I love sweet smells. Vanilla based perfumes are always my favorite. What can I say…I just enjoy smelling like baked goods. And the best part? Men are always attracted to women who smell like cookies. It’s a fact. Everywhere I go, men are always telling me how good I smell, right after they comment, “who’s got cookies?” Not that I’m trying to attract men. I’m very happy with Mr. Shimmerfairy. BTW, don’t ever tell my husband that I refer to him on my blog as “Mr. Shimmerfairy.” Something tells me he may not find that very amusing.

OK so anyway, I recently went through a bit of an existential crisis where I decided that I wanted to be “more sophisticated.” After all, I’m 34 years old now; maybe it’s time to stop shopping at Forever 21 and smelling like a stripper. The glitter eyeshadow stays though. I’ll never give that up. Even though Courteney Cox recently remarked in InStyle magazine that glitter eyeshadow is for 12 year olds. I disagree Ms. Cox. I strongly disagree. But perhaps, just maybe, I need to make a few tweaks to my image, you know…now that I’m a LADY (cue Tom Jones “She’s a Lady! Woahohoh she’s a Lady!”)

So, I’ve made a commitment to shopping at more age-appropriate stores (unfortunately they cost a lot more than the Junior’s department at Macy’s) and I’ve been looking for a more sophisticated scent. So far, I’m really liking Chanel Chance. Unfortunately, it’s also a lot more pricey than my stripperesque Victoria’s secret body spray, but it does smell awful purdy. Like a real lady.

However, all of this started to make me a bit sad. I mean, how did I get this old? And why do I think I’m so old when I’m only 34? That’s not really all that old is it? I can still have fun, right? I can still smell like baked goods, right? And then Philosophy answered my prayers by putting out their Everything’s Coming Up Rainbows set. Yay! Each item in here smells like rainbow sherbet. The smell of this set makes me so happy. How can I not be happy when I smell like ice cream? It’s a perfect, light summer scent. It comes with a delicious and very moisturizing lip balm, a lovely lotion, and a shampoo/body wash (which incidentally, I’d never use as a shampoo because it contains sodium lauryl sulfate which is bad, bad, bad for hair and fairly questionable for skin and health, but because it smells so nice, I’m letting it slide here and I’m using it as a body wash). It’s $28 and exclusive to Sephora. All three items just smell like sweet memories of summer, happiness, sunshine…and maybe a little like strippers and/or 12 year olds, but that’s OK. I’m still-just for now-OK with being a little immature in my style. Little changes are OK, but let’s not get carried away here. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go listen to the Jonas Brothers and paint my toenails with purple glitter. But I’m going to do all of that while I drink a martini. Because I’m a grown up lady.

A few weeks ago, I read a vague statement on Sephora.com about Shu Uemura “packing up and leaving the U.S. for good.” The statement immediately struck fear in my heart. What? What were they talking about?
Shu Uemura makes The Best Eyelash Curler EVER. I can’t live without mine. OK, I could probably live without it, but really…who wants to live in a world without a good eyelash curler? I mean, what would be the point? I couldn’t find any info on it, so I just dismissed it as either a mean joke or a terrible mistake. However, after a number of days went by, I just couldn’t shake the fear. I went into Sephora and frantically started searching for my beloved eyelash curlers, my heart racing, beads of sweat forming on my brow. Where were they? Why wasn’t there a pretty little stack of them in their usual spot? WHAT WAS HAPPENING? It was like a bad dream. The salesgirl confirmed my worst fear. “Oh, we don’t carry them anymore! They’re only selling in Japan from now on!” she cheerfully informed me. I wanted to hit somebody. I wanted to hit her. But then, she totally redeemed herself by leaning in and telling me in a conspiratorial tone “They may still have a few left at Nordstrom though.” And with that, I was racing across the mall, ready to fight to the death for the last Shu Uemura eyelash curler. But when I got there, I found stacks of them. Literally stacks on several tables. The salesgirl there told me to stock up, and I did. I bought three. But I should have bought more. And I am sure I will buy more. This is a warning people! Stock up now! They are only going to be available in Japan, which means we will have to pay international shipping rates soon! I am also aware that this could very well be a brilliant marketing ploy on the part of Shu Uemura, creating demand for their superior products. Well played Shu Uemura…you got me. But at least I don’t have to worry about buying another eyelash curler for a couple years.

I’m going to revisit this topic and spend more time on it, because I am totally FREAKED out about all the weird chemicals in most of the products we use. A friend of mine passed this along to me and I wanted to share it. It’s an 8 minute movie about all the nasty gunk that the cosmetics companies are allowed to put in their products. Check it out, and we will talk more about this later, AND…I’ll have some tasty recommendations for products that hopefully will NOT give you cancer, reproductive problems, or three heads. But let’s start with this.

I just love Benefit. They make really innovative products and their adorable packaging gets me every time.

I bought this little set a couple weeks ago because A. the price is right ($10) B. I’m a sucker for those “Sweet Steal” impulse buys they put at the register at Sephora, and C. because I wanted to try 2 out of the 3 products in this set. I’ve heard great things about the Erase Paste, so I’ve had my eye on that one for a while. I also wanted to try the Stay Don’t Stray, because even though I’m a huge fan of Urban Decay’s Primer Potion, I’m always willing to try something new. Now that I’ve tried them, I have to say, these two products don’t disappoint. These are small sample sizes in this set, but since you only need a little of each, these will last a long time, particularly the Erase Paste. The third product in the set is a cream eyeshadow in the shade RSVP. This is a really light shimmery sand color. It’s pretty, but a little too light for me. I use it on my lids with a darker brown in the crease and it works nicely…I’m just not a huge fan of cream eyeshadow. When I first saw the Erase Paste I thought…no way, this is NOT going to work for my pale skin. It just looks too dark and too pink. but the amazing thing about this is that is just disappears into your skin and hides any flaws. I use a little tiny bit on a concealer brush and gently dab onto any areas I want to cover up. I use it just after my foundation, and then set everything with loose powder. It’s awesome. The Stay Don’t Stray works great as a primer before eyeshadow. It keeps my shadow fresh and crease free pretty much just as well as my beloved Urban Decay primer. I do have to say I prefer the Urban Decay though, just because it has a lighter texture and more goes on a bit more sheer than this one, but this is really good as well. This set contains:
- 0.09 oz Stay Don’t Stray
- 0.11 oz Erase Paste in Medium
- 0.11 oz Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in R.S.V.P.

All in all, a nice little set for $10.

Oh my goodness gracious. I really need to know more about this, but I wanted to share what little info I have about M.A.C.’s new Disney Villains makeup collection that will be coming out this fall. Shimmerfairy is BEYOND excited. I love when two of my favorite things (i.e. Disney and MAKEUP) are combined into one magical item. According to stylelist.com, the line will include lipstick, lip gloss, powder and blush and will retail for $12 to $29.50.Check out this link! And thanks to my long time makeup soul mate Beth for making me aware of this exciting news!

I have a fun book. It’s called The Book of the Bizarre: Freaky Facts and Strange Stories by Varla Ventura. I found some fun, freaky facts about makeup that I thought I’d share with you, since I know you are all fun and freaky too. Here’s what I learned:

“The ancients wore eye shadow to prevent blindness, strengthen eyesight, and offer protection. Meanwhile, eyeliner was said to keep out evil, and lipstick, to guard against evil spirits and poisonous foods, and to keep the soul from leaving the body through the breath.”

So weird. Because those are the exact reasons I wear makeup too.

A funny thing happened yesterday. I told my husband, “Stay here, I’m just going to run into Sephora to look at something.” With a knowing look and a little smile he said, “Oh yeah, sure. You’re just going to look at something. At Sephora. Right.” And of course, I came out with a nice little goody bag and a happy grin on my face. But I got FREE STUFF this time. Really good free stuff. Sephora has this really cool Skincare Challenge deal, in which you earn free stuff when you buy skincare items. Apparently, I’ve bought enough stuff because they gave me the best scrub…Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Exfoliating Cream.

I’ve heard of Dr. Brandt’s line, but I haven’t tried much. The line has a great reputation, but most products are really pricey. This particular scrub costs $75 for 1.7 ounces. The jar they gave me is 1 oz., so it was a pretty sweet treat to get it for free.

I used it last night, in place of my cleanser. You just use a little bit on damp skin and massage for about a minute or two. The smell is a really nice citrusy scent, and it feels really good, not harsh at all. The scrub is made of very fine crystals, not big jagged pieces like a lot of scrubs. It’s very gentle and really polishes your skin. Though my skin has cleared nicely, it’s been a bit dry from the benzoyl peroxide in ProActive, and I haven’t been using my Clarisonic because I didn’t have a replacement brush (which I now have thanks to my Sephora trip). Dr. Brandt’s Microdermabrasion cream took off all of my dry, dead skin, making it smooth and soft. As a result, my makeup went on better today, and my skin looks really good. The girl at Sephora told me she loves the stuff, and it makes her look “glowy.” She had amazing skin, so I took her word for it and gave it a try. I’m happy I did. Here’s more info from Sephora.com:

What it is:
Pharmaceutical grade crystals that polish away dead skin cells, leaving skin radiant.

What it is formulated to do:
Diamond shaped crystals exfoliate evenly without scratching or irritating the skin to smooth fine lines and wrinkles and improve the overall texture of the skin.

Another expensive one, but so worth it. Especially when it’s free!

You know what the last thing I need is? Another lip gloss. And do you know what I bought yesterday? Another lip gloss. And you know what? It made me happy! It’s the little things in life, folks.

My lovely sister gave me a Sephora gift card for my birthday. I didn’t really need anything, but I can’t have one of those gift cards in my possession for more that a few hours before I start itching to use it. As I am totally satisfied with my hair and skin right now (thanks to the Brazilian Blowout and ProActive) I decided to just buy makeup. I got an Urban Decay glittery eyeshadow in a totally impractical but gorgeous bright teal shade, a very pretty shimmery Sephora gloss, a sparkly Urban Decay eyeliner, and my favorite item? Purple glitter nail polish. So very glam. Call David Bowie circa 1973…somebody stole his nail polish!

I also bought some Sephora eye makeup remover, which rocks, and some La Vanilla The Healthy Baby Bottom Diaper Rash cream (Not for me, people! For my kid!) and a lovely lip gloss for my lovely mother-in-law. All in all, a pretty sweet trip to Sephora, my friends.

My attitude and somewhat whimsical purchases were inspired in part by this blog post from Jenny the Bloggess. I just love her, and love this post. Although, I have to say, I already spend a good portion of my day doing ridiculous, whimsical things like wearing glitter eyeshadow and platforms to the grocery store and dancing the tango in my kitchen with my cat.

‘Cause I’m the Shimmerfairy. And that’s how I roll.

I love lip products. It’s probably obvious to you that I do, since I’ve reviewed tons of them on here, and I’m showing no signs of stopping my lip product obsession. Lip products are my favorite because generally they are affordable, there’s not a big commitment (if they don’t work out, just return them or give them away!) Also, they’re not as risky as say a skincare product that breaks you out, or a bad hair product that gives you a bad hair day. Plus a sassy new shade of lipstick or gloss can change a bad mood to good in a snap and give you a whole new outlook on life.

So, when Tarte finally released their new Natural Lip Stain with Lipsurgence Technology, I was first in line to try it and I love it! The shade I bought is Moody, which looks really purple on the stick and is described as a deep berry, but actually looks more red on me. It’s gorgeous and really, really moisturizing. So moisturizing in fact that they claim it increases lip moisture by 6000%. What? No, I didn’t add an extra zero in there, they really say 6000%. I don’t know how they came up with this number, and frankly, they could say it increases moisture by a million billion percent and I’d be just as impressed and confused. But it really does plump nicely and feels amazing. I would describe it as less of a stain and more of a dense gloss…doesn’t really stain as much as some brands I’ve tried like Stila, which is another great lip stain, but most lip stains are dry and this one is super moist. It’s a bit on the pricey side, as far as lip products go ($24 at Sephora) but it’s good stuff and looks like it will last a long time. Here’s some more info from Sephora’s website:

What else you need to know:
The old meets the new with the infusion of our high-performance natural LipSurgence™ technology which is clinically proven to increase moisture content by an astonishing 6000%. This proprietary blend effectively increases skin’s water content for a ‘plumped up’ appearance leaving lips defined, smoothed, and hydrated. The result is naturally fuller, healthier lips without any irritation or stinging. Like the cheek stains, each shade of these natural lip stains will leave a natural hint of tint that will last throughout the day. These shades are great to wear alone or pair with your favorite tarte lipgloss. This product is free from gluten, animal testing, formaldehyde donors, oil, talc, MEA/ DEA/ TEA.

Good stuff…check it out here.

For the first time in my life, I can say I actually like my hair. No, seriously, I like my hair. It feels silky and smooth, looks shiny and healthy, and the best part…I don’t have to spend hardly ANY time styling it. How did this miracle happen? I had a Brazilian Blowout last Friday! This treatment is a godsend…it’s what I’ve been waiting for my whole life! Now if someone could just figure out world peace and a cure for cancer, we’d be all set! The whole process took just over an hour (can take a bit longer if you have thicker hair, but I have very fine hair so it was fairly quick) and the results are amazing. My hair feels so soft and healthy. Do you wanna see? OK click here for before and after pics. (I’m the redhead in the ones that say Angela). Pretty sweet, huh?

My hairdresser, the wonderful and talented Lisa Russell at Spa Villa Salon, did the treatment for me for a special introductory offer of $165, which included free shampoo and conditioner as well. She will be increasing the price soon, so if you are in the L.A. area, contact her ASAP to get a great deal. Lisa is what I like to call a Hair Genius…anyone who can get my mop looking this good deserves some kind of medal. She has a lot of experience, takes a lot of classes and does a ton of research to keep up to date on the latest hair care innovations. Also, she’s one of the nicest people I know, and gives great neck massages when she shampoos, so getting my hair done is a pleasure every time!

OK, back to my blowout experience. I can’t even describe how happy I am, but I’ll try anyway. I used to struggle and struggle to get my hair to behave. I have naturally curly hair that is very fine and prone to frizz. It would take me a long time to get my hair in decent shape. Here’s what happens now: I wash my hair, and put a tiny bit of the Brazilian Blowout styling serum in it (totally optional, but I love this stuff) then I blow dry my hair and my hair just goes in these beautiful soft waves, with ZERO FRIZZ. Done. About 10 minutes total. This is so fantastic for a busy working mom like me. If I want it really sleek, I take another 5-8 minutes and gently run my beloved Sultra iron over my hair for a super sleek, straight look. The other nice thing about this process is that you still can do your hair curly or wavy, unlike the Japanese straightening, or other chemical straighteners that make your hair stick straight. This also gradually wears off in about 3 months (can last longer in some cases), so rather than having to grow your hair out, your curl will naturally come back. I love that this process is suitable and even recommended for people with damaged, jacked up hair like me. It actually leaves your hair in better condition. Really, I can’t say enough about this. But if you want to learn more, either contact Lisa at the above link, or check it out for yourself on the official Brazilian Blowout website. I’m so happy. Happy, happy, happy. Did I mention how happy I am?