My apologies for my hiatus!

Sorry for the short hiatus, y'all.  I feel really guilty about being so spotty with posting lately.  Of course we are all busy during the holidays, but I also managed to get a wicked cold that started on January 1.  I'm just now starting to feel better thanks to my amazzzzzinggggg acupuncturist!  Seriously, that guy is a miracle worker.  Of course, when you're down with a terrible cold, you don't feel much inclined toward beauty products.  

Anyway, I'll be back to posting daily ASAP!  Thank you so much for hanging in there!

XOXO

-Kaitlin

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

Find me on Facebook at Orange Lipstick Blog

What's in my purse?!

Today I just wasn't feeling the writing bug so I thought it would be really fun to film a "What's in my purse?" video!  You can find these all over YouTube and I think they're a lot of fun.  I always love seeing what people have in their purses.

Here are the products I mentioned that I've reviewed:

- Maybelline Color Sensational High Shine Gloss in Captivating Coral
- MAC Fashion Nomad mattene
- L'Oreal Colour Riche Le Gloss in The Queen's Shine
- tarte Maracuja Lip Gloss in Heath
- L'Oreal Paris Infallible Le Gloss in Sparkle Frenzy

I hope you enjoyed my video!  Let me know what's always in your purse!

XOXO

-Kaitlin

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

Find me on Facebook at Orange Lipstick Blog

All items were purchased by Orange Lipstick for personal use and review purposes.

A beauty tutorial you *might* not want to follow!

Need a laugh?  Of course you do!  You should totally watch this "beauty tutorial" that my friends Shibli and Evana put together.  Too funny!!!

And just because I'm a freak of nature, I decided to replicate the look!  I was totally going to post the picture but it's just too blackmail worthy - I can't even handle it lol!

XOXO

-Kaitlin

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

Find me on Facebook at Orange Lipstick Blog

I can't stop watching Doctor Who!

When my brain tells me I can't stay up watching yet another Doctor Who episode:

I've been wanting to start watching Doctor Who forever and I just haven't done it until now.  SO GOOD.

(I think the 9th Doctor is TOO HOT.  So cute.)

What?  You haven't seen it before?!

Oh, and when someone says, "I'm not really into science fiction" in a really judgmental way, this is how I feel:

XOXO

-Kaitlin

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

Find me on Facebook at Orange Lipstick Blog

My Futurama dream collection!

Can everyone just indulge my Futurama obsession for a minute?

If I could design any makeup collection, I would want to make something based around Futurama.

I love this show!  The amazing animation, the great voice actors, the ridiculous story-lines, and the humor are all so spot-on!  

I'm including pictures of products that resemble what I'd want to see!  All of these products already exist, but I'd love to modify them to a Futurama collection.

Of course, my favorite character is Leela.  

She's a pretty awesome heroine:  one-of-a-kind, orphan, strong, confident, spaceship captain!  She's basically a badass.

What would I want representing Leela in the collection?  I want her purple hair in the form of a matte, grape eyeshadow!  Or, it could really be awesome as a lipgloss, too!

Inglot Eye Shadow 386

MAC Lipglass - All My Purple Life (Photo taken from Afrobella) 

Now, who doesn't love Fry?

He is amazing!  I just want someone to love me as much as Fry loves Leela, LOL!  You know I want that orange hair represented as a matte lipstick!  (Something similar to Fashion Nomad.)  Of course, his trademark red jacket would make a nice lipstick, too!

It needs to be a little more "tangeriney."

Who's the ultimate glue of Futurama?  BENDER!  He is so ridiculous and I love him for it.

I also think it's hilarious that his name is Bender Bending Rodriguez!  How would Bender show up in my dream makeup collection?  A gray eyeshadow to match his "shiny metal ass!"

Inglot Eye Shadow 387

Let's hit the rest of the crew and see what they'd bring to a makeup collection:

Amy Wong - Her pink sweatsuit is the perfect inspiration for a nail polish, yes?

OPI Nail Lacquer Nicki Minaj Pink Friday (photo taken from Amazon) 

Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth - His shirt and pants would make an incredible eyeshadow duo!

NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Cleo

Hermes Conrad - You know I'm a sucker for green eyeshadows and Hermes's suit fits the bill.

Inglot Eye Shadow 384

Dr. John A. Zoidberg - I need the color of his shell in lipgloss form STAT!

MAC Lipglass – Caqui (photo source)

Of course, there are some other characters who show up a lot on the show:

Lieutenant Kif Kroker - Amy's beloved has an interesting skin color that would make a great nail polish!

Love & Beauty by Forever 21 Light Green Nail Polish (photo source)

Captain Zapp Brannigan - Oh, don't you love how cocky he is?  I'm honestly at a loss for what Zapp brings to a makeup collection other than...self-tanner?!  Lol.  You could definitely make a bronzer to represent him.

Anastasia Beverly Hills ILLUMIN8 With Youthful Synergy Complex Bronzer (photo source)

Robot Devil - My favorite peripheral character is the Robot Devil.  He is too ridiculous and funny.  Plus, I love that he always has singing bits.  That rust color would make an interesting blush or a great lipstick!

NARS Liberte blush (photo from Sephora)

Nibbler - He's your favorite Nibblonian, no?  He warrants a black, matte eyeliner in this fictitious collection!

UD 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion (photo source)

And who could forget the Planet Express ship herself?!  Again, these would be great polish colors.  Of course, you could branch out and have an eyeshadow duo featuring these two great aqua/green colors.

Inglot Eye Shadow 473

Inglot Eye Shadow 372 (needs to be a little darker)

Also, not sure how I could forget Hedonismbot!  I love him so much!  "I apologize for nothing!"

His gold color and trademark grapes lend themselves to an awesome duo!

HIP Eyeshadow in Flamboyant (photo source)

I think so many of the characters are matte, simple colors because the landscapes are so beautiful on the show.  Seriously, the universe is gorgeous!

If you haven't ever watched Futurama, go do it!  You can find all the episodes on Netflix instant streaming.  

So what do you think of my dream collection?!  What would you want to do?  What would you include?

XOXO

-Kaitlin

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

Find me on Facebook at Orange Lipstick Blog

(All show pictures taken from Futurama's website or Wikipedia page.  All Inglot shadow pictures are from Inglot's website.)

"I'm Scruffy. The janitor."

A visit with the dermatologist

L'shana tovah and happy Rosh Hashanah, everyone!

Also, a big, huge, super happy birthday to my dad!  My parents are my two biggest fans!

I want to quickly touch on some important points that came up at my appointment with my dermatologist today.  I went in for a mole that's on my arm and was showing warning signs.  It's easy to remember these five warning signs simply by remembering ABCDE:  Asymmetry, Border, Color, Diameter, Elevation.  For more information, click HERE.

Anyway, my derm scheduled an appointment for me to come in and have the mole removed, just in case.  They'll test it, of course; however, I'm hoping it's nothing.

My point is this:  SUNSCREEN.  Seriously.

I am the most militant person I know about wearing sunscreen.  I would encourage everyone to take skin care seriously.  Not only for the vanity of good looks (less wrinkles, younger-looking skin), but also for your health.  Melanoma is no joke.

Secondly, my doctor prescribed an alcohol-based topical product to help combat acne.  I don't have much but this will be good at preventing the occasional flare up.  I told him that I had heard alcohol was bad for collagen production and could cause wrinkles.  He laughed and said this:

"Only three things cause wrinkles.  One - smoking cigarettes, which I hope you don't do any of.  Two - unprotected sun exposure, which I hope you don't do any of.  Three - time, which I hope you have a lot of!"

Lol.  I agree!  Of course, I have also heard that tugging and pulling at your skin can cause wrinkles, but that's pretty common sense.

Anyway, this is a serious post to remind you to go to your dermatologist if you feel you have any questions or concerns about your skin.  And please, please wear sunscreen!  Remember, I'm not a doctor but please talk to your doctor about your skin!

XOXO

-Kaitlin

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

Find me on Facebook at Orange Lipstick Blog

A funny for your day!

Ran across this online - TOO FUNNY!  Sometimes it feels that way...

Not sure who the girl is in the pictures...does anyone know?  I'd love to find some of her videos to watch.  

EDIT:  Big thanks to reader Nina who informed me that her name is Natalie Tran.  She is hysterical!  Here's the original vid!

XOXO

-K

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

Find me on Facebook at Orange Lipstick Blog

Do you need a monthly subscription beauty box?

Today, let’s talk about subscription beauty boxes.  Have you heard of these things?  It’s almost like Netflix but with beauty goodies:  you sign up for a monthly delivery service of a box filled with sample sized products.  (Sometimes you get a full size, but that is the exception, not the rule.)

Photo taken from Birchbox's website

The products range depending on the service you sign up with, obviously.  Boxes cost $10 - $21 a month and come with 4-7 samples, again, depending on the service you pick.  Here’s a breakdown of some of the more popular subscription services:

• Birchbox
• $10/month
• 5 samples (I think.  I can’t find it on Birchbox’s website.)
• http://www.birchbox.com/
• Goodebox
• $16/month
• 6-7 samples
• http://goodebox.com/
• GlossyBox
• $21/month
• 5 samples
• http://www.glossybox.com/
• Beauty Box 5
• $12/month
• 4-5 samples
• http://www.beautybox5.com/
• Beauty Bar – Sample Society
• $15/month
• 5 samples
• http://www.beautybar.com/SampleSociety/About.qs

Now, don’t get me wrong:  I’m a sample addict.  I love samples and think they’re lots of fun.  However, I also love getting a full-sized lipstick that I adore.  Of  course, the boxes do introduce you to brands you might never have even heard of before!  

Photo taken from Beauty Box Five's website

With box services, you can sometimes customize by inputting your skin-tone and skin-type (oily, aging, sensitive, etc.).  Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that your box is totally customized to fit you perfectly.  I’d rather spend $10 - $21 a month on a product I adore than to get five products that I’m meh about.  Plus, if a product were “anti-aging” or for a skin-tone darker than mine, it’d immediately have to go in the give-away pile.  Bummer.  

Photo taken from Glossybox's website

For me, these boxes aren’t a good deal.  I don’t just have an extra wad of cash each month to put toward samples that might not do me any good.  I think a better strategy would be to put aside $10 - $21 each month for six months to a year and buy yourself something really nice!  

Photo taken from Sample Society's website

These boxes are an issue of quality vs. quantity.  I’m not saying that the products in the box are always poor quality.  (I know for a fact that they aren’t.)  However, I’d rather have one truly stellar product that works great for me than a bunch of samples.

Do you need a subscription beauty box?  Well, if you have the extra money, go for it!  If you’re like me and try to pinch pennies here and there, then go without.  

XOXO

-K

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

Find me on Facebook at Orange Lipstick Blog

None of the links in this blog post are affiliate links.  I will only ever use affiliate links to direct you to products I really like.

Are you a fan yet?

Have you found Orange Lipstick on Facebook?  Twitter?

If not, you totally should.  Why? 

Because Facebook fans will be the very first to know about giveaways!  That's right - I'm planning a giveaway ONLY for Facebook fans really, really soon!

What do you have to lose?  You're already FB friends with that creepy guy from 10th grade biology class and that random girl whose purse you liked at last weekend's party - might as well be O.L.'s fan!

You can find me by searching for "Orange Lipstick Blog" on Facebook!

XOXO

-K

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

Find me on Facebook at Orange Lipstick Blog

I'm no expert but...

I come from a Communication background and have journalism experience so I know that it’s really important to identify your sources.  However, there are some beauty things that I know; things I’ve learned throughout the years.  I can’t quote you exactly how I know these things – but I do.  Let me share my wisdom. ;-)

• NEVER EVER sleep with makeup on.  I can’t even begin to tell you how bad this is for your skin.  Google “sleeping in makeup” and you’ll find plenty of insight into why this is bad.  Basically, makeup blocks your pores and while that’s okay for a little while, it’s really bad for overnight.  Your skin needs time to breathe and release sebum from your pores.  Also, leaving eye makeup on overnight can cause infections – ick!  I know what you’re thinking, “But, K, sometimes I’m just too tired to wash my face at night!”  Well, I’m here to tell you that there’s no excuse!  Keep a pack of makeup remover wipes on your bedside table so that you can remove your makeup quickly.  Know what else works well?  Baby wipes!  You must, must, must remove your makeup before bed.

I use the Equate Facial Cleansing Towelettes ($5.97)

Photo taken from Walmart's website

• On that same note:  You MUST wear SPF every. single. day.  Excuses for not doing this range from “Well, I need some sun” to “I’m never outside!” to “I don’t like the way it smells.”  Don’t make excuses for leaving off SPF.  You’ll thank me 20 years from now when your skin looks more youthful and has less age spots and wrinkles.  Oh, and SPF in your foundation is NOT enough.  You need about the size of a shelled almond worth of sunscreen to adequately cover your face.  Don’t skimp on the SPF, either.  You need at least SPF 15, if not SPF 25.  I recommend Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15 ($9.99).

Photo taken from Walmart's website

• In reference to number 2, the only time you SHOULDN’T wear SPF is when you have a big event where you’re going to be photographed a lot.  Proms, weddings, photoshoots, formal occasions, etc. are all events where you might want to skip SPF, as it can sometimes give a white-ish cast to the face.  

• If you’re doing a dramatic eye, skip the dramatic lip.  Makeup (like life) is about balance.  You know the old rule that if you’re wearing exposed legs you should keep your arms covered?  Same thing here.  If you’re doing a ridiculously smoky black eye, you might want to skip the vampy lipstick.  Too much makeup and you look clownish.

Photo taken from Target's website

• You know that St. Ives Apricot Scrub that you have sitting in your shower?  The one that you dutifully wash your face with?  STOP.  Stop doing that.  Take the advice of someone who decimated the pores on her nose with St. Ives.  The tiny apricot seed pieces that exfoliate are jagged and irregular, meaning that they can actually TEAR your pores.  EWW!  Despite the claims of many, many products, you cannot shrink your pores.  (Unless you go to a dermatologist and have a chemical injection.  I’m talking about at-home stuff here.)  So once you tear your pores and stretch them out, you’re kind of stuck.  I used to have large pores on my nose and I thought I was really going to clear them out with St. Ives.  Lo and behold, I actually made them bigger and more noticeable.  St. Ives is great for your skin, but STOP using it on your face.  Instead, pick an exfolliator with spherical beads.  Round beads don’t snag your pores and stretch them out.  I recommend Biore Pore Unclogging Scrub ($7.45 for 5 oz).

Photo taken from Amazon.com

• Don’t bite your nails.  Not only is it a nasty habit, it puts germs in your mouth.  Ick!  And, it’s bad for the nails.  Just stop, okay?!  One way to prevent this is to keep your digits polished.   Much harder to bite when they’re covered with pretty polish!  You can also buy ill-tasting products to put on them to help you stop.  One such product is Mavala Stop ($11).

Photo taken from Amazon.com

• Don’t over-twease your brows.  I’ve done it…it’s bad.  Enough said.  

Photos taken from Tweezerman's website

• Popping pimples is bad – really bad.  It can cause lots of scarring and make pimples worse.  Nothing worse than a big infected place on your face.  As tempting as it is, try to leave them alone.  

• If you can do it, please line your waterline.  When I was first learning about makeup, my mom taught me how to line my waterline and then line along my lashes.  Thank goodness!  I thought everyone knew how to do this and was shocked when they didn’t.  It’s called tight-lining and it makes your eyes look more defined and your lashes look fuller.  Tight-lining also can involve going between each individual lash to make the eyes really pop.  I only do that on special occasions when I have enough time; however, I find that lining the waterline and the lashline is normally enough.

• I can tell you where a learned this tip.  I told a salesman at Sephora that I was having trouble shading my crease – why didn’t it look right?!  He told me that closing your eye completely and trying to fill in the crease is not the right tactic.  Instead, close your eye about halfway.  This will be a more natural crease than if you close them all the way.  Buff in tiny circles with a blending brush and voila! 

Sephora Collection Pro Crease Brush #10

Photo taken from Sephora's website

• Don’t leave home without something on your lips.  (That’s my mother’s advice!  And she’s right – everyone looks a little better with some color on their lips!)

• Find your best feature and highlight it.  High cheekbones?  Make sure you hit those babies with some bronzer to make them stand out!  Beautiful eye color?  Keep your eye makeup as your central focus.  If you don’t know what your best feature is, ask someone close to you like a parent or best friend.  They’ll tell you the truth!  For me, I’ve always liked my teeth, so I think it’s fun to wear interesting lip colors.  It draws people’s attention to my teeth and that’s where I like it!

• If you don’t have oil-blotting papers with you, grab a paper napkin.  The cheaper the better!  Starbucks has some excellent napkins for blotting.  (Dang, how do I know that?!)  Click here to see Makeup Alley's review! 4.8/5!!!

• Oily skin needs moisture, too.  In fact, sometimes our faces produce oil in response to the fact that we aren’t getting enough moisture!  Our face rushes to make up for our dried-out skin by producing oil.  Make sure you moisturize each night!  I recommend Garnier Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream ($6.71).  

Photo taken from Amazon.com

• Here are two lipstick tips for you.  First, you can make your lip color really pop by applying your foundation over your lips.  Then apply your lipstick and make sure to blot with a tissue.  Just put the tissue between your lips and close down, pursing your lips.  That’s an old, old tip but still worth sharing!

Like I’ve said before – I’m no expert.  However, these are beauty tips that I think you’ll find useful!  

Do you have any tips that you’ve learned along the way?  What ones have I forgotten?  I’m sure a bunch will come to me as soon as I publish this!

XOXO

-K

Email me at orangelipstickblog@gmail.com

Tweet me at OrangeLipstickK

Find me on Facebook at Orange Lipstick Blog