The blog reached a milestone last week, friends! I received my very first "reader request." {So what if it was from my mom who pretty much has an obligation to love my blog...it still counts, right?} Anyway, I've gotta admit, I was pretty excited when I got an email with "Blog Lady" in the subject line asking if I had any recommendations for "lipstick that stays on more than five minutes but isn't sticky." Well, as a matter of fact, I do...along with another "love" that I want to share with you too.
Without further ado...
Without further ado...
MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Rouge
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| MAKE UP FOR EVER's Aqua Rouge |
Long-lasting lip color that doesn't dry out your lips? Non-existent, you say? I disagree. MAKE UP FOR EVER's Aqua Rouge truly stays on for hours and hours (see proof below). I have not had a problem with it drying out my lips, but some of the reviews indicate this could be an issue if you layer it on too thick. {Well, duh.} It's also going to crack and flake off {G-ross!} if you apply too many layers. The color is very vibrant, so you don't need to cake it on your lips, I promise. For the best results, apply a single (thin) layer to your lips and let it completely dry before adding the clear gloss to make it shiny. You can skip the clear gloss if you prefer the matte look...the color still lasts "forever."
The photos below are proof that this is "lipstick that stays on more than five minutes." {you're welcome, Mom!}
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| 7:30 AM |
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| 10:00 AM The shiny gloss has faded, but the color is still going strong! |
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| 12:30: after eating lunch, before re-applying clear gloss The color has faded a bit on my bottom lip, but the top lip still looks fresh Seriously...can you believe it's still there AFTER eating/drinking/napkin-ing?!!? |
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| 12:30: after re-applying clear gloss The clear gloss worked some magic to even-out the color |
I guess I lost interest after lunch because I have no more photos to share with you...sorry! Because I believe in full disclosure, I will tell you that the color seems to fade a bit unevenly toward the end of the day. The clear gloss works well to even-out the color. If you don't re-apply the clear gloss, it might look like your lip liner is darker than your overall color {at the end of the day...I'm talking after MULTIPLE hours}. It definitely doesn't come off in chunks, so your lips aren't left to look like you applied lipstick in an animal-print pattern.
Mpix Online Photography Lab
Mpix is a division of the largest professional photography lab in the U.S. {i.e. you can get professional quality prints and other photo products without having a professional photography Tax ID number}. Oh, and did I mention their prices are phenomenal?!!?
I first found out about Mpix when I asked a friend where she had her {photo} Christmas ornaments made. She told me she had learned of Mpix from her friend who is a professional photographer. Because apparently I need multiple sources of approval/reassurance, I asked Kiley if she'd heard of Mpix. Her response {via text, of course}:
Yes. It's the consumer side of the professional lab I use for my studio. I recommend it to all my clients who purchase digital rights of their photos.We purchased the digital rights to all the photos from The.Best.Day (taken by the amazing McGowan Images), so I decided to give Mpix a try in printing a few wedding photos we were planning to give as Christmas gifts. I could not have been more pleased with the quality of the photos, the quick turnaround and the great customer service.
My order included 4x6 prints and 5x7 prints. If you select a photo size that your image isn't formatted to, a screen pops up to help you crop the image to the correct size and shows you a preview of how the image will print. Not only that, but a photo professional at the lab hand-checks every single print for quality before your order is shipped {you'll see that they sign off on a quality check on your shipping receipt}.
Two more things:
- Once you upload your photos to your account, you can "Share" albums with friends/family so they can order too.
- Mpix is located in Pittsburg, Kansas!
- For my Kansas friends: yay for supporting a local company!
- For all friends outside of Kansas: yay for no sales tax on your order!
As always, please leave me a comment if you have an opinion on anything included in any of the "Leslie Loves..." posts. I love to hear from you! It makes the time and effort I put into these posts {which Ryan says is a lot!} totally worth it. Yes, I'll admit it...I'm totally vain and thrive on your flattering comments...so THANK YOU for letting me know that you actually read my blog and enjoy it! {I also welcome constructive criticism...although on a somewhat-limited basis!}
I'm traveling for work the rest of this week, but hopefully I'll be able to get another "Leslie Loves..." post put together to make up for slacking last week {blame it on our mini-vaca to Colorado; pics coming soon!}
