Cheers & Jeers

hey readers! today i'm going to be giving some opinions on a few things i've tried lately, some good, some very, very bad! a few days ago i went to Mecca (A.K.A. Sephora; to all who may take that offensively, i'm only kidding, promise) and of course, it was a wonderful, manic, exciting experience with me breathlessly running around, eyes as big as saucers, not knowing where to start or what to pick up first! the main reason for my visit was to purchase the Kat Von D for Sephora eye shadow palette in Beethoven, $34-- i was majorly yearning for this palette after looking at the pics of it online and reading all the gushing reviews on MUA, but when i got face-to-face with it, my mature, frugal side caught up with me. although it's gorgeous, i have a dupe of almost every color in it, and i really didn't need to splurge on it at that time. even so, i would definitely recommend buying it if you don't already have similar colors-- it's a phenomenal value for $34 and the shadows are very pigmented and blendable!

next up on the list of things to check out was the Tarte EmphasEYES High Definition Eye Pencil, $18, (posted about recently here). this pencil was made specifically for lining your waterline (or the inner rim of your eyelids) and promises to stay put all day and be very easy to apply thanks to it's slim size. unfortunately, i did buy this one, and wish i had not! while the pencil is a great size and does glide on, that's about where it's attributes end. the color it applies to your waterline is far from the dark, sooty black it should be, and it only stays put for about five minutes before making a getaway to the area beneath your bottom lashes. i was shocked and appalled by this because when i see it demo'd on QVC it looks perfect and seems to stay put! needless to say, this pencil is going straight back to Sephora and i would definitely NOT recommend it if you're wanting it for it's designed use. it may work wonderfully as a regular eyeliner, but that's not what it's marketed for, and not what i wanted it for! BOO!

the next thing i tested and fell madly in love with was Bare Escentuals Multi-Tasking Face (concealer) in Summer Bisque, $18, with the Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush, $20. i have also watched this countless times on QVC but i have never, ever believed that anything in the form of a powder could work on the undereye area without highlighting every tiny, usually invisible line, but... somehow it does! i don't know how, but it works! this concealer went on smoothly and covered up the remaining darkness that my regular concealer had missed, didn't look dry or cakey, didn't accentuate any lines and stayed put for the rest of the (hot) day, all while protecting the delicate undereye area with SPF 20! i am very impressed! kudos to Leslie for a job well done! i would definitely recommend testing this out the next time you're at Sephora or a BE boutique, you may be as surprised as i was!

last and certainly least, today i am thanking the gods of Sephora for the choice i made to take home a sample of Ojon's Hydrating Styling Cream, $10-30, instead of buying the $10-sized tube. this styling cream promises to "dramatically smooth and hydrate dull and damaged hair, adding definition, moisture, and brilliant shine with a blend of 100% pure Ojon palm nut oil. it helps reduce breakage caused by thermal styling, protects hair against UV rays, and prolongs the life of hair color." well, let me be the first to tell you, it doesn't do any of those things (unless it protects against UV rays, i couldn't vouch for that claim). first off, the styling cream has all these tiny orange balls in it, i'm assuming which contain the Ojon palm nut oil, and they have the appearance of those Vitamin E balls that are in some soaps and burst when you touch them. problem is, these do NOT burst, even with vigorous rubbing, and so when you try to smooth the product through your hair, you can still SEE some of the orange balls! yuck! i would be willing to look past that annoying complication if this styling cream left my hair soft, smooth, and hydrated, but it does NONE of those things. instead, after blow-drying and flat-ironing, my hair feels coarse, dry, and straw-like. and my hair isn't even moderately damaged, i would say it's in fairly good shape for being color-treated and heat-styled on a daily basis. so if this styling cream couldn't smooth and moisturize my hair, i can't imagine how horribly off it would leave truly damaged hair! and another thing: i am not super sensitive to smells in products, but many people are, and this weird, cigars-mixed-with-chocolate smell that the Ojon line uses is not pleasing. i know many people who wouldn't use any of the products based solely on the smell alone! this rip-off product gets a big thumb's down from the Kitty, who will never go near it again.

what are your new favorite finds? i'd love to know, so please share!