Josie Maran Argan Oil Moisturizing Stick

I was very interested in trying something from Josie Maran, and her Argan Oil caught my eye. However, I decided to get the Moisturizing Stick instead of the actual liquid oil because I wanted it to be portable and easy to use. I was excited to get it in the mail after reading the good reviews on it. Isn't the rose-gold packaging of the stick pretty? I've been trying to not get any noticeable fingerprints on it

Comes up like a stick of lip balm

Goes on clear, absorbs quickly, easy to use. My only gripe with it is that it can smell a little funny...The citrus smell is nice at first but about ten minutes after it smells a little too strong. The smell fades though, so I'm not complaining too much

Description

Ingredients

I like this moisturizing stick a lot so far. There have been these random reallyyyyy dry patches on my left arm that were not being helped by the other moisturizers and creams I had. But one swipe of this stick and the next morning the patches were noticeably softer and smoother. I also use it on my cuticles, at the ends of my hair, and on some healing acne scars. It can also be used to treat itchy bug bites, moisturize chapped lips, soothe stretch marks, and calm sunburn. My skin likes this product. I like it too. Luxury with a conscience? Organic, natural, and multi-purpose? Recyclable tube? Effective? Yes and yay!


You can buy it at sephora.com in a small tube (for $6) or the normal size one ($22)

Over the weekend I.....

Made and carved a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner....

....along with fresh cranberry sauce, yams & toasted marshmallows, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and maple bacon biscuits. My sister made corn muffins and we also had ham and assorted veggies :) I use Alton Brown's recipe for roasted turkey every year and it always comes out juicy and flavorful

Went to grab some sushi with an old friend...my new love is salmon hand rolls!!

Some more yummy rolls

Was given the most deliciously CRUNCHY macaroon ever, along with a creamy dreamy egg tart

Watched "New Moon" with my sister

Made more maple bacon biscuits with my little cousin <3 onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX2PdDOUdfiwttp20l0kT04bE4w_BUIomI1mmiAUU4r6VfcW42DBg-yBFSny4RmBwhhofnQkiM-dFwuX76_ki_3I31JlOYEQWxZn9B0B1JcguIL_TH4DEU1XFVNnGPFyGCw_kC7c_wurc/s1600-h/Picture+492.jpg">So flaky and yummy! I got this recipe from this blog and have been making it nonstop. After I made it the first time for my roommates, they have been requesting over and over that I make it again. I made a batch for a Thanksgiving potluck, and one for the boy's family, and they've been a hit with all. This is worth a try!

How can anyone resist??? Slightly sweet and savory...and buttery and with BACON...yummm...they're best served fresh from the oven but my roomies microwaved leftovers and still devoured them

Helped my mom put up a live Christmas tree...I had to go back to school before she put up decorations, but the next time I'm home for the holidays I'll take a picture of the finished tree. I love live trees because they make the house smell so fresh and comforting...

On the drive back to LA, I encountered many things welcoming the holidays. There was the annual Starbucks red cup (love their seasonal drinks...Gingerbread Latte and Peppermint Mocha are always must-haves for me this time of year)

A customary stop at In-N-Out for a burger and fries...

....with a holiday wrapper :)

Stopped by Century City Mall to pick up some Godiva chocolates and saw a cool Christmas tree made from potted poinsettias

Mall decked out in gorgeous lights at night~


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My nails in these pictures are painted with China Glaze in Atlantic...love this polish! It's soooo sparkly in real life. I love glitter polishes!

Guerlain Meteorites in Perles Imperials

Picked up this baby during the Sephora F&F Sale--Guerlain Limited Edition Meteorites Powder for the Face in Perles Imperials! This is part of the Winter 09 Collection. I first saw it at the Guerlain store in while I was in Las Vegas, but hesitated to buy it then and there. I love my Meteorites Powder in Mythic, so I was expecting a lot with Perles Imperials.

The packaging itself, as with all Guerlain products, is elegant and beautiful. I love the all-black design

Unfortunately, what I thought were rhinestones on top were actually just holographic indents made to look like rhinestones. NOOOO!!! :( Is it just my particular box??

At least the inside didn't disappoint. This particular powder has mauve, white, pink, and gold spheres in different sizes to help "instantly brighten and even skintone" for a "fresh, sublimely smooth complexion." It gives a "lit from within" glow and helps set your make up. I like using my Meteorites as a finishing touch after foundation, but I usually use it after moisturizer and concealer. Because I don't use foundation every day anymore, this is an essential step in my morning routine because it really does even out my skintone even when I only have concealer on my face! Perles Imperials is a little too sparkly for use during the daytime, so I save it for evenings. Mythic works better for me during the day. Still, this is a nice splurge :)


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Quick hair accessory of the day: giant purple flower headband from F21~

I bought this headband a while ago and finally got around to wearing it. It's a huge accessory, so I paired it with a simple purple cardigan and plaid scarf. Perfect for a chilly morning with a hot coffee!



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Thanksgiving is tomorrow, what are your plans??? I'm back home in Northern California for the weekend and cooking most of the food for my family tomorrow. I have a turkey being brined as I type, ready for tomorrow. I'm also making roasted garlic mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, roasted brussel sprouts/carrots/onions, and maple bacon biscuits. My sister is bringing corn muffins and I think we have a ham ready to bake. I can't wait to FEAST!! Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving! <3

Sephora by OPI in 212-Sephora

I got 212-Sephora (on the left) during the Friends & Family Sale a few weeks ago. It's always been unavailable whenever I checked, so when I finally saw that it wasn't while I was going through my final shopping cart edit, I had to grab it! Here is the description from the Sephora website:

212-Sephora Nail Color

What it is: A chic nail color inspired by New York City's after-dark dazzle.

What it does:
Sephora by OPI 212-Sephora Nail Colour is a limited-edition must-have shade created in celebration of the new Sephora 5 Times Square flagship store. This glamorous variation on black channels the essence of the exclusively fabulous 212 area code. It is only available online and at 5 Times Square! Put the final touch on fingertips and toes with this top-quality formula that continues the OPI legacy of excellence.

What else you need to know:
Sephora by OPI combines the quality and color expertise of OPI, the world leader in professional nail color, with Sephora's reputation for the latest in beauty and sophistication. The long-lasting, chip-resistant polish ensures flawless results with each application, and its green ingredient list excludes DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde.

I happen to like the Sephora by OPI line; they have some really great colors and the formula and brush are easy to work with. I've been looking for an alternative to the plain black nail polish that I see on so many girls (and boys!) at school, and this fulfilled that AND my penchant for glitter :)

It's described as a smoky black with iridescent, gold, and copper glitter. I really like the base color and the copper flakes!

This picture is the closest depiction of what the color looks like in real life. The "smoky black" is a bit olive green, no? Click for a closer look! This is with 3 coats of color and topcoat

With flash. Too bad these pictures don't show the depth of sparkle of this polish. The copper flakes look like they're trapped under the color and the gold and iridescent round glitter add to the shine. Reminds me a bit of dark, sparkly marble counters, if you know what I mean. Overall, I likey! Not my favorite, but definitely a nice little item to collect if you're into polish like I am :)

Haul from Sephora F&F!

I took advantage of the 20% off code and went a little crazy with the hauling :x BUT, in my defense, I ended up disliking a few of the items and returned some of them. More later about that. Up first: show and tell! :)

Face items: Philosophy Kiss Me Exfoliating Lip Scrub, Josie Marah Argan Oil Moisturizing Stick, Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral SPF 45, Clarins Sun Wrinkle Control Eye Contour Care Ultra Protection (whew!!! what a long name)

More face stuff: Benefit Lemon Aid, Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer, Guerlain Meteorites in Perles Imperiales (Limited Edition from the Winter Collection!)

Givenchy Phenomen-eyes Effet Extension (which came with a sample size tube of lip gloss in Rose Taboo), Shiseido The Mascara Base, Lancome Hypnose Drama

Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Medium Ash, Sephora Brand Professional Platinum Lash and Eyebrow Comb #21, Sephora Brand Professional Bronzer Brush #44

Two nail polishes that I was super happy to get: Sephora by Opi in 212-Sephora (left) and Worth My Weight (right)

Reviews and swatches to come! :)

playing catch up 11/18/09

I need to stop with these sporadic updates! Lots of things to post, but let's start with a very late Halloween entry ;)

This year I went as Snow White! The last time I dressed up for Halloween was...maybe 6th grade? I forgot that costumes could be so expensive! >:(

I opted for a big emphasis on the eyes, and did upper and lower false eyelashes. A touch of blush and some red lipstick, and I was good to go!

Mirror, mirror on the wall....haha

The finished product!

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I spent my Halloween at church for a party that was planned for the kids. It was a lot of fun!

Some cuties in their costumes. Notice the absolutely adorable Tigger!!!

We had apple bobbing for the kids. Baby Tigger only wanted to play with the water! Ignore the guy pretending to kick him haha. Btw my red lipstick is my Shu Uemura in RD 165. Loves!

We had a cupcake decorating booth, too. Among other things, of course.

The boy diligently decorating cupcakes for me :)

He made me Keroppi and Hello Kitty cupcakes!!!! :D

Baby Tigger with a tiger mask <3 onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG22FVe7eZaNUafBCbmaJ_JMKY7GytuQD-ukgNZhdjTQsGhI8z1kchyphenhyphenAmPgyYrYR1O4iBg58iDYksNf7gBXg0HWzFSWsBotfSk3bIn4KS8sWDBd9hEYZt6l3177E7DHfBzXPVlmnRUglU/s1600/Picture+329.jpg">Closer look of the cupcakes

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To me, one of the best things about this time of year is the abundance of all things PUMPKIN! I love the flavor of pumpkin!

The boy and I carved this Hello Kitty pumpking together. It turned out pretty nicely, no?

As you may be able to tell already, I love all things Hello Kitty

Pumpkin whoopie pie with cinnamon cream from The Corner Bakery. This was surprisingly tasty. I really liked the fragrant cinnamon cream

A trio of cupcakes from my favorite cupcake shop in LA, Susiecakes. Red velvet with cream cheese frosting, chocolate with vanilla cream, and PUMPKIN also with cream cheese frosting. The pumpkin cupcake was sooo good!

My faaaavorite pumpkin thing so far, though, is definitely this pumpkin cheesecake that I tried, also from Susiecakes. The cheesecake was super fluffy and perfectly sweet. The sour cream topping contrasted perfectly with the pumpkin flavor. I need to go back and get some more! I ate this one as slow as possible in order to savor it ;)

I'll end this post with a close up of my nails with Sephora by OPI in Queen of Everything. The Sephora site describes this as a "sterling gold" but I found that it was a pretty warm silver. I really liked this color. It gave my nails a really futuristic, mirror-like finish.

A picture of Queen of Everything from far away. There's Gracie resting on my shoulder!! She's so cute <3


Next up, a look at my haul from the Sephora Friends & Family Sale! :)