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Miss Oops saves the day!

Handy tools for all sorts of situations!

I think Miss Oops is a genius. OK, I admit: there may not actually be a woman named "Miss Oops" just as Mrs. Butterworth is maybe not as real as I think she is. But regardless, this line of products is just as awesome as the syrup!

The mission of Miss Oops is to provide affordable solution-oriented products for all types of beauty dilemmas and avoidable fashion faux pas for women everywhere.

I have had a chance to test a few Miss Oops fashion rescue products, and I have to say: I'm pretty excited about them! In the past, I tested Pedicure in a Bottle, and really like the blend of glycolic and salicylic acids and shea butter and nice smelly stuff. But this time, I tested a few other items:

• Rescue Sponge | Are you like me? Only on the dark shirt days or the important business meeting days do you smack your deodorant right into your clothes, leaving one of those horrid marks that's nearly impossible to hide? Well that's where this sponge steps in to the rescue. One brisk rub with this patent-pending sponge and the mark is gone! See the freaky shape? It allows you to rub in all of the right places without having to contort the sponge in a crazy way. I love it! Since it comes in packs of two (yay!) I can put one in the drawer near my vanity, and the other in my makeup kit for jobs (it does a great disappearing act on wayward makeup on clothing, too!).
  

  

• Boob Tube | Cute name, great concept. This is like the sophisticated older sister of the tube top. You slip it on under those outfits that scoop just a little too low, and it looks like you're layering your clothes. But you're not, so you don't have that bulky, layering your clothes look! I suggest you get one to keep in the drawer at the office for those days you get to work and then realize your shirt is way too Happy Hour for the boardroom! I like this product a lot, especially because it stays put - I certainly don't want to replace untoward cleavage with untoward tugging. It comes in white, black and beige, by the way, as seen below.

  

• JAKs | Imagine the Boob Tube slipped down over your hips, effectively hidding muffin tops and the never-wanted plumber's crack. Can you picture it? Well, now you have JAKs! This tube top is a tube bottom, and it looks a little like you've got a lacey tank peeking out from under your shirt. This product, I don't love so much for me, but I'll tell you why it may work for you. I have that hourglass figure (granted, a large hourglass, but still- the waist is smaller than the hips). I tried a product like this when I was pregnant and my stomach was a lot bigger than my hips. Either way, this tube around the waist/hips thing doens't suit me well. The tube just slides around and I end up with an odd lumpy look. Whether the tube is slipping from larger hips to pool around the waist, or sliding off of the big tummy and ending up around the hips, this doesn't work for me. However, if you're a supermodel with hips and waist fairly close together in size, this may work great! Or maybe I'm just a bit of a moron and I'm using it wrong... 
  

  

All-in-all, I think the Miss Oops line is worth checking out. They may just save you from an embarrassing situation one day!

 

Tweeze for the environment...

That's right, you heard me sistah. Tweeze for the environment. I'll explain in a moment...

I may be the only makeup artist in the world who does not own a Tweezerman tweezer. In fact, most have more than one (two for on set, and another for home). I hope to rectify this situation shortly, and plan to start with this great tweezer offering from the legendary company:

This is the Go Green Mini-Slant tweezer, a smaller version of the very popular Slant Tweezer. The Slant Tweezer has won plenty of kudos, including being an InStyle Best Buy and consistently being mentioned in Allure's Editor's Choice Awards. This mini has all of the features of the grown-up sized version: quality craftsmanship, precision plucking, hand-filed tips, free repair/replacement of damaged equipment, free sharpening, and repair of items you may have broken (for a nominal fee).

The bonus, though, my friends, is that Tweezerman will donate $1 of the purchase of any Go Green Mini-Slants to the National Arbor Day Foundation. Doesn't sound like much, but that translates to one tree being planted per purchase, which is stellar!

Oh, and by the by, Tweezerman has packaged these Go Greens in 100% recyclable paper, printed in soy ink.

Go Green Mini-Slant tweezers are available at Tweezerman retailers and online at drugstore.com.

Have you seen the new Shu???

So amazing, the new Shu! I love my Shu Uemura curler, and adding this new smaller version to the arsenal just seems sensible. Able to reach smaller lashes, including the stubborn tiny ones in the corner, this Shu is incredible!

Just like the larger version, the silicone pads will be gentle on the lashes. The handles are easy to use and there's no risk of tugging or ripping the lashes because the curler will never clutch or stick like some others do.

Check it out for only $17 at shuuemura.com.

REVIEW: MAC 217 brush

Remember that scene from Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts' character said "Big Mistake. Big. Huge!"? That's how I would feel if MAC stopped making this brush.

While classified as a 200-series brush, which at MAC usually implies the purpose is for eye makeup, I use this brush for many things. It's great for creams, for which it was designed, and even nice with powders. I have three of these for personal use: 1 I use to apply my Painterly Paint Pot as a base for most eye looks I do; 1 I use to apply my concealer; 1 I use for dry, powder products (great to contour smaller areas like the nose and the area under the top lip). That third one gets less use than the others.  I have several of this brush for my professional kit, too, and it is a favorite go-to brush.

I love it because it doesn't absorb creamy products, nor does it streak them up. It simply deposits the color exactly where I want it to go. What more can you ask of a brush!?

The curved flower tip of the brush is perfect for light applications, but you can press a bit more firmly and get more coverage.

As with most MAC brushes, this holds up nicely and doesn't shed hairs all over the place. This is a required brush, in my humble opinion, for anyone who is serious about makeup!

$22.50 USD at MAC locations or online.