Sephora, 20% off, what!?

 THE CODE IS ACTIVE!! HERE IT IS: FF2010

Hey everyone!
So I decided that one of the directions I want this blog to take is to inform you all of collections and great discounts I learn about so that you all can learn about them as well!

In previous years, around this time of year, Sephora holds a "Friends and Family 20% sale" --
What this means is that beginning on a specific date, (rumor has it that the date this year will be October 21st), members that are a Beauty Insider will receive an email with a code that can be used online for 20% off there entire order, yes, I said entire order, not just one item! :)
**(to become a Sephora Beauty Insider, all you have to do is go to Sephora.com and sign-up! It is free and fun to do. Also, the email you use for your account is the email address that the coupon will be sent to)

(THIS IS THE COUPON FROM LAST YEAR--I WILL UPDATE YOU ALL
WHEN THE NEW COUPON IS PUBLISHED)

This sale is going to be great, however I do want to remind you that the only downfall is that this sale is for online orders only, so make sure to run-out and do your swatches and in-person browsing now, so you know exactly what you want when the sale comes.
*Though this is an online sale, in past years VIB members have received exclusive invitations for 20% in store with the printed coupon, so if you are one of these people, keep this in mind :)


TIPS BEFORE THE SALE
1) Have a Sephora Account!  Because this is a once-a-year kind of sale, certain items will go quickly!
If you do not have a Sephora account, make one! It is free and they have many different personalization questionnaires that help you in choosing items that best fit to your skintone, eye color, etc.

2) Make a List & Add the Items to your Basket!  If you are signed in to your Beauty Insider account, normally Sephora will not clear your basket once you have added items into it. For this reason, if you already plan and add items before the sale, when the sale comes you can simply apply the discount code and checkout. This way, you will be almost guaranteed all of the lovely items you planned to purchase.

3) Think about Christmas Gifts & Back-up Items! This is the perfect time to figure out what you want to buy your friends & family for the Holidays. Not only will you be less stressed come Christmas time, but you will be able to save money from the sale! Also, think of any products you will want to stock-up on in the future because this is the perfect time to purchase back-ups!

I hope you all have fun shopping Sephora and I would love to hear what you decide to buy!
I will finish this post with some photos of what is on my wishlist:
(all images from Sephora.com)

I have heard this product works amazingly and the packaging is gorgeous!
I think this may be the time to purchase my first YSL Lipstick!!

These polishes are $14.00 and of amazing quality! There are gorgeous
colors: purple, pinks and shimmery colors are all on my list :)

Tweezers! All of my tweezers are gross and do not work very well
and since Tweezerman is supposedly the best, I am looking to make an
investment on a pair!

Clarins! This is my skincare regimen and I absolutely adore this brand! I will definitely be stocking up on skincare products during this sale.
(I will do a skincare post sometime in the near future) :)

xxxx Pearls&Politics
& Don't forget to Suscribe!  Thanks everyone!

& I'm Going to Paint the Town Red

Awhile back I got a pedicure and fell in the love with the color painted on my nails. I thought I would share with you some photos. I used my blackberry to capture these images so the color isn't captured as beautifully as it should be.

What is you favorite color for your nails? I am definitely feelin' this red!

Mac Venomous Villains

On September 30th Mac's new collection "Venomous Villains" will be coming out!

I am so.... excited for this collection, it's not even funny!

Throughout the blogging community SO many people have pre-ordered their MAC goodies and I am super jealous.

I know that Bloomingdales and Nordstrom will be having a pre-sale online soon, however I am not sure of the exact dates. I haven't been able to run to the mall or else I would have pre-ordered there already!

I am hoping to go look at the MAC store this weekend so that I can do some swatches and really decide what I want from the collection. (Online photos sometimes appear so much different from what it looks like in person)

If I do decide to purchase items I will be sure to post a haul on here as soon as I get them!

Though I am not too fond of the packaging (I would much prefer the generic, MAC packaging), some of the products look so gorgeous that I just may not be able to pass them up!

Are you all excited for the upcoming collection to come out?

I have posted some photos below that I have seen on http://www.temptalia.com/ of the pre-released photos as well as some swatches of the actual makeup.

This collection includes the following "villains:" 1) Malificent, 2) Cruela de Vile, 3)

 Evil Queen & 4) Dr. Facilier

Malificent: the polishes are gorgeous and I heard they have already began to sell-out during the pre-sale

Cruella de Vile: I want the Heartless lipstick SO bad! Such a perfect red!

Evil Queen: This is the part of the collection that looks most appealing to me: the packaging, the colors and the overall aesthetic. I LOVE the purple eyeshadows, especially since the purple smokey eye is said to be "in" for the upcoming fall season

Dr. Facilier: This is the least appealing part of the collection to me. The pigments look nice however I am not too into pigments. If I were maybe I would be more excited for them.

Hope you enjoyed and are able to get a hold of all of the products you want to get--

Blogger Best Friend: SWEATshirt DRESSshirt

Hey all!

I hope your week was great and you all have a fantastic weekend!

I wanted to feature a fellow blogger and best friend SWEATshirt DRESSshirt.

She acted as part of the inspiration that I needed to start my own blog and I am consistenly inspired by hers. She has won several awards for her website and when you visit her site you will see why.

We both have similiar style in both beauty and fashion and I would love if you checked her out!

Here is her link: http://sweatshirtdressshirt.blogspot.com/

My First Post: This or That

Hey everyone! I am so excited to start this blog and want you all to be able to learn a little bit about me and my fashion and beauty style through this post! Feel free to copy and paste your answers in the comments section because I would love to learn a little bit more about you as well!

Image from: http://bestcosmeticonline.com/

MAKEUP:
blush or bronzerBlush most definitely! Having a pink cheek always gives your face a natural, flushed glow that I adore! I also try to keep my skin a tad tan and find that I don’t need a lot of bronzer to have a glow. I do like bronzer for that tad bit of color however and think it is great as a contour!

lip gloss or lipstickLip gloss is more informal, though I love the texture and how long lipstick lasts.

eye liner or mascaraMascara for sure! They really finish up my eye makeup look. I used to wear eyeliner every day but now find myself rarely wearing any.

foundation or concealerI love concealer! It really helps to even out my skintone and cover any blemishes I may have.

neutral or color eye shadowNeutral! I like colored eye shadow, however on a day to day basis I am more into neutrals and will only play up the color shadows if I’m feelings extra adventurous or matchy-matchy for a certain day. Also, I love to do colored eye makeup for going out at night!

pressed or loose eye shadowsI like pressed eye shadows better because they don’t fall all over the face as much as loose eye shadows do.

brushes or spongesBrushes! I feel like these not only feel better on my skin, but they are much easier to clean. I don’t like using any kind of sponge (face, kitchen, cleaning, etc.) because they only collect bacteria and grime, and then when you re-use it you are simply spreading that over whatever you’re using it on, such as your face.

NAILS:
OPI or china glazeHmmm.. I have heard and feel like OPI is better quality, however I tend to use China Glaze more often and enjoy their colors more.

Long or shortShorter. I don’t like super long, though a little bit of a nail is pretty.

Acrylic or naturalI used to be a complete acrylic nail lover!! However, now that I have less time and money being a college student, I like to experiment with my natural nails.

Brights or darksI am more into bright colors overall, especially during summer! However with the fall and winter approaching, and more trendy colors being darker, I have a feeling I will be experimenting more with those.

Flower or no flowerI think flowers are super pretty, but I don’t like to pay a lot to get them done nor can I do them on my nails very well

BODY:
perfume or body splashI like both, however I think perfume is more effective.

lotion or body butterIck! Neither—I am not a lotion person at all! I am weird I know—I do love how body butters feel, however WHEN I do moisturize my body I use lotion and not body butter it seems

body wash or soapI am more of a soap girl because I feel more clean after using soap then body wash. Also, Lush has great smelling soap that gives you the scented aspect as body wash

lush or other bath companyI have recently began an obsession with lush!

FASHION:
jeans or sweat pantsJeans for sure! I love jeans for any look

long sleeve of shortShort sleeves so I can layer pieces over, or take off my layers and jackets when I get warm.

dresses or skirtsBoth are equal to me I would say. Though for special occasions I prefer dresses

stripes or plaidStripes. Not only do I wear more stripes than plaid, I also think this is a popular and cute trend right now!

flip flops or sandalsI have recently started to dislike flip flops because I find that they do not provide very good protection for your feet, though I think both are cute!

scarves or hatsScarves most definitely! I hardly ever wear hats and I am overly obsessed with scarves!! I think that they can add a bit more comfort and warmth to an outfit, as well as a lot of style!

studs or dangly earringsI love how dangly earrings look, however I tend to stick with pretty studs for an everyday look.

necklaces or braceletsI love both! Though I have favorite pieces, I hardly ever consistently wear both

heels or flatsI am a tall girl and so I feel like unless it is a special occasion, heels make me look too tall and I feel weird-just my opinion for myself!

Therefore, I LOVE flats and any kind of flat shoe

cowboy boots or riding bootsI like riding boots. They are more casual and I feel like more of an everyday show- cowboy boots are super cute though!

jacket or hoodieJacket. I feel more constricted in a hoodie and they are harder to take off (messes hair and make-up up!)

forever 21 or charlotte russeForever 21. Charlotte Russe is cute too but I have more access to F21

abercombie or HollisterNeither—I went through a whole abercrombie and hollister faze in high school—and that is exactly what is was. I still think they both have some cute clothes, but I am less into labels now

saks 5th or nordstromNordstrom! Saks 5^th once again is less accessible, but I love everything about Nordstrom and even if there were more Saks around, I would probably still pick Nordstrom!

HAIR:
curly or straightMy hair is naturally wavy and so I often just leave it like that—however I have been getting more into curling my hair. I guess I pick both, because both mean I put more effort into my look and are different looks than what I normally do

bun or ponytailProbably a looser/ messy bun. I love ponytails but find that I only do them when I workout

bobby pins or butterfly clipsBobby pins for sure! I haven’t used butterfly clips in ages!

hair spray or gelHair spray! Gel is NOT for me

long or shortLong J Short is super cute on some people, but at this time in my life I enjoy having longer hair

light or darkI have always been a blondie at heart! I think that both are great, though for my own hair I am more fit to have light hair.

side sweep bangs or full bangsIf I had to choose—side swept. I think full bangs look good on some people, but the look is not for me. I had full bangs growing up (like most girls I feel did), and that was enough for me. Also, side swept bangs are cute, but once again I am more for having no hair on my forehead--

up or downEh. I am the kind of girl who starts the day with it down and then puts it up as soon as I feel like my hair is getting in my way

RANDOM:
Rain or shineShine! I am from the rainy city of Seattle and have lived here my entire life. It is for some people, but I definitely love the sun! I want to move somewhere when I graduate where I can experience sunshine year round!

Summer or winterSummer! As previously posted J

Fall or springSpring. Fall is pretty and exciting when it starts, but it gets old fast for me!

Chocolate or vanillaVanilla for most things!

East coast or west coast

I have never been to the East coast, though I love the west!

So I would have definitely have to represent the west coast! J