Random

CHA-CHA-CHA-CHANGESSS!

So this blog is about a year old.  The new site isn’t quite at the year mark yet (Not until October), but the blog is (I migrated it over from blogspot).

I’ve decided going forward that I’m going to be blogging about anything and everything that I want.  As much as beauty is my passion, I’m also equally passionate abut my own life.  And if I’m going to be able to continue to update this blog regularly, I’m going to have to start including other content that isn’t always related to beauty.

And seriously, with every girl out there being a product whore, beauty blogs are a dime a dozen.  Sure my advice is ACES – I mean, I am a legit professional – But, why would you come here to read about the same products you could read about somewhere else.  Sure, I am way more interesting and entertaining than they are – But, I don’t like being like EVERYONE ELSE.

There will still be blogs about beauty.  It’s my job, it’s my passion, it’s the thing that pays my bills.  But, my love of beauty has been influenced by so much more than standard product reviews.  My life IS my work, and it’s in every single face that I create.  So why not write about the life experiences that have shaped the artist I’ve become?

I hope you’re not mad.

If you’re apprehensive about the switch, let me give you a few reasons why this change is going to be a GOOD thing:

Read More »

Bye Bye Binders

Back in the day (Ok, really just up until a month ago), I was working off a binder system.

INSPIRATION BINDERS.

Lots of people keep these – Or at least they’re pretty common with creative types.  Personally, if I came across makeup that I loved in a magazine, I would rip out the page and slide it in to a clear plastic sleeve and put it in one of the many binders that would take up way too much space around my room.  It was a system that served me well for a time, but after almost a year of ‘inspiration binder’ keeping…Things got a little out of control.

I also got a little bit lazy, and towards the end I would rip pages out of magazines and never put them inside the binders at all.  Then there were occasions where I’d find myself sorting through these binders for a reference, and I’d end up removing pages while shaking my head trying to figure out why I even thought I liked some of the images in the first place.

In any case, that antiquated system is DONE.  I’m over it.

The timing couldn’t be better since just the other day, photographer and friend, the fabulous Miss Marley Kate put me on to something much more efficient.  Gone are the days of tearing out pages from books and magazines!  A little site called Image Spark is changing the game and making it much easier to organize and refer to images that may inspire you.

Now all I have to do is upload the images that I like to my very own reference library.  I can even create moodboards for specific styles that I want to separate from the rest of the pack.  If you use firefox, there is also a plug-in that takes things one step further by allowing you to click on any image you come across while perusing the web, and automatically uploads it to your Image Spark library.

The best part is that the site is still pretty young, which means that it’s still possible to get a user name that actually is your name.

Check out Image Spark and search for me under (what else?), Jillian.

Eyeliner Modeled After Mont Blanc Pens? Fact or Fiction?

Usually I’m pretty good at being in the know about anything and everything beauty related. But, occasionally someone around me hears about a cool product and puts me on to something I hadn’t even noticed.  Such is the case with a particular eyeliner from the French cosmetic line Le Metier.

My friend Charles claims that Le Metier based their eyeliner design on Mont Blanc pens.  The reason?  Apparently Mont Blanc pens are so expertly crafted that they write under any circumstances.  And so, by basing an eyeliner on Mont Blanc technology, the result is an eyeliner that will draw a perfect line every time it’s handled. Supposedly even the shakiest of hands, and the most cosmetically challenged can achieve line perfection when armed with this eyeliner.

I haven’t tested it yet, but I’m planning a trip to Bergdorf next week to check it out and will let you know what I think.

Have any of you heard about this? Is this just another urban legend, or is this eyeliner the real deal?

Is this the Holy Grail of eyeliner?

New Year. New Room. Busted Computer. Bad Hair.

2009 is off to a weird start – And I realize I fell off the grid a bit, but between settling into the new year, moving into a new room, a busted computer and a brief hair emergency (It turned ORANGE.  No lie), I have been way too preoccupied to even attempt to keep up here.

The logic board on my Macbook crapped out, and it took 2 weeks to get repaired which is why the blog went silent for a while.  But my little Macbook is back, and I’m getting back into the grind: Check out the Women’s Gallery for a bunch of new images that were uploaded yesterday!

As for my hair – It’s back to dark after turning NEON ORANGE following an impulsive decision to go blonde.  In case you’re thinking of trying to go blonde too, my advice is not to even think about doing it yourself.  That box bleach is DISASTROUS, and I was really asking for trouble the moment I slapped that shit on my head.

Thank God for Philip B haircare.  Without the Peppermint & Avocado Shampoo and Light Weight Deep Conditioning Rinse, I really think my hair might have fallen out.  If your hair is in need of a little extra TLC I highly recommend these products – They are LOADED with plant extracts and oils and will revive even the most damaged locks back to life.

Anyway, check the blog often for updates, which will be coming regularly again.  Promise.

Top 10 of 2008

I’ve got so much to do today it’s ridiculous, and I kind of don’t have time to be blogging but I’m determined to take five minutes out of the day to post one final entry for 2008.  

I’d come up with my own list for 08, but there are already so many that there really isn’t any point.  Not to mention, if you read this site regularly you know I list my favorite products all the time…So, there wouldn’t be anything particularly special about a list I might compile.

I’ll leave you with two top 10 lists that have nothing to do with make-up.  These lists are really different from anything you might normally find here – But, I think both are worth checking out.

Photographers Kareem Black and Mel D. Cole have lists up on the URB site…

Best of ’08: Photog Mel D. Cole’s Top 10

Best of ’08: Photog Kareem Black’s Top 10

Enjoy!