But It Feels So Good

Photo by M.A.C.

Well, folks, I got a double-dose of wonderful news today.  First off, Thomas is employed again!!  Thank God!!  He found a really great job, and in record time.  The unemployment paperwork hasn't even gone all the way through, yet.  I'm very proud of my sweet husband.  He brought new meaning to the word "determination."  That meaning, I'm sure, was "fear", but it worked.   

The second part is that we still get to go on our already planned and paid for trip to Disney World for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party!!  We really weren't sure we would be able to, since it's not always easy to get time off when you're starting a new job.  Luckily, the awesome people Thomas now works for totally understood the situation, and that this had been put into motion months earlier, when he had no clue he'd be starting a new job. 

So, in honor of our impending Disney trip, I thought I'd share with you some goodies (baddies?) from the fine people at M.A.C.:  The Venomous Villains Collection!

The collection features four of Disney's nastiest bad guys and gals, each with their own mini-collection of character-themed cosmetics.  Cruella DeVil (101 Dalmations), The Evil Queen (Snow White), Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty), and Dr. Facilier (The Princess and the Frog) have each been given the M.A.C. treatment, with 40 beauty items, collectible packaging, and shades based on the Pantone colors from the Disney artists' original renderings.

According to M.A.C. Creative Director, James Gager, each mini-collection was based off of its character's traits.  Cruella DeVil was seen as the original fashionista, and all about the glamour.  The Evil Queen was characterized as sort of an aging supermodel, with red lips and severe brows.  Maleficent is trendy, but elegant, and Dr. Facilier's collection features unisex products.  Items in the collection bear names such as Heartless, Vainglorious, Bad Fairy, and French Quarter, and prices range from $12-$25.  Available September 30th (possibly online by 9/27) at maccosmetics.com.  (Seriously, click the link on Gager's name for a fun look at the line's unveiling, and this link for some great product pictures!  Both from temptalia.com.)

Today's trip into the magic bag o' samples yielded something that, thankfully, seems to have fallen off the planet.  Count yourselves lucky.  I pulled out Sephora Collection's Lip Attitude-Chic in Talented Berry.  I can't link to it, because it no longer exists, thank God.  This had to have been the worst lipstick I've worn since middle school.  It pulled as I applied it, dried out my lips, and left little striations after only a few minutes.  I suppose you could argue that it was old, and that's why it, to put it bluntly, sucked, but I have lipsticks faaaaar older than that one, and they still go on like champs.  The color was really pretty, though.  It was a very flattering shimmering berry red, and one that was wearable, even by a pale, green-eyed red-head, such as myself.  I have not tried any other lipsticks in the Sephora Collection, so this could just be a bad one, and the rest could be fantastic.  I have no idea.  Lipsticks in the Sephora Collection run $12, sephora.com.

A lipstick I have tried, though, is e.l.f.'s Mineral Lipstick.  For $5 (yep, five dollars), you can have your choice of 16 colors.  Cheerful Cherry is very close to Sephora's Talented Berry, if you're a fair-skinned lass, like me, and want to try a red.  Unlike the Sephora lipstick, these are actually moisturizing, and go on smoothly.  If you want to amp it up a little, you could pair it with one of the completely non-sticky mineral glosses (my fave after Buxom, and reviewed here) for only $3 more.  That's right, lipstick and gloss, and you still save four dollars.  As my mom would say, you can't beat that with a stick.