Watch me on TV!

I’m going to be a guest on Virginia This Morning, where I’ll demonstrate some of my mad DIY skillz by making rolled beeswax candles. You can watch the show at 9:00 AM EST on CBS 6 (WTVR) if you’re in Central Virginia, or watch me on the internet a bit later by using this link. Wish me luck! I much prefer to do my creating off-camera but I hope you enjoy learning about this fun craft! There are really no limits to the types of candles you can make, and it doesn’t require heating up wax and pouring it - meaning much less potential for mess and burns!

Richmond Craft Mafia's HANDMADE HOLIDAY SALE

Are you looking for a really unique gift this holiday season?

Come to the Richmond Craft Mafia's HANDMADE HOLIDAY SALE, Friday, December 7th at 4025 Yoga & Wellness center.

Fourteen businesses from the Richmond Craft Mafia will be selling their handmade items in the beautiful 4025 Yoga studios located on Richmond's North Side. The event is also part of MacArthur's illumination festivities to kick off the holiday season. Shop for jewelry, purses, children's clothes and accessories, paintings, pottery, home decor and much much more! Free holiday refreshments!

For directions, visit the 4025 Yoga website.

New Nail Polish at Target - Nicole by OPI

I was happy but surprised to visit the Libbie Place Target to find a display of Nicole polishes by OPI. I've recently re-rediscovered my love of nail polishes, and this is a really fun brand with good quality polish. If you like Urban Decay (RIP their nail polishes) you should check it out. I have heard they are in most Target stores these days.

Splendicity - read great blogs, win sweet stuff!

Splendicity is a great new beauty and fashion blog network that I belong to. One of my (other) side projects, TheScentedLife, is a member of this network. Amy George wears a lot of hats, people! In any case, they're having tons of great contests, one each day for the rest of the month. Keep your eye on TheScentedLife - here's some of the great stuff we've given away so far:

Splendicity contest for September 6!

Splendicity contest for September 5!

Clinique Bonus time @ Nordstroms!

Until Saturday, June 23rd you can get a cute, summery makeup bag with a $25 purchase at any Nordstrom Clinique counter. It includes:
High Definition Mascara in Black
Glosswear for Lips lipgloss
Blushing Blush Powder Blush w/brush
SPF 40 sunblock
Mild Face soap

And, since it's sponsored by Elle Magazine, a sub to Elle.

WANT: Bobbi Brown Stonewashed Palette

I'm as big a sucker for palettes as anyone, and this one really sends me. On the heels of the popular (and quickly-sold out) Chocolate palette, is the Stonewashed Palette in a mirrored compact with a dual-ended brush. BB does great neutrals, and these seven eyeshadow shades look like they'll be great for a lot of beautiful late summer and fall faces. It's not out until September, but you can bet I'll be keeping my pennies in a jar for this one - I believe the retail price will be around $55.

A friendly update!

It's my FAVORITE time of year here in Richmond. For me, this means no grad school for a few short months, lots of evening bike rides to places like Vietnam 1 and Mexico Restaurant (I'm currently hooked on Vietnam 1's vermicelli (bun) with vegetarian eggrolls), weekend bike rides to parts beyond, hiking on belle isle, and finally being able to do things like my laundry and shower when I really need to do them (instead of when I can fit them in).

But all of this activity means a pared down makeup look. After writing four columns for Richmond.com, my traincase is getting way too full. It's hard to decide what to use! I took the guess work out of this by making a 'mini-kit' to use every day last week. It included:

Urban Decay Primer Potion (mini) - I totally drank the kool-aid with this one. It works better than any other primer I've tried, even in the heat, even after jogging. The one con is that it works a bit too well - it makes it hard to blend shades if you like to highlight and do a deeper shade in the crease. Even the tiny sample I got in my UD Urban Arsenal Palette will probably last a few more weeks with daily use. I have a fullsize ready to go!

Blinc Kiss Me mascara (mini) - a great sample I recieved from Spalook, I haven't used this product in several years so getting reacquainted with it has been nice. It is perfect for hot humid weather as well because it will NOT smear. However if it's super hot and humid you will have fallout on your cheeks because the 'tubes' it forms around your lashes need hot water to be removed. This only happened once after a long, sweaty bike ride, so I felt that the average user would never have this problem. It does take a bit of combing out to look natural and not clumpy (it's very wet when it goes on but dries quickly into the tubes). I probably wouldn't repurchase this, even if I didn't have ten other tubes of mascara going right now.

Milani Powder Blush, Luminous - sadly, discontinued but I have a nearly new one. It looks just like NARS orgasm, and I have gotten a lot of compliments that I looked 'relaxed' and 'rested' when wearing this. I'll probably work this into next week's look as well.

Neutrogena Moistureshine Tinted Lip Balm, sunny - one of my column purchases, I rated this highly but now i'm tiring of it for no good reason, so it's time to try and use up as much of it as I can. The brick-ish tint looks good with the bit of a tan I'm starting to develop (despite daily SPF use!!!). It's a lot softer than other stick lipbalms.

Ardell Lash Growth clear gel - using this to keep my brows in place. It seems to make them thicker, which is a plus since full brows are still in. May or may not repurchase this when I run out.

Biore Pore Minimizing moisturizer, SPF 15. It has powder built right in to cut down on the shinies, and SPF to cut down on the melanomas. Bonus! Also smells like watermelon.

Milani Eyeshadow Quad - this + UDPP = all day beautiful eyes.

Physician's Formula liquid eyeliner pen - I like this a lot, but probably won't repurchase when I use it up. It's still not as great as L'Oreal Lineur Intense pen for doing ultra-thin lines.

Hm...that's about it, other than the Stila concealer I sometimes dabbed on a zit near my chin. Damn post-finals stress effects!