Monsieur Big Mascara

Lancome Monsieur Big Mascara
$25.00

Bonsoir Lovelies!!!!

Its's been waaaaay too long, I know...

I have been a very busy bee this Fall, buying for our store Mary Jane 

Denzer , with my amazing partner, Anastasia Cucinella, and working with our fabulous clients.

I snuck a sister's weekend in Palm Beach for a little R&R and frankly, have not been buying as many new products lately, remarkably, because I'm pretty satisfied with the current lot.  I will be updating you on a few though, I promise.

For starters, there is the beloved by many Monsieur Big Mascara, which even garnered an Allure Beauty Award for 2017.

Total Beauty's 13 Best Moisturizing Lipsticks

Totally over matte lipsticks?  I hope so...Frankly, I've never understood the trend or liked the dry, mask like feeling they impart. Funny how matte, cycles its way back into fashion every couple of years, isn't it? I guess every 20 something should experience them at least once in their lifetime .

My favorite lipsticks feel almost balm like.  Finding one that is highly pigmented, however, can be challenging.

Total Beauty  did a nice little slide of their reader and editor's favorite moisturizing lipsticks...I will absolutely being saying NO, to Cle de Peau Beaute's Chinoiserie Chic Lipstick for, deep breath now, $65!!!
And I thought Tom Ford's were outrageously priced at $50!

Seriously Lovelies, didyaevah???

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner
16 colors $22

I recently had tried and posted about Estee Lauder's Double Wear Infinite Eyeliner. I thought I had chosen well...I didn't.  As I continued to use it, it seemed to dry out.  Large chunks were breaking off and falling into my sink- literally money down the drain.

Back to the drawing board.  I lucked out completely when I picked up Stila's Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner in Midnight Navy.  Does it seem silly to describe an eye pencil as magnificent???  Perhaps, but I can tell you that this is my new DivaDebbi Holy Grail liner.

Encore: Benefit's Gimme Brow

Gimme Brow
$24

Benefit has given Gimme brow a very pretty makeover.  When I first reviewed it in 2013, it was housed in a dull, baby _hit brown tube.

Still, what was inside more than made up for banal packaging. Cleverly, it is infused with tiny gel fibers, that adhere seamlessly for added fullness.  The tapered tip is created to shape, the brush to fluff, fill and define.

Here is a case of head scratching, "why did I ever stop using this?" reflection.  It is simple to use and creates fairly flawless brows.  My one tiny gripe is the itty, bitty and may I throw in one more itty bit of product that one gets, for a whopping $24.

It occurred to me, that in 4 years time, somebody must have come up with a, "dupe". 'Sho nuff, Essence a brand that is available at Target and Ulta, (and is not even on my radar,) makes one for, wait for it...$2.99!!!

Essesnce
make me brow
$2.99 (!!!)

Make me brow, is extremely well reviewed and some bloggers like it even better, than Gimme Brow.  So, any second now, when I finish up my new Gimme Brow, you know exactly what I'm going to be purchasing next.

Love you Lovelies, and you are very welcome...

xox,
DD

L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Self Tanning Serum

L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Self Tanning Serum

I strongly suspected one of my male friends was taking a dip in the self tanning pond..."Give it up, Darling. I know you are tanner than you were yesterday and the color is sublime...what are you using???", I pried.

Startled but honestly, he confessed, "L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Serum." Gracias, for the full disclosure...

I had the feeling it already existed in my arsenal...if so, it was time to revisit it...
Sure enough, I had it.  Ok!!!  Not sure why it was tried and abandoned, but I was ready for round two.

Magnetic Eyelashes; Buyer Beware!!!

THESE are magnetic lashes!

Well, they finally arrived.  Just days before I was going to contact my bank about fraud, suspecting I, like others reported on FaceBook, would never actually receive them, my magnetic eyelashes appeared.

Have you noticed this new FaceBook phenom???   Ads with tantalizing products, like the above, some how have made there way tucked between your friend Maggie's new litter of puppies and your pal Rob's family vacation to Santorini.

How could I possibly resist clicking to learn more and then not clicking further to purchase them? Magnetic Lashes??? "How clever!", I thought!  "What a time saver this will be!".

Buxom Big Tease Mascara

Buxom the Big Tease
$22

Meh +.

Pros:
Price
Super black (why do they bother making any other shade, I ask you?)
Easy to manage brush
Glossy
Volumizing, def. only one coat required with primer
Removes easily

Cons:
A bit gloppy, particularly on my lower lashes
Hard to reach corners
Smeared, unbeknownst to me, rendering me walking around looking like a madwoman.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Infinite Waterproof Eyeliner

Estee Lauder Double Wear Infinite Waterproof Eyeliner
$24 at Ulta ($25 elsewhere...go figure.)

I've never been much of an Estee Girl...I can't exactly put my finger on why not.

Growing up, my favorite Auntie, had an affinity for Youth Dew, one of Estee's original, signature scents.  I adored how it smelled on her and loved how it lingered.  Years later, when Tom Ford rebooted it, I asked my sister to buy it for my Birthday.  Some how, the allure eluded.

Part of the reason I don't gravitate to it is because I am rarely in department stores, where EL has always been traditionally sold.  I was surprised to see it at Ulta the other day and decided to pay the display some mind.  I was in the market for a truly  long wearing eye pencil, that would glide on but stay on and have some initial color depth, that was also buildable.

Revlon Fill and Blur Concealer

Revlon Fill and Blur Concealer
$11.99

Lovelies, am I ever going to stop compulsively buying new concealers??? Nah.
My stash, runneth over, currently consisting of: Neutrogena, IT, Maybelline Super Stay, Cover FX,  Glo Minerals, Physician's Formula and now Revlon Fill and Blur Concealer.

The bait that stopped me in my tracks of course, was the promise of "filling in fine lines" as well as blurring them. If only...

Flashback Friday: Maybelline SuperStay 24 Color Lipstick

Maybelline Super Stay 24 Color Lipstick
36 Shades $9.00 (give or take)

I don't know why I move on from things I have loved and review well in the past.
Originally, I tried Maybelline's SuperStay 24 Color back in 2011.

Pretty much, it met and somewhat exceeded my expectactions; LONG wear, with a considerably less drying formula than its competitors in the field.  It's as close as I'm ever going to get to my fantasy of tattooed lips.

They have extended the shade offerings, 36 in all,  with 045 Wildberry comes close to my idea of a dream shade; a just bitten, natural looking lip.  I also love using it to lock my beloved MAC Soar Lip Pencil in place, basically, all day.

My Nails are Back!!! My 2 Step Recovery Program

I have pretty much, always had nails like granite.  Then one day, like your first rogue chin hair or the moment you think every publisher has changed their print to mice type, my once lovely nails, were splitting and bending.

It was then that I discovered Nailtiques Formula 2, a strengthener designed for weak brittle nails.  After that, I used it with routine and once again my nails flourished.

Review: Rimmel London #Insta Flawless

Rimmel London Insta Flawless
$7.99

When my friends at Tractenberg PR, told me about #Insta Flawless, a product Rimmel London describes as an illuminating "skin tint", my curiosity was piqued.  With SPF 15, and the promise of all day hydration, I thought it would be an interesting product to try, as the dog days of summer will soon be upon us.

#Insta Flawless comes in two shades; Light-Medium and Medium-Dark.  The Medium Dark works nicely, on my always a bit fake baked skin, but I'm sure others would prefer/need, the addition of a Dark shade.

L'Oreal Lash Paradise Mascara--Is this the one???

L'Oreal Lash Paradise Mascara
$9.99 (ish)

Has it finally arrived??? My drugstore mascara Holy Grail??? Please, let it be so...

The Internet is blowing up over this Too Faced Better Than Sex dupe, offered by L'Oreal, and I can't wait to get my hands on it.  Bloggers as well as Vlogger's are singing it's praises for its ability to provide gorgeous length and volume, for a fraction of the price of the big guns.

One to Skip! Charlotte Tilbury Overnight Bronze & Glow Mask

Charlotte Tilbury Overnight Bronze and Glow Mask
Gulp...$55

Oh my...how did I get suckered into this purchase???  No one to blame except Moi, who foolishly believed in the fairy tale of going to bed pasty and waking up looking like I spent a week at a spa in St. Bart's.

Granted, said transformation can take between one and three nights, but I'm here to tell you, on night four (and today, day one), I've got nada.  Additionally, there is a minuscule amount of product in this pretty tube.

Soooooo disappointing!!!

3 Second Brow Eyebrow Stamp

3 Second Brow Eyebrow Stamp
$14.99 Bed Bath & Beyond

It was only a matter of time before Facebook figured out how to add ads of potential interest on our feeds.  About a month ago, I noticed that intermittently, advertisements for beauty products and gadgets would pop up in between photos of friends trips, birthday's and kids graduations.

Pretty much, they've got me...I find them irresistible not to open.  Hence, my discovery of 3 Second Brow Eyebrow Stamp.  Now this, I had to try...

New Beginnings!

Debra OShea and Anastasia Cucinella
Co-Owners Mary Jane Denzer
White Plains, NY

Hello my Lovelies!!!

I know it's been way too long since I've last posted.  As many of you know, in January of this year, my partner Anastasia Cucinella and I became the new owners of Mary Jane Denzer in White Plains.  It's been a very busy and exciting time!  Here is a link to pictures of our New Owner's Celebration, which was covered by The Fairfield County Look. It was a wonderful night, that we celebrated with clients, friends, designers and our vendor partners.

During this respite from blogging, I even surpassed 2,000,000 pageviews, but didn't have a chance to celebrate and thank you, my lovely, loyal readers, so I shall do so now. Thank you!!!

St. Ives Coconut Oil Scrub

St. Ives Coconut Oil Scrub
$6.99...ish

I've been pondering trying a cleansing oil for awhile...my biggest fear was that it would leave an oily residue that would make me feel like I needed to wash my face.  Ummm...Isn't that what I just tried to do???

It turns out that I absolutely LOVE  St. Ives Coconut Oil Scrub.  A few things; there is something really wonderful about the beautiful glow that you can achieve from, essentially, massaging your face for several minutes. A dime size amount is all you need.  I will admit, that in the beginning, I did do a quick light lather with Cetaphil soap, because I am a little nutty about feeling like my skin is scrupulously clean at the end of the day. Now that I've adapted, I am happy enough with just using the oil scrub on its own, which emulsifies once water is added.

I also do like to use it best when I'm showering, since the coconut shell powder that acts as the exfoliant, is a bit gritty and needs a really good rinse.

TotalBeauty's Best of 2017 Awards

Rejoice Girls! Differin Gel is OTC Renova!

TotalBeauty  released their Best of Beauty winners for 2017.  I like the format; they include both their beauty editor's choices as well as readers favorites, stacked together by category, in an easy to flip through slideshow.

Categories include Makeup, Hair and Skincare, Body.  I tend to snap pictures on my phone and shop accordingly.  With my Ulta 20% coupon, I already picked up top rated IT CC Cream and Mally Beauty H3 Concealer. Fingers crossed, I'll keep you posted...

Everpro GrayAway Root Touch-Up Magnetic Powder

Everpro GrayAway Root Touch-Up Magnetic Powder
$9.99 to 12.99 at Drugstores Nationwide

Everpro's orginal Root Touch-Up Spray, was an ingenious and profitable, early entry into the temporary root cover up field. To this day, it is one of my most popular posts, with well over 100,000 views.  I have tried every spray on the market, including all the expensive ones, like Rita Hazan, and have loyally stuck with Gray Away's spray. Simply put, IMO it's the best.  Added bonus? It's cost effective.

I have been known to whip it out of my handbag and sweetly demand  ask, if I can demo it on family and friends whose skunk like parts, I cannot remove my eyes from.  (Done and said with love, of course...) Usually, that ends with said person, converted, hightailing it to CVS.

Organyc Lash and Brow Serum

Organyc Lash and Brow Serum
$34.99

UGGGHHH!!!  I just went to edit this post for a typo and hit something that made the whole thing go away in a poof!

I'm first returning to humanity, day 5 of the flu, and don't have the energy to rewrite the whole thing.  Here's what you need to know:

This stuff works!  It's formulated without all the kah kah resulting in zero irritation, where normally my eyes feel like fire ants are marching across my corneas.