On the end caps of each of the beauty aisles, about 5 end caps, Wet N Wild had their Halloween makeup already set up. Halloween makeup!

I love Halloween because you can find all of the fun shadow and polish colors and fun fake eyelashes that are normally tough to find other times of the year.

The BEST thing I saw was the Halloween nail polish from Wet N Wild. Not only were they $0.99 each (99 cents! OMG!), they came in some awesome colors. Along with the requisite orange, red and black, they also had shimmery metallic shades of green and blue.

So, of course, I snatched them right up.

I bought Wet N Wild Wild Shine nail polishes in Caribbean Frost and Bijou Blue.

Plus side: while these were set out for Halloween, these colors aren’t seasonal. According to the website, you can get them all-year-round.

Caribbean Frost, 2 Coats

Caribbean Frost is a green-turquoise color with a shimmery metallic finish. It went on well in only two coats and was resistant to chipping more than other inexpensive polishes. Even four days later, it barely had a scratch.

Bijou Blue, 3 Coats

Bijou Blue needed one more coat than Caribbean Frost, which is annoying. Still, it’s a really pretty blue metallic. It lasted a long time, just like the other polish

Here’s a downside: both polishes were super tough to remove. They weren’t as hard as removing sparkly nail polish (which is the bane of my existence), but it was still harder than normal.

The Final Verdict

This nail polish is beautiful and lasts a long time. The only downsides were the slightly thinner formula for Bijou Blue and the tough time it takes to remove them both. Let me tell you, this is definitely worth 99 cents. This Halloween makeup season is looking good. I give these colors of Wet N Wild Wild Shine nail polishes an…

A-

Pick up this nail polish at Shopko, Walgreens, and wherever else sells Wet N Wild Halloween makeup.

Then I thought of it: emerald. I wanted to use some sort of emerald green in my crease.

This is how it turned out:

You can’t tell, but I totally have pajama pants on. It’s a cozy day!

This look consisted only of eye makeup. I didn’t put anything on my face or lips. Why? I just didn’t feel like it.

I promise it looks more emerald-y in real life.

Here’s what I used and how I used it!

• Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy wherever I planned to apply eye shadow (so practically everywhere.)
• Sephora Eye Shadow in Aspen Summit (shimmery white) at the inside corner of my eye and up around to just under my brow bone.
• Fyrinnae Loose Eye Shadow in Polar Bear (shimmery light yellow/gold) on the rest of my eyelid. I put it on any area that I didn’t add Aspen Summit to.
• Luzier Eye Shadow in Peacock (shimmery emerald green) at the crease, blending up to the brow bone. And Pacific (shimmery blue) blended into the crease a little.
• e.l.f. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Black along the top lash line.
• Cover Girl LashBlast Fusion mascara in Black Brown on the top and bottom lashes.

I’m satisfied with the way it turned out.

As to the title of this post, we just finished up a nice 3 day weekend here in the US because of Labor Day.

It got me thinking about how awesome 3 day weekends are. I’d much rather have 3 days off than 2.

And then I realized something awesome. I’m self employed. I can do whatever I want! So I did the calculations and am now planning to take 3 days off every weekend.  This week is a trial to see how it goes.

The only work I plan to do on Fridays now is a Makeup Files post. And then that may only be sometimes. You shouldn’t see much change here, if anything at all. But you WILL notice a much more relaxed and happier Trisha.

Nice!

I have rainy weather in the 60-degrees Fahrenheit range to look forward to. While I love rain, I hate cold. So this is disappointing.

Even Apartment Gnome is disappointed, and he never gets to go outside.

So I make myself happier by watching Project Runway (poor Michael C!), drinking homemade soda and looking forward to the Halloween season. Because, really, everything’s better with a bowl full of Halloween candy. And video games!

How do you gear up for the cold?

“The sheer number of bacteria species detected on the hands of the study participants was a big surprise, and so was the greater diversity of bacteria we found on the hands of women…”

Besides bacteria, our hands are covered in dirt and oil.

Here’s my plea to you: quit touching your face!

That may seem like a weird thing to you, but you may be touching your face periodically throughout the day without realizing it. You could swipe your hand across your face to check for any stray food after lunch, or absent-mindedly pick at a newly formed zit.

Touching your face might…

• …irritate skin.
• …cause blemishes.
• …add smudges and dirt.
• …cause infections.
• …ruin your makeup.
• …remove important sunscreen.
• …reverse all the good stuff you do it it.

I bring this up because I’ve noticed myself touching my face a lot more lately. When I use a face mask and my face is nice and soft, I keep touching my face thinking, ”wow! so soft!”

So I say this just as much to myself as to you: stop touching your face!

Photo credit: D Sharon Pruitt

“It makes me wonder what she’s hiding under there. She must be pretty ugly!”

“Only women with low self-esteem do stuff like that.”

“Women who wear makeup probably don’t like the way they look without it.”

It seems like a prevailing thought: women who wear makeup have low self-esteem or are ugly.

But it’s simply not true! There is no correlation between makeup and self-esteem. While there are women who wear makeup that also have bad self-esteem, that can be said of any group, including women who wear no makeup at all.

There are also women who wear makeup and love themselves, for exactly who they are.

Take me, for example. I absolutely love makeup, especially super colorful and bold eye makeup. Yet I have super great self esteem. I love myself and I think I’m beautiful even without makeup. Just because I like to wear makeup doesn’t mean I hate myself or the way I am naturally.

Another example: dating. I’ve heard from so many guys that they prefer “natural” women. It’s because of all the negative stereotypes of women who wear makeup. It bothers me that a guy wouldn’t consider dating a girl just because she wears makeup. Absurd!

Just because I wear makeup, it doesn’t mean that I…

• …have low self-esteem.
• …am ugly.
• …am high-maintenance.
• …have something to hide.

It’s time to stop these negative stereotypes. How? Talk highly of yourself! Mention how you like your lips, whether they have lipstick or not. And if someone talks badly about you or other women who wear makeup, give them a swift talking-to!

Quit hating on us beauty goddesses!

Normally, Urban Decay’s Primer Potion series comes with a little wand applicator. Though many have a fine time with the wand, others find it cumbersome and tough to use.

If you’d rather use your fingers to use the Primer Potion (and don’t want to get the wand version all gunky), try the new Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Professional Size ($29).

(FYI, this only comes in the original Primer Potion formula right now, and not Eden or Sin)

It has 150% more potion, comes in a tube, and has a needle-nose tips.

Thus, easier application.

Pick it up at Urban Decay.

Photo credit: Urban Decay

Frequency really shows what works the best.

What makeup brands do you use the most?

My answer: I use these the most…

• L’Oreal
• Maybelline
• Elite Pro
• Urban Decay
• Cover Girl

I use these the most for lots of reasons. Some are inexpensive (L’Oreal, Maybelline, Cover Girl). Some are industry leaders (Urban Decay). Some are just my favorite products (Elite Pro).

What do you use most? Let us know in the comments!

But before we could get to Butte, we stopped at a little town that’s sole awesomeness comes from a giant candy store. We spent about an hour in there filling up bags of candy. I may have a picture of that to be posted soon.

I still have some candy left, even though it was a week ago. That’s a cue right there that I got a lot of candy. I mean, so much candy that my dentist will probably hate me.

In Butte, we did a lot of things. Drive-in movies (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and The Other Guys. Both were great.), hot springs, you name it.

We also spent an entire afternoon walking around historic downtown Butte, taking pictures.

There’s a lot of graffiti everywhere. Some more clever than others. This is from a long series of pig stencils across the side of someone’s garage. Even now, I have no idea what it meant.

At least the pigs seemed like professional graffiti work. This message graced the pole for a stop light. Apparently the mystery woman didn’t appreciate being called a whore. I don’t think I’d appreciate it either.

Some of the historic buildings were well-kept. Some needed a little work. This one needed a LOT of work.

I really needed that vacation, even if it was only for a few days. I wish I could take an awesome vacation every week. Every DAY!

PS: Have you bought The 30 Day Ultimate Beauty Makeover book yet? The price goes from $8 to $13 in the middle of September. Better act fast.

The 30 Day Ultimate Beauty Makeover ebook is officially released.

Inner beauty is just as important as outer beauty. With that in mind, The 30 Day Ultimate Beauty Makeover will teach you ways to improve all aspects of your beauty, inside and out. That’s why it’s “Ultimate”!

You can now follow assignments focused on both inner and outer beauty for a full 30 days.

Here are a few sample days from the makeover:

• Day 2: Finding the Right Foundation for Your Face
• Day 8: Find Out Your Season
• Day 11: Sculpt the Perfect Eyebrows
• Day 15: Get Rid of Negative Things in Your Life
• Day 27: Surround Yourself With People You Love

Each day gives a full how-to or explanation for the day’s theme. It also gives you an assignment to follow so you can apply what you’ve learned. Finally, you can follow the day’s extra credit if you want to take things a few steps further.

After Day 30, you’ll have…

• …better self esteem
• …better makeup techniques
• …an organized life
• …a positive attitude
• …and more

You can buy The 30 Day Ultimate Beauty Makeover, with over 40 pages of intense beauty tips, for the low price of $8 (the price goes up to $13 on September 15th, 2010.) All you have to do is click the button below.

PS: Like The 30 Day Ultimate Beauty Makeover? Buy my other beauty book, The Complete Eyebrow Guide as well!

So, of course I bought a bunch of stuff. One of the things I bought was the e.l.f. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Black.

How well does it apply?

It’s called a Waterproof Eyeliner Pen for a reason. The tip is just like something you’d find with a felt tip marker:

This actually makes the product a lot easier to apply. It gives the same sort of look as liquid eyeliner without the difficulty factor.

How does it look?

The Waterproof Eyeliner Pen creates a dramatic, crisp line. Since the tip comes to a point, you can create both a thick and thin line.

Do you like smudging your eyeliner? If you do, you might not like this. It dries quickly and doesn’t smudge. Because of this, this liner is only good for makeup looks that use a dramatic line. In other words, it’s totally retro:

Is it really waterproof?

It’s pretty rare to find a waterproof eyeliner. You see it all the time with mascaras, but not with liner.

I have to say, this is definitely waterproof. I had a hard time removing it. If you don’t have makeup remover, it’s time to get some, because this stuff won’t come off well with anything else.

But if you like waterproof makeup, then you’ll love it.

The Final Verdict

The e.l.f. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen does exactly what it’s supposed to. It creates a nice, saturated line, is waterproof and is easy to apply. It has limited uses, since it creates very dramatic lines. This product works best to supplement your makeup kit, and not as an all-purpose liner. And the $1 price tag makes it a must. For this reasons, I give it an…

A-

Pick up the e.l.f. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen online at the e.l.f. website or at a local Target for $1.

Much like the 10 Days to Ultimate Beauty series of posts, readers will be guided through improving their inner and outer beauty every day for 30 days. Follow daily assignments or take it even further with extra credit.

The main purpose of The 30 Day Ultimate Beauty Makeover is to teach you ways to improve your outer beauty, as well as your inner beauty. Here are a few sample days so you can see what I’m talking about…

• Day 8: Find Out Your Season
• Day 11: Sculpt the Perfect Eyebrows
• Day 15: Get Rid of Negative Things in Your Life

They are seriously detailed how-to guides for every day.

At the end of the 30 days you’ll have higher self esteem, a better wardrobe, better ways to apply makeup, an improved outlook and a positive attitude, among other things!

So this is just a little reminder that the book (with a special introductory price of $8—less than $0.30 a day) will be coming out next week.

If you want to hear more news about the 30 Day Ultimate Beauty Makeover eBook, follow the #30DayUltimateMakeover search topic on Twitter.

It got me thinking about travel and beauty. I’ve talked about travel before, and about the kinds of things you might want to bring on your trip. But do you really care about your beauty when you’re out of town?

Do you worry about beauty when you’re on vacation?

I’m betting that it depends on the kind of trip. For instance, I’m going on a road trip and will be spending most of my time walking around town, soaking in hot springs, and watching movies at a drive in. Because of that, I’m bringing only the bare minimum of travel beauty essentials (a little eye shadow, mascara and eye liner will do.)

But what about a fancier or longer vacation? Would you bring an entire, fully-packed case with you?

I want to hear from my readers? What do you bring when you go on vacation?

Photo by Ricardo Diaz.

I heard about the SodaStream soda maker about a year ago. I immediately put it on my wish list.

Finally, after months of waiting  to buy it and about a week of watching the UPS tracking page, I finally received my SodaStream. To celebrate, I decided to do my makeup in a…soda style.

Have a gander at Orange Soda:

Nice and orange-y.

Here’s what I used create this look, with close-ups:

Eyes:

• Sephora Eye Shadow in Aspen Summit at the inside corner of my eye and up around to just under my brow bone.
• Fyrinnae Loose Eye Shadow in Polar Bear on the rest of my eyelid. I put it on any area that I didn’t add Aspen Summit to.
• MAC Eye Shadow in Orange in the crease and fading up to the brow bone.
• Elite Pro Cosmetics 88 Eye Shadow Palette in a similar orange shade applied wet as a liner to the top lash line.
• Max Factor Eyeliner in Fresh Coffee applied to the lower water line.
• Max Factor Volume Couture Mascara in Black Brown on the top and bottom lashes.

Lips:

• Cover Girl Outlast Lipstain in Scarlet Pucker.
• Sephora Lip Gloss in Rosy Glow over the lipstain.

And to further celebrate the SodaStream, the first soda I made was Orange.

The apartment gnome thinks it’s pretty rad. Oh, gnome!

Mmm…bubbles! “Can you even dye my eyes to match my pop? Uh huh! Jolly old town!”

Now I’ll never go without a carbonated beverage again. My life is complete.

What was your last exciting purchase?

Jillian Dempsey is a noted makeup artist. You’ll see her looks all over the red carpet and in many beauty magazines including Elle and Marie Claire.

The fact that she created these products for Avon is pretty cool.

Jillian Dempsey for Avon Professional Eye Duo

Sold for $9 suggested retail price, the Eye Duo comes with both a highlighting eye shadow and a liquid eyeliner; one on each end. They come in various shadow/line color combinations: White/Jet Black, Shell Pink/Warm Brown, Bronze/Warm Brown and Gold/ Jet Black.

Here’s swatches of the Gold/Jet Black version:

I love the pigmented shadow, but the liner looks a little watery.

Jillian Dempsey for Avon Professional Multi-Pencil

The Multi-Pencil is sold for $8 suggested retail price. Like the Eye Duo, the Multi-Pencil is a double-ended multi-purpose beauty product. The thicker end has a lip/cheek color and the thinner end has an eye shadow in pencil form. It comes in Raspberry Radiance, Sugar Plum and Twice the Spice.

Here are swatches of Sugar Plum:

The lip/cheek color is on the left and the eye shadow color is on the right. The eye shadow would be especially good for highlighting the inner corner of your eye and just under the brow.

Jillian Dempsey for Avon Professional Lash Booster

The Lash Booster, $9.50 suggested retail price, is supposed to go on between coats of mascara. While the Lash Booster is mostly a clear gel, is contains small colored fibers, either Black or Brown. It’s supposed to amp up your lashes to mimic false lashes without all the mess.

Since it’s clear, I don’t have swatches.

Keep your eye on Makeup Files because I’ll be doing full reviews of these products in the future.

I did find something curious, though. On an end-cap in the beauty department, they had a large display of e.l.f. products.

If you’re not familiar with e.l.f. (short for Eyes Lips Face), they are a bargain beauty brand. Most of their stuff costs $1 unless it’s a part of a package. Up until now, Target didn’t carry e.l.f. It appears that has changed.

Obviously, I couldn’t help myself. Not at these prices.

Here’s what I got!

This pack of 3 lip glosses closely resembles the packaging of Stila Lip Glaze. I got the 3-pack for $3.

Next, I picked up an eye shadow brush (which is really nice) and black waterproof eyeliner that has a nice felt tip, like a marker. These were $1 each.

Finally, an eye shadow book. This comes with 12 colors (generous portions, too), an eyeliner and an applicator. Yep, only $5. Here’s an inside view:

The colors are a mix of matte, satin and sparkly. They also had a similar beauty book but with lip colors instead of eye shadow.

I spent a total of $10 on all of this makeup, and it wasn’t even on sale. Nice!