Soothe the Soul with Ikebe Shakedown

Just showing some love . . .

Because it's official, my good friends in Ikebe Shakedown just got signed to Ubiquity, and will be joining the likes of Orgone in brining the heat. "The Prisoner" is the B-side of Ikebe Shakedown's first single, and is one of my personal favorites. My friend wrote this song when he was obsessively watching the classic television show of the same name, which was gifted to him by his mom for christmas. True story.

Watch out for Ikebe Shakedown. Big love and congratulations, gentlemen.

Rouge Bunny Rouge Color Burst Lipstick in Word of Mouth

Likened to a balm by many a blogger, it's safe to say that Rouge Bunny Rouge makes one moisturizing lipstick. Quite some time ago, I ordered one of the Color Burst Lipsticks from Zuneta, which was obviously prompted by all the rave reviews of the formula. It was sort of challenging to select a color, because the swatches on the Zuneta website aren't the greatest. But the color description for Word of Mouth goes as follows: "Creamy, shiny finish cool cherry syrup (**the little black dress of lipsticks, very pretty and feminine)" How could I resist? Ordering  cosmetics on the internet is always a huge pain, but you sure as hell can't go wrong with a description like that. And I'd say it was pretty accurate. As you can see in the photos, the color is sort of a pink toned plummy red, or a reddish plum, depending on how you want to look at it.

After wearing this lipstick around for the past however many months, I can say that the moisturizing properties really are worth the fuss. It's definitely the most comfortable full coverage lipstick that I own. I generally like the feel of thinner lipsticks better (think YSL Rouge Pur Shine), but when it's particularly cold out, and my lips are feeling exposed and malnourished, this is the lipstick I reach for. I would recommend lining the lips, because like so many of it's emollient brethren, the Color Burst Lipstick formula seems to be prone to feathering. But I really don't mind a little liner. 

I would probably wear this lipstick all day every day if the color suited me slightly better. Although the color description on the Zuneta website was pretty accurate, this sort of plumb red color is hard for me to make casual. It looks simultaneously dramatic and geriatric on me, if I'm not careful. Maybe it's my skint tone. One of my oldest and bestest friends has the most beautiful head of red hair, and this sort of color looks incredible on her. I'm a brunette. So there you have it.

Next time I place an order with Zuneta (in other words, when another coupon code becomes available) I'll be getting the Color Burst Lipstick in the "Screen Siren" red Raw Silence. Those sorts of colors are always easy for me to wear, and the formula is definitely worth the further exploration of the line.

X- Your Phone's Off the Hook, but You're Not

X makes my top ten. This is quite possibly one of the best punk songs ever recorded. 

Smith- Baby It's You

This song was written by semi-obscure people (Burt Bacharach, Luther Dixon, and Mack David), was recored by the Beatles, then covered by Smith and many others. I personally like this version the best. Bow down to the superior vocal abilities of Gayle McCormick! 

Also, isn't the audio quality ridiculously good for a youtube video? Hats off to the guy who recorded it.

Paul & Joe Cosmetic Pouch for the Spring 2011 Collection Sparkles

This should be a relatively short post, since the pictures speak for themselves. The newest Paul & Joe pouch for Spring 2011 has the most beautiful and charming print, and I had to share it. The larger kiss lock pouch comes with a mini bag tucked away in the internal pocket. There have been plenty of P&J prints that haven't taken my fancy, but the moment I saw the promotional pictures for the spring collection, I knew I had to have this one. 

I noticed right away that the pouch's colors are a bit more vibrant in person than in the promotion. The fabric is a satiny synthetic, a polyester of some type, and the kiss lock clasp makes for a secure closure. The mini pouch that comes inside is also super convenient, because I can put my jewelry in it. I wear a lot of jewelry day to day, so I always have to travel with a receptacle for my rings and bracelets, particular when there are metal detectors involved. The overall size of the kiss lock pouch is good also; it's the perfect size to hold all of the makeup that I like to carry around for the day.

Definitely steeply priced at $40 dollars, I'm sure this isn't a must have item for everyone, but I'm glad that I made the purchase. 

Paul & Joe Face Color for the Spring 2011 Collection Sparkles, Swatches and Review

Sorry I've been absent from the blog so long. I'm literally drowning in my studies. I'm taking the MCAT in about five and a half weeks, so I've basically turned into a nervous wreck. Plus I'm starting a new and huge project at work, where I'll be looking at my samples using a brand new Scanning Electron Microscope. Very exciting.

Anyway, let me continue with the rest of the Paul & Joe Spring 2011 collection review that I promised two weeks ago. Today I bring you the Facecolor in 072 Taffeta. Since all three of the face colors released for this collection have the same packaging, I decided to settle on one to buy out of the lot. I didn't see these in person, even though I could have easily gone to Bergdorf's to check them out, but as I mentioned above, the MCAT has kept me indoors during the weekends for the past several months. So I ordered the "safe" choice: the bronze and pink combination. I've never been able to say no a bronze. The mauve and blue looked very nice too, but those aren't as a guaranteed to be a success for me. 

Of course, 072 Taffeta did not disappoint. The packaging is lovely, and the quality of the facecolor is high as always. The finish is definitely on the frosty end of the spectrum, but I would say that this is sparkly, while still remaining very tasteful. I had a hard time photographing the swatches, since the lighter of the two shades essentially disappeared into my skin. In person it gives a very flattering natural sheen to the lid, but the sparkliness just didn't translate to the picture. As for the bronze shade, it's pretty much to die for. Definitely not an original color, but neutrals aren't there to blow our minds with originality. Bronze is one of the colors that I collect, and for all those collectors out there, I highly recommend this color. 

From Left to Right: Beige Pink alone, Bronze alone, Combined

I also like that this is a multitasking product. You get three colors for the price of one, since you can apply each separately, or combine the two. The pan is a little on the small side, so a large brush wouldn't be able to pick up one color over the other, but when using a precision brush, or a finger, it's easy. Unfortunately the little applicator that comes with Taffeta is pretty useless. Although I did use it to make the swatches, so at least they served that purpose!

NYC & Snow

The view out my window last week. New york, and as I understand it, most of the country, is getting hammered with all this snow. Fo' serious.