

I got shocked lately, in trying to stick within my monthly Beauty Budget. When I added up the cost of the products I used daily…I came to a conclusion…it’s expensive to be me. The other day, before purchasing yet another $30.00 tube of designer lipstick, I decided to challenge myself and see if I could buy an entire arsenal for the same price. Not only that, how would it look?
Back in the day, I was a District Manager for a retail clothing chain, and the chain also decided at one point to carry a small line of cosmetics, known as NYX. Now NYX has added a longer list to their friendly priced products, so I decided to start with them for a lip liner and lip stick. The matte color shown here is Summer Breeze. It has tons of pigment and is not so matte that it dries up your lips. I also chose the illuminator from NYX and was pleasantly surprised. It was more of a gold tone as opposed to a white so it looked more naturally dewy to me.
The ELF Cosmetics bronzer duo was fantastic, and was under $4.00 and I was not expecting much but it was fabulous! Look Ma, No lashes! Being on a budget, I refrained from using false lashes and decided to try out New York Color Mascara. Loved it! I believe it was less than $5.00 as well, and that’s quite a savings compared to the designer $30 a tube mascaras out there! I will buy this again.
My personal theory is that by saving money on certain things, then there is a bigger budget allowance for bigger things, such as top of the line serums and moisturizers. To me, this is where the money matters because you are paying for tons of research and better ingredients. Moisture and repair is where it makes more cents to me to spend. Additionally, your technique of application has everything to do with how you turn out, as long as the product meets a certain standard. The price friendly products above, all had decent features and benefits.
This was a helpful post to me, because it made me more mindful of the money spent on cosmetics in the past as well as what I will spend in the future! Not only that, I pretty much look exactly the same as if I’d had on a $400 collection of products!
-SDS
-July 7, 2014
This week I had the opportunity to do a full shoot in which I got to style, do the make up and photograph some photos for Jennifer’s acting/modeling portfolio.
I wanted to share some of the photos here on the blog because I absolutely had a blast spending the day together and working on her shots!
Although I work in cosmetics, as well as own my own Apartment Locating business in Houston, I also enjoy doing freelance makeup and small shoots here and there. It’s a passion.
I decided to go for a more retro look this time, and used the new line of lip colors by Estee Lauder, Pure Envy, to give her that bold, sculpted lip look. I had used a nude lip in previous shots, shown here.
The black feathered dress I used is a special vintage find that I own and it waits patiently in my closet for events such as this! I use this fact to illustrate my continual point, in that fashion doesn’t have to kill your finances. I actually bought it years ago. I’d taken over as District Manager for a chain of fashion stores in Houston, and they had decided to close out their formal collection, so I purchased this at a total steal although at the time I’d had no place to where it to!
I would almost be upset at how wonderful it looks on Jennifer, but she’s such an angel and so fabulous that it’s impossible to be upset with her for being 5’10 and gorgeous! And young. And smart.
I’ve always been so interested in advertising and how exactly people a select few work their way up into ad positions with retailers. I once worked for a US company that kept making odd choices in the catalog models and styles and sales began to suffer with each poor decision.
Once, they hired an actress from another country to be our model. The problem was, they paid her a lot of money, but 98% of our demographic didn’t even know who she was so the large salary spent accomplished nothing. I always felt it would be a better decision to find a fabulous unknown, and develop her and your company image simultaneously. If your product is great and your catalog is great, do you need a multi million dollar face?
Anyway, there will be other themed pictures from different parts of the shoot shared in the future here! What are your thoughts?
-SDS
A BOUDOIR EVENT
Once upon a time, I was on a plane to Michigan with some coworkers. The
male coworker sitting next to me was thumbing through a Maxim magazine, looking at suggestive, sexy photos of Gina Lee Nolan. He bumped my shoulder, so I would look over, and he said,” I bet you wish you looked like this,” shoving the magazine in my face, at which point I quipped…”I bet she wishes that she looked like this.”
I’ve been long aware of the power of visual stimulation on men. Most men do not have any realization of what exactly goes into the creating of modern visual media, and how the images they are looking at, and that we all get crammed in our faces on a daily basis…are truly created from an original basic image, and then severely enhanced, a lot like cartoons when over done.
It is for this reason, that I love taking a woman and creating her very own glamour shoot. Boudoir. Fashion. Whatever. I prefer to keep images as pure as possible. You would want to show a friend your photo and NOT have them say, “Is this YOU?” I like to keep it real.
On this day, my friend Crystal had agreed to do a Valentine’s Glamour Shoot for whosoever desired to sign up. Every single female I know wants to do it. They want to be forever immortalized for their Valentine…but most are too scared.
I didn’t want to have to do hair, makeup and photography, so Crystal styled the hair and did the girl’s makeup.
The girls wanted to be glammed up for the Valentine in their lives, and I’m sharing just a few of the shots here. What I enjoy is showing the men in their lives, how immortal the woman in their life could be if only there was a daily glam squad available. It helps to dispel the myths that the media has created. People, we have an unrealistic expectation of women due to media which glorifies silicone, capped teeth, hair extensions and photo shop. It’s a pretend world that doesn’t exist.
Real people do have armpit wrinkles, neck lines and crows feet when they smile. That being said, I do like to use angles, lighting and professional makeup application, to help people look great in their photos.
I like to show women that they are powerful, worthy, beautiful and exceptional in their own way.
I work in cosmetics, a world where I’ve seen more than one man drag his wife to the cosmetics counter, asking for her to be made to look “like the women in the ads.” ( Yes that’s rude as hell.) Men want the fantasy, so give it to them every once in a while, or give it to yourself.
-SDS
SIX SHOTS
January two thousand fourteen
1. GLASSESUSA
I totally love my new glasses from GlassesUSA and I am so impressed with how easy it is to order them online! They are a sponsor, and I love finding great deals and sharing them with you! ( Also, I can see now, so that’s a life changer!) Check out the blog post for the details!
2. BROWS-A-GO-GO
I ventured out of my comfort zone and decided to try something I’d previously thought would only serve to complicate my life…a new brow system. I think the palette from Benefit is a must have!
3. MY BEAUTY COUTURE
Crystal Trevino is a Houston based freelance makeup artist, stylist and nail guru! She had asked me to take some pictures for her new website, www.mybeautycouture.com and we both loved the way they came out so these pictures were a high point for me this month!
4. BIRTHDAY SECRET
I’d never before consciously realized that I hadn’t advertised my age on my blog! It was a liberating moment. I am every woman, every age, every size. I have compassion for the young, and often misguided and the old and often bitter! I hoped my age wouldn’t bother people, which was stupid, because it doesn’t bother me, and I have close friends of all ages and we are truely all the same in so many ways. (Except for you ladies that don’t groom your eyebrows…I don’t get you and we are nothing alike, that’s insane!)
5. COLDNESS
It has been crazy cold this month for Texas, and there hasn’t been much time for cute fashion blogs. This was a miserably cold and windy day, and I had to do Apartment Locating work. My husband came with me so he could nag about my driving in the passenger seat…I mean, spend time with me, so we shot a few pictures of me looking a lot like Francisco Scavullo (google him) for the blogpost, Coldness.
6. FIRST DAY of THE NEW YEAR
This is totally an Instagram picture I took on New Year’s evening at dinner. I got to use my new glammy gold bag, we chat about our goals for the new year, and made it home safely. It was a great start to what I hope will be a great year!
-SDS
-January 30, 2014
It is a very rare event when I get my husband to appear in a post here, but I bought him this Tommy Hilfiger sweater, Van Huesen button down shirt and a new pair of Levi’s 501 Button fly jeans for Christmas, so agreeing to a mini shoot was only right!
The last time I was able to get him to do a shoot for me was a year ago, in the Classic Levi’s Day blog post.
Sometimes, when we go somewhere, I have on heels and I am dressed up, but he is dressed for tennis. I don’t shop for him enough, mainly because he is rather finicky, but I see now it benefits me to get him dressed on occasion!
We took the photos at one of the tennis facilities he works out of, and the landscape is beautiful for photos. It’s my secret place for when I do photography here and there.
As for actually styling a man-shoot, it’s entirely different than shooting a female. Their skin is different, the photos need to be more rugged…not delicate, or else ick! I don’t think men sit up at night pouring over fashion sets, so I think in terms more of a woman trying to maintain her guy and what she might like to do for him. I say this, however, my Pure Speculation blog post called It’s a Fact, Bald Men Are HOT is quickly climbing the chart of popularity among my blog posts. I tend to think I am getting a lot more male readers than previously suspected!
The sweater is so cool and also looks great with a simple turtle neck or t shirt underneath.
He desperately needed a jean update. The fit on these Levi’s is fabulous and kinda hot and I love the new faded wash they just came out with.
While the pictures may appear peaceful and romantic, the shoot was anything but! you know how you try to take your dog’s picture, and it’s restless? It may be standing there still and stiff, but it’s stressed and not wanting a photo taken, occasionally looking away, and not posing how you would like? This was that! The good news is that at least he’s not vain at all, and I would be worried if he actually enjoyed getting his pictures done!
Ken enjoys vacation type, fun photos, but that’s about it! He doesn’t think it’s funny when I state that we are preserving and documenting his last ounces of youth.
I shouldn’t have given him this Christmas present early, but it would have tortured my soul to no end, waiting until Christmas to see if he liked it or not! He loved the set. I wonder what improvements I can make next?
Also, do we want more man style blog posts? No? Let me know what you think!
-SDS
-December 17, 2013