Love That Lavender Brunette

No Regrets, Just Love: Dexter.

2013-05-02T13:00:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows that if you show me a picture of Michael C. Hall, I will squeal and get excited. That's because he plays the main character on one of my favorite shows, Dexter.

The premise of the Dexter is a bit hard to take in: our "hero" here is Dexter Morgan - a blood splatter (make sure you remember the "l" that's in there) analyst for the Miami-Dade police department. That's his day job - by night (or whenever he feels like it, really) he's a serial killer. But wait wait before you get all =O, he only kills bad people. See, he's helping us out - getting rid of the bad guys that slip through the cracks of the justice system.

I've been watching this show since it started, which would be about seven years ago. A few seasons in, I started to read the books (written by Jeff Lindsay) - which are absolutely wonderful as well. Although the books don't follow the same story lines as the television series, and there's multiple character changes and things of that nature.

One of the many gems this show has going for it is Debra Morgan - Dexter's sister, who's a lieutenant in the same police department Dex is. She's a foul mouthed, takes no shit, ball busting badass that has her own issues that make the show even more awesome.

Isn't she just lovely?

Throughout all seven seasons of it, Dexter has always kept me on the edge of my seat. Very few shows have that affect on me. There are so many twists, turns, and just outright WTFs in every single season, and I love it. The world loves me, and decided to start the eighth season early this year, with it premiering on June 30th (it usually starts in late September). Sadly, though, the last time I checked, this upcoming season will be its last. I'm probably gonna end up crawling into the fetal position in a dark corner somewhere when that happens, I just know it. But what I can look forward to is the series going out with a bang - an even harder bang than all seven of it's season finales have been. And THAT'S a big bang to look forward to.

What television season premieres are you looking forward to?

No Regrets, Just Love: Maybelline Fit Me Foundation.

2013-04-25T14:00:00.000-04:00

Maybelline is one of my favorite drugstore brands. Their mascaras are perfection, and their foundations actually have shades dark enough for me.

They brought out their Fit Me line a few years ago, and I wanted to see if I'd love it as well. I am in love with this foundation. Main reason? The shade match is absolutely perfect for me. I wear 355 (sadly, this is their darkest shade), and I've never found a foundation that matches me this well. They're usually either too light, or too yellow. This hits my undertone and shade right on the head.

What I will say, and I'm sure you've already heard through the beauty blog grapevine, is: this foundation makes you look ridiculously oily. I love it to death, but sweet goodness I'm an oil slick at the end of the day. Keep in mind though, I'm starting off with really oily skin from the get go. But I've found that no matter what I set it with, I look like I can fry chicken on my face later on in the day.

For that reason, I don't usually wear this in the summer. I'll only break this out in the winter, where I won't have to worry about my skin heating up as I walk around and go about my day.

But since it's so hard to find a decent shade match in drugstore face products, Fit Me wins simply because it makes that much easier.

MAC 130 Duo Fiber Brush.

2013-04-22T12:30:00.000-04:00

I've never been a fan of the whole due fiber brush craze. I know everyone loves MAC's 187 and its little sister, the 188, but it just never appealed to me. I never understood how a brush that's so...flimsy, and not dense at all would be ideal for liquid foundation. I have a LE version of the 187, and while I do know the giftset versions of brushes aren't nearly the same quality as their full-sized counterparts, it still wasn't doing it for me.

In comes the 130 addition to MAC's brushes. It interested me because it was smaller, and seemed like the bristles were much more densely packed than other duo fiber brushes. And they are - which is essential for me when I'm using liquid or cream products.

When I first got it, I did test it out with a few of my liquid foundations, and it worked alright, but not exactly how I had hoped. It's surface area is so small, that it takes extra time to blend, and still, the brushes weren't quite dense enough for me. But no fear, I found a different use for it - applying cream blush. THIS is where this brush shines, in my opinion. It holds onto the product, and let's me control how much product I pack on. And its small size works well here because it really only needs to work the area of my cheeks.

It didn't really work for what I bought it for, but luckily in the beauty world, our tools are versatile and may be awesome for a task we don't expect.

Sunday Sexy: Colin O'Donoghue.

2013-04-21T14:00:00.000-04:00

I'm pretty sure this man is the only reason I'd ever think Captain Hook could be sexy. Colin plays the fairytale villian on ABC's Once Upon A Time, one of my new television loves. As Hook he wears guyliner, a sexy-sick trench coat type thingy, and, of course, a hook. He does bad so damn good and I love it.

But in regular, everyday, IRL he's just as attractive and his gorgeous eyes are a serious pantry dropper. Oh, and by the way, he's Irish. Somehow Ireland keeps pumping out beautiful men.

Question Of The Moment.

2013-04-17T13:00:00.000-04:00

How often do you use a face mask?
I try to do some type of face mask every week and a half. "Try" being the key word here - I often find myself not having the time to do it, unfortunately. I do like to alternate between difference masks, depending on what my skin is going through at the time. Around that *~special~* time of the month I make it a point to use a mint mask - I feel it works for getting rid of any extra nastiness going on with my skin.

Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue.

2013-04-15T12:30:00.000-04:00

Let me just put this out there: I absolutely hate citrus smells. Oranges, grapefruits, lemons, tangerines - hate hate hate them. Whenever they gave out oranges in elementary/high school, I'd want to go run and hide somewhere from all the kids who smelled of orange peel.

Sephora describes Light Blue as:

A stunning perfume, overwhelming and irresistible like the joy of living. Surprising and colored: the liveliness of Sicilian citron, the happiness of Granny Smith apple, the spontaneity of bluebells. Feminine and resolute: the intensity of jasmine, the freshness of bamboo, the charm of white rose. Deep and true: the character of cedarwood, the fullness of amber, the embrace of musk.

But, somehow, I have nothing but love for Light Blue. And it's a strong citrus scent - imagine taking that cafeteria orange peel smell, fancying it up, and adding a touch of grown-up sexy to it. That is what Light Blue is, really.

This is probably my fifth or sixth bottle of this stuff (I can account for one bottle having to be replaced because I dropped it on my bathroom floor and it broke...I'm pretty sure I cried real tears that day). I usually buy the big giftsets every time, since I already know I love this and everything that smells of it.

I'm not sure if I'm ready to indulge in ALL of the citrus fragrances out there, but I do know that Light Blue will always have my heart.

Sunday Sexy: Iwan Rheon.

2013-04-14T13:30:00.000-04:00

As some of you may know, I'm a serious Misfits fan (well, up until the most recent season, really). No, not the band. The television show, that's about a group of people who are stuck doing community service and just so happen to have supernatural powers.

From first watching Misfits, I fell in love with Simon - the ridiculously shy loner who has the power of invisibility. Simon is placed by Welsh actor/singer/all around perfect Iwan Rheon.

Look at those eyes. Just look. You're gonna melt, but it's okay I'll clean it up for you.

He's just so absolutely gorgeous.

Also, he has an accent. We all know how I feel about UK accents.

Wishlist Wednesday.

2013-04-10T12:30:00.000-04:00

Sephora Pro Airbrush Concealer Brush

I'm not one to actually use a brush to apply my concealer. I always go with the "fingers warm up the product" idea. But I would like to transition into using a brush, and I feel like the density and size of this would be perfect for application.

Loreal Wet Shine Stain in Rose On And On

I've never tried the YSL lipgloss stains, and I probably wouldn't be willing to dish out $30+ for a lip gloss, so I want to try a few of these. I've been into lip stains lately, so why not. I just have to be careful to not get shades that are similar to what I already have - which is a little hard.

Loreal Wet Shine Stain in Infinite Fuschia

Again, I'm a lip stain fan. I know I said I'd try to NOT get repeat shades, but I feel a lot of times with stains, the darker colors usually look slightly better. I can't really go wrong with a fuschia, to be honest.

NYX Cinnamon Blush.

2013-04-08T15:17:00.000-04:00

NYX is known for how affordable their products are, and yet still manage to be amazingly pigmented. Cinnamon is no exception.

I honestly have no clue why NYX decided Cinnamon was a good name for this - since when is cinnamon bright orange? Cause that's what this is - bright orange. That might scare some of you guys, but it really shouldn't. A little goes a long way, just remember that. This blush is totally matte, something I'm usually not a fan of. But it isn't chalky or oddly textured like a lot of matte powder products - it's very soft and almost velvety. And that's what makes it okay for me.

I love how this color looks on my skin tone - it's warm, and gives an unexpected bit of color to the cheeks. It's what I reach for when I want something that compliments my skin perfectly, but also gives it some extra umph.

What's your favorite bright colored blush?

This Week's Crushes.

2013-04-06T15:01:00.001-04:00

Crushes are links to things I'm into for the week that may or may not be beauty related - a blog I've recently discovered and want to rave about, a youtube video that blew me away, some awesome info I picked up, a song that's been on repeat on my ipod, and anything else I'm loving and I want you guys to know about!

Jay's Life (video) - I'm not usually into web series or anything of that sort, but I came across this one somewhere in the deep, dark, depths of youtube. It chronicles the crazy *~shennanigans~* our main character gets himself into a regular basis. New season just started (I didn't even know youtube shows HAD seasons?), and it's wonderful. But, I must warn you, viewer discretion is advised. There's some dirty words thrown in there, so keep the kiddies away.

Doctor Who (television show) - The doctor is back! And this time, with a brand new companion. If you haven't heard of Doctor Who, it's a legendary (it's celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year) science fiction series about a "doctor" (an alien, really) who travels in a police box throughout time and space, going on crazy adventures. The new season of the show started last week, and it was wonderful. I can't wait to see what's coming up for the rest of show.

Goldiestarling's Bite Tutorial (makeup tutorial) - I'm so used to doing "regular" makeup, that whenever I see stage/theater/film makeup done I'm in awe. It's something I've never delved into, and I know I should at learn a thing or two about it. Angie does wonderful stage makeup tutorials, and here's one showing you how to create a bite wound.

Blogging Tips (website) - Since I started blogging again, I've been trying to take in as much info as possible about how to blog. I pick tips and tricks from various places on the net, but I found myself over at Blogging Basics way more than any other place. Really helped me a lot.

Brooke Beauty (youtuber) - Whenever I start a new semester, I'm always into watching school organization videos and things of that nature. In my quest for such, I found Brooke. I'm sure she's just in high school, but she has some good school/study tips that are valuable even as a college student. She also does beauty videos that are pretty good too.

Question Of The Moment.

2013-04-03T14:00:00.000-04:00

What do you think is the most important part of your skincare routine?

I've always thought it was your moisturizer. I had really weird/sensitive skin when I was a kid, so my mom always instilled in me that moisturizing, and using the right moisturizer, was essential. I never understand how people skip moisturizer - I know everyone's skin is different, but we all need extra nutrients in our skin. Even if you suffer from oily skin (like myself), you're gonna need to slather on some face lotion during the day.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleanser.

2013-04-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

Philosophy has become one of my favorite brands for their skincare and body products. I've gotten a few mini samples of their Purity Made Simple cleanser, and ended up buying a bottle. And by "a bottle" I obviously mean I'm on probably my fifth huge bottle of the stuff.

I have sensitive skin, and I don't put just anything on my face for fear of a weird reaction. It seems as though naming this cleanser "Purity" is a perfect fit, because it's exactly that - pure. It doesn't do anything extravagent to my skin, and it doesn't do anything to make it feel horrible. It cleanses in the simplest way possible, and I like that. It doesn't really foam up much though, which, was originally a drawback for me because I like to see soap suds to feel clean (it's all in my head, I know, I know).

I will say, it doesn't do very well at taking off my eye makeup. Even when I use makeup remover and/or wipes beforehand, I still have an annoying amount of eyeliner and mascara left on my face.

It's good to find a cleanser that doesn't have a bunch of bells and whistles, and just cleans.

What's your favorite facial cleanser?

And I'm back!

2013-03-31T16:00:00.000-04:00

Well heeelllloo lovelies! I know I've been gone for pretty much forever, but sometimes life just gets in the way. A ton of stuff has been going on with me, and it was just hard to work on blog things while I was going through a bunch of other stuff.

One of the (positive) things that was keeping me away from you guys was...college. I finally went back to school, and am ridiculously happy that I did. I've always loved school, and it's something I tend to do good in, so that's been a highlight amongst the other nonsense I've had to deal with.

See, I told you I do good in school. I worked really hard the last two semesters and I'm proud of myself. I also changed my major from Business Administration to Criminal Justice towards of the end of the Fall semester. I go to a college that's really business centered, but I have no real interest in the field. I simply wanted to go back to school, and it was the fastest admission process amongst the other colleges I was considering. I do love Criminal Justice though, and my school just recently started offering it as a major. Not sure what career I'll go into once I get my degree, but I still have a little while to figure that out.

With all that said, I obviously do love blogging still. I missed my blog immensely over the past few months, but I was worried it would get in the way of my school work and I'd slip up some. But with two semesters under my belt, I kind of got a decent flow going. My time management skills have improved and I know with the right planning and setup I'll be able to do two of my loves at the same damn time.

Love That Lavender Brunette is officially back in action, and they'll be a brand new post up tomorrow!

No Regrets, Just Love: Revlon PhotoReady Foundation.

2012-08-23T13:30:00.000-04:00

I was a bit put off by Revlon foundations because unlike everyone else in the beauty community, I was not a big fan of Revlon Colorstay foundation. It was too thick, it dried too quickly, and the color choice did not work out for me. But for whatever reason I decided to give their PhotoReady foundation a try.

I am a big fan of this stuff. First off, the color matches me perfectly. Absolutely perfectly. THAT is something big in itself. Finding the right shade in a drugstore foundation is a task I usually do not want to take on, but it worked out here. My shade is Cappuccino, which interestingly enough, is the same shade I had in the Colorstay. That version was way too red/orange for me, but luckily (in this case, at least) they shade range differs slightly between the two lines - which I'm sure is due to the light reflecting particles in PhotoReady.

The coverage of PhotoReady seems to be medium, but buildable. I'm usually a fan of fuller coverage foundation, but I like that this covers up what I need it to cover up, while still letting my skin show through. That is wonderful and rare, and I wouldn't want it any other way, actually. I have no trouble blending, and it also gives me time to blend it - beat THAT Colorstay.

Speaking of time, the wear on this stuff is amazing. I've tested it out with various different setting techniques (translucent powder, an MSF, NO powder, setting spray, etc etc) and my oilyness is kept at bay for the larger portion of the day. I LOVE that. I'm seriously amazed when I look at my face in the latter part of the day and see no oil.

I'm not sure if I should even dare to say this, but, PhotoReady is kinda sorta giving my Maybelline Fit Me foundation a run for its money, and that one's been my lover for about a year and a half. I'm sorry Fit Me, but PhotoReady keeps my chicken-grease face in check waaayy better than you ever have. Step your game up - cause there's a new favorite in town.

No Regrets, Just Love: Laura Geller Honey Dipped.

2012-08-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

One of the first things I ever got from Birchbox was Honey Dipped. I was super shocked that a subscription service would give me a full sized product (regular price of this is $31, Birchbox is only $10 a month...WUT). I've tried other Laura Geller face products, and was never impressed. They'd always been chalky and not very pigmented at all. So the fact that this (practically free) product from the brand was the total opposite of what I dreaded was a wonderful surprise.

Honey Dipped is marketed as a blush, but I've never used it for that. It suits me better as a highlight, and it really is one of the best highlighter colors for me. It's a golden, brownish, bronze (is that even possible? apparently it is). For all you shimmer-phobes out there, yes there is a bit of a noticeable shimmer in Honey Dipped, but it's not ridiculous. I can't simply call it a sheen, since it's a tad more noticeable than that.

Honey Dipped is pretty much my go-to highlighter. It works with any makeup look, since it looks so natural on me. And since I'm such a *~rebel~* when it comes to makeup, I've also used this as an eyeshadow and it worked just as well for me. Love love love it.

Have you ever gotten something from a sampling subscription service and ended up loving it? If so, what was it?

Wishlist Wednesday.

2012-08-15T15:00:00.000-04:00

Clinique Stay Matte Foundation

I'm always on the hunt for a liquid foundation that gives me the matte finish my oily skin needs. I've heard a few things about this so I want to give it a try.

Lime Crime Carousel Lip Gloss in Loop De Loop

This is a blue lip gloss. Enough said.

Maybelline Mega Plush Volume Mascara

I have always loved Maybelline mascaras, and with the exception of Lash Stiletto, they have never ever disappointed me. I'm in the market for a new mascara anyway, so why not stick with the brand I love and trust.

Laquer Love: Wet N Wild I Need A Refreshmint.

2012-08-10T15:00:00.000-04:00

I do not own many colors like this. I know China Glaze's For Audrey is big around the makeup community, but it never really intrigued me enough to really want it. Plus, China Glaze isn't really available here in any stores here in New York, so the idea of me placing an online order just for this seemed silly.

Wet N Wild, however, is readily available in every Walgreens. I've started to run out of nail polish colors that I don't already own, so I decided to add this to my collection. It's a very pretty minty color, leaning more blue than green. It is absolutely wonderful to look at, and is perfect for the spring/summer time. And I have Essie's A Cut Above on my ring finger.

Question Of The Moment.

2012-08-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

What was your first beauty faux pas?
My first ever beauty faux pas was kind of a two-for-one. I went out with my girlfriends for a night of clubbing, and decided to wear a red lip. Back then I didn't know that really rocking a vampy lip required a bit of face contouring to prevent looking washed out. And on top of that, one of my face products (to this day I'm not sure if it was my foundation or my primer) contained SPF and I got MAJOR flashback when we took pictures. Yeah, I was a beauty newbie mess that night. This happened years ago, and I still cringe whenever I think of this incident...haha.

No Regrets, Just Love: MAC Feeling Flush Blush.

2012-08-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

Again, my love for mineralized products has no end. So I was excited about MAC's Semi Precious Collection they released last year.

But for some odd reason, MAC decided to switch up their mineralized formulation this time around. Everything looked…dusty and bland, as opposed to beautifully sheened and buttery smooth. Me being the trooper that I am, I still ended up picking up Feeling Flush because my pale pink blush collection was a bit lacking. The formulation of these newer blushes does take some getting used to, but after you do it's smooth sailing.

The product's name is fitting - it gives you a nice pink flush on the cheek. Not as pigmented as I usually expect from something mineralized, but enough color is there and it is buildable. Also a shocker from a mineralized product is the fact that it's totally matte. I'm not personally a fan of matte anything, really, but this blush is gorgeous so I'll let that slide. This works perfectly for me whenever I need a baby doll pink to tie the rest of my makeup together.

What's your go to baby doll pink blush?

Laquer Love: Revlon Muse.

2012-08-03T12:30:00.000-04:00

Muse is a wonderful light army green, that I'm five seconds away from considering a griege. Maybe it's me wanting to collect ALL of the world's greiges, or the fact that I'm not just imaging a hint of grey in this shade.

Either way, it's wonderful and I do not have anything like it in my collection. The bling you see on my ring finger is Essie's A Cut Above.

Wishlist Wednesday.

2012-08-01T01:04:00.000-04:00

Ben Nye Powder

I'm constantly on the hunt for the perfect setting powder. My major issue with them is that if they are too chalky and white, I'll become a victim of ghost face. No bueno. The Ben Nye powders come in different colors, and I'm considering getting the banana one for my skin tone.

Nars Galapagos Eyeshadow

I really don't need any eyeshadows, since I barely use the ones that I have. But I am a fan of a good dark brown, and Galapagos is just that, and has wonderful pigmentation. I keep telling myself I'm gonna attempt to turn down any Nars purchase urges, but I think a splurge on this gem is kind of alright. Right...?

NYX Paris Lipstick

Another thing my makeup collection is full of - pink lipsticks. But in my defense, it's pretty, it's NYX, it's cheap, and....it's pink.

Bath & Body Works Cherry Blossom Body Mist.

2012-07-30T13:00:00.000-04:00

Bath And Body Works just recently had their semi annual sale, and things were so cheap, I ended up blindly buying a few scents just for the hell of it. I've smelled Cherry Blossom in-store before, but at the time I hated it. I also knew and loved Japanese Cherry Blossom, so the regular one didn't excite me too much.

Bath And Body Works describes Cherry Blossom as:

A bright floral reminiscent of spring's first blossoms bathed in soft sunlight

Top Notes: Dewy Watermelon, Green Lush Accord, Wisteria Petal, Red Plum

Mid Notes: Cherry Blossom, Sheer Freesia

Dry Notes: Soft Musk, Sandalwood, Heliotrope

Every time I spray myself with this the first thing that comes to mind is…soft, floral, clean clothes. Yup, that's my description and I'm sticking to it. It's just extremely soft, brand new, and refreshing to me. I absolutely love it, and really don't know why it took me so many years to actually appreciate it. It's no where near as strong and in your face as Japanese Cherry Blossom, and that's wonderful. The smell is super invigorating and it just makes me feel good.

Have you ever fallen in love with a scent that you originally hated?

This Week's Crushes.

2012-07-28T13:00:00.000-04:00

Vacation Sex (video) - One of my new favorite shows is New Girl. The humor is wonderful, Zooey Deschannel is great to watch/look at, and the cast gives me life. When I saw on the interwebz that Jake Johnson and Lizzy Caplan (she played Janice in Mean Girls) did a Funny Or Die skit I was elated. It's seriously the most hilarious thing I've seen in a while. You go, Lizzy Coco.

The Hunger Games (book) - Yeah so…I ended up falling into this fandom a little after the movie was released. Saw the movie first (wah), and then read the first book, and ended up loving it. I just recently finished Catching Fire, and I actually don't want to finish the series…I'll probably be itching like a crackhead for more after I finish MockingJay.

A Blogger's Hustle: Affliliate Links and Advertisements (blog post) - Donna discusses one of the biggies of blogging, paid ads and affiliates.

Smokey Eye Tutorial (blog post) - I'm always on the hunt for the best smokey eye technique, and Natty just gave me one to try out. This looks sexy and is seemingly super simple to pull off.

Shooting Stars Tutorial (video) -Tatiana is gorgeous, and every single one of her looks is stunning. This one took my breath away.

Pinterest Board Of The Week!

2012-07-27T15:00:00.000-04:00

My Pinterest board of the week is What's In My Bag. Go on and start your pinnin'!

Laquer Love: American Apparel Factory Grey.

2012-07-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

Factory Grey is probably my most loved grey/greige polish in my collection. It's a light heather grey creme. It's unique in my collection because it has no extra tones in it - it doesn't lean purple, or blue, or brown, or any of that. It's a grey that's JUST grey. I like that. I can see people being bored by that, but I love that about it. I've had this for about three years and I really cannot count how many times I've worn it. It's the color I go to when I'm not in my normal blue/purple/blurple/greige mood.

I chose Nicole By OPI's Follow Me On Glitter for my ring finger because I don't get too many chances to wear it. It's a glitter that sits in a dark silver/grey base, so it's a tad too much for my brighter colors, and I never usually put glitter on my vampy polishes, so I figured combining it with Factory Grey would be a great time to use it. Follow Me On Glitter is another color that's different from everything else I have.