February Favorites

I've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus since my birthday in November, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of things around here ;)

To that end I've taken inspiration from blogger and Twitter pal, Larie, and decided to dive into the wonderful world of "favorites" posts.  Hooray!  So here are my favorites from February:

Look at all the PRETTIES ;)

Clockwise from the top, they are:

MISSHA Signature Wrinkle Filler BB Cream (Shade #23)--My foray into the wonderful, mysterious, and yes sometimes terrible world of BB Creams began last year at the suggestion of a few online friends and fellow bloggers.  I must say that I'm no where near expert level at choosing a good BB Cream, but one thing I have learned for myself is that like fragrance, BB Creams are very individual--or rather, how my skin responds to them is very specific.  Mine seems to turn it's nose up at some raved-about brands (Skin 79, Tonymoly), says "meh" to particular items recommended by others (Holika Holika Petit BB Creams), and loves some that others hate (Skinfood Red Bean, MISSHA Signature Real Complete BB Cream).  

This one, though, my skin OMGLUVSFOREVER!  It goes on smoothly, blends easily and well, is a decent match for my actual skin tone (read: does not make pasty, pink, or orange), and makes my skin feel silky soft all day.  And hey, it actually does for me what I've been aching for other BB Creams to accomplish: blurs and softens the appearance of the imperfections I bought BB Creams to hide.  FINALLY!  I found this on ebay from Bello-Girl.

Asymmetrical Necklace & Earring Set: "Winter's Gold/Ramoth's Pride"-- I've developed quite a fondness for the beautiful sparkly things offered in Whimsy Beading's Etsy shop, and no wonder: aside from creating gorgeous beaded jewelry, owner/artist Kelly Graves is an absolute doll and exhibits (to me at least, haha!) saintly patience for my endless "customizing" requests.  In this case, I was geeking out over her "Ramoth's Pride" necklace but wanted a bit more sparkle to it, so I asked if she would make it similar to her "asymmetrical necklace" design, in the "Winter's Gold" colorway, and oh by the way would she mind using gold tone rather than silver chain/findings?  Plus a pair of "Charming" earrings to match?  Pretty please?

Happily, she agreed, and here is the result:

Necklace & earrings by Whimsy Beading <3

Mad as Birds by Darling Clandestine + I Smell Like A Witch by OHWTO-- First off I will say that I was completely charmed by each of these artisan perfume oils on their own.  Mad as Birds is a unique scent among those in my collection, with notes of "pear, mint, amber, and marigolds (from the official description)."  I Smell Like A Witch was a surprise love for me, as the stated notes (red & white roses, cotton candy, bubblegum, smoke, sandalwood, patchouli, vanilla bean) gave me a bit of pause.  Cotton candy?  Bubblegum?  But on my skin, this stuff is beautiful.  I enjoyed them both enough to order full sizes of each.

Wear them together, though, and you just might hear angels singing.

DGC Luscious Lip Balm in Jasmine Blossom Tea & Kiss You Off Color Rich Lip Balm in Honey Love-- Darling Girl Cosmetics, or DGC, is home to one of my HG lip glosses, the beautiful Fenix.  Honestly, I didn't think I could love another lippie as much as this, until I met her LE for Valentine's Day tinted lip balm, Honey Love.  It's described on the site as a "gorgeous honeyed pink," and BOY IS IT EVER.  Many "nude" lip colors are too much so for me--too pale/frosty or too warm-toned, which means they make my lips all but disappear from anything further away than point-blank range.  Honey Love is a perfect balance of rich golden honey and soft coral-pink, though, and looks beautiful on.  Want proof?  I'm wearing it in the pic above with my Whimsy set.

Not enough proof, you say?  Well how about this:

Taken with flash to highlight the coral/gold mashup that is Honey Love ;) 

I could wear Honey Love every day.  I could also wear any of DGC's Luscious Lip Balms, they feel so smooth and silky on my lips and do an awesome job of protecting them from the chapping that is a parasitic companion to cold winter winds and bone-dry interior environments.

Clark's Botanicals Smoothing Marine Cream-- This sample size jar came in my January Birchbox shipment, but I didn't crack it open until February.  When I did, though...oh, holy heaven!  It is smooth, yes indeed, and cool and soothing to my skin--which has been pissed off by four months of running the heater at home & office.  Also, even without BB Cream or foundation over it this cream made my skin look better (as well as feel better)--nearly immediately!  I'd say it's miracle stuff, an HG...but at $115 for a full-size (1.7 oz, which is sample size in some circles), it's a heartbreaker for anyone on a budget.  A little of it goes a long way, which is the good news, but even so I will be hoarding this.

How about you, my lovely readers?  What favorites did you discover--or rediscover--in February?

Me ke aloha,

Lizzy

Happy Birthday to Me!

I can't quite believe it's already been a year since I began blogging about my journeys in makeup, beauty, & fragrance--and what a "wonderland" of experiences (lovely and frightful both) it has been!  Throughout the past year I have found some wonderful fellow bloggers and several favorite companies both for makeup, bath & body products, and fragrance.

To honor my birthday (which was yesterday, so I TOTALLY took the day off from the interwebs :D ) and blogiversary I have decided to do a little re-vamping around my little corner of the beautynet and added the following new features:

• A page for my favorite companies, categorized by type of product and arranged alphabetically
• A list of my Holy Grail items across all beauty categories
• Forum Link Love: a sidebar list of awesome forums filled with a mixed bag of folks who all love (insert forum topic here), and...
• BLOG SALE PAGE!!!

That's right, folks, throughout my wanderings I have discovered many amazing products--shimmery, smoky, and silky shadows; glowing blushes; fabulous foundations and BB creams; luscious lippies; and fantastic fragrances.  Which means my beauty collection is (for me at least) out of control!

So now I would like to share with you, my dear followers!  Check out the great deals on the Sale page and find some new friends--and perhaps favorites--of your own ;)  Products will be organized by category, company, and condition (new/used) and every purchase will include makeup, bath/body, and/or fragrance samples, so please don't be shy about requesting which you would prefer.

Cheers to wrapping up 2011 with a pretty bow and welcoming 2012 with joy!

Me ke aloha,
Lizzy

First Impressions: Sonoma Scent Studio

Oh, I've found myself a new addiction and it is...PERFUME.

Never thought this would be me, what with my long-standing disdain of the department store fragrance counter, but no escaping it now: first my PBFF (that's "Perfume BFF" to the novices out there) Ki introduced me to the Wiggle (Nani, the proprietress, makes incredible scents including limited edition Rosalba, that was the first scent that ever triggered a "back-up bottle" purchase)--which touched off an exploration of small-scale, artisan perfumers such as The Morbid the Merrier (I fell for Athelia, a dark and edgy fig) and Solstice Scents (Lace Draped Spectre is a beautiful spicy-incensey carnation).  Our online convos also took in the conventional fragrance scene, leading me to the perfume shelves at my local Sephora--and a bottle of Lavanila's Vanilla Passion Fruit plus a rollerball of their Vanilla Grapefruit, as well as the discovery that some "men's" fragrances (Burberry for Men, Tom Ford's Grey Vetiver) smell really, really good on me.

What I did during my (end of) summer vacation!

Hello again, my wonderful and lovely readers!  So sorry to have been away from you so long, but the end of summer is a season all it's own in my little corner of the hula world:

LU`AU SEASON

Which means that my days consist of three phases: work (long), sleep (little to none), and...

HULA

The halau I belong to tries as much as possible here on the mainland to keep to a traditional lu`au, which means we all work together--very hard--to present all aspects of the event, including making our own adornments (fresh greenery lei for head, wrists/ankles, implements, etc.), costumes designed by our Loea Hula and made either by ourselves (if we have the skill) or a seamstress (if we don't--I'm in this category, myself), hours of extra practice every week to get us looking maika`i (good) as a group, digging an imu (underground oven) to cook all the kalua pork and then shredding the roasted meat by hand, cooking all the food, setting up the hall, doing our own/each other's hair, makeup, etc., serving the guests who bought tickets for the event (we had more than 500 this year!!), and of course...

DANCING

From our Dress Rehearsal in mid-to-late August until the event in mid-to-late September, our lives revolve around our hula; for me this entails cutting back on social networking and other online and RL social activity as I squeeze my Lu`au-related commitments into every bit of spare time I can eke out from my work schedule.  After the event, our halau closes for a week for some much-needed R&R and my DH & I take off for Hawai`i to enjoy the break!

Now that I'm back, I wanted to give you all a slice of my RL, Island style ;)

close-up of the lei I wove for my ipu heke, or double-gourd drum, which I had the privilege of performing with during the Kahiko (ancient) segment of the Lu`au program.

Some of my Papa Hanohano ladies & I during the feast--note the gleam off the foodservice gloves we're wearing--sexy, yeah? ;P

Outside just before the show, when the halau gathers for a pule, or prayer, to ensure a good performance.  See the pretty fern lei on my head & wrists?  Yeah, I made those!

On stage with my Hanohano sistahs dancing an `Auana, or modern-style hula titled Akahikuleana A Ka Piko

Me with our alaka`i (class leaders) & aunties dancing Queen's Jubilee, composed by Hawai`i's last monarch, Queen Lili`uokalani, when she traveled to England to take part in the celebration of Queen Victoria`s reign

The Tahitian segment is always the most popular part of our show; here I am dancing the mamaroa "Na Te Moana"

If I managed to look beautiful in any of these pics, it is thanks in part to my much-loved indie makeup companies--my eyes were highlighted by a combo of Thunderpants by MPZ and (later in the show), Meerkat by Fyrinnae, with Fenix (Liquid Kiss Luxe) by DGC on the lips for Kahiko (more neutral and therefore appropriate for performing the "ancient" style hula) and then Nevermore (tinted lip balm) by Morgana Cryptoria with clear gloss over the top.  Mahalo, ladies, for helping me look fab for our guests!

And here's Kaua`i, where the DH & I went for some much needed down-time ;D

Waimea Canyon, often called "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific," as seen through the poor lil' camera on my iPhone 3G o.O

The north side of the island, which is the area where we stayed.

View from our hotel room at the west end of Hanalei Bay the last evening of our stay

Thanks for letting me share this beautiful experience with you all!  Next time, I promise to have more lovely looks/reviews/swatches etc. for your enjoyment <3

Me ke aloha,
Lizzy

More MPZ Goodness (pic heavy!) :D

So I'm finally getting around to posting the awesomeness that is my latest My Pretty Zombie haul--such a slacker, me!  These goodies were from an end-of-July sale that I just could NOT resist o.O

Actually in my own defense it's been a pretty hectic August so far: a rush to learn two chants and two dances for a hula ceremony welcoming six waka that have traveled all the way across the Pacific, getting locked into my office at work for nearly 3 hours with my supervisors & coworkers last Tuesday during a very public standoff with a lolo who took a potshot at the officer (didn't hit him TG) who wanted to question him about an armed robbery (the suspect decided to hide in the apartment complex behind our building >_<), and Tahitian rehearsal today (3.5 hours, nearly 50 dancers packed into a studio the size of my family room, which is maybe 325 square feet--talk about hot & humid, ugh!).

I was feeling like I needed a little fun (& a lot of glamor) today, so yeah--MPZ!! :D Much better!

Here is the haul itself (more after the jump):

Don't you just love the monster teef?  And look, extra love from Andrea <3

And the winners are...

First of all, mahalo to all the lovely women who have followed and supported me both from the beginning and more recently--you are all wonderful!!  Another mahalo to the ladies who chose to take part in this giveaway, I truly appreciate all the love you sent my way during this past week-ish ;D

Second, as mentioned in the giveaway post, all entries were placed into a spreadsheet in the order received and winners were selected using Random.org.  After the first prize winner was selected, I deleted that entry from the spreadsheet and a second prize winner was selected, and so on for the third.

All winners have been notified of their prizes and have 48 hours to contact me and provide a mailing address; otherwise another winner will be selected.

Winner of the first prize is...Christa!!

Christa is the author of Play Hard, Look Fabulous, awesome stuff!

Winner of the second prize is...Ki!!

Yay!!  Ki chronicles her beauty adventures in Ki and Makeup ;)

Last but not lease, our third prize winner is...Nguonie!!

Nguonie is a newcomer here at The Nature of Beauty; welcome!!

Congratulations to the winners of my first giveaway, how fun!  I've got a blog anniversary (and birthday!!) coming this November, hopefully by then I'll have more wonderful things to share with you, my lovely readers <3

MKA (Me Ke Aloha),

Lizzy

50+50+100=Time to Celebrate (CLOSED)

When I began this little corner of beauty blogdom a full 8 months ago *gasp!* I never would have thought it would lead me to a Facebook fanpage and busy-enough-for-me Twitter account.  For the longest time, I had the same "faithful few" followers on the blog and I owe a BIG TIME mahalo to those ladies for their encouragement in those first few months--my sincerest appreciation to my "O-Shit Girls": mNg, Erin, Amanda S., Snarky P, Shelby G, Elyse, Cheryl, Rebecca, Amanda R., Ashley--I would not have done any of this without your kind words and unflagging support!

Today, I have just over 100 fans on the RiverCityLizzy Facebook page, 50+ followers on Twitter, and 46 here on The Nature of Beauty (okay so this last count is not quite 50 but FB has 102 and Twitter, 52 so there's my "final four" LOL!).  Total count: 200 lovely people following my wanderings in (mostly indie) makeup, bath, and beauty.

Honestly, I'm humbled and incredibly thankful.  Over these months, makeup and beauty has been a soother through some truly challenging RL moments and the online community of caring and strong-willed women and men has been an inspiration--and at times, salvation.  Now it's my turn to "pay it forward" and show YOU some love:  GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

I have amassed quite a collection of unused perfume samples, BB Cream & other Korean cosmetic samples,  dupes acquired when I accidentally ordered extra of an item I already had, and a few fun things I received as GWP.  Enough items, in fact, that I am able to put together three (3) prizes for this giveaway!  AWESOME!!

Grand Prize

One winner will receive the assortment of goodies pictured above:
1 pocket mirror with pink satin travel pouch
1 unused, full-size handmade bar of Grapefruit Orange coconut milk soap from DeShawn Marie on Etsy
1 travel size (2.0 fl oz) Redken Shine Flash 02 glistening mist
1 full size (5 mL) Noelia perfume oil & sample vial of 3 Ring perfume oil from The Morbid the Merrier
1 sample vial of Tweedledum from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL)
1 sample vial of Jasmine Verbena from Wiggle Perfume & Sundries on Etsy
1 full size solid scent in Barista from One Hand Washes the Other
1 Milani Lip Flash jumbo lip pencil in #07 In A Flash
1 Wet 'n' Wild lipstick in #521A Fuchsia with Blue Pearl
1 Wet 'n' Wild lipstick in #552A Just Garnet
1 Beauty Friends Royal Jelly facial mask sheet (single use)
1 Charcoal Pore deep cleaning strip
2 Skin79 BB Cream samples (Super Plus Pink BB Cream & Super Plus Gold BB Cream)
1 Skin 79 facial serum sample + 1 mystery Korean beauty sample ;)

Prize #2

A second winner will receive the prize pictured above, which includes:
1 pocket mirror with pink satin travel pouch
1 unused, full size handmade coconut milk & sugar soap in Sugar Lime from DeShawn Marie
1 Vanillology1 Sample Trio of perfume oils(Vanilla Cream, Peppermint, & Vanilla Peppermint) from One Hand Washes the Other
1 sample vial of Dragon Heart from BPAL
1 sample vial of Kumquat & Green Mango from Solstice Scents
1 Wet 'n' Wild lipstick in #505A Light Berry Frost
1 Beauty Friends Coenzyme Q10 facial mask sheet (single use)
1 Charcoal Pore deep cleaning strip
3 Korean beauty samples: Skinfood Mushroom Multi-care BB Cream #2, Holika Holika Soda Pore Cleansing Oil, and Petit Bijou body wash in Cotton Snow

Prize #3

The third and final prize package will include the items shown in the pic above:

1 pocket mirror with pink satin travel pouch

1 unused, full size handmade coconut milk & glycerin soap in Tangerine Birch from DeShawn Marie

1 full size solid scent in Carnivale from One Hand Washes the Other

1 Wet 'n' Wild lipstick in #520E Hot Paris Pink

1 sample vial of Kumquat & Green Mango from Solstice Scents

1 sample spray of Privet Bloom perfume by Hampton Sun

1 Charcoal Pore deep cleaning strip

2 Korean beauty samples: Holika Holika Smoothie Peeling Jam in Grape Expectation and ElishaCoy Always Triple BB Cream

Please read the following rules carefully to ensure successful entry into this giveaway:

Mandatory Entry  You MUST be a follower of this blog through Google Friend Connect AND comment below on which item(s) from the giveaway you would be most interested in trying.  You must include in your mandatory entry your GFC name and a valid email address so that you may be contacted in a timely manner should you be chosen as the winner.

**NOTE**Anyone who does not submit the mandatory entry described above will have all other entries invalidated.

Extra Entries (OPTIONAL)  Please leave a separate comment for each task so I can better track your entries, because heaven knows I rarely have time myself to track all the "extras" plus the mandatory entry for a giveaway in order to enter all in one comment, so I can hardly expect my readers to do what I would not, yeah? ;)

1.  Follow me on Twitter @rivercitylizzy and comment below with your Twitter user ID (1 extra entry)
2.  Tweet about the giveaway a maximum of once per day, maximum of six days during the giveaway (1 extra entry each tweet for a max of 6 extra entries).  PLEASE include the link to your tweet in your comment (found by clicking on the time stamp on your tweet)
3.  Like RiverCityLizzy on Facebook and comment below with your FB name (1 extra entry)
4.  Share this giveaway on FB and include the link to your post (found by clicking the time stamp on your post).  You can post up to once per week during the giveaway (2 extra entries each for a max of 4 extra entries)
5.  Write a blog post about the giveaway and include a link to your post (4 extra entries)
6.  Add this giveaway to your blog's sidebar and include a link to your blog (2 extra entries)
7.  If you are a regular commenter on this blog, you automatically will receive 4 extra entries (no worries, I know who you are ;D )

This giveaway is open internationally and will end on Saturday, August 13 at Midnight PDT.  All entries will be placed in a spreadsheet and 3 winners will be chosen at random through Random.org at which time the winners will be notified by email and have 48 hours to respond.  If the first winner(s) fail to contact me within that time frame a new winner(s) will be chosen again at random.

Disclaimers
The items in this giveaway were either purchased by me or were sent to me as free samples with purchase and in no way represent an endorsement of the companies listed or linked to in this post.  PLEASE NOTE that all items are new and unused, however the DeShawn Marie soap boxes have been opened for sniffing purposes BUT NOT TOUCHED.  By accepting the prize as is you acknowledge that you have been advised of this fact.  IF YOU WOULD PREFER A SEALED, UNOPENED ITEM a substitution can be made for the soaps; in this case please notify me of your preference upon being informed of your winning and I will make arrangements for another selection to be sent to you--please allow some extra time for the delivery of your prize.

Have fun, good luck, and most of all MAHALO FOR ALL YOUR LOVE & SUPPORT <3

MKA,

Lizzy