Store Visits and Bar Hopping!

I received my summer project last week and over the weekend (along with going out) I went around the city to different drug stores to take pictures of eye shadows. The idea was to compare the displays and how it is marketed to the consumer. Are they using bright attractive graphics? Is the product at eye level? Are there price stickers covering the actual product? 

Enough work though! This was a holiday weekend so I went out with my trusty buddies Kyle and Jordan. We went to a bar in Soho (which is a trendy part of New York). Apparently, John Mayer often comes to that particular bar and tries to keep a low profile. He was not there when we were unfortunately. I wonder if he would have bought me a drink if I sang to him....?

 Yay for the short week!
XOXO
Kelsey

Road Trip to LIU!

Let me take you back in time a week. Last Sunday I went on a road trip with my two favorite boys in the whole world Jordan (above asleep) and Kyle!

We jam packed that car with SO much stuff I did not know it was possible to fit it all in at once. In fact, it took us nearly an hour of arranging to get it all in. And here I was thinking that I did a good job condensing everything into several boxes. 

My bestie Kyle took the wheel and I have to give credit where credit is due, he is a fabulous driver. I was worried at first because 1. he just got his US license two months ago and 2. he grew up driving in Trinidad and they drive on the other side of the road there. I hate driving so I take what I can get when it comes to a driver but he was exceptional. 

I sat shot gun but I was super tired so pardon the crazy look here!

Jordan was ALWAYS falling asleep in the back. We would be sneaky and when we found him snoring like this we would keep the music low for a few miles then BLAST some really obnoxious tunes and watch him wake up (see picture of him with eyes open above) haha. 

We made it to Long Island University save and sound but we had to return the car at JFK airport in an hour but the GPS didn't work (something about too many buildings and it not being able to find the satellites) so it was pedal to the metal. Jordan drove and I was sure he was going to run into the side of the road going 80 miles an hour! He was driving so fast! I said a prayer, put my head down, and next thing I know, we made it to the air port with 2 minutes to spare. 

Best part of doing a road trip with friends:

1. Pit Stops at AppleBee's: Happy hour rolled around and we hit up the $5 pitcher of beer 
2. Seeing how long our bladders can hold out in the car after drinking a pitcher of beer
3. Finally finding a bathroom when your about to burst
4. Spending time with your favorite people!

XOXO

Kelsey

Norma's+Central Park=Perfect Afternoon

If you have ever been to Norma's for breakfast/brunch you know exactly how amazing the food is! I first went to brunch there last summer and I have been itching ever since to return. Last month they were featured on Gilt which is sort of like living social or groupon. I took full advantage of that coupon and today I went with Lydia (my old roommate) for lunch.

We had the most delicious peanut butter and chocolate waffles and a yummy breakfast quesadilla. You can check out the full menu here http://www.parkermeridien.com/nmenu.htm  but be warned... the prices are a little steep. My waffles alone were $22 but every bite was heaven!

After lunch I headed to one of the waxing/nails/brow salons on 56th St. between 5th and 6th Ave. All of these places offer various services for a bargain and I tried a new place called Beautiful Brows that had a deal on first time waxers. The place was a little sketchy but for $38 I have no complaints about the final result. Bliss spa is still by far my best experience ANYWHERE but the $70 price tag is a bit hard to swallow not to mention walk-ins are pretty much non-existent.

I ended my day at Central Park. I didn't stay too long but I could see exactly why it is such a gem. The whole city is concrete but central park is so green. Its my kind of park with their paved walking paths!

XOXO

Kelsey

MAC Surf Baby Haul/Review

Today the MAC Surf Baby collection launched in stores and I picked up just a few of the products that I couldn't live without. Now I have to admit... when you work around makeup all day, you get less excited about building your collection. So it was easier for me to turn down some of the items I felt I could find within the Maybelline line. These products however were quite unique so they ended up coming home with me!

I really hate the packaging of this collection. It is supposed to look like a surf board but buts just tacky to me. I think its the logo that is the worst. The white is not so bad. If you look closely, it has a gold pearl in the plastic! Oh the things you start to notice when you work with cosmetics.

The lipsticks I purchased were Naturally Electric (Left) and Hibiscus (Right). The nude color is not very opaque so the pink of your lips comes through and it looks very nice. I would still recommend using a nude-pink liner with it. The Hibiscus is also not as opaque as I thought it would be. The color can be built up with a couple of passes. 

This is what MAC is calling a "cheek powder" so a cross between a beauty powder and a blush? The nice thing is that its the size of a beauty powder with the pigment of a blush. It does cost as much as a beauty powder though. The color is a beautiful burnt coral with a gold shimmer. The flower is only on the top layer however so eventually it will go away. I plan on using it from the top down to make the shimmer last as long as possible. 

Finally, here are swatches! Hibiscus is on the top left, below that is Naturally Electric although it is pretty hard to see. Next to the lipsticks on the right is a swatch of My Paradise cheek powder with some of gold. 

These are my favorite products from the collection but the whole line is filled with bronzers and other bright tropical colors and textures. Check them all out at http://www.maccosmetics.com/whats_new/5122/index.tmpl

FYI some stores do not have the cheek powder in stock yet so keep an eye out as it will be coming soon.

XOXO

Kelsey

Google Mobile Marketing

L'Oreal is all about providing resources to develop employees. They have online classes available for free that will teach languages, leadership skills, and various Microsoft and Adobe programs. Its extra awesome that they are available to interns as well.

Today Google came to the office to give a presentation on mobile marketing. They really knocked it out of the park showing examples of some really innovative advertisements. They also presented this video which shows some pretty staggering statistics on mobile marketing. 1 out of 3 women is willing to give up chocolate for their smart phone! Take a look!



In addition to the google presentation I went on store visits to take pictures of our product on the shelves but I guess its not allowed to take pictures in Walgreens because I got asked to leave lol. I also got to take the company card and run to Sephora to pick up some new liners that just came out from Makeup Forever and Stila. They are the colored liquid felt tipped liners and they are beautiful. I prefer the Stila ones because they last longer and have more sparkle although the range is not as large.

Tomorrow is my first half day and I have lunch reservations at Normas my favorite restaurant in the city. Its the best! I can't wait. Just another day in the life of the college cosmetic.

Yours truly,
Kelsey
XOXO

Cover Girl Intense Shadow Blast Review

At L'Oreal, whenever a new product hits the market it almost instantly appears in the office as if by magic. Today I walk in and all lined up and ready to play with were the 6 new shades of Cover Girl's Intense Shadow Blast eyeshadows.

The idea behind these is that they combine rich color with a built in primer and it applies in a liquid/cream form with a super absorbent sponge tip wand. 

The first thing that I noticed about this product is that the shade range is really small. Additionally, I find the colors they chose strange. How often do you really wear pink on your eye lids? The range is also missing key color staples like plums and minks. 

With Flash

From Left to Right: Beige Blaze, Brown Bling, Blue Bomb 

I swatched  three of the colors here to test for texture, color pay off and longevity. 

Without Flash

You can see with the blue I tried to blend it out but it dries really quickly. The beige color comes off very streaky and the brown is very dramatic and intense (my favorite of the group). 

PRO: This product lasted FOREVER! In fact, I had a hard time getting it off my hand. I can imagine it being annoying to remove (con). This product also did not crease when applied to the eyes. Decent price at $7.99

CON: Shade range sucks, applicator applies too much product, hard to blend.

OVERALL RECOMMENDATION: Skip Cover Girl's new Intense Shadow Blast and head on over to sephora to pick up the urban decay cream shadows. Similar idea, better product.

XOXO

Kelsey

Launching Kelsey at Maybelline

Today was my second day at my internship with L'Oreal. Here is a picture of me that my friend Chris took (he sits right next to me). All of the interns are in an area called the "Pen"which is really just part of the cafeteria that they sectioned off and set up full desks complete with computer, phone with our extensions, and a file cabinet. 

Today I worked on putting together slides of all the shadow and liner products in the Maybelline range. I also went to meetings where I heard from the development team of new products. SHHHHH!!! Tops Secret! Can't give any hints but its a whole lot of work to launch a product. 

After work Chris and I went to Sacks 5th Ave where we visited all 10 floors and ended 2 hours later in the hat department where I tried on this HUGE hat. 

I feel like I should be going to a polo gam with this hat on. I love it so much but it has a but price tag $475 to go along with its big brim so it won't be coming home with me.

I will be sure to update you again soon with some of the new excitement from the city!

XOXO
Kelsey (the College Cosmetic!)

First Day at L'Oreal

Today was my first day at my internship with L'Oreal! It started early at 7:45 AM when I arrived way to early to the conference room where all the interns met each other and we went over the ground rules before getting out ID cards. I felt like a kid at After-school day care again when one by one the other interns were picked up by their managers. I was second to last to meet mine and she is a gem! I actually remember meeting her during the Taste of L'Oreal and she had on a ton of different nail polishes that she was testing on her fingers.

I feel like I did so much today learning some of the basics of the brand and what my summer project will be. This summer I will be working on a project about a competitive analysis of eye shadows in the mass market (grocery stores, pharmacies, and mega marts like Target and Wal-Mart). On Thursday I get to go around the city and take pictures of the make up competition at different stores.

I also got to sit in on a couple meetings. The first one approved a print ad that will run in a few months. The second meeting reviewed the status of the new product launches that are in the works. It was really cool to see the mock ups of what could potentially be the packaging that will be in stores!

I finished up by taking a ton of papers back to my desk that talk about the details of how to analyze the market.

Tomorrow is another busy day. I'm at my friend Lydia's apartment in Brooklyn catching up and spending the afternoon with a great friend. I will keep updating all week with more goodies!

XOXO
Kelsey

My First (Real) Coach Bag

I am one of those people that always overstuffs my bags... ALWAYS... and ends up breaking the straps because of it. Well I said no more! This time I decided to invest in my first really well made bag. A coach factory store just opened up in Wisconsin not too far from Madison and on my way home from the airport I decided to stop by and see what they had in stock. It was my lucky day because they were also giving away 30% off coupons to everyone that walked through the door. I ended up picking out this bag.

Its my first real coach! YAY! I love that it does not have the logos all over it because to me it makes it look like a knock off for some reason. This is called the "Ashley Large Satchel" in Walnut F15447 if you are interested. It retails for $498 but with all the discounts it was only $139!

 Its the best of both worlds because its an investment and a bargain all in one!

I think it will be very appropriate for work and a perfect all around every day bag. Not to mention that it has the coach guaranty that if it starts to break I can just take it into any coach store and have it fixed or replaced. I hope you enjoyed my fist fashion haul (do you like the banner I made for this topic?) I know I am kind of out of order from the schedule I made but I will try to get back to it pronto! 

XOXO

Kelsey

Kate Spade Sample Sale (Online!)

http://www.katespade.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Kate-Site/default/Sample-ShopHome



I am a huge Kate Spade fan, especially her hand bags but they are pretty expensive (think coach prices) so when I saw this posted on one of my favorite blogs I had to post about it here just in case you had not heard about it yet. 

select handbags, clothing, jewelry and accessories up to 75% off.

Shipping on all orders is just $5, and all sales are final. The sale runs until 11:59pm PST on May 19, and quantities are limited, so if you see something you like you might want to snatch it up sooner than later. Also, you’ll have to enter your email address to gain access to the sale.

Here are a few of the bags I will be adding to my wishlist!

Happy Shopping! 

XOXO

Kelsey

Internship Assignment

My investigative detective work has been confirmed! I just received my official L'Oreal assignment via email this morning. Below is a peak at what the email said...

"This summer you will work in the Maybelline brand on the Shadows/Liners category"

Yay! A job marketing eye shadows!?! Perfect!

So the first thing I did was hop on the Maybelline website and check out what products were included in that category. I have heard really great things about the Maybelline gel eyeliner. 

I'm also excited to play with some of the eye shadow quads. 

Starting next week I'll have official updates and you'll follow me the whole way. I can't wait!

XOXO

Kelsey

Back Home for the Week

Sorry for not posting for the past two days. I was super busy moving and putting my life in boxes and storage. I'm back home for the next week now and I have so many things to get done today! I'm about to head out to a doctor's appointment followed by an eye doctors appointment followed by movie with my daddy and finishing up with dinner with my friend Chelsea.

I am looking for a new pair of glasses because the ones I have now started to peal and chip and now they look a little messed up. These are from Burberry and I like them because they are very professional and the shape is nice.

I got to run! XOXO Kelsey

Upcoming Topics

So I'm just counting down the minutes before I'm done at Hertz... 49 to go... and I thought I would brain storm some post topics for the blog to kind of put me on a schedule. I think this will help me when I'm at a loss of what to write about. I also know that when there are deadlines, I usually perform so hopefully this will keep me on track and if you see a topic that you are into you know what day to come and look for it. Here is what I have so far.

Monday: Back to Work Monday. These posts will be all industry related and provide an update on my career in beauty marketing. This will definitely include updates on the internship with Maybelline.
Tuesday:Technique and tips: This will be filled with lots of makeup application tips
Wednesday: First Impressions/Haul/Review as I am sure that there will be many new products in my future, I'll reserve Wednesday to tell you about whats new in my stash.
Thursday: Style Icon where I'll post about one of my style and beauty icons. I could post pictures of a look inspired by them.
Friday: Weekly Poll (beauty related and random mix)
Saturday: College Cosmetic on the Town. I'm thinking this could be a great way to introduce you to some investigative reporting on salons, stores and venues in New York and DC that are total beauty destinations.
Sunday: Video... of what sort I don't know... haha

So look forward to all these topics and I'll try my best to stick to it.
XOXO
Kelsey Kreamer, the College Cosmetic

Congratulations to the Graduates of 2011!

I don't know what could be more appropriate to blog about today than wishing the Beautiful ladies of the class of 2011 good luck in life and congratulations on completing your education at Howard University. I know you all will have successful careers in business and will be the future billionaires of America... Remember me when you get to the top!

I think I'm going to borrow a posting topic that one of my favorite beauty blogger does every Monday called her Monday Poll. Mine is going to be on Friday's though because I have half days on Friday and I'll have more fun things to post about than if I were to post on Monday's I'm sure... I'm going to use her poll this time around and we'll see how it evolves in the coming weeks.

1. Mood:
Impatient. I keep looking at the clock willing it to move ahead three hours to 6:00 when I will be done with the day and I can head on over to the airport. I feel like car shopping today... in the Hertz parking lot! I'm picking up a car to help move my stuff this weekend and I'm seeing how big of a car I can get for $25... I would love a flashy sports car!
2. One great thing about getting older?
Your finally old enough to go to the bars/clubs! 
3. What color do you use most in your eye makeup and why?
Champaign by LORAC. It is my go to highlighter and I use it every day under the eyebrows and in the inner corner of my eyes. The look may change, but the champaign life is here to stay!
4. What’s one thing your mom was right about?
Eat those vegetables! Its funny how back when I was younger I would eat them last but now I'm vegan and always make sure there are lots of veggies in the house. Give me some of that broccoli! 
5. What’s your favorite book series?
The adventurous Dan Brown novels. The latest book, The Lost Symbol, takes place in my own backyard DC!
6. Your last sweet treat?
I just finished a pack of fruit mentos after lunch. 
7. Do you collect anything?
Is it that obvious? Makeup... but other than that I have a really hard time getting rid of undergarments. I love walking out of Victoria Secret with a new bra in hand. 
8. Seersucker clothing — yea or nay?
Whats this again? lol
9. Your go-to eye cream?
I need to find a really good one because I'm getting older and my twenties will be gone before I know it and the wrinkles will start to set in. Any suggestions? 
10. Weekly goals:
Get all of my stuff in the storage locker and check out of the dorm on time. Alternative goal... not to die on the road when I drive back from the airport tonight. I'm not the best driver. Lets face it. I may be the worst! 

I have a video filmed and ready to be edited and posted this weekend! 

XOXO

Kelsey Kreamer

Last Days with Connect by Hertz & Urban Decay Summer of Love Nail Polish

Good morning! Tomorrow is my last day as an intern at Connect by Hertz. Its going to be so sad to leave because at Hertz, my manager takes exceptional interest in my professional development and has provided countless opportunities for me to practice marketing research, social media campaigns, graphic design, and so many many more skills that you learn about in the class room but very rarely at my age get to put into practice.  So shout out to everyone on the Connect team because you all are awesome!

Like my nail polish? It reminds me of pennies! I have been really into nail polishes lately because I think when I wear it, it helps me to grow my nails out. Its like I'm more gentile with my hands because I don't want to polish to chip and it ends up keeping my nails safer.

Here I go stealing more pictures from other bloggers but they had a much better picture of it than I did with my webcam. Its an Urban Decay shade that came out with their Summer of Love collection last year. The bottles are so tiny and I'm not really sure just how many wears you can get out of it but the set came with beautiful colors. I especially love the coral one on the far end.

I did notice they take a while to dry though. As long as I can lay down with my arms way way out to the sides not touching a thing (which is easy these days with everything in boxes) the nails come out fine. 

And now its time for these copper/gold digits to keep a typing... work though not bloggy things...

XOXO

Kelsey

Maybe She Born with It...

Maybe its Maybelline!

Yay! I did some investigative research and I'm pretty sure I've been assigned to the brand Maybelline this summer!
YAYYYYYY! WOOOO-WHOOOOO! YIIIIIIIPY! 
This is such a dream come true! I had my little heart set on working with cosmetics and although I would have been pleased with ANY of the L'Oreal brands, I am so so so happy that I'm going to be assisting with the fabulous Maybelline.

I keep wondering what they will have me work on. I know they just launched FIT Me which is a line of foundations and powders that are supposed to work well with a large variety of skin tones. The packaging is very up scale with the glass bottles too. I can't say if the product is on point or not because I have not tried it myself but I will sure to post a review once I get my hands on it.

I could not be more excited... come on... this is the brand that brought you Great Lash.... Stay tuned for more exciting stories from yours truly, The College Cosmetic
XOXO
Kelsey

Best Face Brushes: Sigma Synthetic Face Kabukis

I decided against taking my ENTIRE makeup collection with me to New York last night. When I actually went through it product by product I realized that some of that stuff I just have because it was given to me or was a gift with purchase but I never really used it. On the other side of the coin, when it came to my brushes, I use every single last brush and I decided to pack up every single fantastic brush I own (after a good scrub and deep clean). 

I have brushes from several brands including crown, eco-tools, and sigma among others. After much deliberation, my favorite brushes have to be from Sigma beauty. 

If your not familiar, sigma makes many MAC comparable brushes and have great quality at affordable prices. You can check out all of their products at www.sigmabeauty.com 


On Black Friday last year I went online and picked up the Synthetic Face Kit from Sigma which includes three outstanding brushes that I have used every day since. 

" Introducing the Synthetic brush line for high definition, flawless makeup application. The brushes in this collection feature exclusive Synthetic filament, specially designed to apply powder and liquid products without absorption into the fibers. The shape, density and height of the filaments were carefully engineered to perfectly buff products onto the skin, resulting in a high definition effect."

The set of three brushes costs $42.00 and comes with a bonus travel sized fluffy eye blending brush. These brushes are out of this world amazing. They are super dense and are perfect for buffing products into the skin. 

Round Top Kabuki

I like to use the round top kabuki brush for buffing in highlight powder on the cheek bones and around the temples. 

Angled Top Kabuki

 The angled top kabuki is my favorite for chiseling out the cheek bones. I use a dark toned beauty powder or bronzer with this brush and outline the hollows under the cheek bone. The angle helps to blend out the edges around the ear and to buff it into the skin to make it look less like contouring and more like a natural shadow.

Flat Top Kabuki

Lastly, the flat top kabuki works well for applying powder foundation. I have been setting my tinted moisturizer with MAC studio fix powder and the flat top is great for buffing. This brush's fibers are the least dense of the group but still very thick. 

Review Final Recommendations:  Purchase the entire brush set because these brushes are all keepers. You can buy each individually for $16.00 but you save $6 by getting the set. If you decide to only get one I would get the angled top. Next best bet is the round top. The flat top comes in third only because I think this is the most common brush and you might be able to find it somewhere else however at this price and with this quality, do yourself a favor and get all three. 

XOXO

Kelsey

Chanel Summer 2011 Makeup Collection: Lip Tutorial

Chanel Summer 2011 Collection

I am in love with the new summer collection from Chanel. In fact, I changed my wallpaper on my laptop to this promo picture because it was SO beautiful. I love the softness and femininity in this collection yet the warm bronzers and corals are so classically summer. 

The full range included two bronzing powders, two lipsticks, three lip glosses, three nail polishes, an eye shadow duo, and an eye shadow quad.   You can see the full collection and the color palette in this picture.

Although I am a big fan of everything that launched with this collection it is a bit on the pricy side... Come on ... its CHANEL of course I can't afford to buy it all but I was sold when I saw the way the gloss dazzles and the beautiful coral of one of the lipsticks.

I ended up purchasing the coral shade of lipstick called Sari Dore which is the Rouge Coco formula. I have been wearing it for a couple of days now and my review of the product is that it does not wear for an extended period. You will have to keep it with you for touch ups throughout the day. It did not make it through eating for sure.

Interestingly enough, the lipgloss (glossimer) lasted for hours! In fact, I fell asleep with it on last Friday night and when I woke up it was still on. I have never had a lip gloss that preformed that well. In addition, the gloss is not very tacky but instead reminds me of a thick balm. 

I purchased the shade 287 which is the pinkest of the colors that came out with the collection. I liked it because it was very easy to wear not only with the lipstick but also on its own and over other products. 

Lipstick 76 Sari Dore, Glossimer 287, Glossimer over lipstick

Glossimer 287 (alone over concealed mouth) 

Lipstick 76 Sari Dore

76 Sari Dore & 287

Overall the Chanel products are defiantly on the more expensive side but the glossimer was totally worth the $29 it cost. I purchased mine at Macy's but you can also purchase it on the chanel website http://www.chanel.com/en_US/fragrance-beauty/Makeup-88484 I hope you get a chance to play around with it if you don't end up getting any. Its always nice to fell a little luxurious now and then. 

XOXO

Kelsey