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Alyson the Beauty Yenta

It may sound silly but I absolutely love it when I recommend a product to someone and they fall in love with it. I get such a warm fuzzy feeling. <3

I introduced mom to the American Beauty diamond mineral foundation and she loves it. It’s still her go-to foundation whenever she wears it (not that mom really needs foundation much, she has great skin!).

For a while now I’ve been raving into the ear of the Recessionista over at Nouveau Cheap about Epielle cleansing tissues. Well, my girl finally found some! Hooray! And guess what? It’s love. Check out her review!

What about you? Do you recommend beauty products to your friends/family? Or who recommended something that you love?

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House: Moved

Hi all!

I finished moving house! Oy vey. For those who missed it, I now live in my parents’ house again. It’s very strange since I’ll be 24 this year and I moved out of this house when I was 18, but so far not so bad. It has been a major adjustment, but it’ll be good in the long run to get back on my feet after getting laid off.

Speaking of getting back on my feet…if you’ve been following me on Twitter you already know, but I’ve been going to interviews like crazy! I had three on Thursday. So I hope something pans out soon. :)

One issue with moving house though is that a huge amount of my stuff is staying boxed up. And I’m still figuring out where all my various stash items are, including the box of things I have to review! I’ll get that all going again as soon as possible.

Now that I’m more settled, I also want to start delving into doing videos finally! Anyone have any requests/suggestions for a video they want to see? I have a few ideas but these videos would be for you guys, so I want to know what you think too.

Sorry for the lame post, but just wanted to drop by and say hi to everyone so you don’t think I died, lol. I’m going to take some time this weekend to check out some of the latest collections as well as unpack and re-organize my stash. Whoa boy that’ll be interesting…I have a lot of stuff. =X I did pack a bag up to give to my mom though, which made her very happy. :D

I know I promised some reviews of some of my goodies from The Makeup Show LA, too. I haven’t forgotten! I will get that going asap!

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Just a Random, Rambling Update

Hi all.

I’ve been kind of a slacker lately. Slacking in reviewing products…slacking in updating…slacking in everything.

Sorry.

I could probably think of a dozen or so excuses for it, but really it all boils down to me having felt kinda down lately. Maybe it started with the rain; I don’t know. But it’s been sunny for a while and I still feel…down.

Contest prizes and a few sale packages are STILL here in my apartment. I’m feeling quite sheepish about it. Then again, organization never was my thing. You may be getting a small surprise in your paypal in the next couple of days as I will be offering some little refunds of shipping costs to make up for taking forever with your sale goodies. And as to the prizes…

oy.

They’re larger than life. Or rather, larger than the packaging materials I have. But I’m scrounging up boxes for you all, and adding extra tidbits as surprises.

An added note…my cat says hello. She’s sprawled out on top of the Ulta ad on my desk, sniffing the jar of moisturizer I just used. Do any of you readers have cats? I have 2. I’ve mentioned them on the blog several times, and even posted photos. But I can’t even begin to really describe how much I love these guys. Sienna, my tortie girl, and I have a very special bond. Even friendly cats who like most anyone usually have a ‘person’. I’m Sienna’s person. I got her for my 18th birthday as a squirmy, spirited little baby. But she has developed into quite the little lady, and a constant source of comfort through rough times like right now.

I’d take a picture, except that my camera is somewhere under her.

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I Can Haz Blogger Tag?

I was tagged by Amy over at Cafe Makeup.
Confession: I LOVE blogger tag. <3

Seven Random Things About Yours Truly…

1.  I am a former choir geek. No, like, the choir geek stuff of legend. I am to date the only girl to ever have been (or will be apparently) a member of the men’s chorus in high school. I was in every single choir my school offered at one point or another. Chamber singers, both women’s choirs, the SATB choir, the mens chorus… yeah. I heart to sing. I lettered in choir. :)

2.  I like multiples. In other words, if I find a top I like, I will buy it in a few colors. One is great, more is awesome. I am this way with lipsticks etc. too. Hmm, that must explain the gazillions of MAC lipsticks. <3

3.  I have wanted a dog since I was a little kid and still have never owned one. :3 And I want a poodle. They really are super awesome dogs. Pretty sure Mr. Boyfriend wouldn’t go for a poodle though. We’ll see. ;)

4. Cannot live without: Pandora Radio. No, seriously. If you haven’t heard of Pandora before, where the heck have you been? Check it out. Amazing. And Twitter. I love me some Twitter.

5.   I am a short girl. 5’2″. I like it. I do not wish I were taller. However, finding plus sized clothes for short girls is a huge pain. Boo. It seems like everything’s made for a woman who is 5’6″ or taller.

6.   I’m sort of neurotic about a lot of things. One of them is light. If a room has light that is too ‘yellow’ it drives me insane. Reveal bulbs are the greatest.

7.  I’m a reality tv junkie, but not the super trashy reality tv. I love A&E, The History Channel, TLC, Bravo, etc. Oh and Discovery and Animal Planet. I really wish I got the National Geographic channel too. Some of my favorite shows include Tabitha’s Salon Takeover, Hoarders, Million Dollar Listing, What Not To Wear, Shear Genius, Steven Segal: Law Man (OH my god it’s a hoot), Ghost Adventures (*bro fist*), oh gosh pretty much anything on any of the channels I mentioned. Except I’m not into Real Housewives. Sorry. Oh, and court TV. I love love The People’s Court and Judge Judy. *is a dork*

The second part of this tag is that I should tag 7 bloggers to do the tag too. But I’m feeling passive, so HAY BLOGGERS…if you wanna do this tag, do it. And tell me.

As always, what do you think? Comment! :)

If there’s something you want to know about me, ask me on Formspring! You can ask me anything, beauty-related or not. You can even ask anonymously. Oooo.

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Apology

I suck at being a blogger right now, totally! I haven’t posted much in the way of updates lately and I apologize. I’ve actually had terrible writer’s block. Annoying, huh? Plus I’ve been super busy packing & invoicing, etc. ;) There’s still lots of awesome stuff to grab from the blog sale, and more to come including some more MAC stuffs. I know you looove the MAC, haha.

Speaking of MAC, my Love Lace goodies came, but I am not at the point to review any of them yet. Still playing around. I can already say I really do love kohl powers though. I have 3 (maybe 4?) and they’re pretty nice. Not the right product for a super crisp line, but they glide on so smoothly…

ANYWAY. I haven’t had a chance to check out any of the other new launches from MAC lately, which is kinda lame and sad but I’m broke etc. so I don’t want to go look at the pretties I can’t buy! But if you want me to I will, just for you, because I love you that much. ;) And because I have a secret love affair with lip gelees. I have seen the swatches of these bad boys (or are lip gelees girls?) from Karla’s wonderful swatch blog, and these are SPARKLY. They’re like…dazzleglass + lip gelee = dazzlegelee! (MAC, feel free to call me and offer royalties on that term…)

That’s pretty much it for now. <3

xoxo
Aly

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The Best is Yet to Come

Happy New Year, Readers!!
I don’t know about all of you, but 2009 was a really rough year for me, personally. I suspect it was that way for a lot of us! But a new year is all about new beginnings, new goals, and new experiences! I intend to take advantage of that to the fullest! I don’t really do New Year’s resolutions, but I definitely get into the spirit of starting over; I love the energy it gives me to attack my goals. 
With all that said, some new things are coming to the blog in 2010! I finally got off my lazy bum and found my camera battery charger! It had fallen behind my desk (which is a big huge heavy BEAST of a desk). What does that mean? Coming very soon…more swatch photos and videos.  
 
Yes. Videos. Crap! Video means I can’t sit here and blog in my jammies looking like a total bum anymore. :P But you know what? I’ll put real clothes on just for you, because I care that much. ha. Yeah, most of the time when I write this my hair is messy and flung back with a headband, and I’m wearing sweats. Being a beauty blogger is soooo glamorous. The videos are still going to be a while, since I need to get used to how to use my camera and stuff (anyone have any awesome video-making tips..??), but look out for them in the future.
More immediately, you’ll see more PICTURES on the blog. That is something that I’ve gotten sooo many requests for, and I know you all want to see more pictures, so I sincerely apologize for the lack of visual interest. I think I’ll start off with some photos for the blog sale, and also just maybe some stash organization pics…?? Any requests??
Thanks for reading my babbling, subscribing, following, etc. whether you are new or an “OG” follower hehe. And as always, please leave me tweets/comments! I love talking to you all.
To a new year! 
cheers, 
xoxo Aly
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The No Mascara Look

I keep hearing about this no mascara trend. My reaction is pretty much universally “ugh, why?”. I mean, mascara is awesome. Some trends are really weird, I guess. 

But in a fit of adventurousness and I suppose also laziness, I decided to give it a whirl.
My opinion hasn’t changed. This sucks. I have nice lashes naturally, but I really miss the impact that mascara gives. My eyes look tired and blah. No thank you. 
How do you feel about the no mascara look?
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Return December

You know that Elvis song “Return To Sender”? My childhood best friend and I always thought it said “Return December” when we were little wee ones (cmon, we’re talking about 4 years old here…cut us some slack, Jack).

Anywho, that’s my clever way of making this post tie in to the fact that it’s December now. This year really did go by rather quickly.

So, it being December, that means it’s time for FTC disclosures and whatnot. I added a link to my official disclosure & terms of use policies up in the top link bar, and I’ll also have that in the footer of each post. I will also continue to openly mention where certain products came from when it applies. Should be a piece of cake but if anything is confusing to you, let me know and I’d be glad to clarify.

I didn’t do a big huge gaggle of Thanksgiving What I’m Thankful For and whatnot posting because I kinda feel like that’s a personal thing, BUT I did have a lovely T-Day and I hope the rest of my American readers did too last week. I am definitely thankful for all of you readers. :)

And then there was Black Friday. And Cyber Monday. I didn’t haul any makeup/beauty items. I was all super responsible and stuff and bought xmas presents for my boyfriend and mom. Go me. How about you? Did you haul like crazy? Comment here and don’t forget to answer the poll on the right sidebar. Because audience participation is awesome.

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So Fashionable Right Now…

I have always maintained that this is a beauty blog, and have always focused very little on fashion. That is because I tend to focus very little on fashion in life. I touched on it briefly in my panicked post about what the heck to wear to my boyfriend’s step-dad’s wedding (which by the way, was such a blast), but I am really not a fashion plate in any way shape or form. I can appreciate nice clothes on other people, but really have yet to graduate into grown-up fashion.

There are many reasons why I haven’t really bothered. One is I’m incredibly cheap when it comes to clothes. I hate spending money on them. Another is that while I love getting new clothes, I really hate shopping for new clothes. I hate fitting rooms. They’re usually badly lit, hot and stuffy, and have really bad music– and that’s before you even start trying things on! I am not the easiest person to find clothes for. I’m plus sized, very curvy (a trunk full of junk, lol) but I’m also only 5’2″. And picky, especially when it comes to patterns. I have become more open minded about colors though. I used to only wear a few different colors (lots of black, purple, red), but more recently I have been introduced to a whole bevy of hues that can flatter me if I pair them up correctly.

Ah but there’s the rub again– pairing things up. Making outfits. Finding things that fit. And then persuading my broke ass to shell out any money for a decent wardrobe. I am trying to change this cycle of frumpy garments though, and thank goodness I have a fantastic fashion advisor in Mr. Boyfriend. He is very stylish, fashion-conscious, and admittedly a little bit of a brand whore. But it’s just that kind of push I need out into the world of grown-up clothes. I have a real grown-up career, I’m 23 years old, and dammit it’s time to dress like a woman.

So, moving forward, I will be talking a bit more about fashion, especially plus sized fashion as that is what applies to me. ;) I want to chronicle my fashion “journey” as I figure out this whole business of dressing myself. This will always be a beauty blog first and foremost, though! I hope you guys don’t mind the change.

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Big MAC Attack

No, not the burger (although now that you mention it, a big mac does sound kind of tasty right now…hmm…), the makeup! MAC has produced its usual million and one holiday collections, and they aren’t done yet. I have found myself strangely unexcited for the barrage of beauty, though. Maybe I’m just not all the way cured of my cold yet. I suspect some of these shades are ones you like more in person? The promo images don’t seem to wow me. I do already have Pervette lipstick though, and it’s a pretty if not terribly exciting shade.

I bet a lot of you are happy to see the re-release of Ever So Rich cremesheen glass. That lipgloss caused quite a furor when Cremeteam was released (along with my beloved Lavender Whip lipstick). The gloss, though, let me tell you, is not worth clamoring for. Really. It’s a strict “nice to have” only, because it really doesn’t do anything for you unless you wear it over Lavender Whip, which is a color few gals can successfully pull off. Of the main color collection the only thing that really catches my eye at all is this cherry-pink lipstick, Utter Fun.

MAC’s holiday offerings also include a collection of mineralized eyeshadow duos. I always feel so torn about these darn things. They look really awesome. I love “baked goods” (baked cosmetics!) generally, but these tend to lack color payoff and be difficult to work with due to shimmer fallout. I haven’t tried out these particular ones yet, but I’m not jumping outta my chair to go do so. The 2 mineral blushes look pretty, although I worry they are colors I’ve already gotten from other MAC mineralize blushes. Superdupernatural is right up my proverbial alley, though, if I were to pick one.


So far, so “meh”. Maybe all I need is a good slap upside the head to remind me how much I love me some limited edition MAC, but to me this collection just doesn’t light my fire. However, I am definitely excited for the November collection Mischief Makers. That one has more things that catch my interest. 
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