Did you ever use a product and "re-create" the packaging or other quality in your mind to make it PERFECT? Goddess Granny is guilty of this: I mentally tweak just about everything I use wishing that it were easier to get out of the container or had less waste or didn't flake all over when I tried to apply it. I know that companies are constantly striving to make everything gorgeous as well as effective AND user-friendly but sometimes, it really does get lost in translation. You end up with what would have been an awesome product in lame packaging so you get burnt off!

I'm all about what "works" these days because who has the time to settle? I'm not an "organic" girl by nature but if something will satisfy my immediate need for perfection and is also pure enough to meet tough standards, it's a total win for me! One much -loved brand here at Megsmakeup.com that IS up to 98% "organic" is "Juice Beauty" and it's nothing short of amazing! This brand goes WAY beyond "natural" to actually pass tough and true "organic standards" of quality, active ingredients and purity. They go the distance to insure that everything they use and create is simply the best it can be! You can read their comprehensive description of "the difference" here on the Juice Beauty site and I promise, you will finally understand what all the "organic hoopla"is about and why it's worth it!

Now that, like myself, you have been educated as to the how and why of the science of "organic", be prepared to be WOWED because I have been: "Stem Cellular Repair Eye Treatment" is one of those products that cannot be improved upon. Nope…not the packaging, the texture, the performance or the results because it's TRULY one heck of a product! The sleek container contains an eye treatment that has literally transformed the DRY skin around my eyes into baby-like sleekness. I can honestly say that if I skip using it morning or night, I can tell the difference! Makeup SLIDES over it effortlessly and not one single crease or smudge (unlike many other eye treatments you can use this under your makeup.) It is packed full of glorious and organic good ingredients that include "fruit stem cells" and high concentrates of natural vitamin C that work hard to give results that CAN be seen! It firms, smoothes, soothes and heals this prone to wrinkles ares we all struggle with at some point and it does it with so many extraordinary ingredients in one container that I am in awe!

Can you even believe that Summer 2011 is almost over? I don't think I've had time to even unpack this season's clothes! Goddess Granny is in a tizzy, exciting times and travel lately but it also seems like everything IS moving faster! Not sure if it's Mother Nature or simply the nature of life today but it sure is a whirlwind and I don't just mean Irene!!! Stay safe and breathe deep my pretties because I don't see this carnival ride slowing down anytime soon!

More than ever I am depending on and reaching for "stuff that works!" Seriously, I find myself literally chucking bottles and tubes in the wastebasket because they simply require too much effort to use or don't deliver to my rather exacting standards! I want GREAT quality products that LOOK and FEEL luxurious and WORK precisely as they are marketed and as I expect….easy peasy,right?  I have the basics of getting my fluffy-butt out the door most days down to a science and know what transforms me from a middle aged "okay looking" female to one that gets a lot of second glances: lipstick and eyeliner are a MUST if I want to look and feel like my glam game's on.Going to Walmart however means that I resort to tinted moisturizer and a ponytail…I do NOT want to risk even a remote chance of a second look there!

 I'm going to freak y'all out here: I was in the "school supply" aisle the other day looking for cute pens and three teenaged girls were buying fine-line black Sharpie markers to be used as cosmetics! I flinched, thought about saying something, then quickly slid my basket to the safety of the cake decorating section where I could pretend to be gasping in delight at the icing colors…OMG is an understatement!!

I simply love even the word "Hourglass" because I AM one! The work represents to many the ULTIMATE in feminine shape and thought the ages, women have strived to BE an "Hourglass!" Today the word also represents a fantastically female,luxury brand of cosmetics that are taking the market by storm! Created by renowned beauty innovator and the force behind several top brands in her career, Carisa James has worked from creation to development on some of the most impressive lines available before launching her brand "Hourglass" to fill a niche in the luxury cosmetics market. Beautiful, functional, exceptional high-quality products that not only use cutting-edge tech but that are formulated to treat and improve with each use! She feels that "makeup is one of the great luxuries of being a women" and who among us wouldn't agree? Style and substance, always a huge WIN represent "Hourglass" in all they create!

Meg here! Now that Prudence's pups have all found homes I am free to continue my normal life. My "normal" life consists of jumping around a bunch. Planes, trains and automobiles, I feel like I'm always heading out the door.

My girlfriend was over watching me pack before my last trip "Meg, I want to watch you pack your makeup, I want to see what you take. I feel like I should be taping this."

Don't be silly! Taping this? She's so funny. Like anyone wants to see a tape of me packing! (If even one of you reply that you would like to see this then I will in fact whip out a camera so fast your head will spin.)

The fact I have no muscles in my body and very limited space make getting all my must-haves into ONE clear plastic makeup bag a necessity. Keep in mind these are not hiking or family vacations that I'm off to. Ninety-nine percent of the time it is work related and guess what I'm talking about? Yes, makeup. So I can't be looking all shoddy or they'll say my jig is up and really I'm not qualified to talk about anything else. Except stocks, lately I've been learning a lot about stocks but, if you think about it, this One clear plastic makeup bag is really a life and death situation. Professionally anyway.

I leave for New York Fashion Week September 7th and yes, I am going to have to pull it together. I don't want the hassle of a million different single eyeshadow pots, I never can find the exact one I'm looking for. It's not convenient or space savvy. Luckily this Shady Lady can grab her Shady Lady Vol. 2 Palette because it has been making the cut and coming everywhere with me!

What's my fave combo? On my lid I like the color Mischievious Marissa. It's that goldish shade on the bottom left hand side. I do dark shading with the brown on the top. The very first pan. Then I hope back down to the last row and highlight the brow bone with the shimmer color that's very last in the bottom row. I highlight the inner-eye with the white in the middle, bottom row again.

Stacy B here! Forget animal testing. All make up should be put through gym testing. If your make up can last through a tough workout, it's a keeper. No, I am not advocating wearing full make up to the gym. I am not that girl and don't want to be. But sometimes when my Mom wants some grandmother/grandson time she'll pick my son, Kyle up from daycare and I'll go to the gym right from work. I'm not going to stop and wash my make up off before my workout, so by default, it's on when I'm working out.
 
This week, I had a new product and decided to actually put it on fresh before the gym just to really see what would happen. I got home from work, my husband and son were happily pushing cars around the floor so I went up, got changed, applied NYX's Jumbo Eye pencil and grabbed my iPod.
 
I got quite the look from hubby. "Why are you wearing make up to the gym?" he said. I told him that it is so I could test it out and see if it would last through an hour long, cardio filled, sweaty work-out. He kept giving me the side-eye, which made me giggle. He called me sketchy. I told him he was overreacting. We have a great relationship.  After I convinced him it was all in a days work for Megsmakeup.com he reluctantly told me I looked 'too good for the gym' and I happily skipped out the door. See? Great relationship.
 
I tried two colors because I love layering and experimenting with colors. This is a jumbo pencil so it's great for thick eye lining and over all shadow. It's not thin and would be impossible for precision looks, but I wanted a fat line that I could see. I tried a basic black as a liner and then lime green (which looked more army green with a shimmer than lime - it's not nearly as bright as it sounds). I will neither confirm nor deny wearing my green Nike tank top purposely to match the green eye color.
 
These go on really smooth and easy. Just one swipe and there was a good amount of color. The black was really black, it didn't fade to gray with a light application. Good pigment in these pencils! The green was shimmery and light but was still a real green color. You can smudge these really easily with a finger or even a smaller eye liner or shadow brush. I could have really gone all out and done a great smokey green eye, but that would have been a little much for the gym! I'll save that for the weekend!

Hoping everyone is enjoying a bit of well-deserved time off from the daily routine! Goddess Granny likes a good long weekend even better than an actual vacation because you try to cram a LOT of things into a short period of time and I really do believe in the "I'll sleep when I'm dead!" philosophy! SO much to do and learn, and see and try...I am getting SUCH a kick out of watching my totally non-tech man learn to navigate the new ipad I gave him for his recent birthday:he's like a child with a new box of 64 crayons and there are actually sound effects like,"Gee, WOW, Damn...will you look at THAT!" involved) I think we sometimes become jaded to the wonders of today and it's refreshing when someone discovers a brilliant new product for the first time. It also inspires me to try something new so on the subject of brilliant new products, I have one in my sparkly coral Shellac-tipped fingers that is VERY new and VERY exciting!

What IS it in me that is drawn to anything with a sheen, sparkle or shine? My hometown of Auburn, NY is famous for attracting millions of roosting crows every Autumn. Maybe I was one of these scavengers of glittery-items in a former life? Not sure but I know for a fact that no matter how somber, matte, sophisticated or "mature." I try to be, there is always something that has a bit of the bling on my body! It makes me happy and I can honestly say that even a thin (UD makes THE best ones!) of colored glitter liner on my lids or a megawatt sparkling topcoat on my toes never fails to makes people notice, smile and compliment me so I'm stickin' with it!

There are of course, "degrees" of luminosity: you can apply adhesive to your eyelids and press on SERIOUSLY sequined particles (Two Faced or Hard Candy make great products for this effect) or just allow a gentle dusting of finely-milled powder to rest like a butterfly kiss on your cheekbones! (MAC "Silver Dusk" powder you are mine for life!) The brilliant and incredibly chic creators of Red Carpet worthy products at LORAC guided by the makeup artist divine, Carol Shaw (and yes,we DO absolutely adore this brand at Megsmakeup!) I have yet again come up with an irresistible and totally NEW product that may just have me gently shoving everything else on my vanity into a pile of sparkling sludge! A little glass bottle that is downright sexy contains their new LORAC "3D Liquid Lustre" Tinkerbelle has had her nose pressed up against my window for a week just dying for a drop of THIS little potion! (Actually a red cardinal has been beating itself against the window but let me have my fantasy!)

Happy Spring! I know the weather has been very unkind to some and it's just plain been a strange month...Goddess Granny is sensing that the "universe is out of whack" but we still need to put on our glam game faces! We must dust off those patent shoes. Let that Spring fever lighten us up even if it's just a state of mind and  we need some pretty new colors to brighten us up! Note: I will NOT be embracing the newest egg-colored YELLOW nail polishes being touted in the world of nail-color couture...Bright yellow is for Peeps, not for nails, HA!

I am usually more than adequate, okay I'm damn good at applying makeup and if it's on someone else? I am a pro because it's easier: you can see what you're doing, blending makes more sense and if they hold still, it generally results in perfection! I am eyeshadow-challenged when it comes to my own applications. I LOVE my UD pencils for swipe and go looks and can do a helluva black ubiquitous smokey-eye. Let's face it, you are simply smearing black around your eyes! When it comes to those coveted couture looks with the array of blended colors and perfect enhancements I see in the glossy ads and on some, I sigh.

I've just never been adept at using three or more shadows at once on my eyes and ending up with a look that I could show in public.

No more.

If I look at the mess (recently organized but...) on my vanity, SO many of my favorite products are by "Tarte" with good reason: they are brilliant, natural, have beautiful "green" packaging. The the colors always tend to flatter everyone! I don't know how but they continue to create stunning products without any of the gunk we try to avoid but still manage to be on trend with gorgeous shades and ingredients that nourish and brighten! Recently Sephora had a 15% off "VIB" sale (get signed up if you aren't, awesome perks!) and I felt compelled to buy a few "staples" with my discount. I physically went into the store, started browsing the shelves, a dangerous game indeed! I was sort of looking for THE new eyeshadow palette that would allow me to look like I knew what I was doing. After dismissing the bolds, the shimmery and the gaudy I found my shadow-nirvana in Tarte's new "Femme Naturale" shadow palette and my search is over!

Ten PERFECT shades of mineral "based" shadow (I cannot begin to manage the fallout from tiny plastic pots of traditional mineral shadow) that do more to light up my eyes and face than I ever dreamed possible! Also comes with a generous sample of their famous shadow primer, a double sided long wearing pencil and two-ended brush that actually is pro-quality and works beautifully for application! The case itself is a glossy purple accented with a sassy rosette and very dressy and the shadows are housed in magnetic pans so you CAN and WILL be able to buy individual pans of shadow to refill....genius and VERY luxurious, looks like an evening clutch!

Meg here, I never really thought about eye cream until I turned 28 a um...Few years back. I started thinking about a lot of things like "Do I need a third vodka tonic?" "Is sunscreen actually necessary?" and "Maybe it's time to quit smoking."

You know, the same questions I ask myself to this day. 

Then I hit the big 3-0 and finally took note that the crinkles around my eyes weren't just there when I laughed and the fact that I was looking a little bit tired...all the time. I didn't know which eye creams were good and which ones were just expensive, so I played the field a bit. A little La Mer for a few weeks, some Clinique the next month. I had some good luck with an Ole Henriksen but as with all things, I was still searching...

Now I'm 34 and I finally settled on one that I really liked and I have to tell you it was an unlikely candidate. First of all, Truth, Art Beauty is a new company. Like brand new. I heard about them from a friend who let me try a little of her stash and I think I am an early-adopter of the stuff. The business was started just this past February by two business school pals that were bonded over their love of beauty and skincare.

Since it is "Green Chi Tuesdays" and we are desperately missing our Sweetassgal, I was so happy to see that I own an all natural product that I can get behind! Not only are these products completely organic but they can be custom made for your skin type. The product that I'm using is their pre-made eye balm blended with pomegranate and rosehip. It's an extremely nourishing blend that promises to reduce the appearance of fine lines.

We're had a lot of chats the past couple of weeks regarding eye creams and how very hard it can be to find "something" that's effective yet gentle and contains luxurious ingredients that work but doesn't cost a month's salary to buy!

Goddess Granny here just back from watching a gaggle of five-year old boys "play" baseball. After a couple of hours in the South Texas Spring-heat and sun, I feel about as drained and dried up one as can be...does it count for the entire season if you attend the first ballgame?

My eyes are literally crinkling at the outer corners from squinting to spot a small grandson in the mix of kids all dressed alike and I am in need of some serious intervention in the area of delicate skin around the eyes care!

I truly believe that an eye cream was the last holdout I had on my list of "can't survive without them" beauty products. I don't have dry skin as a rule and never really even noticed the crinkles and fine cracks (like those in the most delicate porcelain) until a couple of years ago. I am a passionate wearer of sunglasses and am seldom in the light without them so I do believe this has helped my cause over time. Once that fragile skin started to deteriorate, it became REALLY obvious, terribly fast! I scrambled to find something that would smooth, soothe, replenish and even repair. I needed a cream to prevent more lines and cracks from forming. I stood in shock more than once in Sephora at the vast array of products designed to treat the eye area along with a dropped-jaw at some of the price tags!

It's been hit and miss for a while, fortunately I do receive a product from Meg to review from time to time but not all eye creams are equal as WELL many of us know from the sounds of the posts lately...

The Lash Em company has been on a mission to correct, enhance and amplify the lashes and to beautify the eyes in a major way: their products are precisely formulated to be hypoallergenic, highly-effective and nature-based. I love their "Picture Perfect" Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream for several reasons:
The packaging is sleek and superior to many in that I personally don't wan't to have to double-dip a finger into an eye cream to apply for fear of cross-contamination to the remaining product! This beautifully designed tube features an airless pump that after priming, dispenses just the right amount with no fear of anything nasty getting in it. It LIFTS the skin around the eye area almost instantly and although this dramatic effect may be short term, everyday use of the product can make a huge difference in the hydration and brightness of the eye-skin!

Stacy B here!  Did you ever have a bunch of days in a row that were just terrible and even after they were over you were physically and mentally still reeling?
 
That's me this week! Just getting my footing back after a really rough couple of days.
 

Recently, I went on a hugely momentous journey! I, Jeanasina, shouted out to myself that the Month of March is “National-Find-A-Better-Eye-Cream-Month!” That's right ladies, I decided ALL the other eye creams I owned weren't living up to their hype! They have disappointed me in gillions of ways! As punishment, most of them are all crowded together at the bottom of a container
that doesn't get opened much. You don't want to be relegated to the BOTTOM of a container – EVER. That's like saying to the product..”You're dead to me.”

Like I have said before, I don't even have a favorite eye cream because... I have NEVER looked in the mirror after using any eye cream I own and thought...”My eyes look exactly like Eva Longoria's!” That's what I'm looking for! Young, resilient, wide-awake, sultry-as-hell, fierce eyes! If not that, then at least it would be nice if somebody said to me...”You don't look as tired as usual.” That also could be an identifier of some good eye cream!

This leads me on a journey to the on-line information portal that narrowed my latest chase down to a NEW product! I'm sure many of you have heard of ,'Yes to Carrots' and 'Yes to Cucumbers' and 'Yes to Tomatoes' but I found out that this company has a NEW line called Yes to Blueberries! Oh you better believe I got excited!

And....edge of your seat people...there are 5 items in the Yes To Blueberries – Age Refresh – line! When I saw the 5 products in their nice clean purple and white boxes ...I temporarily forgot I came only for eye cream! What if the other parts of my face wanted some of this new line of products for their needs too? Would it be fair to justpurchase eye cream for my eyes when my face, eyes and neck also have needs?

I knew when I walked away from the display with only the Yes to Blueberries Eye Firming Treatment, that the other 4 products left 'UN-purchased' on the shelf would be heartbroken. So I went back tothe shelf and I told the other 4 products that if it works out with the eye treatment, I'd be back for the rest of them. After all, Ireally need to adopt them all right? Can't split up a family!

I love the “Yes to...” way of thinking! They thrive on 'The Power of Yes.” They are all about having what you put ON your body be as healthy as what you put IN your body! I like that! Gives me confidence in these people! On the box it actually says this...”'yes to being low maintenance and highly fabulous!” I love that combination!

The cream comes in a little pump container, there are 0.5 precious ounces in the pump. It doesn't appear that you can twist the pump off when you use it all up so, if I continue to love this product, I'm going to be getting the pliers out. I'll hold them behind my back of course. Then, I'll spring like a cat and use my pliers and I WILL get that tightly sealed container open so I can eek out every single drop!

Are you with me ladies? We pay good money for stuff – we are going to have at ALL of it! AMEN to that right?