ABS Turns Two!

As I mentioned the other day, ABS officially turns two day - that's 728 days of blogging behind me, and hopefully many more years of posts and reviews to come.  The two years have flown by and I can't even say how much fun I've had sharing random bits of my life along with my musings on products over the years. 

Thank you so much to everyone who's stuck by my humble little blog throughout the past two years, and of course a warm welcome to my newer readers who may have just discovered ABS - I hope you'll be with me for my next blogiversary!  In honor of my blogiversary, I'll be hosting a two-week long celebration here on ABS replete with giveaways, discount codes, a move to Wordpress, and my forum launch.  Please do stay tuned for it all! 
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TGIF!

The weekend is nearly upon us, and all I can really say is - thank goodness!  I don't know how much more of the work week I could've handled, and while this weekend is going to be insane for me (I'm cooking a 7 course formal dinner for a party of eight) I'm definitely looking forward to the reprieve from work. 

Plus just last night I realized that the 2 year anniversary of ABS is nearly upon us!  Can you believe that come Sunday, I'll have been blogging for a full two years?  Despite the fact that I almost missed it, I've got some great things planned for next week (this was actually most by coincidence lol) including a new look for the blog (this may actually be mid-next week), the launch of my forum (finally!) and a bunch of fantastic giveaways, plus an ABS-exclusive Korres discount code.  Hope you're all as excited for this as I am! 
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Monday, Martha and Makeup

While I generally don't love being at work (I so envy those of you who absolutely love your jobs), Monday are by far the worst - dragging your tired, weary body out of bed when all it wants is to pretend it's still Sunday and hide under the covers. But I've decided to try to take it all in stride this week, as things really are looking pretty good - at least on the ABS front. Last week I got a lovely e-mail from the PR people over at Lancome letting me know that I'd been mentioned on the Lancome Blog - how cool is that?! That pretty much made my day.

As for today, I'm trying to brighten my mood by looking at Martha the Tangerine - named for Martha Stewart, the doyenne of all things domestic. I got bored sitting at my desk, and before you know it, Martha was born =P. Isn't procrastination great?


And now for the makeup bit. I've settled into a bit of a makeup rut that I'm in the process of trying to shake off, but here's the somewhat blah look I've been sporting for the past two weeks. Nothing spectacular but understated enough for work and simple enough that the clients don't do a double-take. Details after the jump!






How To:

• Apply a sheer coat of Shiseido's Hydro-Powder Eyeshadow in Violet Visions ($25) using your fingers for a light base shade.
  
• Top with Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color in Moon Shadow ($24) to add some shimmer and depth.
• Line your waterline with Chanel Waterproof Liner in Vert Bronze ($26.50) - this is one of the first posts I ever made.
• Curl your lashes (I use my Shu Uemura eyelash curler) and top the whole look off with plenty of Kiss Me Heroine Make Volume & Curl Mascara ($11.70).
• On my lips I used Chanel Glossimer in Courtisane, released as part of the Fall 2009 Venice Collection. It's such a gorgeous, shimmery punch of pink and pretty universally flattering.
  

I'm hoping your weekend was more exciting than mine. I spent most of Sunday playing around with makeup, rereading Breaking Dawn and finishing the Percy Jackson series. What have you been up to these past few days?

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ABS' V-Day Prep

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Sorry I haven't been around much lately - I've been feeling a little under the weather and trying to catch up on some sleep - but now that I am here I figured I'd walk you through my morning V-Day prep.

• 9:30 AM ~ Roll out of bed (after playing on my phone for a good half hour =P) and hop in the shower. Lather up with all sorts of yummy-smelling products like The Body Shop's Banana Shampoo and Conditioner and their wonderfully sudsy Fuzzy Peach body wash. After all, what girl doesn't want soft, touchable skin; smooth, frizz-free hair and
  

• 9:50 AM ~ Step out of the shower, stick my hair up in a towel and proceed to spritz away at my face using Kanebo Sensai's Cellular Performance HydraChange Mist to lock in moisture (wouldn't want my face feeling tight and dry halfway through the day). Top it all off with Sensai's HydraChange Cream for superb moisture minus the oilies.
  

• 10:00 AM ~ Tear open a packet of Elizabeth Grant's Vitamin C Illuminating Eye Pads to brighten, tighten and lighten my undereye area. Last night was Lunar New Year meaning late-night fun, which doesn't quite make for great date-night undereyes. These are my current favorite under-eye quick fix and I even sleep with them on some nights!
  

• 10:20 AM ~ Remove eye pads and top with Elizabeth Grant's Bright Lights pen from her Socializer pen duo for an illuminating undereye treatment. These are fantastic for travel (and for stashing at your boyfriend's) and make a great quick-fix.
  

• 10:25 AM ~ And what am I doing right at this very moment? Taking my hair out of the towel and massaging in some White Sands Orchids Oil. This is a non-greasy yet wonderfully moisturizing hair treatment that's fantastic as a pre-flat iron hair protection, and it also has a nice light fragrance to it.

Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my morning routine!
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Give Love a Chance

MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15

Do you ever try a product, hate it almost instantly, set it aside and then try it months or maybe even years later only to realize that you actually kinda love it? I've never really been a fan of MAC foundations, but my friend Cathy uses them and her skin is always glowing and pretty much flawless, and even Nicole has been giving them a second chance lately, which in turn has made me want to give them another shot. I popped by the MAC store in Grand Central Terminal yesterday and had them slap a little Studio Fix on my face (half over Prep + Prime, and half over just moisturizer) and I'm thinking it may be worth a second try.

Are there any products you hated at first but then later grew to love? Share in the comments!

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The Amazingly Luminous Helium Girl on Idol

Last night I managed to catch the tail-end of the American Idol auditions taking place in Denver, Colorado, and while the singing was rather atrocious (did we all really need to have our delicate eyes subject to bikini boy?) I was entranced by the gorgeousness that was Nicci (Helium Girl) Nix's complexion - from the moment I caught sight of her on camera all I could think of was how radiantly her skin glowed, and apparently Victoria Beckham agreed as she felt the need to comment on her beautiful skin.

While her skin was pretty amazing, Nicci definitely had the aid of a healthy dose of luminizer in achieving that glowing look. Check out her audition video and a luminizer suggestion after the jump!

LORAC Oil-Free Luminizer Pearl L1

While the video quality on YouTube and the still up above don't capture Nicci's glowing skin in all its glory, it really was pretty amazing and has inspired me to dig up some of my luminizers to experiment a little. In my desire to achieve matte, long-wearing looks I've forgotten the beauty of healthy, glowing skin.

The easiest way to infuse a small dose of luminosity into your life? Just take a pump or two of liquid luminizer (like Lorac's Luminizer pictured above) and mix it into your liquid foundation prior to application - voila, instant glow!

What are your favorite liquid luminizers? Any suggestions as to one I absolutely must check out? Share with me in the comments!

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Bits Brought Home From Cali

I've been looking back through my monthly archives for 2010, and I've been a bad, bad blogger. I'm dreadfully behind on reviews and comments, still haven't had a chance to put together the forum, and I promise I haven't forgotten about that massive giveaway I posted about. But I'm going to take this week to attempt to get caught up on all of these things so don't give up on me just yet. In the meantime, I wanted to share some photos of all the wonderful goodies I brought back with me from California - some purchased by yours truly, others gifted to me by the wonderful Cathy. More details and photos (including a sparkly beaded headband and a super-cute, super-cheap pair of booties) after the jump!

Cathy welcomed me to California with a fantastic package full of goodies including Mario Badescu's Silver Powder (I've been meaning to try this for years now) and Fairy Drops Platinum Mascara (such cute packaging!). As for the Epicuren Glycolic Skin Peel - we ran into this lady at Walgreens (maybe it was Rite Aid) one night and she just raved about how this had completely eliminated her pores and so of course we had to run to Larchmont Beauty to try it for ourselves. Review to come!


I picked up this really cute beaded headband from Anthropologie ($32) to wear to my cousin's wedding as my hair was a bit of a disaster that day. My only styling tools were a blowdryer and a comb so I needed a little something to distract from all the mess.


Cathy picked up these boots for me from Forever 21 of all places - I rarely shop there as it's a madhouse and not really my cup of tea - who knew they made such cute, insanely inexpensive shoes? I think these were $27.50 or so, and not only are they exactly what I've been looking for, but they're pretty comfy to boot. LOVE these!


And Cathy and I also got these dainty matching bracelets while shopping at The Grove, this great outdoor shopping mall. All in all it was a whirlwind three days and I was so sad to leave (especially knowing that I had to go back to work).

What have you all been up to during the past two months that I've been neglecting ABS? Any new developments? We need to catch up!

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Beautiful, Sunny (Somewhat) LA

Sadly it was a little rainy when I arrived at LAX (I had been hoping to enjoy some warm Cali weather) but at least there were the remnants of a quickly disappearing rainbow to greet me. Lucky for me, the weather cleared up rather nicely and the remainder of my 2.5 day stay was full of gorgeous, sunny (albeit rather chilly) weather.

One of the most beautiful places that I visited was the Getty Museum. My friend Cathy and I arrived a little after 5 PM (literally 20 minutes or so prior to closing) and the setting sun made for the most stunning photographic backdrop.


More photos after the jump!






I haven't had a chance to take photos of my purchases yet (they were pretty few and far between as I was trying to be good) but hopefully you'll be hearing all about those tomorrow. I did get to check out this AMAZING beauty mecca called Larchmont Beauty that makes me want to move out to LA so that I can shop there every day. They carry every product known to man and a ton of really hard-to-find brands that people like me scour the city for. If you're in the area, definitely check it out and if you've been there be sure to share!

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Back From Cali!

Hey everyone! So I'm back from California (my flight was delayed so I didn't get home until 2 AMish and now I'm sitting here at work trying not to fall asleep) and I have a million photos to share with you. My friend Cathy was sweet enough to play tour guide and took me to all sorts of landmarks such as the Getty Museum and Griffith Observatory and shopping in Beverly Hills among other places. I wish I could've stayed longer, but sadly duty called. Photos to come tonight!

And yes, I will be posting on those palettes so many of you asked about, so stay tuned :).
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Packing For A Cali Wedding

My gorgeous younger cousin is getting married this weekend (which has brought on all sorts of old maid comments - le sigh), and lucky for me the wedding is in California, giving me an excuse to venture all the way across the country to spend at least a few days basking in sun before returning to the bitter cold of NY.

Getting my cosmetics together for a trip is always a bit of a production, but so far I've at least got my shadows and blushes picked out and placed into smaller palettes for easy travel.


Check out more photos after the jump!


I'm taking along a bunch of MAC pressed pigments in a variety of colors since I'm pretty indecisive and I probably won't be 100% on the look I want to wear until the morning of the wedding. Plus I just love the way they look sitting in the palette :).


I've also packed a few of my favorite DEX eyeshadows and blushes and the pigmentation never fails me and they're great options for my airport/shopping looks. And gotta love the fact that you can fit two eyeshadow brushes in there along with the products, making touch ups on-the-go that much easier.

I'm thinking I need to pick up an Evian spritzer and some other odds and ends, but for the most part I'm feeling pretty well set for my trip. Now to buckle down and choose a few lip shades to take with me. And you know I'll be packing up the TEMPTU!

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A Belated Merry Christmas to You All!

Hey everyone! So I'm back from my little holiday hiatus (which really wasn't much of a hiatus - I just couldn't find the time to blog as work has been a madhouse) with some amazing new products and fun new ABS developments (including a big giveaway) coming your way very soon.

The lovely Nicole sent me the most amazing Christmas package and of course I had to share! She included:

• Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in Dragon (seriously the most gorgeous red I've ever seen)
• OPI DS Nail Lacquer in Reserve
• Cle de Peau concealer (this has been on my wishlist for YEARS!)
• Amore Pacific Clarifying Mask (smells yummy)
• and a bunch of fun Hello Kitty goodies that really brighten up my office space

My other big Christmas gift came from the SO in the form of a Flip, which will finally enable me to post some (hopefully) great quality videos up on the ABS YouTube channel.


More photos (and details on my cute Flip skin) after the jump!

I've been lusting after the OPI Designer Series polishes since receiving DS Fantasy (photos here) and know that Reserve is going to be just as drool-worthy.


Chanel's Rouge Allure Laques have a wonderfully creamy formula and are amazingly long-wearing - I loved Ming (photo here) and Dragon is one of the most stunning reds I've ever seen and pretty much universally flattering. My dear friend Cathy gave it a shot last night and it looked stunning on her.


I love Amore's Treatment Enzyme Peel and I now have this Clarifying Masque which leaves my face looking toned, smooth and radiant. And it doesn't hurt that it smells delicious to boot.


Cle de Peau's concealer has long been hailed as the holy grail of concealers, and thanks to Nicole's generosity I finally have it in my hands. It's painfully small for something that's so painfully expensive, but I've been playing with it for the past few days and it's definitely living up to the hype thus far.


And now for the Flip! :) I've been wanting one for the longest time so that I could post some HD videos for you on YouTube (I've been thinking of doing videos of my favorite pink lipsticks, product reviews, demonstrations, swatches, etc.) and the SO was kind enough to oblige. I ordered myself a skin from DecalGirl and now I'm good to go!


How have the holidays been treating you? Share with me in the comments!

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It's Snowing!

There is currently an honest-to goodness snowstorm raging outside my bedroom window, and having waded through at least a good 5 inches of snow while wearing 4 inch heels (not the smartest idea I know!), I can attest to the fact that it's pretty darn cold outside! Nights like this make me think of sipping hot cocoa in front of a warm fireplace, and of course, festive holiday makeup.

So how's your weekend been treating you thus far? I spent 11 hours Christmas shopping - can you believe it?! Of course some of that involved playing with makeup (it's a hard task but somebody's gotta do it =P) and I took a quick moment to test out Armani's new Rouge D'Armani's, which in a word are FABULOUS! It boasts 8-hour wear time and is just a gorgeous gorgeous formula ~ non-drying, long-wearing, pigmented, creamy, amazingly packaged.


More details after the jump!

Vogue editors chose Rouge d’Armani in shade #600 selected as a favorite, while Harper’s Bazaar declared Rouge d’Armani #500 a “must-have” - which is why I've ordered it for myself using my Saks Mystery Money. It was all of $20 this year, but that still meant I only had to pay $12 and change for my new lipstick, which I haven't even swatched. Hopefully I love the shade!

Celebs who've been spotted in Rouge d’Armani include Rihanna (shade #401) and Kerry Washington (#100).


From what I remember, shade #503 was my favorite, but sadly it was sold out at Nordstrom and not available on the Saks site. I hope to get my hands on it soon though!

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