Fifty-cent Head

Welcome, 2008!

Hi, all. This is technically my first post on Fifty-Cent Head. YAY!

I thought I'd welcome the New Year with a list of resolutions. Traditional gal, ain't I?! At any rate, here are my beauty resolutions for 2008:

1. I will continue to take my makeup off every night, then use my eye cream and night cream. I can see the difference from doing this religiously and I am determined to keep up the practice.
2. I will drink more water and cut back on the sodas.
3. I will eat more healthfully, as what I put in my body should be good for my body!
4. I will attempt to meditate. This is good for me, despite the fact that I hate doing it.
5. Ditto, exercise.
6. I will find every new cosmetics line and fragrance house and write it up on this blog. OK- that's a lot, but I will do my best to get ya'll the info you want before anyone else gets it!
7. I will test my heart out, so ya'll know what's what with the products that are out there.
8. I will get pedis, manis, facials and massages this year. And I'll tell you about these spa services not to make you jealous, but so you are familiar with them so you can pamper yourself!
9. I will take my vitamins. Grr...
10. I will blog daily.

Happy New Years, everyone. Hope 2008 is the best year yet for each and every one of you (and for me and my loved ones, too!).

 

NEW YEAR, NEW NAME, NEW LOOK!

Come on in, take of your coat - stay awhile! I'd like to welcome you to Fifty-Cent Head. I hope you like it here and come back often (so make sure you update your bookmarks!).

As much as I loved the old site (BeautyBlitz.wordpress.com), there were some issues that I couldn't get around - so we've moved and redecorated and renamed ourselves. And I'm completely thrilled!

SO WELCOME TO FIFTY-CENTHEAD.COM!

Let us know what you think!

“Beauty isn't worth thinking about; what's important is your mind.
You don't want a fifty-dollar haircut on a fifty-cent head.”
~~ Garrison Keillor

PS: Some of the posts got tossed around a bit in the move  (maybe I didn't pack them properly!?) and so they are in the wrong order, nothing from November imported as November posts and some are missing the lovely comments ya'll have left me. Many apologies! Thanks for bearing with us!

MAC - Slimshines: More information

More information has drifted to the surface of the blogosphere... we now know more about MAC's Slimshines, coming (back) out in February.

Want to know more? I'm going to tell you, after the jump!

Hysterical beauty slang

I was browsing around and stumbled upon this funny post on the Glamour website. These are some terms that may not be in Webster's unabridged, but necessary nonetheless. Read on:
 

Back fat: The result of a too-tight bra that squeezes one’s back to create highly unflattering contours.

Bicbrow: The look achieved when someone shaves between her brows rather than plucking, leading to unsightly stubble.
Boings: Untrendy bangs that are deliberately curled under at the bottom (I learned this term on this blog, way before I worked here, and I love it).

Britney: The new va-jay-jay? Coined recently on The Hills, when Lo went commando in Vegas and flashed her “Britney” to LC.

Brond: as seen in our September issue, a term for kinda blondish, kinda brownish, very gorgeous hair.

Carpet matches the drapes: A classic. I don’t think I need to define it for you. It lives on despite the trends of, um, hardwood floors, and carpet that deliberately clashes with the drapes.

Chiclets: Overwhitened teeth.

Flintstone feet: What you get after wearing sandals in the city: Your feet look as grimy as Fred’s do after powering his vehicle with bare feet.

Hair sharks: The finlike bumps seen atop a messy ponytail. My friend Valerie says she and her sister used to use this term —I love it!

Laundry bag: A dress that clings in all the wrong places, making you appear lumpier than you actually are, especially from the rear.

Manscaping: The below-the-waist grooming of hair, as it relates to guys.

Monet: Another classic! Someone who looks gorgeous from afar but is kind of a mess close up. Coined in Clueless, one of the best movies of all time, IMO.

Muffin top: Midsection bulge resulting from a pair of too-tight pants.

Old wallet: A person who is way, way too tan, evoking visions of tumbled brown leather accessories.

Uniboob: A derivative of “unibrow,” describing an unflattering sports bra that flattens your chest into one wide unit.

Whale tail: Thong underwear seen rising above the surface of someone’s jeans.

 

Got any you wish to add!?

Get the full story at Glamour.com.

Top 5 List: Best Beauty Blogs Other Than BeautyBlitz

Clearly, we know that BeautyBlitz is the best beauty blog out there. That's a no-brainer! But there are other blogs that are quite informative, clever and witty. Here they are...

...after the jump...

Top 10 Beauty Products I Need if on a Stranded on an Island

 

1. MAC Lip Conditioner SPF 15


2. BPAL Morocco, in a vat


3. Clarins Multi-Action  Night


4. Clarins Multi-Action Day Lotion SPF 15


5. Lush Karma soap


6. Lush Silky Underwear


7. GoSmile Lemonade Smile (and a toothbrush!)


8. Lush Dream Cream


9. Elizabeth Arden 8-hour Cream


10. Lush Lemony Flutter

Um... yeah, sure, this is me! Ahem...

Lancôme - change is in the wind

Ah, Lancôme. What will happen to you? Gucci Westman, your International Artistic Director, is moving on, and it's my firm belief that she was critical in the recent revitalization you have experienced. Who will fill Gucci's gorgeous shoes!? And, almost as pressing a question: where is Gucci going? There is much speculation that she's going to start her own line. Sign me up!

For info on Gucci's last collections with Lancôme, please keep reading...

BeautyBlitz End of Year Top 10 Lists- Best Finds!

Everyone knows that the end of the year is the perfect time for folks to do a thoughtful look back over the past year. I thought I'd do a few of the oh-so traditional Top 10 Lists while we count down this last week of 2007.

I'm starting with my Top 10 Beauty Finds of 2007. Some are brand new products, but others are just brand new to me.

Is your interest piqued? If so, read on...

OBSESSION: Lush’s Silky Underwear dusting powder

I'm introducing a new category on this blog today. It's for my obsessions. These are 5-star, award-winning products that I can't stop using or talking about.

I begin today with Lush's Silky Underwear.

When I was growing up, I remember my mother's dusting powder always sitting there in the bathroom. Sometimes I'd use her powder, but I think the scents must have been too "grown up" for me, because I always liked the idea of the powders more than the actual reality.

I'd read great reviews about Silky Underwear on Lush's site, but when I first went to Lush I sniffed this product and didn't care for it. For whatever reason, the second time I went to Lush, I bought this anyway. Talk about your impulse buys. Well, using this product is now the best part of my beauty routine!

The powder comes in a small, round canister with a sifter on top. I recommend getting a big fluffy puff and using it to apply, since it can get a bit messy. Silky Underwear smells of jasmine and vetivert and has chunks of cocoa butter in it (I know- weird, right?). I can't stop smelling this stuff, and the cocoa butter makes it a unique body treatment that leaves behind silky smooth (great smelling) skin.

Definitely a BeautyBlitz rating of:

Armani - Maestro shadows

Now, I love me a pigmented eye shadow. It's true. So when I heard about Armani's new formula, Maestro, I was eager to check it out. I also love me some Armani, by the way, though it's not something my wallet can swing on a regular basis. So today I scoped out the scene for you, readers. Yes, I sacrificed for you. Ain't I sweet?!

These shadows are billed as "silk like" and are supposed to call to mind the mastery of Giorgio Armani's fabric creations. The shadows come in 3 formulas: matte, satin and sparkling. There are 16 colors in the collection, and I hope they add more eventually. I must say, the display was breathtaking!

I found them all to be quite silky, as described. Color payoff was decent - they weren't as pigmented as MAC, of course, but were fairly buildable. The mattes tottered on the edge of chalky, but didn't quite fall over. The sparkling and satin shades were luxurious, as is befitting of the name Armani.

My favorites from the collection: 16 (a matte light blue), 2 (sparkling nude beige) and 13 (satin green).

Check these out online at Giorgio Armani's beauty site, if you must, but this collection can't be fully appreciated until it's seen in person!

Each shadow is $26 USD.

BeautyBlitz rating:

MAC - The Originals - a Review

Well, I saw it today: The Originals. In fact, I not only saw it, I got to play in it! I'll try to get some swatch pictures tomorrow. I already broke down the collection for you and gave you the inspiration, so read on for my review...

[rockyou id=94567777]

(images courtesy of Temptalia via cuddlesss.blogspot.com .)

BPAL - Morocco

A review of a Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab product.

I've been really thinking this over carefully... I'm not sure where to begin. I introduced you to this company a few days ago, with great response by all of the BPALers out there. (hi!)
I feel like my first review of a BPAL product should be inspired and relevant and ingenious and insightful - but it's probably not going to be any of those things. I want to do BPAL justice, but I'm afraid that the bar is set so damn high by this company, that I'm not going to be able to reach it even on my tippy toes. But here goes... my review of Morocco.

Lush: Karma - a Review

That over there? That's me, jumping on the bandwagon. I just tried a sample of Lush's signature product and scent: Karma. Oh my...

Sadly, it's only a sample, so I'll need more. Happily, this scent comes in other products from Lush, too, so I can layer my heart away. Sadly, if you don't take care of them, these soaps melt quickly. Happily, I know that and can take precautions!

Fafi for MAC

2008's Barbie Loves MAC is bigger and better. MAC fans, meet Fafi:

[rockyou id=94871371]

I got scooped on this one (I'm not the first to report it) but I can 100% confirm that French graffiti and street artist Fafi is working with MAC on a collection for Spring.

I will give you more information as I can get my hands on it, but meanwhile let me tell you a bit about Fafi. She's known as a graffiti artist and as a "legitimate" artist, too. But don't get me started on that, because I really adore graffiti art and consider the works murals that are no less worthy than studio art. At any rate, Fafi started painting on "alternative surfaces" in Toulouse, France with brushes rather than paint cans. She is now located in Paris.

The theme of her work has evolved, as all art must, but generally revolves around human-like females referred to as "Fafinettes". Eventually, Fafi fans learned the Fafinettes are from another land called the Carmine Vault. Fafinettes are often seen with Hmilo (a big, puffy, depressed creature who seems to change sizes -apparently normal in the Carmine Vault - who enjoys brushing the Fafinettes' hair with his comb-like teeth) and Birtak (a small deer-like former pirate with a wooden leg who now dances in an opera) and the Hillminis (I'm not clear on these guys- but they look like hills that came to life). Note: Fafi is also working on a comic book, which will bring all things in my home to full-circle as I am a graffiti/muralist-lover-slash-MAC-fan married to a comic book collector.

A wonderful suspension of disbelief, Fafi's characters are edgy and colorful and saucy - but they also challenge us to think about the role of women in both the Carmine Vault and here in our world.

Fafi has her own line of clothing and other merchandise (difficult to find and get your hands on outside of Europe) and has also collaborated with LeSportsac (2006) and Adidas (2007). She has also exhibited worldwide, though limits herself to two shows a year.

Speculation/rumor online (specktra.net) is that the collection will feature an oversized quad that may house Vanilla, Pink Venus, a color called "Howzat" and another color. Another online resource -Lipstick Powder 'n Paint- also stated that All That Glitters "from the MAC Fafi collection" was used in the Badgley Mischka Spring show, so we may see that perennial favorite show-up, too. Also rumored are several multi-cultural dolls and bags with Fafi designs, and some products may only be available online.

I will post more info as soon as I get it!

Visit Fafi online at fafi.net or at HerSpace on MySpace.

special thanks to sixspace for some of the Fafi information used to write this post.

---

12/15/07 addition to this post Here's what Specktra.net sources are saying will be in this collection:6x Lipstick (LE) 4 x Lipglass (LE) 2 x Eyeshadow Quad 6 x Paint Pots (LE) 1 x Fluidline (Repromote: Blacktrack) 2 x Eye Kohl (Repromote: Smolder, Fascinating) 1 x Zoomlash Mascara (Repromote: Zoomblack) 2 x Blush (LE) 2 x Iridescent Powder (1 LE, 1 Repromote: Belightful) 2 x Nail Lacquer (LE) #210 Brush - Precision Eyeliner Brush (LE) #129 Brush (Repromote) #208 Brush (Repromote) #182 Brush (Repromote) 3 x Fafinette character dolls 3 x Fafinette character bag"Packaging will be glossy black with either Fafinette characters or Fafinette signature on Iridescent Powder, Blush, Lipstick, Lipglass and Eyeshadow Quads. "

OK: without even knowing the colors, I know I will "need" the nail polishes, the LE Iridescent Powder (love these! and Belightful is my FAVORITE, by the way.), the dolls and maybe all of the bags. Sigh...

I have one word for you: Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab

Well, I'm not terribly good at math, but I can tell a good deal and a hot company when I see one!

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL, to those who know it and love it) is a perfume house with a twist. Heard of them? If not, you absolutely must continue reading after the jump. And if you know who BPAL is, you may want to read on, too, because I may have something new to tell you. Ya never know....