Mascara Madness --Estee Lauder Lash XL

As Vanessa Williams so poingantly sang in 1998--

Sometimes the snow comes down in June
Sometimes the sun goes 'round the moon
Just when I thought our chance had passed
You (I) go and save the best for last.

Whatever. I have saved the best mascara (in my humble opinion) for last.

Today is the last day of MASCARA MADNESS and I am going to review my favorite mascara in recent years: Estee Lauder Lash XL- Maximum Length Mascara.
I love this mascara. I can honestly say it is one of my Holy Grails.
And like the song says--I saved the best for last.

My friend Annie at www.blogdorfgoodman.blogspot.com (who started Mascara Madness) has actually seen me in this mascara and asked me about it because she thought it gave great length.

This mascara has a gel type tip on the handle which is really cool and makes for a very comfortable application.
Estee Lauder Lash XL is not clumpy or thick, nor is it thin and watery. It is the *perfect* consistency. It does not flake, and it gives PHENOMENAL length.
These are photos of me wearing Lash XL--notice the tips of my lashes in the top photo are cut off becasue they were just too long to fit in the camera frame--just kidding.
Although I am not in the business of raving about Estee Lauder products, this mascara is awesome. One great thing about Estee Lauder is that it is very easily accesible, and pretty reasonably priced.

Next time you are at your local mall, give Estee Lauder Lash XL a try. Maybe they can even give you a sample. You can also find Estee Lauder Lash XL at www.gloss.com

I did not wear this product with a lash primer.

Product rating: 10 and a standing ovation.


I have really enjoyed being involved in Mascara Madness Month, and I have loved reading everyone's reviews. Thanks!


(photos from www.gloss.com and my very own camera. Cool graphic from Katie at www.scentzilla.com )

Happy Memorial Day

In Memory.

Vanilla Mint Listerine

I swear this new Vanilla Mint Listerine tastes just like Vanilla Stoli.
God, I wish I had known about it during Lent. It could have gotten me through some hard times--HA!
Listerine Vanilla Mint is new. It is said to be less intense than regular Listerine. I can attest to this being true. I am a big Listerine fan and have been for years, but sometimes the potency of Listerine is harsh.....and can sting. This new variety is much less harsh and tastes MUCH better.


For some strange reason, I assume that regular Listerine is working better because of the pain involved. Anything good involves some pain, right? Everyone out there who has ever had a bikini wax is screaming a resounding "AMEN" right now. The new less intense Vanilla Mint version is very mild with no stinging. I sure hope it works as well, because I am going to be using Vanilla Mint Listerine all the time.

As I said earlier, it tastes just like Vanilla Stoli to me...so not only is it functional for fresh breath.....it can be used as a cocktail mixer in a pinch.
I like that in a mouthwash.


(photo from CVS.com)

Cartier Delices

I love, love, love this new creation by Cartier. My husband bought this for me as a gift a couple of weeks ago and I notice myself wearing it all the time. I got the pure parfum, because to my nose the parfum smelled deeper and richer than the Eau de Toilette.

www.Sephora.com lists the notes of Cartier Delices as follows:

iced cherry, bergamot, pink pepper, violet, jasmine, freesia, amber, tonka bean, and musk.

Do not let the iced cherry note fool you. I know that sounds like something Britany would put in her fragrance, but Delices is for a Lady and not a girl.

I can honestly say my nose detects all the notes listed. They blend together so beautifully, and melt into my skin. After a few hours of wear, it becomes almost a skin scent....or a YSBB (your skin but better) kind of fragrance.

If you are looking for a new, sophisticated fragrance for an evening out this summer, give Cartier Delices a try. It is sexy and fun in a grown up kind of way.

(photo from www.sephora.com )

BEHOLD THE POWER.....

OF THE PINWHEEL!








and the even stronger power of a QUAD OF PINWHEELS!

Benevolent Blogging Wrap Up

Thanks to everyone for posting on Mother's Day (and prior) for Benevolent Blogging. My grand total was $37.00 (one comment was on behalf of a human and 2 dogs -so it counts as 3), so I am sending $37.00 to The Humane Society of the United States and another $37.00 to the Muscualr Dystrophy Association. I know first hand that the MDA puts their money to good use.

As I mentioned in my original Benevolent Blogging post, I have a great friend with Muscular Dystrophy. I met her a couple of years after she was diagnosed. We have been friends for 17 years, and we met at Muscular Dystrophy camp. Camp is just one of the many things MDA does for kids dealing with Muscular Dystrophy.
Her birthday is Saturday, so Happy Birthday S-love!!!

Thanks again for all the comments, we must do Benevolent Blogging more often!

A special Thanks to Katie at www.scentzilla.com for setting the whole thing up. Hugs to Katie!

Thank You! From Forrest

Thank You to everyone who sent me well wishes about my choppers!

All is great! AND I got a snazzy new scarf with flames!

Have a wonderful day!

Dental Doggie Dilemma

Indulge me for a moment if you will......

I took my 10 year old Dalmation, Forrest to the vet this morning for dental cleaning. I was very torn about this. He has had his teeth cleaned in the past, and I did not think much of it, but as Forrest has reached his golden years I have been very reticent to put him under anesthesia. I wish they could clean his teeth without putting him under. I have spoken to my friends Barbara and Melanie about this very thing, and both of them are not fans of putting older dogs under anesthesia unless medically necessary. I totally agree with Barbara and Melanie and had pretty much made my mind up that I would not put Forrest under anesthesia for teeth cleaning, BUT the vet told me that Forrest's teeth are bad and they are painful to him and they NEED to be cleaned or he could get a bad infection So trusting the vet, but very nervous about the anesthesia, I took him this morning to get his teeth cleaned.

There is a Walgreens right next to the vet's office, so after I dropped Forrest off, I went to Walgreens to drown my nervousness in lavendar Isadora eyeshadow.
As I was paying for my lavendar eyeshadow and other beauty booty, I noticed some Hershey Kiss Cookies by the cash register. I had been chatting with the cashier, Doris, so I asked Doris if the cookies were any good, and she stuck 2 boxes in my bag FOR FREE and told me they were very good and I should try them. Doris was so nice and funny and just what I needed this morning in the midst of my fear about Forrest. Purple eyeshadow and free cookies --that makes everything better.

Please send Forrest some good thoughts today. I cannot go pick him up till after 5:30pm, so I am sure I will worry about him all day long.

Thanks for the good thoughts, and Thank You Doris for the cookies!

Mascara Madness! Cover Girl Fantastic Lash

Thus far in Mascara Madness I have only reviewed what most would call higher end mascaras. Truth be told, I use all sorts of mascara. Some of my favorites come from places like Walgreens. I LOVE to look at drugstore makeup. Some of my most tried and true products come from Walgreens or www.drugstore.com .

Today I am going to review Cover Girl Fantastic Lash--with the curved brush. This mascara comes with a regular brush and a curved brush. I like the curved brush because I feel it gives me better control to reach those hard to reach lashes. And getting all the little lashes in the outer corner of your eyes, can truly make a huge difference.

I was not that familiar with this mascara when I bought it, and I did not have high expectations for it, however..I love it. I like it a lot better than some of my more expensive mascaras--such as Lancome Hypnose--but I will get into Hypnose in another post.

Cover Girl Fantastic Lash really is fantastic. My lashes look long and lush. They are not clumped together and they are very, very black.

I would give Cover Girl Fantastic Lash -with the curved brush - a rating of 9.

I did not wear this product with a lash primer.

(photo from www.covergirl.com and graphic from katie at www.scentzilla.com)

An Ode to a Few Hot, Funny Men with Dark, Curly Hair

This post is dedicated to some hilarious men...who just happen to have dark curly hair. I find that interesting. If you know of a funny man with dark curly hair, or if you are a funny man with dark curly hair, then by all means let me know. I will be glad to add them/you to the list.


Gary Gulman--hello! He is hot, he is funny, he is half naked, and obviously he likes to do housework. What more do you want?

Wonder what the "T" on the towel stands for.
Please take note of his hair-- FOR THE LOVE OF GOD HIS HAIR!!!!!










Andy Andy Andy! I have been a fan of Andy Samburg for a long time. I used to crack up at him and his friends (Jorma and Akiva) on Lonely Island and Awesometown. Most people just know him from Saturday night Live, but I knew of him prior to that because I am an improv nut and all about Second City. I think Andy is a genius. I love The Chronicles of Narnia skit he and Chris Parnell did. It makes me laugh so damn hard. Please take note of his beautiful, shiny, curly hair!




www.flulaborg.com/demo.html - Click here to see another hot, funny man with dark curly hair. Kristof Robinson is a friend of a friend, and I recieved this reel quite by accident, but it is hilarious none the less. Kristof might just be the next big thing. What kind of next big thing? Well who knows, but he is funny and he has lovely dark curly hair, and big eyebrows. Make sure your volume is up. It is funny stuff.

Even though his hair does not look curly, I would bet it is. Get Jeremy Piven out on a boat on a humid day with no gel or hair dryer and *voila*
big ass afro!

Jerry Seinfeld...what can I say? He is brilliant. I think he and Larry David are one of the best comedic teams in the history of the world. I love his stand up comedy and I loved his show. I miss Seinfeld.




Ok, I know some (most) of you would not consider Tom Hanks to be hot, but he is funny and awesome and he is sewn into the tapestry of my youth. Now he is a serious actor, but he used to be hilarious. Remember "Big"? He was hilarious, and cute, AND he has the damn curly hair.

Please let me know if I have left anyone out. Surely there are more funny men with dark, curly hair out there.

Happy Mother's Day!

Please see my post below about Benevolent Blogging, and all the awesome bloggers who are involved. Make the rounds, and make lots of comments!

I hope all the wonderful Moms out there have a beautiful day.

Much love to all..

Benevolent Blogging

The awesome Katie at www.scentzilla.com invited me to join an awesome day of love, support and help to others.

It is called Benevolent Blogging. On May 14, Mother's Day- every blogger involved agrees to send a designated amount of money for every comment on their blog to their favorite charity or charities.
To learn more about this go to www.scentzilla.com or www.benevolentblogging.blogspot.com/

(Edited--I will start counting comments today. I know many of my readers will be busy honoring their Mom's and their wives and may not have time to comment on Sunday. )


I am thrilled to be involved in this and I am looking forward to lots of comments--snarky or otherwise ,so I can send lots of money to my favorite charities.

I will be donating to the Human Society because there are few things I love more than animals. See more about the Humane Society of the United States at www.hsus.org

I will also be donating to the Muscular Dystrophy Association in honor of my great friend Stephanie who is living with Fredriechs Ataxia ( one of the over 40 types of neuromuscular diseases emcompassed by the MDA). To learn more about The Muscular Dystrophy Association go to www.mdausa.org .

I hope others get on board because if bloggers all over the world get involved this can be a very powerful day for helping, healing, and changing.

Become involved in Benevolent Blogging. Blogging to help is the best reason to blog ever!

Here is a list of some awesome bloggers involved and their charities.

Beauty Addict for Orphan Foundation of America
Blogdorf Goodman for FINCA International
Brain Trapped in Girl's Body for FINCA International
A Girl's Gotta Spa for Orphan Foundation of America
MonkeyPosh for Humane Society of the United States and Muscular Dystrophy Association
Mother Hen’s Place for Aga Khan Foundation Canada
Legerdenez for Orphan Foundation of America
One Child Left Behind for Heifer International
Perfume Posse for Orphan Foundation of America
Perfumery for FINCA International
Perfume-Smellin' Things for Orphan Foundation of America
The Scented Salamander for Orphan Foundation of America
Scenteur 7 for Orphan Foundation of America
Scentzilla! for FINCA International
SmellyBlog for FINCA International
The Soap Blog for UNIQUE
That Obscure Object of Desire for FINCA International
Victoria's Own for FINCA International
Yankee Family goes South for Orphan Foundation of America

Posh Spotting!

I am going to start a new feature on MonkeyPosh titled "Posh Spotting". It will feature posh, cool, or interesting things I see that I think would be interesting to share.

I would like to thank Yez at http://yesrie.com/DSiH/ for coining the phrase and giving me the idea.


Thanks Yez!

(graphic courtesy of D-drawings.dot)

Whoa- Big Fatty- Bam Ba Lam ba Lam

URBAN DECAY- BIG FATTY MASCARA

With a name reminiscent of a certain herbal ciggie, and the very posh Pucci-esque packaging, what is not to love about Big Fatty Mascara already? I mean seriously--I loved it before I even opened the box. It had me at hello.

Upon opening the package I was a bit alarmed at how big and fatty the mascara applicator part of the wand really was. It is HUGE. I was a little afraid at first, but upon touching this magic fatty wand to my lashes the birds started singing and pixies started dancing--if only in my head. The application of this mascara was wonderful. My lashes did not look clumpy at all. This is not a waterproof formula, but my lashes at the end of a rainy, windy day look as good as when I left the house this morning.
With a name like Big Fatty, I thought my lashes might look like this:
But, I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't. Tammy Faye's lashes sure were big and fat though! This is my eye lashes in Big Fatty at the end of a very long day.

I put Big Fatty on this morning before heading out the door in the torrential rain to Chicago. While in Chicago, I had to stand in the rain to wait for cabs, brave the weather getting from one place to another, walk from the train station to my car while getting soaked, get hit in the face with a nerf ball at doggie day care and still my lashes look great. No running, flaking, smearing or clumping.

I heart Big Fatty.



I did not use this product with a lash primer.

I would give Big Fatty a rating of a big fat 9.

(photo from Sephora.com and graphic from Katie at www.scentzilla.com and a very silly mystery girl who loves mascara)
(post title is a play on words from the song Black Betty by Ram Jam)

On behalf of Redheads everywhere

OH NO SHE DIDN'T!!!!!!!

Something lovely on a dreary Tuesday...Coat by Tuleh

It is a rainy, overcast day in the Chicagoland area today. I have been looking for a reason to post a photo of this GORGEOUS Tuleh Coat. This coat makes me happy--so that is as good a reason as any.

I am going to search high and low to find this coat for fall. I am not sure what it is made of, but it looks so soft and pettable. It is probably alpaca or something similar. I am in love with the design and color. I love the bell sleeves and the large buttons on the front. This is my number one lemming for fall. So beautiful.



(photo from Style.com)

Mascara Mayhem-- Chanel Cils A Cils

Chanel Cils A Cils Mascara

I usually trust all things Chanel to be refined, great quality and all around fabulous. Chanel Cils A Cils mascara keeps true to the Chanel label by being all those things.

Although I love this mascara, it is not my very favorite. I find the bristles on the brush to be a bit stiff, which is fine, but not my preference. I like a little wiggle room, a little give as it were. The formula is great...not too thick, but not too watery. I would tend to say it leans towards a thicker mascara. One or two coats of Cils A Cils is perfect for daytime wear, but if you want some va va va voom Jessica Rabbit style, then layer on a couple more coats ( be sure to use a lash separater to avoid thicky and clumpy Tammy Faye style lashes) for extra wow for an evening out.

I always use a last separater--always. I cannot stand clumpy, yucky lashes. Thick and luscious --GOOD! Clumpy and yucky--BAD! I usually use what looks to be a mascara wand just sold by itself. Sonia Kashuk at Target has one--I believe it is marketed as a brow brush, but it looks just like a mascara brush and works perfectly on the lashes. Shu Uemura also has one that works great. After I put on mascara I go over it with the empty mascara brush just to keep clumps at bay. With a light touch, you can get rid of clumps while not jeopardizing your mascara application. If you have a favorite mascara brush from an empty or expired mascara, well, when you are finished with your mascara it came in, if it is still in great shape, wash it throughly with warm soapy water, then let it dry completely. You may want to go over it one time with some astringent just to make sure there is ABSOLUTELY no mascara residue still on it as old mascara can cause all kinds of eye issues. Then *voila* instant, inexpensive lash separater.

Chanel Cils A Cils comes in Black, Brown, Marine (blue), and Violet. The price is $24.oo on www.chanel.com .

I did not wear this product with a lash primer.

Product rating = 7

(Edited) Please see my post below for the list of fabulous beauty bloggers who will be reviewing mascaras all month. Sorry I could not get the links to work yesterday!

photos from the wonderful Katie at www.scentzilla.blogspot.com and www.chanel.com

Mascara Madness---Yves Saint Laurent

YSL Mascara Volume Infini Curl-

I am obsessed with mascara. I have very long lashes, which have been a blessing and a curse. I am asked on a weekly basis if I am wearing fake lashes, but it is hard for me to find glasses because when I blink, my lashes hit the lenses and it drives me batty.
Because of the length of my lashes I have to be very careful and picky with mascara formulas. Nothing clumpy or thick, but nothing too watery either. I own tons of mascara, so these reviews will be a blast. I have tried a little bit of everything.

Yves Saint Laurent (hereby referred to as YSL) makes GREAT mascara. I especially love the Volume Infini Curl. It comes in a gold tube which looks very old school as opposed to Donald Trumpish. It is the perfect consistency, just thick enough to get great volume, but not so thick that you get clumps.

This is the perfect shade of black...not too brown, not too blue. It comes in a spiral brush as opposed to the Christmas tree type brush.

I do not wear this with a primer. The formula gives good volume and great coverage, so I did not feel the need to.

I would give this YSL mascara a rating of 9. I love it!


I am not sure if this mascara gives much curl, as I always curl my lashes. I have tried loads of eyelash curlers in my lifetime. Some of my favorites through the years have been:



Shu Uemura- I worship this eyelash curler. I have used it for years.
It is so gentle ( A MUST in lash curlers) but effective. This one is so popular that a lot of times my local Sephora is out of it. So I have been forced into trying other brands.

Kevyn Aucoin

--what can I say? He was such a makeup legend, and all around lovely person. I was fortunate enough to meet him a couple of times in Chicago at events. He was from Louisiana, so we bonded over our Southern accents ( I SWEAR I do no thave one though). I anticipated his makeup line for ever. I adore his eyelash curler. It comes with a flashy red pad, which does not really matter, but the red with the silver looks cool. This eyelash curler is awesome.

Bobbi Brown- My latest lash curler acquisition is the sleek, black Bobbi Brown eyelash curler. I got this in a pinch on vacation a while ago when I discovered I had left my eyelash curler behind. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I love it. The tension is great, the padding is soft, and it works beautifully. Ms. Bobbi, can you do no wrong?

I look forward to being part of mascara madness, as I said above, I LOVE MASCARA!

Thanks to A at BlogdorfGoodman for inviting me to be involved, and thanks to K at Scentzilla and Seldomnicenowadays for the cool mascara graphic! (sorry guys I cannot get the links to work.)

pictures from gloss.com, bergdorfgoodman.com, and sephora.com (and Katie)

Check out these other awesome bloggers for more fabulous mascara reviews!!! We will be doing this all month!

http://www.beautifulmakeupsearch.com/blog2

http://beautyaddict.blogspot.com/

http://blend10.blogspot.com/

http://thedailyobsession.wordpress.com/

http://beautydiary.blogspot.com/http://

www.ladybuglife.blogspot.com/

http://monkeyposh.blogspot.com/

http://thenonblonde.blogspot.com

http://scentzilla.com

http://after-so-much-thinking.blogspot.com

http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/

http://Blogdorfgoodman.blogspot.com

Beautiful Things

While on my travels I did a lot of looking and shopping. I am not a huge gambler, so I had plenty of time for shopping. Hooray!
One of the most exciting things I got to do was, I got to smell Scent of Peace by Bond #9. It is their newest and most highly anticipated scent. There were fabulous Bond salespeople at the Saks in Vegas. Laurice should be VERY proud of them. They were very excited about the fragrances and knew their stuff! One of the salespeople was an awesome man named Princess--yes Mary, a man named Princess--is that not the best? Scent of Peace is lovely, but smells a lot like D& G Light Blue to me-- it has a little more berry, but still very similar. The bottle , however is beautiful and would be a beautiful addition to my collection.





Ah---The Louis Vuitton Tupelo Sandal. LOVE LOVE LOVE. I had been admiring these in my Italain Vogue for months, but had never seen them in person till I went to Vegas. I know these are a little loud and tacky in a Mariah Carey kind of way--however, I LOVE them because they are unique. My husband totally wanted me to get them, but there are 2 Louis Vuitton boutiques in Vegas, and neither of them had my size. Where on earth in the Suburbs could I wear these? Maybe to a Lil Kim concert or something?









AhhhhChloe. I love these sandals. I love the substantial heel. Stilettos are hot, but they can be so hard to walk on. The more substantial heels are supposed to be all the rage this fall. Notice it is not a chunky heel (shudder), but a thicker heel. I will be sporting these with denim gauchos this summer. I love them so much. I had been lemming these forever, when I saw them and made them mine! Chloe remains one of my favorite houses.







I love the unique design of this Gucci bag. The bananas and pineapples make me think of the Caribbean. I had been admiring this bag on line and it is so much more interesting looking in person. The photograph does not do it justice at all.














My oh my! There are no words for these gorgeous Louboutins. They take my breath away. I want to wear them with a beautiful Celine dress and I want to go to a huge art show/ cocktail party in Paris! I am very excited to see what Ivana Omazic (formerly of Miu Miu) does for Celine. I have high hopes that Celine does not turn into a trendy Prada-ish looking line.





What are some beautiful fashion things you have seen this week?
Have a beautiful day!

Vegas Baby!

I must start off by saying that I am not a huge fan of Vegas. I mean it is fun in a cheeky, gimmicky, odd kind of way. Everything is larger than life. It can be an assault on the senses. Fake Eiffel Tower--GAH, give me the real Eiffel Tower any day. The Venetian--UGH . Anyone who has seen the real canals of Venice would just snicker at the weirdness of it all. We went to Vegas for a conference for work.....so for a work trip, it was fun.
Having said that, I loved my hotel, and I loved the shopping. For the sweet love of God, THE SHOPPING!

We stayed at the newest hotel on The Strip, the Wynn right across the street from the Fashion Show Mall. This mall has Saks and Neiman Marcus, which is awesome for a mall. Most of the newer, larger hotels have great shopping in them these days too. There is a Jimmy Choo boutique at the Venetian, and at the Forum Shops at Ceasar's Palace. The Wynn had a Manolo Blahnik boutique. Manolo and I had a torrid love affair during my short stay.

Another cool thing about Vegas is the FOOD. So many fine dining establishments. World class chefs, world class food, world class restaurants. We had some damn fine meals while there, but I must tell you about the DEEP FRIED TWINKIES AND DEEP FRIED OREOS we had at a trashy, scary casino called The Mermaid. It was downtown--on Fremont Street. I do not want to be rude, but Fremont Street is dumpy, old and can be quite scary. Of all my trips to Vegas, I had never been to Fremont Street...and um, I can safely say I will NEVER go back there. I would advise you to just stick to The Strip unless you are a drunk crotchity old man bumming cigarettes wearing shoes that do not matchTHEN you might fit in on Fremont Street. I digress...back to the DEEP FRIED TWINKIES AND OREOS--they were an awesome, trashy, greasy, culinary mess...in a word, delicious!