The Perfect Shade of Red

I have been hunting for red lipstick since I attended a Halloween party last year and realized I did not have any lipstick to wear with my Like A Virgin Era Madonna costume.   I never fantasized about wearing red lipstick every day, but it seemed to me that every fashionable woman should have a tube of red lipstick in her arsenal for emergencies.

Emergencies that may or may not include fingerless gloves.

I saw a picture of Drew Barrymore on the cover of a magazine once in a perfect shade of red and I became obsessed with finding what she was wearing.  Drew and I have similar coloring and her red lipstick looked grown-up but not trampy.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t discover the shade or even brand used in her cover photo, but I did make a mental note that the shade seemed to be a bluish red.

Flash forward to a few weeks ago and an ironically timed visit to the MAC cosmetic counter in the mall.  I was about 4 weeks into a self imposed shopping ban and nothing behind this counter was on my “must-have-to-survive list”.  But I had a few minutes to spare and an evening networking event to attend, so I figured I’d touch up my makeup for free.

I started playing with the different shades of red lipstick, and after several minutes I found myself digging into my discretionary spending fund envelope, officially breaking my no-shopping streak.  $14 later and I was the proud owner of one little black tube of Russian Red A40 by MAC.

MAC Russian Red lipstick in matte may just be the world’s most perfect shade of red.  The MAC website describes the color as “intense bluish-red”.  It’s bad ass and bold but doesn’t bring out the pink tones in my face or make me look goth or dead.  I also like that it’s remarkably versatile for red lipstick.  I’ve found that I prefer it with a dark lip liner underneath that deepens the shade a bit.

In addition to the color, the lipstick itself is fantastic.  It goes on smooth and lasts for hours without flaking or drying out my lips.  I know this because I was absolutely paranoid about the color fading or flaking or getting on my teeth, so I carried the little black tube of perfect with me all day and looked in the mirror constantly.

Here I am about 5 hours after my initial application:

I reapplied after lunch, but I’d be a little nervous about something that stayed on my skin through a full meal.

If you’ve ever considered a walk on the bold side or have yet to check “learn how to wear red lipstick” off your bucket list, try Russian Red lipstick by MAC.

To purchase Russian Red lipstick, your best bet is a local cosmetics counter or (if you’re really lucky) a MAC store.  Online, the MAC website is your most reliable source for this shade.  You’ll pay about $20 after shipping and handling.  Worth it.

How To Straighten Curly Hair – A Video

While I am an advocate of embracing your natural hair texture, especially if you’ve been blessed with naturally curly hair, I am also a fan of the infamous Spice of Life: variety.

And that, my friends, is why I did a little happy dance when I figured out how to straighten my curly hair in less than 30 minutes.

If you can’t see this video, click here to watch it on YouTube.

Products listed after the jump.

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EOS: I Have Fallen In Love With Shaving Cream. Seriously.

I would have never heard of it if it hadn’t been given to me for free.

I found it in an organic tote bag that someone had handed me at the BlogHer 09 conference.  I didn’t even know what it was when I saw it.

“Maybe it’s some kind of lotion,” I thought – because I don’t take the time to read labels well, apparently.  I tossed it into my suitcase with my 20 new tubes of free lip gloss and thought nothing of it until I got home.

I was unpacking my suitcase full of freebies and pulled out the blue bottle.

“Is that more lube?” my husband asked.  A fair question, since I’d already unpacked two different varieties from the swag bag.

“I don’t know what it is,” I said, and finally peered closer at the label.

“Evolution of Smooth.  Shaving cream.”  I set it in my shower and continued unpacking, completely unaware that I had just received the secret to sexiness and womanhood.

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