Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Sofia Vergara Emmy Makeup by CoverGirl

Sofia Vergara is a hot commodity in Hollywood these days. She is an Emmy winning actress, spokes person for numerous brands including Pepsi, and on the hit show Modern Family. Most recently, Vergara signed on with CoverGirl to be a spokes model... move over Drew Berrymore!

Over the weekend stars flocked the red carpet in designer gowns to the 2011 Emmy award show. Sofia Vergara stunned in a bright coral dress with matching coral lipstick. The great thing for us college students trying to recreate this look? All the products used were from CoverGirl.


Celebrity makeup artist Kayleen McAdams focused on the lips using CoverGirl LipPerfection Lipstick. Check out Temptalia's review of LipPerfection here.

CoverGirl Queen collection eyeshadow in Hot Toffee was then used on her eyes to create a smokey brown look with lots of lashes. Of course, rock-star product Lash Blast mascara in very black was used to enhance her flirty eye fringe.

Vergara's CoverGirl campaign will launch in early 2012. Keep an eye out for her signature latina flare as it influences CoverGirl's marketing techniques. Way to go P&G... you struck gold!


Back to paying attention to this African history professor...

XOXO!
Kelsey

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Top Cosmetic Companies to Work For

Now that school is in full swing for the last time I really need to take a moment and think about what I want to do with the rest of my life... I know... a daunting task!
I'm still waiting to hear back about a position at L'Oreal luxury products division but a girl has got to do what a girl has got to do and this girl is making plans B, C, D etc.

I've narrowed it down to the top 6 beauty companies I would like to work for. In no specific order...

  1. L'Oreal 
  2. Este Lauder
  3. Revlon
  4. LVMH
  5. P&G (CoverGirl)
  6. Coty
Today I applied to 3 positions at Coty, a marketing position at P&G, emailed the recruiters at Revlon and looked to see if there were any openings at LVMH (There are but they are all in France and require you know the language).

What do you guys think? What other beauty brands would you like to work for full time? I was thinking about maybe Allure magazine or becoming a cosmetic buyer for Sacks or Nordstrums.

I'll fill you in on the job hunt as I know more.

Your worried and stressed friend,
Kelsey
P.S. I saw this and it made my laugh. Next time your stressed click back to this post lol

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Wish List: Carol's Daughter Monoi Strengthening Line

Friday was my first day at Macy's and I got to know more about the products I was working with at Carol's Daughter. Everything is free of sulfates and synthetic compounds that damage and leave build up on your hair. Also, each line has an intoxicating fragrance. Black Vanilla is that grown up vanilla that I love and Almond Cookie smells just like the Jergen's original cherry almond lotion. Yummm!

Of all the products available I can not wait to try the Monoi strengthening hair line. It comes with a shampoo, conditioner and a repairing hair mask.
This line claims to strengthen hair 13X after one use. For those of us with long hair, or over processed, over heat styled hair... this could be the miracle we have been waiting for!

If you want to learn more about this line and other Carol's Daughter products, click here for carolsdaughter.com

I have samples of the products which I will try out and report back on. Usually my hair has lots of breakage in the shower which end up on the shower wall. My test will be if that breakage stays the same or decreases. (any other suggestions as to how I can measure breakage?)

I'm off to work this afternoon as well. Sunday's are supposed to be pretty slow so hopefully I hit my sales goal. I've never worked retail like this before where you have to sell X amount each day or else! (no one ever says what the else is, they just tell you to make it haha) 

Enjoy the long weekend!
XOXO
Kelsey

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Trend Alert: Matching Makeup


Perhaps you have noticed this trend popping up all over magazines, your classrooms, or on television lately. Trust me, it will be all over the runways during fashion week coming up in September. What is it?

Matching Makeup
Nails + Lips

Now nails and lips are not the only combination being seen. An even bigger trend is eye shadow matching lips or blush matching eyes. 

If you think about it, this trend can be quite the money saver. Many products can be used in multiple ways even if it is labeled "blush" who says you can not use that powder on your eyes? Take it one step further... you can mix a clear gloss (or even some petroleum jelly) with a loose pigment or crushed eye shadow to create a matching lipgloss. 

In this photo I'm matching my favorite red lipstick Revlon's Certainly Red and the only red nail polish I currently have Revlon's Candied Cherry 46

Want to read more about this trend? Check out one of my favorite bloggers Lisa Eldridge and her take on this trend http://www.lisaeldridge.com/video/18744/runway-trend-matchy-make-up/

Let me know if you try this trend out in the comments!
XOXO
Kelsey

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Macy's New Hire!

Last I checked in with you I was sitting in my new dorm room applying for jobs. Fast forward a week and I'm still in my new dorm room but I have been hired by Macy's department store. I am actually very excited about this because it will allow me to get a 360 degree view of luxury cosmetics from product development and marketing strategy (this past internship) to the final customer interaction and point of purchase experience. 

Starting Friday (I know so soon!) I will be working at the Carol's Daughter counter which specializes in hair care and body products. 
I know, I know... Where is the makeup right?

Not to worry my friends! At this Macy's Carol's Daughter shares the floor with Bobbi Brown so I get to be trained and help with both but officially I will be working for Carol's Daughter.
Not at all sure what to expect but I do know that for 15 hours a week, I'll be there helping ladies of DC get beautiful hair, skin and face!

XOXO
Kelsey

Friday, August 19, 2011

Back to College (for the Last Time!)

So I made it back on campus to start my senior year.

GOSH TIME FLIES!

So what have I been up to since my last post?

I have spent a ton of time moving into the dorm and getting the ground work in place for this year's American Marketing Association calendar. We met with the freshman and it was so exciting to see how enthusiastic they were about coming to Howard to see them pick my brain about working in the beauty industry. Its crazy how it is coming more and more full circle.

Right now my next move is to finally get all of my stuff from storage (including all of my makeup!) and then to apply for jobs like crazy! This morning I applied for a part time position at Macy's in cosmetics. Now I've gotten rejected from them once before but I'm hoping my experience at L'Oreal will help and also my increased availability. Who knows... Nordstrums might also be the move but it is is farther away so the commute would be annoying.

What sounds so silly but I can not wait for is it have all of my kitchen stuff back! I can not wait to chop my own veggies and grill some tofu scramble!

I miss New York already though. I won't hear back about a full time offer until September but if it is not in the cards for me (as the fortune teller said it wasn't) then I'll move another company that is the right fit. either way... I'll make it in the industry!

From my very disorganized room,
XOXO Kelsey

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Summer at L'Oreal Winding Down

It has been an intense summer and as I reread my last blog post (July 4th!) I realize I have been neglecting my duty as a "writer" to keep this blog up to date with the events of the summer. So in a nutshell...
  • Presentation on the 2011 Expert Wear restage went well
  • Its the last full day of working with Maybelline
  • Interview set up with luxury products division
  • Waiting to hear back regarding a full-time offer
This experience has taught me so much on presentation and independence. At L'Oreal, everyone is extremely busy so often times there is no one to tell you what to do and how to complete a task therefore you have to be self sufficient and figure out on your own. Some things I have figured out this summer:
  • How to pull IRI database queries
  • The intense creativity needed to generate shade names
  • How to create a product board when you have no money to buy products!
This is definitely the industry I want to be in so now it is just a matter of figuring out where I fit into the equation. I promise to keep you updated.

XOXO
Kelsey

Monday, July 4, 2011

Happy 4th of July!

Here is a little treat from my favorite beauty guru on YouTube Kandee Johnson!

Happy 4th of July everyone!
XOXO
Kelsey

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Tom Ford Private Label Lipstick in Vanilla Suede

Tom Ford Private Label Lipstick in Vanilla Suede
Tom Ford is an American designer most well known for his sophisticated red carpet tuxedos. Tom Ford embodies sexy masculinity that is universally appealing which is most notable in his line of fragrances that are all (but one) unisex (several tend to identify more feminine or masculine). The designer's departure into lipstick has been well received and he has since won Allure awards for best luxury lipstick . See full article HERE. 

Now I am a lipstick junkie and since I finally received a couple of my paychecks, I decided to splurge just a little bit and head over to Bergdof Goodman, one of the few places in the city where you can play around with the colors before you purchase. Let me do a quick rave about the Bergdof beauty department... never before have you seen so much luxury at once. At Berfdof Goodman, the "low-end" makeup counters include Lancome and Este Lauder while the highest end cosmetic counters include Tom Ford, Guerlain, and Claude de Pau Beaute. I love the selection, quality, and knowledge of the beauty advisors. I could have long conversations at every single counter and I practically did at Tom Ford yesterday so much so that we exchanged business cards to keep in touch.

But back to the Lipstick.

For dramatic effect!
The range comes in 12 shades: 4 nudes, 4 brights, and 4 reds. I, being obsessed with what I call corpusy-nudes (because they are so pale they make you look dead), gravitated to the lightest shade Vanilla Suede. This shade is a very shimmery pale nude with a hint of peach. I tend to own more matte or satin finish nudes so this is my first with a shimmer. 

Formulated with rare and exotic ingredients including soja seed extract, Brazilian murumuru butter and chamomilla flower oil, the luxurious formula has an ultra-creamy texture for an incredibly smooth application. Specially treated color pigments are blended to deliver pure color with just the right balance of luminosity. 

Side note: You can feel the shimmer in the formula when on your lips but its not annoying. What IS slightly annoying is how expensive this lipstick is, but I knew that going into it that it would set me back $50 after tax! The lipstick itself retails for $45 which is just slightly less expensive than the Guerlain Rouge G series (the one with the mirror). 

I can say that Tom Ford put all the expenses in the packaging at it is done beautifully. It is, to me the best looking lipstick on the market with its gold hefty case and while enamel panels. Its so heavy that you could use it easily as a weapon if it came to that! 

Overview: The product is lovely but the real wow-factor is in the packaging. At $45 a pop, choose the color you will wear most often and relish in the joy of applying. 

If you get a chance, stop by Bergdof Goodman and take a look at the range of Tom Ford lipsticks. PSSST! Come September Tom Ford will be launching a complete cosmetic range so look out for that too.  

Packaging



Vanilla Suede with a smokey eye look

XOXO
Kelsey, College Cosmetic/Intern/Makeup Junkie/Increasingly broke college student especially after this purchase lol


Thursday, June 16, 2011

Great Lash Big Review

Maybe she's born with it... Maybe its Maybelline Great Lash Big Mascara!
Great Lash Big is the second of the 6 mascaras that I will be reviewing from the beauty closet. Great Lash Big has the same formula as the original however the brush is super sized! Take a look at the difference on this baby. I guess I am so used to jumbo volumizing brushes already that I did not realize how big it was until I compared it to the original.

It must be 3 times the size!

This product is supposed to give wearable volume and act as a stepping stone into volumizing mascaras for those that have been great lash users for years. I think it is also an attempt to bring more relevance to the Great Lash brand by keeping it current and new.... which is actually pretty smart when you think about it.

The formula is super gentile which I always liked about Great Lash. I got a bunch in my eye while applying it and it did not sting at all. A con about this formula however is that it is very wet and takes a long time to dry. Because of this, I ended up with lots of black dots all over my lower lashes and on my brow bone.... NOT Cute... but not the end of the world. 

What turned me off about this product at the end of the day is that as I sweat to death shoveling dirt in Brooklyn (more on that later) it left me with black raccoon eyes. 

  • Length 7/10
  • Volume 8/10
  • Curl Hold 7/10
  • Flake-Resistant 6/10
  • Wow-Factor 7/10
  • Overall Score  70/100

C

The Original Great Lash does not give volume so I was skeptical that changing the brush would make that big of a difference. I expected less from this mascara and it delivered way beyond my expectations although I can't say that I prefer it to any of the other mascaras I've tried this week. 


With Great Lash Big

Before

With Great Lash Big

With Great Lash Big

XOXO 
Kelsey