You Bad Gal, You

Chubby Liners. I love them. I always line my upper lids with something dark and sooty and smudge, smudge, smudge for day, then apply oh, a dozen or so coats of masacara (L'Oreal Voluminous in Black Noir to be exact). I like the chubby sticks because you can get it done so quickly. And generally their consistency is softer than a thinner pencil.

My newest fave is Benefit BAD gal. Benefit pretty much has the cutest products, but I'm not always impressed with the formulas. BAD gal is different. It goes on nice a smooth and I can smudge it with an angled brush or my finger. It can transfer a bit up to my lid crease when it gets a little oily in the day- but it's not so bad- I actually kind of like the way that looks.

Holiday Eyes- and Oh Yeah- I'm back...

Dang- it has been a year and 5 days since I last blogged! Sheesh, where has the time gone? Okay, enough about that and onto the fun stuff:

Holiday Eyes!
I am generally a minimalist when it comes to eye makeup (except mascara- you know my motto-stolen/borrowed from my beloved Tammy Faye- "Glob it on, Girls!"). Because I have dark eyes and dark lashes and fair skin, my eyes stand out enough on their own and I tend to forget that I have shadow on and rub them... so I generally skip it. But occasionally I like to play and I do have plenty of makeup in my train case to play with for hours, ok days... Especially around the Holidays- it's fun to play with sparkly eyes!

Today I had "Lazy Days" as DH and I call it when we just laze around on a Saturday or Sunday and watch TV, nap, snack, and never leave the house until time for dinner and drinks. I had Lazy Days alone as D had plans, so I watched multiple episodes of Forensic Files, napped for hours, surfed the internet, etc. Then I got some energy around 3 o'clock and showered, shampoo'd my freshly colored hair with my new fave- the Fekkai Glossing line (another blog on that to come), and decided to glam it up for my evening- even if I don't leave (it's 6pm as I type this and we have yet to decide on anything we may do tonight, I am sipping a delicious cocktail I just made up- 1 part Malibu Coconut Rum, 3 parts club soda, crushed ice, and one lemon slice in a highball glass- mmmmm- so whateve- I'm good either way...).

I started with my usual makeup routine:
Shiseido stick foundation applied with a Stila foundation brush, Tarte Tickled gel blush on apples, Sephora Blush Me Twice (just the pink side) over top, lashes curled with THE ONLY lash curler you should invest in (Shu Uemera), some smokey brown cream liner (Clinique) applied along lash line, and finally about 400 coats of L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara- Black Noir. (oh yeah, I also patted on Benefit Lemon Aid before all of this, which is not part of my norm, but I knew I would be playing with shadows so I applied. For me, a primer of some sort is a necessity because even though I have relatively dry skin, I have oily lids...)

Now the 'glam' part:
My sister-in-law who is also my sister-in-makeup-obsession, C, got me a super-fun Urban Decay eye shadow pallette for Christmas last year. It has about 15-20 sparkly, uber-pigmented shadows housed inside of a cool black mirrored pallet, with purple tattoo-y swirls coming out of a gun barrel on the front.
So- I took a slanted Sonia Kashuk eyeliner brush and dabbed it with water and then dipped it into the sparkly black shadow in the pallet called Oil Slick. I applied this like liner- directly on top of the cream liner I previously applied. Then I added a bit 'o Mildew, a pretty, sparkly army green shadow, in the center of the liner and feathered it out on either side. I applied Sin, a peachy shade to my lid, and then a dot of Polyester Bride, a sparkly white-ish shade to the brow. I finished with a grooming of the brows with the sephora brow wax/powder compact and voila- Holiday Eyes!

I've Got Good News & Bad News, part I

I guess I'll start with the bad news first.

Last night on my trip to the new Sephora, I picked up a fat tube of Sephora Collection Lash Plumper mascara. It has a HUGE brush on the wand, which was what drew me to it immediately. It is similar in size to the DoirShow and Benefit Bad Gal brushes.

This is Sephora's own description:

"Lash Plumper- What it is:A volumizing mascara. What it does:Fatten your flutter with this lash-plumping formula. The larger brush, with slightly tapered edges, reaches from root to tip, for truly bat-worthy volume and glamour. "

I put on many coats. It didn't really 'fatten' to my liking. I was forced to augment with the no-fail L'Oreal Voluminous.

What I DID like was the truly black ink-y-ness of the Sephora mascara. My lashes are dark anyway, but now they are soot-like (in a good way).

I am off to do some Bombshell buffing at le gym, so I will test out the staying power and report...

Final Verdict: I will add the Sephora mascara to my ever-growing family of mascaras, but it won't be a go-to on its own. It will have to be relegated as an 'ingredient' in a multi-mascara cocktail.

Pilgrimage to Mecca

After months of waiting, the boarded up store-front taunting me, SEPHORA has opened in my local plaza. Today was the grand opening and I promptly received a text message from my beauty-addicted friend, R.

So, after my Friday night dinner date with D., we headed over so I could spend the gift certificate that has been burning a hole in my handbag since my birthday back in May (May 18 to be exact, hint, hint). I could easily have put it to good use online, but I made a vow to myself that I would keep it until the store opened...

D. dutifully wandered about with me, smelling things I offered him, acknowledging my outbursts of 'cute!', 'pretty!', 'I've always wanted to try this and it smells fabulous/repulsive...', etc. But when it came time to check out, the line snaked around the store, D. ditched me and waited outside. No problem, I made new friends in line, gave some advice ("oh- get the travel tube of Smashbox Photofinish Primer, not the glass bottle", "Wet n Wild has a lip plumper that works way better than Lip Fusion for about $48 cheaper", "oooh, have you tried Smith's Rosebud Salve? It's fab!"), and managed to check out with a balance left on my gift card!

True to form, I bought MASCARA and PINK LIP STAIN/GLOSS. I also got samples of eye make up remover and teeth whitener. Reviews will follow... stay tuned.

My Name is The Bombshell Biker, & I'm a Mascara-holic

Ok- I now use three, yes, three mascaras at once. I am constantly on the hunt for hugely volumizing mascara that won't break the bombshell bank (but I would be willing to pay top dollar for something perfect)

I have come up with a cocktail that is working wonderfully (if only a little flaky). The problem I have found with all volumizing masacaras is the flake factor. It seems that if the formula is specifically for volume the flakes just come with the territory. I thought I had found volume nirvana in Diorshow (and the faint rose scent was an added bonus). Diorshow is fabulously volumific- but it flakes as bad as the drugstore brands- so I decided not to spend $25 a tube...

So- onto the recipe:

1. begin with a few swipes of Rimmel Lash Maxxx. The tiny (hot pink!) comb brush separates and somehow plumps. On its own it would probably take about 45 coats and 45 minutes to get the result I want, but included in the 'recipe' it's necessary and great.

2. next step is a new take on my previous HG mascara- L'Oreal Original Voluminous- but with the curved brush (the curved brush makes it quicker to cover all the lashes in a few swipes) . Dip in the tube and don't wipe any of the glorious excess off. A few goopy swipes...

3. thirdly, Revlon 3D Extreme, it's new and the wand is tiny compared to how it is represented in the picture, but again, as a component to this recipe, it works! The odd little brush does a great job of plumping (if this weren't majorly flaky on its own I'd wear it alone). Using the brush, I start at the base of the lashes and wiggle it up through the thick clumps I've purposely created. It separates somewhat and thickens EVEN more...

4. fourth and most important step- back to the Rimmel Lash Maxxxxxx. Use the tiny comb-brush to separate the clumps and 'sculpt' the lashes to wing out a bit on the sides.

5. this is actually the most important part- using a moistened cotton swab- clean up all around the lid where I've made a huge black mess!

Ode to Drugstore Gems Part 1

The Bombshell Biker doesn't need expensive cosmetics- she wants them! There are times, though, when funds may be either low, or needed for other things (ski lift tickets, gas for a road trip, slot machines, etc...)

I have found many Drugstore Gems that I continue to use even when I can afford to go luxe. Some of these items I've happened upon in my many wanderings of the drugstore aisles (its quite therapeutic), some I've read about in magazines or other beauty blogs, or on Makeup Alley, some I've searched for when I needed a replacement for a higher end item that I either couldn't afford at the time, or needed access to right away (no Sephora in my town).

So today I will sing the praises a few of my favorite cosmetic gems that I use daily:

• My absolute # 1 product- expensive or cheap- is L'Oreal Original Voluminous Mascara in Blackest Black. At about 6 bucks a tube, you get thick, dark, dare I say..."Voluminous" lashes. Sometimes I apply about 10 coats, but one or two will still get you amazing thickness. It stays put through an hour of Turbo Kickboxing! But amazingly, washes off with regular foaming face wash.


• Almay Line Smoothing Compact Makeup spf 15. I use the shade called Buff 140. This is a very creamy foundation that comes in a little compact with a mirror and a separate, ventilated compartment underneath that houses the sponge applicator. I discovered this Almay makeup when I ran out of my beloved Stila stick foundation and the 'powers that be' had regrettably decided to take my Stila counter at my Macy's away from me! I use my Stila foundation brush #27 to apply the Almay (if I'm in a hurry I use the little sponge that lives in the compact). It has nice coverage, feels cooling on my skin, is moisturizing, AND has spf 15. Its about $12-14. About 1/2 the price of the Stila (although the Stila seems to last longer). I still buy the Stila when I'm near a Sephora, but the Almay is great for everyday use- whether I'm just going to work, or if I'm riding on the back of a motorcycle in 100 degree heat all day!


• Jane Eye Zing in Goldie Looks. I really just stumbled upon this subtle, but shimmery champagne-ey gold eye shadow. I was looking for something as a warm counterpoint to my signature cool, silvery NARS Bombshell. I saw it at Rite Aid for about $2 and thought I'd give it a whirl...yay! I love it by itself or over a matte beige from Clinique.


• Cherry Chapstick- my staple, staple, staple! I keep a tube everywhere. It imparts the tinyiest hint of color, moisturizes like crazy (without being greasy which is my complaint about most lip balms), and makes me feel good! AND its about 99 cents a tube!


• Last but not least today- Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks in Cherries in the Snow and Mauvy Night. The classic black tubes with gold trim are so vintage-y and very Bombshell! They are about $6 and you get long wearing, but not drying, color. The Cherries in the Snow is a perfect blue red and the Mauvy Night is a very "me only better" color for my lips.

I like to mix my Drugstore Gems with my higher end products, that way I feel pampered and fiscally responsible at the same time.

The Bombshell Biker goes live!

While riding on the back of my husband's motorcycle I have lots of time to think about fun things. One day, the idea of the Bombshell Biker popped into my head. A blog where I could share my beauty secrets and tips for looking pretty and girly while participating in an active lifestyle. Let's face it- helmet hair is not the most glamorous and flattering look for anyone. (And while I'm on the subject- I do not wear chaps, bandanas, those weird leather 'hair harnesses' for a braid, or any of the other typical "biker" accouterments.)

I thought about how I like to do all kinds of active things in my life and I want to be comfortable while participating- but I do not want to look like a tom boy- or worse- a boy! My original idea for the Bombshell Biker tag line was, "for girls who love boys that ride bikes." But I realized that its about way more than sitting on the back of a motorcylce looking cute...
its about an entire lifestyle- taking advantage of every situation and being prepared for every situation so that you can have fun, be comfortable, and feel pretty at all times!

I plan to post as often as possible about what works (products, tools, accesories, etc), what doesn't, and what happens along the way. I welcome your comments and feedback, too!