I've had a couple polls out in the past few weeks, and I thought I'd share my results!

I ended up getting the Kate Spade Japanese Floral Scout because I thought the colors would probably work better for spring and summer, and because I love the print. It also has more pockets, and the lining is a really pretty red-orange. I haven't used it yet since it's still quite cold here in Portland, but as soon as I can put away the heavy coats I will bust it out.

For the jewelry poll, it was a close call, but in the end I chose the Draw the Line Idiom Bangle. I really like the engraving on it, and black goes with everything, right? The only downside is that I have tiny wrists and I'm always afraid it's going to slide off. A couple times it's gone missing and I've panicked, but fortunately it was in my purse both times. 

Hi everyone - I just wanted to pop in and wish everyone happy holidays. I hope everyone's was a enjoyable as mine was!

I've been mostly absent from Kaboodle lately, but I've been really busy between work and school, and then I spent two weeks in Australia in November. While I was traveling I was mostly internet-less because I didn't have an international plan on my cellphone and none of the restaurants/cafes/bars had free wifi. Apparently we are spoiled here in the states, where we have free internet on every corner. We still had a great time though, and I am hoping to be on here more often now that the term is over.

Happy New Year to you all, and I'll see you in 2012!

About a month ago I was having a really terrible week at work, and one morning while I was getting ready I noticed two little creases below my lower lash line. I promptly freaked out, and during lunch that day I went to Whole Foods and examined every eye cream they had. I did a little research ahead of time, and had determined that parabens are bad (which I already knew) and that peptides are good. More specifically, most places recommended a combination of at least three peptides in sufficient quantities. Too far down in the ingredients list is not good. In any case, the most reasonably priced cream with more than one peptide was the Mineral Fusion Revitalizing Eye Treatment. It was about $25, and after four weeks, it seems to be working. The creases aren't gone completely, but they are much less defined. Plus, it feels nice when you put it on, kind of tingly.

The second product is Smashbox Lash DNA. I wasn't searching for a new mascara, but when I cashed in my 500 points at Sephora, I chose the Smashbox Eye Collection. One of the items was a deluxe sample of this mascara. The fullsize is reasonably priced at $19, and depending on what you want, it might be worth it. It thickens and lengthens, and as long as you don't put on too many coats it doesn't flake. It says it is supposed to curl, but it doesn't perform any miracles in that department. My only complaint is that the brush is kind of wide at the end, and I often end up smearing mascara on the side of the bridge of my nose.

It's probably obvious from most of my posts that I like to buy and try new beauty products. Usually I end up ordering from Sephora online, going to the actual Sephora store, or hitting up the Clinique counter at Macy's when all else fails. When I do have the time though, or if I am having kind of a crappy day, I like to wander around the cosmetics counters at a departments store. Usually it's Macy's because there is one close to my office and I have a wonderfully convenient Macy's American Express card.

 What I do is, when I enter the store I decide what my goal purchase is. Last time, I was looking for pink lip color. Then, I wander around and wait for someone to offer to help me. Really offer to help. I basically just wait for someone to try and sell something to me. You would be surprised how hard this is to find sometimes! 

 Unfortunately, the Clinique counter at my usual haunt is not very friendly. It's gotten to the point where I'll actively avoid it if certain people are working at it (sad!). My most recent trip, it took me three counters before a salesperson made a serious effort to sell me something. It turned out well though, because the guy at the Benefit counter where I ended up was awesome, and he made it really fun. He also sold me several products, so I'm thinking he enjoyed it as well. :)

 In the end, I purchased the posietint, the triple performing facial emulsion, and the refined finish facial polish. The posietint is fun, it's very pink, and it lasts about half the day at work. I'm told the benetint lasts longer, but it was more red than I wanted at the time. The facial emulsion smells really great and the bottle is gorgeous, and it is moisturizing without making my skin oily. The polish is my favorite though. I think you're only supposed to use it every few days, but it is really gentle, and so I use it almost every morning in the shower. It smells good too. 

I have actually purchased or received samples of a whole slew of products recently, but primers are my main point of interest at the moment. My skin is very uneven, both on the surface and color-wise. It took me a long time to find a foundation that matched, and now that I have, my new mission is to make sure it is applied evenly and to ensure that it lasts throughout the day.

The past couple weeks, I've been primarily using Benefit's POREfessional. When I was searching for lip gloss at Macy's a little while ago, the guy at the Benefit counter gave me a deluxe sample of this stuff, and I have to say I'm impressed. My bareMinerals matte foundation adheres well to it, it lasts all day, and I don't get shiny. It is a little difficult to gauge the correct amount to use though, at first I was going a little heavy with it. When I was applying too much it worked fine, but it was definitely a waste since a smaller amount worked just as well. It is a silicon based product, which I know some people don't like, but I am acne prone, and this one didn't cause any breakouts. My only complaint is that I wish it did a better job of filling in uneven skin surfaces.
 
The Smashbox Photo Finish didn't keep the shine down as well as the POREfessional did. It seemed to perform as well as the the Benefit primer as a prep surface, but it wasn't smoothing, and after a few hours my foundation didn't look as good as it did for the same amount of time with the other. I would like to try the light formula and see how that performs, and it sounds as though it is better suited for my skin.
 
My third product, the Bare Essentials Prime Time was not good at keeping the shine down, but it was slightly better as a prep surface for their mineral makeup than the others. I didn't like the fact that as I got shiny, I could feel the makeup on my face. One of the reasons I like mineral foundation is because I can't feel it sitting on my skin, so this is a big deterrent for me. I also noticed that although it was easier to apply foundation over this primer, it didn't last as well over it, which was unexpected. The other two definitely looked much better at the end of the work day.

I still plan on trying the Too Faced Primed & Poreless, so I'll report on that later. =) 

I haven't reviewed any products for awhile, so here we go.

First off, thanks to my enthusiastic spending efforts at Sephora, I met the requirements for their skincare challenge last year and was rewarded with a free item. Since I've always been interested in Boscia's products, I chose the Boscia Vital Daily Moisturizer. Things I like: No scent, absorbs quickly, doesn't make my face shiny or greasy. Cons: It's $36. I'm hoping it will last awhile though, since I've barely made a dent in it after one month of use.

After years of resistance and a couple bad experiences, I finally went a head and tried Bare Escentuals. I was very reluctant to do so because in the past mineral makeups have clumped on my skin after a couple hours, but I've gotten the shine under control for about the past year so I thought I would try it again. I had them apply the matte formula at the Bare Escentuals store, and after wearing it for a few hours I was impressed enough to give it a shot. I'm still getting the hang of applying it, but the fact that I finally found a color that matches my skin makes the effort worth it. Also, if you're looking for a kabuki brush, I recommend the Origins Powder Foundation brush. It's awesome.

Last on the roster, Neutrogena's Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit Cream Cleanser. In order to avoid doing classwork this past weekend, I went to Target to buy toothpaste. While I was there, I bought this face wash, a book, and some gum. Then I went to Fred Meyer and bought a cube of Diet Dr Pepper and toothpaste, because I forgot to buy it while I was at Target. Everything turned out ok though, because I really like the cleanser. I've used it every evening since Saturday, and it smells good and doesn't dry out my skin, although I'm not sure it is actually clearing up my skin like they say it will. I only have a couple small blemishes, and it hasn't made them worse, but there have been no miracles thus far. 

Question: Does anyone know of a good shampoo to minimize dandruff? I've spotted tiny flakes recently, and I want to get that under control.