A few weeks before I moved, I got to snappin’ random shots of the butter babies…

Big Smoke is a dusty pseudo-metallic blue that doesn’t look like any blue polish that I own.

And check it – it’s a dark blue that LOOKS blue. Which hardly ever happens. That reason alone is why Big Smoke will always have my heart. And it’s super shiny with no top coat. WIN!

Say ‘ello to British Racing Green!

Ohmigoodness, this green is wonderful. Not a fan of greens but want to dabble around with them a bit? This is the one to go for. It’s a subtle green but still has a ton of personality.

As does Dosh.

butter LONDON describes Dosh as a molten apple-green with pretty shimmer. It isn’t as bright as chartreuse and looks like every bit of a Granny Smith apple.

As soon as I get to unpacking, I’ll be dabbling around with more of my butter LONDON polishes. I am well on my way to owning ALL of their polishes.

A bit much? Yeah. Kinda. But hey…some girls buy shoes… You can grab butter LONDON online and at select department stores.

Any bL lovers in the house?

I’m all about reviewing products of brands that a lot of us have may never heard of. That’s where this lippy comes in. While I’ve heard of Kinerase, I have never seen any of their balms and skincare products in drugstores. But, they’re there! Yep, this lippy and other Dr. LewWinn by Kinerase products are sold in Walgreens, Walmart and other drugstores. Pretty groovy, uh?

Let’s rap about this balm.

Aside from promising to plump lips in 5 minutes, this paraben-free balm also increases moisture in lips in just 20 hours, has SPF 20 as well as leaves lips with a nice shine.

In terms of packaging, it isn’t the prettiest lip gloss in the world.

If you’re a guy or gal that could care less about packaging, then this shouldn’t be a deal breaker. I’m always weary of products that claim to plump lips. And for several reasons:

1. I obviously don’t need any plumpin’ in my lips.
2. Just what is it that makes my lips plump?
3. …..and will it wear off?

I question these things. While most gloses that promise “plumping” use peppermint oil to swell the lips up a bit, I can’t quite put my fingers on what gives this product the plumping action. That is…IF the plumping action exists. I didn’t notice any difference in my lips, but then again, I’m gal who has large lips. And has no problems with them either.

Aside from not noticing any plumping, the gloss was a little too watery for my taste. It kept seeping in my mouth. The taste and smell are a bit too medicinal for my liking. It’s not the best lip balm I’ve ever tried. But I’ve certainly tried worse. I’ve spotted this kid at Walgreens and you can also get it from Walgreens.com for less than $10.

What do you think? Do you believe products when they say they’ll plump your lips?

Yay for another post from the The Lipstick League! We are a group of beauty bloggers, bound together by the desire to save the world with beauty, one post at a time!

Gouldylox Reviews – Just in case your beach plans fell through this weekend, here is a list of everything you’ll need to prepare for summer.

Nouveau Cheap – A nail art stamping kit for under $2? Seriously? It’s true!

Pink Sith – Goes all 50 Shades of Gray on you with her review of the newest Agent Provocateur L’agent fragrance. However she does not use the term “inner goddess”, thank goodness!

Prime Beauty – shows you how to look good nude with the LORAC Unzipped Palette!

Phyrra – Phyrra’s story has a happy ending with Cult Nails Cult Fairy Tale Collection.

Vampy Varnish – Even though Kelly gets sea-sick, the new limited edition MAC Hey, Sailor! Collection makes her want to get all nautical.

Beauty Junkies Unite – What summer nail polish shades will you want from Essie’s new ‘Bikini So Teeny’ collection? Amber’s pick: Mojito Madness!

Clumps of Mascara – loves OPI’s Mickey Mouse nail polish collection. Check out these pretty pinks.

Question of the Week:

What say you?

See you next week!

~The Lipstick League

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If you’re a regular Target beauty shopper, you see some awesome new finds from The Shops of Target. Target has partnered with several business owners of speciality stores to give customers the opportunity to purchase some really cool products. One of those businesses is Cos Bar.

Native to NYC, owner Lily Garfield moved to Aspen and launched Cos Bar. It’s a groovy brand and I’d love to see a boutique with products like these in my streets. The collection includes a ton of beauty baubles including body care products, bath accessories, beauty tools, manicure essentials and cosmetic bags. I’m featuring a few of the goodies from the line.

Oh! And if you’re a budget-conscious gal like moi, each product is under $20. Hollaaaaa!

Skincare wise, Cos Bar has everything from body washes to body butters. This Orange Citrus Body Butter ($6) smells divine…

….a little bit of Cos Bar history.

And ingredient-wise…

I thought this brand would be a little more on the preservative-free side but alas it’s not.

But still, it’s a fragrant body butter (and not overly fragrant either) that does a great job at bustin’ ash without the greasy feeling. So that’s good. For zee eyebrows, Cos Bar has these adorable tweezers…

For $4, they do a darn good job at a pluckin’! Careful though…after a few uses, the print started to rub off a bit.

Which made me drop a tear. I get emotional over things like that. Cos Bar also has falsies!

*gulp* I have yet to master the art of applyin’ and rockin’ lashes but I have declared 2012 as the year for when I start rockin’ the falsies. That said, stay tuned for a review of these. A pair of 3 falsies ain’t bad for $9. Am I right?

Cos Bar also has some nail polishes and y’all KNOW I’ve got to check those out. I’m anxious to do some more peering at peering at Cos Bar and since I’m at my neighborhood Target at least twice a week, that’ll be easy. I am so impressed with Target’s ability to show entrepreneurs some love by bringing their products in stores nationwide. As if I needed another reason to love big red.

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This collection excited me to no end. I am an ENORMOUS Disney fan. Not so much of the color pink but the fact that my girl Minnie has her own collection speaks highly for me. The Mouse and I go way back.

Yeah, literally. I was 3 or 4 years old in that picture and I am still fanatic about Disney. I actually saw Minnie Mouse a few weekends ago.

Cute, ain’t she? I forgot to congratulate her on her new line. In fact, they wouldn’t even let me get in the streets and dance around with her. Something about that only being allowed for kids. Pfft. I AM a kid, thank you very much.

If You Moust You Moust is a soft pink cream. It’s nothing terribly unique about it. And the name is kinda weird to me. I see where they’re going with the whole “Moust” thing but still…it’s weird. Ha!

Nothin’ Mousie ‘Bout It is a confetti light pink that is complete with teeny tiny hearts. It’s absolutely adorabo. Layering those hearts can be quite the feat but once you’ve mastered it, you’ve got a cutesy manicure. The added hot pink shimmer adds some nice sparkle to the mix too. I’ll definitely be pulling this out around Valentine’s Day.

I’m All Ears is a pretty magenta shimmer.

The Color of Minnie is an interesting shade of red. One that I can actually appreciate it. It’s a micro shimmer that applies beautifully and has a heavy dose of pink in it.

Must Haves
-Nothin’ Mousie ‘Bout It. If you don’t have any heart-sy polishes, this one is just so cute.

Formula-wise these polishes were great. I applied 2 coats for each polish. Nothin’ Mousie ‘Bout It can be a bit on the thick side. The hearts also tend to sink to the bottom of the bottle. Turning it upside down before use should help the hearts spread evenly. I would have loved to see MORE polishes in this collection. Minnie deserves it, don’t you think?

How are you feelin’ about this collection?

Amor de Lacquer….the series all about nail polish and nail care! Send your requests,
suggestions and ideas to Brittany@ClumpsOfMascara.com.

You’ve heard of the brand JASON, haven’t you? I spot this brand alllll the time at Whole Foods and other natural food stores and shops. This is my first time playing around with one of their body washes.

I’ve never been a gal who likes floral fragrances. I’m more of a woody blend mixed with citrus notes kind of woman. But this wash, dare I say it, ain’t too bad. This ginormous 30 oz bottle retails for $13.99 which means the entire family can use it daily and it will STILL last for a few weeks. Well, months for Esposo and I since we are the only ones who use our bathroom.

And that’s another thing – as nice as this body wash smells, it’s so floral that the same men who don’t mind a little dirt under their fingernails, proooobably won’t like how “girly” it smells. And it definitely smells girly.

Pro’s
-It’s got a pump! Makes for super easy dispensing.
-It has a nice and gentle formula.
-Lathered up nice and foam-y.
-Rinsed with ease and didn’t leave the skin insanely dry. Thanks to the Vitamin E!
-Free from parabens
-Fragrance isn’t too strong after rinsing off. Which I appreciate.

Con’s
-The fragrance is a bit too strong for me. Then again, most fragrances are. I see “Fragrance” on the Ingredients list and I wish the only “fragrance” that was included only came from real roses.
-It definitely isn’t portable. But that may be a good thing.
-The price point may be too much for some.

There’s a first time for everything and while I’ve spritzed rose water in my hair and have used rose water as a toner, I’ve never used an actual rose body wash. The fragrance took a bit to grow on me but now I’ve been using it daily.

Whatcha think? Would you bust suds with rose body wash?

You can get this one from natural retailers and online at JASON-Natural.com.

Yes again. If you’ve been reading Clumps since 2007, you’ve seen me go through 6 moves in 2 states and 3 cities. Bananas, right? While a lot of people are still in the same home they grew up in, I haven’t lived in the same house for more than 2 years since I graduated from high school.

Which of course means I could probably teach a class on “How To Move Your Life Without Loosing Your Mind”. Seriously. This move, however, is a special once because this it’s “our” first place together. When we got married Epsoso moved in on my former bachelorette pad and when that lease ended we couldn’t move quickly enough to secure a larger house. One that gave me a beauty room and office and Esposo a studio.

So yeah. My arms are beyond sore and how my legs are still functioning is beyond me. Wish me luck!

Oh! And I’ll need lots of advice on beauty room decor so stay tuned for those posts. Have a great weekend!

I’m cheap. Yeah, I said it and I’m not ashamed. I’ve been a frugal somethin’ ever since I’ve been on my own and I make no apologies about it. And if anything, 4 years of college taught me how to stretch a dollar. Don’t believe me? Give a college student $10 and see how they can manage to put gas in their cars, eat dinner AND rent a movie. Seriously.

And despite being a beauty blogger who loves higher-end products and drugstore deals, I have managed to learn how to save on those beauty goodies. And here’s how….

• I buy multipurpose products. For realsies. Is my shampoo suitable to also be used as a face wash and body wash? Yup!

• I shop at my friend’s houses. I have a girlfriend that is forever getting rid of beauty goodies to make room for new goodies. One girl’s trash is another girl’s treasure. I need a new blush and instead of spending $14 on the one I’ve got my eyes on, I shop a girlfriend’s beauty bag and score the one she’s barely touched. Hollers!

• I only buy things that are on sale or if I have a coupon. I blame Mama Clumps for this one. My eyes usually only target products or stands that have displays with the word “SALE” glowing above them. I don’t care if I’m at a drugstore or department store, I’ll wait a few weeks until my item of choice goes on sale before I even consider purchasing it.

• I keep inventory. Okay. I know you’re going to laugh at me but this can actually be REALLY helpful. Keeping inventory of the products I have helps me decide what I need and don’t need.

• I make a monthly budget. No one likes budgets. And you know it’s true. In the perfect world, we’d want to spend as much money as we could without ever going to debt. But this isn’t a perfect world and so as “adult” as they sound, budgets keep me on track. I have finally goten to a place where I really stick to ‘em too. Spend only $50 a month on beauty products? No problemo!

What are some of your budget basics and how do you save money on the everyday things? Tell me!

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Fifth Third Bank via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Fifth Third Bank.

So we all know how much I love me some skincare. It comes before makeup and always will.Life is better when my skin is clearer and I’ve always felt more confident when I know my skin is acting halfway decent. Which, of course, is a rarity. Check out some of the past few skincare products that I’ve reviewed. Some I loved and others kinda sucked. Either way, you know I’m keepin’ it real.

Chocolate & Stawberry Facial Mask 

It’s not every day that you see masks that contain the same ingredients as products you may find in your kitchen. The color of this mask is less to be desired but if you don’t have super dry skin, it may be something you’ll want to try.

NARS Makeup Removing Water

Is it a toner? Is it a cleanser? Does it really remove makeup thoroughly? Can you use it instead of washing your face at night? So many questions come attached with this bottle of wah-tuh.

Neutrogena Naturals

A drugstore skincare line that omits the yucky ingredients? Yes girl. Rarely do we see this from a major skincare line. And while it has its flaws, for the most part, Neutrogena Naturals products are wonderful. Especially for those with sensitive skin.

LUSH Dark Angels Facial Charcoal Cleanser

Because yes..you CAN use a product that will make your skin look dirty but it will actually cleanse it. This is one interesting product. I’ll tell you one thing – it works beautifully but honey, you better hold your breathe while using it. It’s a funky chunk of somethin’.

Burt’s Bees gud

Is gud good? I had a lot of good things to say about this brand but there were some downfalls too. Ah yes. Such is life.

Bliss Rubberizing Mask

I’ve seen them all. Clay masks, seaweed masks, honey masks but a rubberizing mask? Girl, I couldn’t make this up if I tried…

Nuance Salma Hayek’s Facial Cleansing Towelettes

Too lazy to actually wash your face? It happens. Thank goodness for these towelettes! Because you do know NOT washing your face shouldn’t be an option, right?