This post is going to age me a tad. Okay, I admit it. I am not 21.

My 20th High School Reunion was scheduled for the summer of 2007. The thought of meeting with my old classmates again, (including my old boyfriend), from 20 years ago put me in a tailspin.

Had it really been 20 years? That whole High School thing was all a dream, a weird dream, right?

Of course I wanted to go. But then again, did I really want to reintroduce myself to a bunch of people that I grew up with; most of whom I hadn’t heard from or seen in 20 years?

While considering the options, my husband Evan encouraged me by saying, “You only live once.” That clinched it. I asked Grandma to watch the kids, and reserved a ticket to fly the 1,500 miles to Bloomington, Indiana with Evan’s frequent flier miles. I was going!

That’s when the panic set in, and I began to fall into a state which I now call PMLC. My Pre-Mid Life Crisis.

This crisis was caused by examining myself a little closer in the mirror. About a year ago I started watching the TLC program,”10 Years Younger.” I was hoping someone in my family would nominate me.

While seeking for some cosmetic miracles on the Internet, I felt very ridiculous. Although my pride didn’t prevent me from looking. I came across many websites, most promoting their own product lines and making outlandish claims. I might have been desperate, but some of these promises were so transparently false, that I couldn’t trust them.

That’s when I met Meg. Her site really offered something unique. Not only a wonderful place to discover great cosmetics and skincare lines, but a forum to gain support and friendship.

Needless to say, I had a fabulous time at my reunion. The experience exceeded all of my expectations. I was able to see so many old, good friends (some I knew since Kindergarten). My old boyfriend is a Doctor, another good friend runs her own Circus, one guy even works for Vanity Fair in NYC. Meeting all those people again made the entire PMLC worth it.

Plus, I now have some new friends at Meg’s, and my skin has never felt or looked better!

http://megsmakeup.com/

Here are some of my favorite cosmetics/skincare products:

• -Tarte Smooth Operator Foundation SPF 20- I have been searching for a foundation like this my entire life and I have tried several. My main objectives: natural looking coverage without the cakiness/deposits some foundations can have, applies smoothly without too much work, & won’t cause breakouts. My most crucial question: Can it live up to the lighted “magnification” mirror test? It is true, I am a bit obsessed with my skin, but I notice so many ladies with horrible foundation, and then ask myself the question, “Am I one of THEM?” With this foundation and a superb primer, I can confidently respond, “Not me!” The SPF 20 is a bonus, love it, love it, love it!!!
• Perricone MD Ceramic Smooth Skin Primer: this item is pricey, however, it is the most amazing product I have ever tried. After cleansing and moisturizing in the AM, apply the Ceramic Smoother and your makeup will glide on beautifully. You might even choose to skip the foundation altogether. It improves the texture of your skin and fills in small lines and imperfections. My pores have really decreased in size! I don’t know how this works, but Perricone really has developed something extraordinary. My advice, save up and splurge on this one!
• Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in “Black Honey” and their newly released “Black Plum”
• Alison Raffael’s Concealer. Wonderfully silky and gives great coverage. This mineral based concealer really does a wonder under eyes and over blemishes.
• Caudalie’s Skincare Line (I am falling in love, thanks a lot Meg’s esp. Kate–) Caudalie uses ingredients rich in Grape Goodness from their vineyards in France. Caudalie’s cleansers, moisturizers, serums, and treatments (like Vinoperfect) SMELL HEAVENLY! They are extremely gentle and effective for keeping your skin healthy, radiant, and feeeeling sooo soft! Oh LA LA!

I have a very sweet seven year old daughter named Sarah. We live in a very dry climate and Sarah is constantly licking her lips because they feel dry and chapped. As we all know, this only makes the problem worse. Typically, cute little Sarah can be seen with a sore, cracked and very red upper lip all winter long!

As a mommy, I have been searching for lip balms to help Sarah keep her lips from being such a problem. Many of these balms have peppermint oil or something that causes stinging on an already sensitive lip. Aquaphor ointment, Chapstick, and good ol Vaseline serve well as non-stinging, inexpensive balms for chapped little lips (and big people as well).

However, every once in a while you come across a product like “Chicken Poop” lip balm and you have to give it a go, I mean, a try. On their site: http://www.ilovechickenpoop.com/, the founder Jamie Tabor Schmidt reports the name’s origin:

The Name….Chicken Poop comes from Jamie’s goofy grandpa replying to her complaint of having dry lips. He’d say, “I know how to fix those dry lips, I’ll rub some chicken poop on ‘em so you won’t be lickin’ ‘em.” Brilliant, don’t you think?

and further adds that:

THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS NO POOP!!

I purchased “Chicken Poop” lip balm through drugstore.com and they had a buy one get one free offer, only about $1.35 for both. When it arrived a few days ago, Sarah was very surprised and gave me a big smile when I showed her the label on the tube. “See,” I said while pointing to the label, “it really does say Chicken Poop, free range Chicken Poop!”

Not only has she loved using this lip balm, she proudly brought it with her to school the next day. After announcing to her friends that she uses “Chicken Poop” on her lips, one of her best friends Rachael questioned her claim. Sarah gladly displayed her lip balm to everyone in her 2nd grade class, now is that cool or what? Without a doubt, she has become a big fan of the stuff, Sarah Loves Chicken Poop!!!

Yes, you read correctly. Any Prescriptives fans out there?! Well if you are, this is your chance to stock up or try some Prescriptive cosmetic and skincare items. 25% off and free shipping, swweet!

Some of my Px favorites?

Px’s Flawless Face Foundation, great build-able medium to full coverage and works well on my sensitive, combination skin.

Px’s Vibrant-C Skin Brightening Lotion Moisturizer, as Mo will attest, this moisturizer packs a nice vitamin-c brightening punch.

Super Line Preventor Xtreme – This is Prescriptive’s Pink Ribbon Item. I just received this skin treatment for review so I cannot vouch for it yet, but for every purchase a donation is made to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Site Unseen Brightening Concealer SPF 15 – With one swoosh you can lighten and conceal your dark circles and complexion flaws and spots. I really love this concealer!

This discount runs until Friday the 24th, and don’t forget to pick your free sample!

I recently had a spur of the moment trip to join my Daddy-O for a few days. With 5 days of travel and 3 different hotels, I wanted my makeup kit to be portable but diverse. I needed something for transit, for the moment when I jumped into his arms, for a touristy walk through the art district, and for fabulous evenings out to dinner. How could I possibly fit everything all those looks required into one little train case? If only there was something compact that contained a plethora of flattering shades…?

Ask, and you shall receive. Only days previous I had opened a box containing theBalm’s Shady Lady Eyeshadow Palette(Limited Edition, Sephora only). I’d heard good things and I was headed out on an adventure anyways, so I just tossed it in my case along with a few brushes and hit the road. I guess I figured that if it didn’t work I could always use the excuse to hunt down a cosmetics counter and buy something new. It turns out that no hunting was necessary.

The palette case has a magnetic lid, a generous sized mirror, and is fairly sturdy. It survived being bashed about by baggage handlers, me, and later, my 15 month old daughter (a moment of silence please for the half a pan of Easy Wheezie which ended up embedded in her nails and my couch cushions). It’s smaller than a standard CD case so it can be easily tucked between folded clothes or jammed into the corner of your train case. Not that I would ever do such a thing.

There are 9 colors in this collection, ranging from light to very dark and covering every major color family. The 3 darkest colors are perfect for use as liners as well so you needn’t pack anything more than an extra brush. The color combinations are limited only by your imagination and I found that even the most seemingly insane combination were lovely. On a whim I used Curvy Cami (Plum shimmer with gold flecks) partnered with All about Alex (olive shimmer) and I loved the results. You only need to rub your fingertips across the pans of color to realize why these shadows are described as velvety. They apply smooth and clean, with no clumpy, chalky texture. They glide across your eyelid and stay quite well without feeling heavy in the slightest. I generally use a shadow base, but theBalm’s shadows stay well without one.

I think the thing that most impresses me about this set is the value. With nine shades for only $38 it averages to just under four and a quarter for each shade. There’s no way you’ll find a shadow of this quality for that kind of money anywhere else. This set has great potential for people who want to try several new shades without the expense of buying a bunch of singles. However, I think its true value is for the woman who wants variety and quality but can’t afford to lay down the cash this usually requires. I found that this palette offers something for every occasion, from a picnic at the park to an evening on the town, and something for every mood, from soft and playful to sultry and divine. This was a well thought out color collection of a fantastic eye shadow packaged in a convenient way. For the price and the quality I simply have no choice but to rate it two enthusiastic thumbs up!

• Products That Work For Every Woman! - Jami from Bionic Beauty shares her list of basic beauty items that are universally great for all women.
• Fall 2008 Trends: The Color Purple - Raging Rouge delves into several ways to go purple this season.
• Carnivore & Creme de Violet FOTD – Decorative Diva puts together another fabulous look using violet and wine red eye shadows.
• Apparently, Spoiled Pretty is a Snoozefest – I had to laugh reading this post. Yeah Daneen, your totally rocking and wonderful beauty blog is a real snoozer!
• Lash Stash is Back - Makeup Moxie reports that while the original Lash Stash had only seven mascaras, the new version now comes with ten mini mascaras for you to test out. How awesome, I want!
• JESSICURL TOO SHEA CONDITIONER! HUMP DAY HAIR DAY! – My favorite group of beauty mavens at Megsmakeup.com test out Jessicurl, and guess what? They love it!
• HOLIDAYS ARE HERE! SATURDAYS AT SEPHORA! – Kate at Megsamakeup.com talks about some amazing traincases filled with cosmetics that are being auctioned for charity. Go check them out, and bid away.
• Fitness Friday: Don’t Skimp on Stretching – My favorite beauty gals from Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains-Blog discuss the benefits of stretching!
• Comments for a Cure: This weekend Only – Face Candy gives a touching tribute to her parents and supports BCA by contributing $4 for every comment made at this post!
• lancome oscillation mascara launches today! – Jenn and Christine at Beauty in Real Life review Lancome’s newly released vibrating mascara applicator. Does it work and tips on how to use it.

(As in: “I consider my makeup lingerie my mascara and my eyeliner, without them, my eyes would be completely nondescript.”)

- “Kate2004Rock’s Unabridged Dictionary“

After reading Kate’s post, I asked myself, what does my “makeup lingerie” consist of? So, I decided to share with you some of my “intimates.” Let’s start with skincare shall we? I know skincare isn’t technically “makeup,” but your skin IS your canvas. Beautiful and healthy skin is best way to assure everything else you put on will look its best.

A great cleanser: Suki’s Lemongrass Cleanser. Yeah, it is a broken record, I cannot live without it. This was my #1 beauty find for 2007. It is a gentle exfoliator and leaves my skin feeling clean but not over-stripped. I use this once a day, usually in the AM.

A toner: Suki’s White Willow Toner. Removes any remaining cleanser product, and leaves my skin feeling refreshed and balanced. Look what Suki put in this remarkable toner! A must for acne prone or sensitive skin. The ingredients in this toner are:

organic rose petal, chamomile, calendula & tea tree infused in purified, filtered water, standardized white willow & chamomile extracts, white willow bark extracts distilled in fermented sugars, chamomile & rose, witch hazel distillate, pure, organic, food grade aloe vera, natural vitamin liposomes c & retinol, seaweed extracts & pure, premium, steam distilled essential oils.

A Treatment/Serum: Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum:

If you haven’t heard me mention Caudalie before, stop and make note. This is a fantastic skincare line. The smell alone, Oooh la la! Vineyard grape goodness. Rich in antioxidants, this serum really feeds and moisturizes your skin. Please Kate make any comments below!

This is a very good start, and I am feeling a little bit exposed right now. Feel free to share some of your favorite “lingerie” items, and remember we’re talking about beauty products here.

Monday’s Cut: David Beckham Shows His “Stuff” For Armani – A Girl’s Gotta Spy knows, who doesn’t appreciate a little eye candy?

THE BRAND SCENT SAMPLER! SATURDAYS AT SEPHORA! – Katie at Megsmakeup.com tells about Sephora’s compilation of fabulous scents in this year’s Scent Sampler for Her! GO RED RAIDERS!

Jen Rocks Her “OBAMA mama” T-shirt in Sandy, UT! – Shameless self and Obama promotion here. No matter who you support, VOTE this November 4th!!!

Julia Roberts has Pink Hair - A Mom in Red High Heels asks, “Would you color your hair at your child’s request?”

The Secrets to Aging Backwards – Bionic Beauty posts about Jackie Silver’s new book on what we can do to preserve our beauty as we age.

Aromaleigh’s New Collection: Bete Noire – DecoDiva writes about some completely cool, mult-faceted eye shadow shades from Aromaleigh.

Beauty Product Review: The Body Shop’s Nature’s Minerals – Girl-Woman-Beauty-Brains gives the thumbs up for The Body Shop’s newly released mineral makeup line (and I agree)!

Moroccan Oil Daily Hair Treatment Review and Giveaway! – Daily Dose of Coffee is giving away the most incredible hair treatment and she claims that “MoroccanOil has managed to truly tame my frizz, make my coarse hair easier to work with, and get this: reduce the drying time on my hair.” Enter asap!

Many thanks to all who supported and participated in the Total Beauty – Total Cure Campaign for BCA this month. What an incredible group of people to work with. We all can make a difference!

nov 6 till nov 10th
Enter code ff2008 @ checkout

The Friends and Family code at Sephora runs November 6th through the 10th, but possibly could be extended a few more days. As Tasha put it, “I mean 4 days can’t possibly be enough…lol.” No kidding Tasha, and thank you so much for both enabling the beauty addicts and stimulating the economy at the same time, LOL! You are awesome.

This week we will be sure to post reminders of some of our favorite Sephora Exclusives that you might want to add to your list, like that Lash Stash Sampler, or the Scent Sampler, or that Laura Mercier Flawless Face Kit, or the Korres Sugar Plum Kit, or possibly some Caudalie skincare… I better stop right now!

Beauty.com Friends and Family Event: Wednesday, November 5th – Friday, November 7th – 20% all beauty brands (excluding NARS and Kooba).

May the best deals win, and have fun y’all. Tasha knows, she always knows the deals!