In my dreams

I was on Gap.com and admired this..

The Gap Tie Car Coat. I made mention that I'm loving long collars.

A longer coat is more my style...

Gap's Mod Military Coat.

Then I began to daydream... I would love a nice long coat with the long collar, an asymmetrical cut, and maybe a funky wool pattern..ahhhh. Maybe even ruffles along the closure.

Then, I found this!

The Mac Style Coat from Psyche. The closest thing to my 'dream coat' sans my ruffles and funky wool pattern.

Next search venture: cool long coat with leather piping!

BEBE MOORE CAMPBELL

In sad news: I recently heard about yet another untimely and unfortunate death. Bebe Moore Campbell, prominent and legendary writer, mother of actress Maia Campbell, and University of Pittsburgh alum died of brain cancer 11/27/2006 in her home, with which she was diagnosed in February. Her latest and most compelling book 72 Hour Hold was released June 2005. I am personally stunned and shocked. She was not only beautiful on the outside, but her brain was beautiful, conjuring up tales and shining light on issues that struck us all. She will be forever remembered.

Bebe Moore Campbell dies at age 56.

Celeb Watch

I recently saw Deja Vu. I think I like the cool chick, Paula Patton. Leading lady in Idlewild and Denzel's co-star in Deja Vu. Two fabulous movies! What a start for her! A rising star. Check her in R&B/pop star Robin Thicke's video for Lost Without You. (Son of Alan Thicke, dad on Growing Pains.) Her acting skills remind me of Beyonce (before we see Dreamgirls, that is.) But in Hollywood, it counts that you are beautiful first, right?

(l-r: Paula with Andre presenting an award at the Espy Awards, red carpet, Idlewild poster; Idlewild scene. )

Clinique-ness

Are you all enjoying Clinique's Pink Chocolate Holiday set?

Since reading about the collection on Beauty Addict, I've been intrigued enough to check it out while at the beauty counters. During a brisk walk through, I stopped and sampled the mascara. (I know, i know... mascara feind.) The brush has one side brush and one side comb. I'm fond of comb wands ever since my Rimmel experience. The mascara is an Allure mag Editor's Choice Award winner. I didn't try it on, but tested the color. The color is fabulous. Chocolate Lustre is the perfect brown, rich with almost a brassy finish. Can't wait to purchase it and try it!



Online Exclusive
Black Honey Lip Set

Cliniuque says "The look is chic, sheer. Set Includes: Almost Lipstick in Black Honey, Sheer Shaper For Lips in Black Honey, Glosswear For Lips in Black Honey, and a Travel-size Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm. And ready to give in a sleek Clinique logo bag." $41.00



Update on Bad Gal Lash Mascara
Second whirl with Yummy:
Thumbs down. My routine in the morning is very basic and needs to be done in less than 10 minutes, which leaves mascara application to 2-3 swipes. Trying to quickly apply that mascara, I grew frustrated after the second swipe and didn't see anything. I did one more application, making sure that the wand had some of the formula on it. Ditched! I took out the DiorShow to make sure I wasn't crazy. I applied one swipe, two-- black lashes! Nope, not crazy at all.

Winter Regimen

The cold is in the air and a new winter regimen is in order!
I'm experiencing winter like never before- dry, itchy skin, chapped lips, dry hands, feet and cuticles.. let's not mention the hair! Searching around for advice from beauty blogger friends, here's what I've come up with:

Starting with diet, Ivy at Are You a Beauty shares with us what we can put in our diet to keep healthy skin.

Over at Lipstick, Powder and Paint we get tips on keeping a healthy fresh face during the winter months. (check! face and lips)

For official pampering without salon prices BeyondBlushing has a great guide to give yourself a home facial! (check! more good face stuff)


For overall skin care, Bon Bons in the Bath has tips! (check! combat the dry, itchy skin)

Dry feet! Product Girl recommends Soul Owner foot cream and about.com gives some great recommendations. (check! feet)

Dry Hands! Paula of Paula's Choice shares her recommendations. (check! hands)

Overall, the main message is moisture!

• Drink lots of fluids and water.
• Infuse your skin with moisture products when washing and after (how much depends on skin type.)
• Use a good balm to seal moisture in and protect it from outside agents.

Stay tuned for other recommended products and reviews from this venture!

Over the weekend

My cosmetic shopping over the weekend:

I visited the wonderful Sephora with my good friend Tear to check out a few things on my mental list of "gotta try". I had to travel to a special Sephora to get to the Kimora Lee Simmons makeup collection. I mentioned it before, but at that point I hadn't seen it for myself.

My first impression of the makeup is "So Kimora!" We all know that Kimora loves bling and shine. Shimmer, shimmer, and more shimmer and glitter everywhere! The chocolate body shimmer is very small; not quite what I expected. It definitely smells like chocolate, lots of glitter and packs a powerful punch for its small amount. A lot isn't needed. The glosses seem to be standard without trying them on. The shades of shadows are limited, but are bright and just a little more pigmented than a drugstore eye shadow. A sales guy came over to assist us and he commented that the shadows are fun, but that he wasn't a fan of the foundation. I, personally, am interested in them. I wish I had known they were sheer and I definitely would have had a sit down consultation. Overall, I don't think I'm impressed. The packaging: eh; the colors: limited; everything very glittery. This line didn't make me feel like I would be as beautiful as Kimora if I wore it, only that she had to add this beauty component to her Baby Phat empire that she's building. I'll save the purchasing of any item for a holiday party or the summertime.

I'm trying to build a new skin care regimen, so I started by picking up the highly recommended Purity face wash by Philosophy, for an all in one cleanser. I haven't used it yet, but stay tuned for a product review.

I also picked up the infamous Bad Gal Lash mascara by Benefit, as recommended by Yummy reader, Reina (DCSG). I've stayed away from it this long because nothing stood out to me about it, besides being made by one of my favorite brands. I saw that it had a fat brush, which I usually like and a seemingly thick formula. When I tried it, I didn't see much and definitely not the volume I expected. However, I will give this a second round before I trade it in for the Eye Bright pencil.

I did, however, try Rimmel Volumin' Eyes 5x Volume Comb mascara, thanks to a recommendation by my new gal pal, Amal. I figured while I'm on this mascara venture, I might as well try the different types of wands. I've, so far, tried the big fat brush, small plastic brush, wands with one side regular brush and one side short brush. This would be my first comb wand. This gets a fabulous hands down! Quite a buy! For a drugstore cosmetic that I have fairly no knowledge of, it's great. I tried some on another "tester" and I saw a bit of flaking. It didn't flake or smudge on me. My sister uses another type of Rimmel mascara and it seems to melt. I'm unsure of the inconsistant results, but I'm rather pleased.

While out shopping and browsing, I spotted a Libby Lu's that I found out about here on Beauty Hatchery first. I had no idea this store was in my area!

It's the perfect little girl's shop for the little Diva's in training, where they can make customized scented and flavored beauty products. My little sister travels with me to cosmetic and fragrance departments, but here I know she can use her imagination and truly act her age. I'm excited about our first trip planned there. Better yet, I'll need to own my own franchise including a Build-a-Bear.

Now that folks, was my yummy weekend in cosmetics!

Random Beauty and Things

*Drug store finds:
jane. shimmering bronzer in Tahiti
I wanted to finally try one of those multi-colored blushes/bronzers without wasting too much money. I was in my local drugstore and decided to pick one up. A trip isn't complete unless i buy at least one new cosmetic, or two. The drugstore brand jane. had some cool looking ones. I actually use it as blush. Loving shimmer and bronze, it's not too sparkly. With enough of the product, it gives a subtle shimmer. It comes in a convenient compact like HIP shadows; one side product, the other side is casing with a small mirror and brush. Keeper!

Revlon LipGlide in Natural Glow
Convinced by the Eva Mendez photo for the ad, the Natural Glow shade looked great. Of course I want my lips to look like Eva Mendez, but that's not the case. However, it's a flesh colored lip product that gives you a natural vibrance to your lips. Keeper!




Wet n Wild Glassy Gloss


Something new from the our favorite dollar drug store cosmetic Wet n Wild: a glassy gloss pot. Nice colors, good product for a great price. Since I got a color very similar to everything else I own, this doesn't stand out among the products. Still a keeper!

*Rediscovered on my dresser:
Nars the Multiple in Palm Beach
I always read raves of Nars blush. Everyone's favorite is Orgasm. I tried it on during a Sephora frenzy, but didn't find it to be outstanding. Beautiful color-- maybe I didn't have enough on? I passed it up being content that I own an amazing creme colour/blush, MAC's Impropper Copper. That's some stuff to rave about! (Unfortunately, its a summer color for its high shimmer.) I was going through an old makeup bag and found this Nars the multiple. Now this is something that I decided was great. Great color, without the high shine so that it can be used across seasons.

Givenchy Amarige Fragrance
I received a sample of this and decided that it was lovely. I didn't take to it when I first smelled it on the bottle at the department store. I wore it around and found it to be a nice scent. Not too young, not too mature, but struck a nice balance. Now I'm not sure if it's actually Amarige or a derivative... but I hear they are all similar. Many of the perfume critics don't like it and take it not to be anything close to Givenchy's best work. It does smell very familiar, but it's okay for an average girl like myself. I'm enjoying the samples, but don't think it deserves a bottle purchase. Some of the notes (if it is Amarige Mariage) bitter orange, bergamot, patchouli, and sandalwood.

Avon's Sweet Honesty Body Creme

I received this Avon set as a gift, complete with body cream, talc and deodorant. Great moisture whipped body lotion with a soft scent of-...... bubblebath? The scent is a mix of rose, amber and spice. I swear, I try to stay away from amber, but it constantly creeps up on me. When I first rubbed it into my skin, I thought that the scent would bother me, annoy me. That classic Avon scent. Actually, as I wore it throughout the day, it's very subtle and I like to sniff it to remind myself of one of life's simple pleasures- a warm, relaxing bubble bath! Subtle enough to be layered or not to intrude with a real fragrance that I may prefer to wear.

*..and things

Satchel Multi- print

I love this little satchel/tote deal. I love the colors and the simple, yet chic design. I decided it was going to be my new everyday bag, since I needed to ditch the 20lb suitcase that I had been carrying before. (Stay tuned for a "what's all the crap" in my purse post.) It's big enough for my taste and doesn't burden your look. I know that big bags are stylish, but it's nothing stylish about appearing not strong enough to carry a purse. I have enough on my load without a cumbersome bag. Where did I pick up this sweet deal? None other that the beloved Target (by Xhiliration.) My only qualms: the zipper is too low, so I can't carry too many things or everything is sure to fall out AND there is no cell phone pocket inside. Don't designers realize that this is the new millenium? All of us don't clip our phones to our waists. Besides, with the large amount of space, we don't want to lose our cell phone in the bag.

Blogger Junkie

This post is serving as a disclaimer...
I already admitted to being a cosmetic junkie. In exploring this addiction, I've come across yet another addiction... I'm confessing to being a (dead scary silence) a blogger junkie.
"How is this so?" you may ask. Well, it started off in other forms. I used to be a mall rat. I window shopped like it's a sport. Mental to-buy lists, writing it down, alotting time, strategizing the when, wheres and hows. Great fun, a hobby, a passion..... until Yummy became a mommy =) The mallrat in Yummy had to put the money time and energy into other things like babyYum. The cut back turned into a smaller obsession, one for cosmetics. Scouring the drugstore and counters wasn't as fun because it was limiting. Magazines satisfied the crave. They put out more insider scoop on the latest finds. I have to look, read, critique, and smell a magazine. Look how pretty is it, the layout, glossy pages, fonts, pictures, read about the contributers, open my mind to the photographers ideas, themes and message in a photo shoot. Smell the newness of a page, smell all of the perfume ads and samples. Now, there's something almost bigger than magazines...blogs! Not only can you (almost) get the same feel of the magazine, but there are links that take you on a yellow brick road, through the adventures of great finds, stories, and perspectives. Blogs coupled with cosmetics, a wonderful marriage! So if you are a blogger and something catches my eye, beware of a new reader and plenty of comments!

Reader's Round-up!

If you are a MAC fan and want the latest info before anyone else, go over (ok RUN) to the Makeupbag for the scoop on the newest MAC collection Jewelescent. While you are there, preview the 'black nails' trend for yourself.

Need to learn how to get the best brows for your face? Check out The Beauty Newsletter (Blog) for the ins and outs on the model eyebrow from a fab celebrity makeup artist. Yummy tip: Have a 10x magnifying mirror handy to get the small hairs that matter and to avoid over tweezing.

Hello Dollface gives us some new products for whiter teeth!

The New York Day Spa gives us some tips on unwanted facial hair. Which works best for you?

Have you not gotten your shine under control? Oil taking away from the appearance of your makeup? Tired of blotting your face with blotsheets? Get some help from Makeup Minute giving us the scoop on Jane Iredale's latest creation.

Ever thought of going natural? Afrobella tells us what it takes to make the transition and what celebs could benefit from this.

Happy reading and stay yummy!

Nicole Richie

She looks absolutey gorgeous as a red head! (Sorry Team Paris; they are gal pals again.) Looks like she wanted to try the Lindsay Lohan thing.. who does it better?

Going Gold this Season

Baby Phat Golden Goddess
Guess Gold

Donna Karan Gold
Charlie Gold by Revlon
Valentino Gold

These are some of the fragrances that have gone "gold" this season. I've tried three of the five listed and going gold seems to translate to a little amber and/or a touch of vanilla added.

What do you all think?

Christmas Cheer

It's that time of year again, (after Halloween) where the stores are going full force ahead with holiday promos, decorations and advertising. They started setting up for this a few weeks ago, but now they have the green light to attack your bank accounts with the most devious of plans. Most people don't like the coming of Winter because that means shorter days and longer nights...... but for me, it means that the stores stay open longer for shopping and free shipping!! Happy Holidays (almost,lol!)

Deep into Fall

I invision myself walking down the cool, city streets, enjoying the brisk air, sipping my caramel macchiato, in a laid back outfit..out shopping of course...... in Fall, city style. Here is my cool, relaxed must haves for this Fall look.



Dark Lips






I would like to try a dark, bold lip. Very daring, but with a makeup artist's help, I think I can work it. My choices for this look: MAC's Portside cremestick liner, Dense lipstick, and Trance Plant Lustreglass.

Sweater Dress

The girly-ness of a dress, but the warm cotton of a sweater all in one. I like the bold colors in this dress. The sky blue waist band draws attention, but in a good way. The jacket is thrown in for good measure.. I'd love to have this piece too! Ruffled, denim, unique and original. Wildlife-T-shirt.com


Tall Brown Boots









Try these for size. Ann Taylor Loft, Kenneth Cole boots. A wedge isn't necessary, but it's been the best transition from day job to weekend casual.


Tights








Gray or plum opaque solid tights. Americanapparel.com


Earrings









Love them! Metallic Cobra Snake on Brass Earrings. wildlife-t-shirt.com
Big Bangles and a ring will complete the accessories.

Wrapped up in a warm, wool coat, and scarf I'm enjoying the citylife! Hope to have these items soon!

Reader's Round-Up!

I have been adoring the red lips trend since the start of the season, but Bon Bons in the Bath is giving us real tips on how to make it work for us! Yay!

All About the Pretty gives a great recommendation for our beauty selection on the bookshelf.

Afrobella warms us up with a little red tea. I love warm drinks to cozy up to!

Need a sexy perfume for the season? Check out NowSmellThis for some ideas.

Does deodorant cause breast cancer? I've heard the rumor before, but check out BeautyBrains for the answer!

That's enough to keep you all up to date, informed and quite yummy!

The verdict is...

Last night, I ran to Target to behold what my makeup fairy left for me in store: The VolumeExact mascara by CoverGirl, cousin to the oh so popular LashExact. VolumeExact is self-explanatory- made like LashExact but for the purpose of volume.

Day one: Last night, I removed my mascara to give the VolumeExact a test run. I applied one eye with the brown-black VolumeExact and the other eye with the black LashExact. To my dismay, no fairy dust swirled above my head and gave me the angel-doe eyes I had expected. There was no real difference other than the LashExact gave a minute amount of length more. I wiped the mascara away and wished it was all a dream.

Day two: I start afresh with clean lashes to test the VolumeExact. I apply mascara to both eyes. My application is as follows: I slowly roll the wand outward on top of my lid lashes as if I were giving my lashes a slow, careful blow out. Then, I coat from the bottom with zig zag motions and voila... there you have it. Not so bad this time around. I see a little more volume. The length is comparable to the LashExact.

Day three: Again, I apply the mascara with the same technique. To achieve the mascara's full potential, you have to apply more than one coat (No need to reinsert the wand for more mascara. Simply, go over the lashes again- there's usually enough mascara still on the wand.) Don't do more than three coats. At this point, the mascara is setting and you may be in for the not-so-natural look (i.e. drama) which is okay for a night out, but maybe not so desireable on a regular day. The good thing about this wand is the plastic bristles that can stand up to the lashes and define them giving you lots of coated lashes, drama or not. Tip: Be careful of the wand's tip , which holds more mascara and almost no bristles to help even out the mascara.

The verdict is: a keeper. Today's end result has shown me lashes that are visibly longer and plush from a front view and thick and gorgeous from a profile view.

I have to remind myself that mascara is just that and not false lashes. It will help to accentuate what I already have. The bristles and wand are important for your individual needs. I may be interested in trying a curved wand, so that I can do a better job of getting all of my lashes, inner and outer corners.

My next experiment: Using the thick formula of DiorShow mascara and the wand of Volume or LashExact to define and lengthen my lashes.........????