The . Beauty . Department

Not too terribly long ago, we got a new Ulta store in town. I must confess, not having been in one before, my impression was that it would be a bit like a Rite Aid, but you know, just for beauty supplies. I don't know how I came to that idea, but I did.

Thankfully - as I'm sure some of you will know - that couldn't be further from the truth. Ulta has a pinch of Rite Aid to it, but mostly it's like a less intimidating version of a department store beauty section.

They have Tarte, and Benefit, and Bare Minerals, and well... a lot of good stuff. My first purchases: Butter London nail color in "Knees Up" (a shade I'd been coveting since this post) and Tarte Cheek Stain in "Flush".

I've been dying to try this cheek stain for like, forever, and finally took the plunge. I'm normally a bronzer girl, but this is cheek color perfection: easy to apply, lasts a long time, isn't sticky at all, and looks just like you have cheeks flushed from the cold!

Make-Up . Free . Monday

I honestly don't wear a ton of make-up: concealer under the eyes, tinted moisturizer, bronzer, and mascara. I occasionally will wear lipstick or gloss, but it's kind of a rarity. Even so, when I heard about Make-Up Free Mondays from The Beauty Bean, my response was "Ha!"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha..."

Because, lets face it, the idea of going outside - further than the mailbox outside - without any kind of make-up at all is terrifying. Venturing out without make-up is for supermodels and people with flawless complexions.

But we're on vacation right now (at least in as much as a visit to the in-laws can be), and it's hot. Surface of the sun hot. And I have no interest in doing anything that will make my skin feel covered, much less do I feel like sticking a hot curling iron in my hair. So today is not only Make-up Free Monday, but also, I'm Not Bothering with My Hair Monday as well.

What about you? Have you done Make-up Free Monday? (or tuesday, wednesday, thursday....) If not, would you? Is going "nude" a big departure from your normal routine?

P.S. - Apologies for the somewhat glazed look in the photo. I'd like to blame on the MacBook camera, but it's likely a result of me having no capacity to look natural in close-up pictures. Probably.

Here . Kitty . Kitty

I've been practicing doing cat-eye liner/winged liner now since whenever it was that I became obsessed with it. Is it possible to get worse at something the more you do it? After trying loads of brushes + smudge pots, liquid liners, and pencils, I'm down to this liquid pen thing. Unfortunately the pen thing has a blunt tip (who thought that would work for any sort of eyeliner??), so I'm hunting for a pointy-tip one.

Sigh. Whenever I'd watch the Rachel Zoe Project, I always thought it to be too, too much that she always had someone to zip over and do her hair and makeup. But now... maybe I can find someone to do that kind of thing, but you know, for cheap. Or free.

Pictures: Itchy Cat, We Heart It, 3BS, Oh Fashion Model, Twenty Something Chic