ProductWhores

Liquid Gold

Every once in awhile, a product comes along that's so genius, you wonder why no one invented it before and why it took you so long to buy it in the first place.  It happens rarely, but when it does, I can't stop talking about the product that's gotten me so excited (sad, I know).  And right now, I'm obsessing over Cargo's Liquid Powder.  It's technically not a new product since it's been out for awhile, but that just makes me look stupid for walking by such a great product so many times, so let's just gloss right over that fact.  It's just a great idea - it's a liquid that comes in a tube, but when you smooth it on your face, it dries to a matte powder finish, making your skin look (dare I say it?) flawless.  You can use it over your foundation, by itself, or even as a makeup primer, so it's really versatile.  Best of all, if you like to touch up your face during the day (like me), but hate how gross the powder puff in your compact can get (they're like little germ factories!), this is the perfect product for you since you can just throw the container in your bag and not worry about an applicator.  I especially like the way it feels on my skin compared to the powder I had been using - it takes away the midday shine I can sometimes get, but doesn't look heavy at all.  (I have a secret fear of turning into one of those old ladies who looks like she put on her makeup with a spackle).  Seriously, if someone can make a powder this magical, can a fat free double chocolate chip brownie be far behind?

Photo courtesy of Cargo

Cruel Summer

Even though it's a hundred degrees in Los Angeles (which, sadly, is still about twenty degrees less than it has been lately), all of the stores are putting out their long-sleeved clothes and my local drugstore already has a Halloween display up. Halloween! Which can only mean one thing - fall weather is right around the corner. Thank God, because I could seriously have bought myself and all of my friends iPhones with the money I've spent to air condition my apartment these past few months. And yet, as happy as me (and my allergies) will be to see the summer go, there's still a small part of me that feels a little sad. So to alleviate that sadness, I did what any woman would do - I went shopping for summer stuff on sale, which inevitably led me to Sephora, which in turn led me to Cargo's Bronzing Kit. It's a great value, for only $35, you get a bronzer (with a big, fluffy brush), a PurseGloss in a bronzy shimmer called Baja (I am sad to say that Baja will always and forever remind me of 90210 and Dylan McKay), and an EyeBronzer. Although the Sephora website did make me laugh when it said that the products all come in a reusable gift tin - Okay, is there anyone on the planet who ever reuses tins like these? What would they even be reusable for? I guess you could store paper clips or something in them, but note to Sephora, that is not a selling point you should be using. Still, $35 seems like a small price to pay to hold on to that last fading bit of summer. And unlike putting on your bathing suit one final time, you don't even have to suck in your stomach to do it. Sign me up!

Smoking Hot

I don't technically own this Cargo Smoky Eye Kit yet, but I had to write about it since I just saw it online and will be going to Sephora to purchase it as soon as possible. I've been lusting after the Smoky Eye combos and the adorable brush that goes with them since they came out, but even though I've played with them more times at the store than I can count, I always forced myself to walk away since the eyeliner duos are $28 and the brush is $32. That's $60, which is kind of pricey. But I didn't want to buy one without the other because, well, it just seems wrong. (I have the same issue with magazines - there are just certain ones that go together and they can't be bought separately. Yes, I know I'm weird). It's things like this that make me love it when companies put together sets because they're almost always a fantastic deal. For only $39, you get the Eyeliner duo in Budapest (a grey color), the brush and a mascara. It's almost like getting the eyeliner and mascara for free! I love free! Plus, the grey duo is the one I wanted to buy anyway, so it's not like they're doing what some companies try to get away with and putting the really ugly colors that no one wants in the cute set. I know I'll actually use all three things in the Smoky Eye Kit and how often can you say that? Hhm, now I'm all excited - Why can't Sephora be open 24 hours so I could run over and get it right now? Hey, that would be a fantastic idea - an all night beauty store! A drive-thru all night beauty store! How come no one's opened one of those before? Actually, I'll bet one is coming soon. If Taco Bell and Home Depot can do it, how can Sephora be far behind?

Gloss Made Specifically For My Purse

Cargo has made a fantastic move - they have put some of their best-selling glosses that usually come in the annoying tins into tiny little squeeze tubes!  I am so happy that I finally don't have to dip my finger into any more of their tins.  Instead, I can squeeze their amazing gloss onto my lips while I'm walking to my car in the morning, if I want to.  Nothing better than multi-tasking, I always say.  I suppose one drawback would be the size of the tube (tiny) and the chance that too much gloss can be applied, wasting the precious stuff.  However, I will happily take those drawbacks over the giant tin that was always hard to fit into my purse and the fact that I always suffered the sticky finger.  The Purse Glosses come in 9 shades - some shimmering, some sheer, all are fabulous.

Who Doesn't Love Plants?

Man, actresses get all the perks. Free clothes, cool party invitations, kissing scenes with gorgeous men... And now they get to design their own lipstick colors too? Un. Fair. If I didn't like the new CARGO PlantLove Botanical Lipsticks so much, I'd be really bitter. This new line of colors comes in recyclable, environmentally friendly tubes made entirely out of corn. Seriously, that's genius. I need to buy them all because that way if I get trapped in my car when the next big earthquake hits, I'll be able to survive for days off just the different shades in my purse. And the cute outer carton with the colored design on it is made out of flower paper with real flower seeds in it, so you can actually plant it and end up with a bouquet of real flowers. How cool is that? If I didn't have a black thumb and kill all plants, I would be all over that. The lipsticks come in twelve shades, but my favorite is Mariska, the one designed by Mariska Hargitay. It's a sheer brown that looked great on - colorful, but matte and natural all at the same time. Who knew Detective Olivia Benson could make such a damn fine lipstick? She's wasting her time chasing perps when she should be designing for Clinique. The colors aren't cheap at $20, but $2 from every sale goes to the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, so that alone makes it worth it. I mean, really, between the recycling, planting and donations, you'll probably feel worse about yourself if you don't buy at least one of these. At least that's what I'm telling myself...