Hey Little Birdie!

If you know me, you know I am borderline obsessed with glitter. It is just so FUN for crafts and such. However, I rarely wear anything glittery on my person. My style is more classic and preppy, and glitter fashion can often veer into Ke$ha territory fast. But lately, I’ve been embracing the trend to add just a dash of sparkles here and there. Which is fitting since New Years Eve is right around the corner, I mean, what better time to glam it up a little than the biggest party time of the year?

So my subtle solution is the Sephora by OPI Jewelry Top Coats. I bought the one that is clear with gold flecks. I can’t recommend it enough! It lasts forever and transforms any polish or plain nails into disco ball fun time. You won’t be able to stop staring at your nails with this stuff on, and you may start spontaneously dancing in public. Or you might be the kind of person who does that anyway (finger pointed at me). In either case, it’s awesome!

When it comes to gift giving season, my favorite thing is the stockings. I don’t know what it is but they have always been the activity that I look most forward to. Here’s a sweet little something I’d love to find in my stocking this year- Hand In Hand Soap. What cute packaging hiding a handmade orange blossom bar! The cool thing is that for every bar purchased they donate one to a child in need. Learn more here. Also (get ready because this is a long list of really good things), their soap is fair trade, cruelty free, natural, organic, gluten free, vegan, biodegradable, eco friendly packaged, shipped with carbon offsets, and each bar saves 50 sq feet of rainforest. Phew! I never thought I could love one bar of soap so much.

Welcome to our weekly feature “Know Your Birdies” where every Friday a question is posed and you get to know us through our answers. This week we’ve asked… and answered: What is your favorite beauty product?

I think the invention of dry shampoo has changed my life. I worked hard to adjust my hair to washing it every other day. It wasn’t ready at first. I pleaded my case; it laughed at my naivete. Some days I thought we were getting somewhere, when it was just lying in wait, smirking. We battled back and forth like a parent and toddler reaching for the last popsicle in the box. All of this, until a ray of sunshine peaked through the clouds and heaven itself smiled upon me and said, “Well fought. Here is your reward”. And dry shampoo bottles floated down. True story… except the popsicle part.

Shu Uemura eyelash curler is the one beauty product I use every day without fail. It is the perfect eyelash curler with the rounded little silicon pad so it actually curls the lashes and doesn’t crimp them. I don’t know if it bad for the eyelashes or not, but hasn’t seemed to have hurt them after about 10 years of doing this, but my trick is to use a blow dryer to heat up the metal enough to actually create a little more permanent curl.

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Pink lip gloss. I probably have at least 20 tubes of it in various drawers, makeup bags, and handbags in my possession. It is a serious addiction. My favorite brand is always changing as I am always discovering something new. But my current loves are from Korres, Tarte and Fresh. I know for a fact that I will be one of those silly old ladies who applies lip product perfectly without a mirror immediately after eating or leaving kiss marks on all my grandkids. I love those ladies.

What are your must have beauty items?

Did you miss us? Because we definitely missed you. Due to some out of our control server issues, we were missing in action for a few days. Sorry about that! But we’re back and better than ever! If you look closely, you may notice we’ve undergone a bit of a makeover. And there are a few more updates on the horizon, thanks to our super wonderful design friend, Yasmine Evjen.

Speaking of makeovers, it’s time for another Hey Little Birdie Giveaway! This month we are super jealous because we want the prize for ourselves: a tube of Kate Spade’s Supercalifragilipstick in your choice of four shades! Nothing can glam up your look like a pretty splash of red or pink on your lips. And since Kate Spade is the very definition of feminine chic, any lipstick she makes is already perfection in our book.

Of course you want to win, right? Here’s how you enter!

1. Leave a comment below to enter

BUT you can do even better than that by earning extra entries via the following

2. Sharing this giveaway on Facebook:

and/or

3. Tweet about it on Twitter
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If you do any of the extra credit entries, let us know in the comments, so we count them!

New(ish) Rule: You can comment and thus enter the contest each day from here until next Tuesday night (10/11). If you tweet and facebook it too, that’s multiple entries on multiple days…we really want you to win.

The winner will be announced next Wednesday!

I realized that I hadn’t done a makeup review in what seems like forever. Probably because I hadn’t bought a new-ish product in a looong time. Being the beauty product aficionado that I am, I remedied that problem as soon as possible with a trip to Sephora. I needed to get a new mascara and spotted a big display for Benefit’s newest formula- They’re Real! Benefit is touting this as the best ever formulation with statistics to back it up. In a consumer panel survey, they say that 94% saw dramatic length and volume, 90% saw base to tip curl, 94% saw visible lift, and 100% saw long wearing results.

Things I love about They’re Real! The wand is fabulous. I like the rubber style so much better than bristles. Much less clumping and gooping. It is easy to apply, jet black, and has great separation. This formula is very long wearing, much like a waterproof mascara. I also saw no flaking or smearing of any kind in the week I have been wearing it. And that includes long jaunts around San Diego, oppressive heat here in Phoenix, and the occasional cry (sue me, I’m a girl). I thought it was very lengthening and loved the rounded end of the wand for reaching lash corners and the delicate under eye lashes.

Things I didn’t love about They’re Real! I feel like a little too much product is on the wand when I pull it from the tube. But that is typical with pretty much every mascara I’ve ever tried, and was easily fixed by blotting the wand with a tissue. I also do not feel this formula is very volumizing in the sense that it creates a fluffy lash look. It is more that it super coats each individual lash very well and plumps them up separately. And it goes without saying that any long wearing mascara is not the easiest thing to remove. You definitely need a quality makeup remover with this one.

Bottom line is that I really like this mascara overall. I would buy it again without question!

A couple weeks ago I got an email from Nicky sharing the most glorious news, MORE Kate Spade goodness is coming this fall! Teamed with Lipstick Queen founder Poppy King the collection features four sheers: Bashful Blush (a nude,) Adventurous Red, Fuchsia Fete and Pop Art Pink.  The line, dubbed Supercalifragillipstick, will be available in September. I have never been so excited for a lipstick in my life. I am totally going to buy Adventurous Red to wear to the hospital when I have the baby.

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I’m grumpy, tired, a little sad, and seriously regretting eating Chili’s last night. I want to buy myself a present. The contenders:

Monogrammed Note Cards from Kate Spade. I wish I sent more letters to loved ones, maybe these would encourage me?

Paint and Peel Duos from Sula. These are genius! I love the idea of being able to change my polish easily and as frequently as I’d like.

Leatherbound Classic of Pride and Prejudice from Barnes and Noble. I would love to have a collection of hardback copies of my favorite novel, new and old. My current stash stands at two editions. Time to add another!

Essex Dhurrie Ottoman from West Elm. I wish! Don’t worry, my emotional state will not drive me to spend $600 on myself. But this thing is gorg. I want to lie on it face down and kiss it. I wonder if you can buy this fabric from them? Because I would seriously use this tutorial and DIY it.

It was my birthday last week, not that I want to talk about that- something happened to me after 30 and I now seriously loathe them. The days surrounding my birthday usually spiral into a major pity party and it is most unbecoming of me. But my family and friends are so sweet and just ignore my bad attitude and celebrate the day anyway. By the end of it the festivities, I feel so special and loved. All of this to tell you about one of the fabulous gifts I received last week from my sister in law, Alex. It was this pretty bottle of the palest pink nail polish from Scotch Naturals. I absolutely love nail colors so the fact that I love this gift is no surprise. My most favorite line is normally Essie. But after seeing this beautiful bottle, trying the polish and discovering more about Scotch Naturals, I am so excited to have a new brand to explore. Isn’t the packaging lovely?

The neat thing is that these polishes are water based, non toxic, and free of the yucky chemicals that make up most polishes. They even have a soy polish remover which I am seriously wanting to try as well. I never imagined they could make such quality products without using all the typical harsh ingredients! I can’t wait to try more of their shades. In fact, they have a perfect gift idea called the Cocktail Trio. You get to pick three colors and they bundle it all together with a soy polish remover and nail buffer inside a pretty pouch. Fun!

Receiving this polish after the HORRENDOUS mani/pedi experience my friend Sara and I had last week was like a breath of fresh air. I’m not going to name names but there will definitely be a Yelp review posted. Let’s just say we learned a valuable lesson- thoroughly investigate Groupons before buying something just because it is a great deal. Sure a $25 spa mani/pedi sounds amazing. But trust me, it wasn’t. The staff, the salon, the services, and especially the treatment of their Groupon customers left much to be desired. And I am not one to easily complain about businesses. I tend to be extra forgiving, thinking maybe they are just having a bad day or it was an honest over site kind of thing. It takes a lot to tick me off. And the more I thought about this experience the more appalled I have become. Note to self Nicky- buy more awesome nail polish from places like Scotch Naturals and just say no to shady nail salons!

Slow news day, huh? If you’d like to digest something on the lighter side of life, here are a few items I am loving for the upcoming summer weather. Which apparently begins on Wednesday if you live in Phoenix. Oh 100 degrees it is much too early to say hi to you. Also, I’m fantasizing about a probable jaunt to San Diego at the end of June. My husband has a work conference there and I am begging for Claire and I to tag along. Cross you fingers for me, okay?

1. Mar Y Sol Opal Applique Clutch in Multi, 2. Fouta in Kenza Citron Yellow, 3. Essie Nail Polish in Braziliant, 4. Anthro Open Agenda Wedges in Coral

To me, this product line, Nostalgia, says Spring… it says Easter… it says Mother’s Day. I know that’s saying a lot for some bath products, but come on, doesn’t it? It does, and so, peruse, revel, enjoy, then buy.