Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010

Image: Francesco Marino / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Boy, it sure feels weird to type 2010! Especially when you're typing things like 1/01/10 or 1/10/2010; it feels like it should be a typo. About this time of year, I always like to take stock of my life and the things for which I am grateful. Some do this during Thanksgiving, some now, but I think most of us have a tendency to do it at one point or

Holiday Shipping Update/January Hours

During the holiday season, we are shipping orders several times a day including weekends to get the most orders possible out and delivered in time for the holidays. Unless you are ordering something that is out of stock, all orders are shipped same day (unless, of course, your order is placed too late in the evening - then it will ship the following morning). However, the lines at the post office

The Campaign For "Safe" Cosmetics = FAIL

Does this logo look familiar to you? Bet you've probably researched cosmetics companies and/or ingredients by perusing through the Skin Deep database. Many moons ago, I signed the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. I don't do any animal product testing, I use neither micronized ingredients, nor nanoparticles in any of my products. All was well and good with the world.About a year ago, things

But Miss Scarlet, I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no turkeys!

Thanksgiving has never been one of my favorite holidays. I'm not a fan of turkey, and the holiday usually involves fitting too many people in too small of an area. Since my husband's side of the family is divorced and remarried, we rotate every 3 years with which side we celebrate. This year was my mom's turn.Now my side of the family is rather small: two sisters (one of which is the black sheep

Every 15 Minutes...

OK, this post has absolutely nothing to do with beauty. It's about something even more near and dear to my heart than anything else in the world: my about-to-be 16 year old daughter. Today and tomorrow, her school is doing a program called "Every 15 Minutes". Every 15 minutes, a person is killed in the US as a result of an alcohol related accident. The dangers of drinking and driving is

Oy, the Drama...

I've written and re-written this blog post countless times. I'm torn between posting and not, as it is my personal belief that it's unbecoming for a brand to poke fingers or disparage other companies. But then again, I haven't posted an update to this blog in nearly a month (somewhat intentionally, so that I can keep the Breast Cancer post on top).In the last few days, there has been quite a bit

Purely Cosmetics Supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Awareness runs all through October. In support of this very important cause, Purely Cosmetics will be donating 10% of all sales during the month of October to breast cancer research. Instead of asking me when I may be running my next sale (which are not often anyway to keep them special), please use this month to place any orders and help someone else in need. While you're at it,

OMG OMG - This is better than being on Oprah!

Anyone who's into makeup knows who YouTube Guru EnKore Makeup is. I'm not going to say another word (mostly because I'm speechless!) - watch on!Now if you don't have the time to watch the whole video, you can read up on it on Koren's blog. Just to show you how nice of a guy he his, he made me a special brush roll for my birthday. I'm determined to make it a best seller, so go check out Robyn's

How I $pent my weekend...

Most of my beauty blogger pals have been attending New York Fashion Week, making me envious of the hob-nobbing and parties with every well known brand on the planet, getting treated like royalty (one even winning a necklace from Tiffanys!), while I toil away.OK, I can't feel too sorry for myself. I spent (literally, as in moolah) Saturday attending a Spa & Esthetics show. By the time I left, I

Ingredients: What's beneficial for your skin type?

Yesterday, BionicBeauty did an excellent post about Acne Tips for Teens. Having a teenage daughter who suffers from bad acne, I was immediately drawn to her well researched information. If you suffer from acne, whether you're a teen or an adult, I highly recommend reading it.It also got me to thinking. Consumers are getting more savvy everyday about the ingredients in their makeup products, but

My Last Birthday Post - I Promise!

OK, I know the last gazillion posts have been about my 50th Birthday Bash Sale-A-Thon. You're probably sick of hearing about it by now. Just to show that it wasn't all work and no play, I decided to do this personal post about how I also celebrated my birthday offline.Since I was so busy on the actual day of my birthday, most of the celebrating was over the weekend. Keeping things low key, we

Thank heavens I only turn 50 once!

Just a quick Thank You to everyone who participated in yesterday's Birthday Bash Sale-A-Thon. It was an overwhelming success! This is just the orders packed last night (ok, more like until the wee hours of this morning) sitting on my husband's cubby to take to the post office this morning on his way to basketball. I shoulda left a rolling cart next to the pile for him!I had so much fun

The Skinny on Thursday's Birthday Bash Sale-A-Thon

I've spent all day today putting together the how to's and what to's for Thursday's Birthday Bash Sale-A-Thon (Woot-Off Style). The trickiest thing was trying to figure out how to keep you from having to place multiple orders, resulting in my issuing multiple refunds for excess shipping. And not knowing whether you're done shopping or not, leaving a bunch of semi-ready orders sitting there

Save The Date: Aug 27 Birthday Bash!

Go figure this: I'm not a fan of celebrating my birthday with parties and such - take me out to dinner so that I don't have to cook, and I'm happy. But every year, I do something special on the site to celebrate. As you know, my birthday is coming up next Thursday, when I'll be having one of those birthdays that end in "0" - and a number that when doubled, I'm pretty much assured of not being

Makeup Tip: How to maximize your coverage without looking like it

With my 50th errrr, ummm, 29th birthday birthday looming next week, I've been examining my face closely. Let's face it; at 50 29, you're no longer a spring chicken, and unless you're a frequent flyer at the plastic surgeon, it shows on your skin.I remember the days when all I hated about my looks were my stomach and elephant legs. That was an easy solution: I wear lots of long dresses, and there

PRODUCT REVIEW: Korres Natural Products

Awhile back, I was contacted by Korres, who liked the fact that I was concerned with my cosmetics being natural. I guess they missed the fact that I mostly blog about my own products, but they wanted to know if I was willing to receive some of their natural skin products, and to perhaps post a review, if I so chose. "Sure", I said, why not get some free stuff? It made me feel like a "real

How great is this?

I just received one of the best emails ever from a new customer. It's the little things like this that make all the hours I put in worth every second. Rather than say anything more, I'll let Stacy's email speak for itself:I just ordered and started using your mineral makeup last week and i wanted to send an email telling you how great your products are! I used Bare Minerals for about 7 years and

Won't You Be My Friend?

Ugh - who knew there was a difference between a product page, a "store", and lord knows what else on Facebook fan pages? Here I've had the wrong type of page all along (I was a "store" instead of a "product"). And I had so many fans too! After hours of clicking around, I finally discovered that you can't just switch the type of page you are; you have to create a whole new page. What a PITA.

Oops - Our mistake is your savings!

OK, I admit it. I screwed up. I thought I was ordering the waterproof gel eyeliners in 2 really cool new shades. Turns out, in my excitement, I didn't read things very carefully, and ended up buying Waterproof Creme Eye Shadows instead. These are NOT my Cream to Powder Shadow Singles, and I'm afraid that y'all will get confused between these creme shadows and my Cream to Powders.So.... I need to

Last 24(ish) Hours Left for Bionic Beauty's Giveaway

OMG, this giveaway hosted by Moi is taking off like gangbusters! At last count, there were over 225 comments on Bionic Beauty's 2nd Anniversary Celebration. The contest ends tomorrow (Saturday) night at midnight, EST. Have you gotten your entry in? Enter to win $100 of products in her All About The Eyes giveaway including:3 full sized loose powder shadows in your choice of colors;1 waterproof gel

It's all about the eyes - and it's FREE!

Know that "Bionic Beauty" badge I have over there ? That's because I'm a huge fan of the beauty blog, Bionic Beauty. OK, yes, she loves my products, but all bias aside, Bionic Beauty is a great blog for the everyday kinda gal. Jami is always sleuthing and posting about freebies she's found, great deals, and products that are readily available to everyone. And one of the few bloggers that isn't a

I'm Baaaack!

I had a fantastic time in Vegas at Cosmoprof. My feet were killing me from all the walking, and the heat hit as high as 122 degrees while driving there, but it was well worth it! I actually got to meet the owners of some of the companies I use as vendors (waves hi to Karen), scouted out some potential new items (I'm testing them now), and finally got to meet some of my favorite beauty bloggers (

What Goes On In Vegas...

Betcha thought I was up to something fishy, huh? Actually, I'm up to something good!Cosmoprof is the largest industry trade show for the beauty, spa, and hair industries. It's all happening beginning this weekend in Las Vegas, and I'll be attending. It's a wonderful chance for me to source some potential new vendors, see what's up and coming that looks cool, and meet in "3D" some of the great

Good Habits: Brush Care 101

As many of you well know, I'm a self-proclaimed brush whore - and I know I'm not alone. How many of you have invested hundreds of dollars (if you're brave enough to total up what you've spent over the years) on brushes, but don't take proper care of them? Properly cared for, brushes can last forever. I remember the first time I washed one of my makeup brushes. It had never even occured to me that

TotalBeauty Saga Continues

After over 12 hours of promising a response to his TotalBeauty blunder, Emrah finally posted a response on YouTube that is completely lacking. Interestingly, his video has comments disabled. Here's the video:I've watched this video several times. First off, Mr. CEO has yet to apologize to beauty bloggers for being unprofessional, unedukatd uneducated, non-journalists. Kovacoglu states that Total

Blogger Product Review Uproar

The blogging world has been a focus of major controversy in the last couple of days. It began on Sunday, with an article published by the AP Newswire that the FTC plans to monitor blogs for claims and payments. The opinion held by the FTC is that "Many bloggers have accepted perks such as free laptops, trips to Europe, $500 gift cards or even thousands of dollars for a 200-word post. Bloggers

A Day at IMATS

After the fantastic time I had at The Makeup Show, I was really looking forward to attending this year's IMATS (International Makeup Artists Trade Show) show. It was quite a bit different than I had imagined it would be.My first clue should probably have been the date of the 2 day long show: Father's Day weekend. Immediately, it became a one day show for me, even though I had a two day pass.

No Mr. UPS Man Means You Still Have Time To Save!

As I wait impatiently for Mr. UPS Man to show up with my ingredients for the Diamond Perfect Finish (which better come today!), that means you still have an opportunity to register for our newsletter to get your super secret discount code to save 20% on your purchase of our latest and greatest product!I did have enough of the sample ingredients used to be able to at least fill a jar to

Shhhh... Just Between You and Me (almost)

Woo Hoo! For those of you who follow me on Twitter, or read a couple of posts down about the review from Melissa Street of In My Professional Opinion, you know that I've been hintly lately about a new product coming in. Mostly, I've been referring to it as the "Super Secret Diamond Stuff" (yes, it has diamonds). Now it's finally got a real name: Diamond Perfect Finish. It should be here by the

Want To Feel Really Good Inside?

You might remember a post I made at the beginning of May that the blog A Girl's Gotta Spa was hosting a "Mom Get Glamorous" sweepstakes for one lucky and deserving mom. That winner of nearly $2300 worth of girlie stuff was announced last Friday. Trina Davidson was absolutely shocked to hear that her husband had entered her in the contest, and more floored to find out she had won! Check out her

Mineral Makeup on Camera High Def?

I first met Melissa Street at the Makeup Show in LA when I was part of the beauty blogger's panel. Melissa is a professional makeup artist (check out her work at http://www.epicmakeup.com/) veteran of 20 years, and specializes in High Definition and special effects makeup.It's no secret that most mineral makeup does not photograph well. The zinc oxide and titanium dioxide that isn't visible to

Are You A Deserving Mom?

We're honored to say that we are a part of one heck of a contest for one very special, deserving mom out there. Are you that special person, or do you know someone who is?Check out A Girl's Gotta Spa's Get Glamourous Giveaway. Shannon Nelson has put together a sweepstakes package for one very lucky mom. Shannon, a mother herself of young boys with special needs while managing a career, knows

Blinc Now In Stock!

Blinc® has arrived! The Kiss Me tubular mascara, Lash Primer, and the oh so cool Heated Eyelash Curler is now in stock. For an in-depth review of my opinion of how Blinc's mascara (compared to L'Oreal's Double Extend - I've become a tubular mascara kinda gal), read the blog post I wrote here.You can purchase any of the 3 Blinc products individually, or in combination to save a few bucks: the

Tubular Mascara: Blinc vs L'Oreal

A couple of months ago, I was at a spa show and saw the Blinc Kiss Me masacara for the first time -I know, I live in a cave. I was really intrigued by the idea of a mascara that you "paint" on, and never really attaches to your lashes. It's not waterproof, but it doesn't smudge, rub off, or even come off with just water. As intrigued as I was about the idea, I wasn't so exicted that I could get

Live in California? Save Money & Help Stimulate The Economy

Just your friendly reminder that the California state sales tax increases by 1% in only 4 days. Shop now, shop fast, save some dough! Come April 1st, you're coughing up more money on any purchase.

A Behind the Scenes Look at Moi

Ever wonder what it's like on this side of the computer monitor? Christie Ingram and I "met" over on Twitter (my other home) quite awhile ago, and apparently, she found me interesting enough to do an interview and blog post about me on WHAM Talk Radio. It's weird to see yourself written about. I'm not gonna spill the beans here, but it does make for some good reading, if I do say so myself. Check

Show My Sister (and niece) Some Love!

My sister, a full time attorney who's been subject to countless bank buyouts and other financial industry disasters, and my niece, a college student with dreams of the Big Screen, have taken after me & started their own bath, body and spa shop on Etsy, called Spahhsensations. Like a sister would, her emphasis is on quality at a good value to you.Since she's just starting out, her wares aren't

I Made The "Top Picks"!

I think my single biggest challenge so far has been matching the Decorative Diva Phyrra's skin tone. She has such a mix of both undertones and overtones, that it took what seemed to be a million stabs before we got it right. In the meantime, she had a much easier time with my eye shadows (Soft Moon and Emerald City being two of her fav's). Check out this look she did with Soft Moon, Silver, and

My Manners Suck!

So many wonderful bloggers out there have done fabulous reviews of my products, and although I'm quick to add them to my media page, Facebook, and stumble them, I've been remiss in thanking them properly on this blog as well. Without you guys, I'd have no business to speak of, and I appreciate all you've done for me.Jami, my wonderful supporter from Bionic Beauty, who's reviews and mentions of

The Makeup Show LA (with pics)

Yesterday's Makeup Show in LA was an absolute blast! More importantly, I didn't make a complete fool of myself as a participant in the Blogger's Forum, hosted by Elke Von Freudenberg. The seats were full enough that you'd think they came to hear Billy B speak! It was especially nerve-racking for me, as I was joined on stage by Elke, Felicia of ThisThatBeauty (who was listed in OnMakeup as one of

Meet Me At The Makeup Show In LA

Wow! I've been invited to participate in the Blogger's forum at the Makeup Show in LA this weekend. Don't tell anyone, but I'm really, really nervous. What if I sound like a dolt?Regardless, I'm honored to be invited to participate by the Queen of the Beauty Blog Network, Elke Von Freudenberg to participate in the Blogger's Forum at The Makeup Show on Sunday, March 15th. The Makeup Show is making

Attention Brush Whores!

Hi, my name is Robyn, and I'm a brush whore. There, I've said it. I collect makeup brushes like others collect shoes. I'm also pretty anal about them, and am vigilant about washing them at least weekly (shadow brushes get washed daily, since I constantly change my shadow colors).I found a really, really cool item for brushes: The Brush Guard. The Brush Guard is made of a flexible plastic that is

What do peanut butter and cosmetics have in common?

In August 2008, I published this post about about the FDA Globalization Act of 2008. Small, independent companies such as this one were vehemently opposed to such a regulatory procedure, as the fees involved were hefty (large enough that only "big business" would be able to afford to register), and the word on the street was that we would have to disclose our ingredients on a percentage basis,

We've Partnered! Want Bath & Body/Skincare Products?

Having a natural makeup line, I frequently get requests from customers who want a similar option for skin care and/or bath & body products. I'm a firm believer in the saying "Jack of all trades - master of NONE." I don't do skin care. BUT... I've now partnered with a fantastic skin care line: Garden Girl Skincare.Garden Girl's products are free from parabens, petroleum and mineral oil based

Semi-Scientific Experiment: UDPP vs PurelyCosmetics' Mineral Eye Shadow Sealant

After reading on virtually every beauty blog out there about eye shadow primers, and the overwhelming popularity of Urban Decay's Primer Potion, I strolled on over (OK, schlepped over - it's a 30 mile drive each way) to Sephora and bought some UDPP, along with Nars Orgasm blush to dupe. I liked the primer pretty well - despite the fact that I seem to be straying more and more away from all

Another FREE Giveaway!

I'm sponsoring another free giveaway. This time, it's my Eye Shadow Starter Kit on the popular blog/shopping site Sparkle *Shelf. Included in this set are:5 Full size eye shadows in some of our best selling colors: Silver, Charcoal Smoke, Rose Beige, Chocolate Raspberry & Nearly Nude Shimmer;Deluxe Eye Shadow Brush;Angled Eye Liner Brush; and also thrown in,Mni Detail Brush to get small areas

New Stuff & Reduced Prices

We added a few new things to our line in the last couple of weeks. By popular request, we now carry a dual fiber stippler brush - a great tool for applying bronzers or blushes when you want a softer, less defined focus. Unlike a standard blush brush, you don't apply in a sweeping motion - you "push" or "dot" on your color. The head of the brush has fibers of different lengths, giving an

And The Winner Is....

I'm a little late in announcing the winner for the Free Brush Set Giveaway - yesterday went by in a complete blur! But thankfully, I'm almost caught up. Brittany K is now the proud recipient of this very cool 10 piece brush set:Congratulations Brittany! I'll get this out to you in today's mail. Hope you enjoy it!

Are Mini-Vacations Worth It?

I haven't had any time off in several years, unless you count the family vacations with all the in-laws (which I don't, since they are NOT vacations!), so we took 3 days off to go skiing using a condo of one of my husband's clients. Me, my husband, daughter, and her boyfriend (ack). Every day for the last year, orders have gone relatively smoothly, and I figured all I had to do was stick up a

Gone Fishin...

I haven't had a vacation in quite a few years, and desperately need some time off. Though it's not Fiji, or even a weekend in Vegas, I'm off for a couple of days of R&R in Mammoth Mountain to go skiing (I'm not much of a skiier, but hey, time off is time off!) with my husband, daughter, and her boyfriend (GAK). It's a short trip - leaving on Sunday, skiing on Monday and half of Tuesday, returning

The "To Do" List

Is your "to do" list a mile long like mine is? And I bet you're like me, and get to maybe 1/10th of that list each day. Subconsciously, that list is divided into parts: absolutely, positively gotta do it no matter what (like pay your real estate taxes before midnight the day they're due), really "need" to do, and "would like to do's". Somehow, I never get to that last type unless I'm looking for