12-02T09:00:00.001-05:00

Let me start off by giving major kudos and appreciating to DR. Susan Taylor, the creator of the RX For Brown Skin line. The beauty industry has come along way when it comes to products for us Brown Bettys' but Dr. Taylor has significantly raised the bar by developing a line that caters specifically to us. How flippin cool is that? Dr. Taylor is also quite accomplished. Girlfriend is a mover and

I'm Calling Shaningans and Buffonery on the Philly PETA Folks!

2008-12-01T11:30:00.000-05:00

Mr. Brown and I spent Black Friday window shopping in downtown Philadelphia. It was great! I truly and dearly miss all of the hustle and bustle of my hometown so I was in my element. Bobbing and weaving. Ooohing and ahhing. Shaking my head at the redonkulous prices of a cup of coffee nowadays...All was going well until we arrived at the Burberry store on 17th and Walnut streets. There were about

2008-12-01T10:50:00.002-05:00

Hey beautimous people! My intrawebz was on the fritz for almost two weeks and the family went begging for turkey so I have been MIA for a little while. It's great to be back! I felt sooo out of touch! Thank you to my blogging BFFs Brittany and Kia for keeping me in the loop and sane during my own personal dark ages! I have some wonderful products and some weekeng shenanigans to tell you about!

Greased Up and Socked Down

2008-11-17T09:28:00.003-05:00

I was channel surfing and happened to pause on a popular daytime talk show. The topic was beauty secrets and as usual... Most of them were not secret at all. Most of the "secrets" could be found out by thumbing through any number of blogs or magazines. I was about to change the channel until a tip caught my attention.If you have dry or rough elbows, put Crisco on them and cover them in socks over

The Agony of a Budget

2008-11-13T00:15:00.000-05:00

Makeup Forever... Why must you taunt me so? When I first came across this beauty I gasped. When I saw the price... I gasped and died.This is the Dany Sanz Limited Edition Palette. It is jam-packed with 30 shadows and blushes. Each palette is signed and numbered by Dany Sanz, Creator and Artistic Director of MUFE. Only 100 palettes are available and they are a Sephora exclusive. Hurry an get