mark. look contest!

We had a contest in my mark. team's facebook group to recreate a beauty look you find online using only mark. products! 2 fabulous entries later, we need help choosing the winner, who will score this awesome prize package!

Here are the entries!

Nikki's Look

I used min a real buff- powder buff natural- please hold eye primer- get bright light- good riddance- brow factor- on the dot- and silver superflip-lash all you want black- and lipclick cha cha. For the eyeliner I used corset wet on a eyeliner brush and touch & glow for blush.

Kristina's Look

face:

Get A Tint Tinted Moisturizer Lotion: Ivory/Nude
Save The Day Anti-Acne Concealer Stick: Ivory/Nude
Matte-Nificent Oil Absorbing Powder: Very Light

eyes:
Get in Line Hook Up Liquid Waterproof Eyeliner: Painted Black
I-mark Custom Pick Eye Shadow: Tiki & Biscotti [Tiki: eye lid & Biscotti: browbone/inner corner & over the purple to help lighten it a bit]
Good Glowing Custom Pick Powder Blush: After Glo [as a base for the purple to help lighten it up a bit]
Keep It Going Longwear Eyeliner & Shadow: Industria [purple shade for the under eye, a bit of the charcoal color for the inner quarter of the lid on top of Tiki to darken it a bit in those spots]
Lash Splash Waterproof Mascara: Black [many, many coats... and it could have used more]

If I had these products, it could have been more accurate:
Lash All You Want High-Volume Mascara: Black
No Place to Run Longwear Eyeliner: Jet Set
I-mark Custom Pick Eye Shadow: Violet Ink, Lotus, & Mystical

Please help us out and vote in the poll! You'll find it at the top of the side bar ------>

(above followers & blog archive)

because I couldn't figure out how to embed it in the post :/  haha.

The poll ends on Wednesday, May 16 at 11:59 pm central time!

Special thanks to Nikki & Kristina for entering the contest, and good luck to both of them!

If you'd like to participate in contests like this, consider joining my mark. team!

Still only $20+ tax to become a mark. rep, for a limited time!

Go to www.meetmark.com/yes and use referral code 138 so I can help you get started!

if you were stranded on a deserted island...

...what beauty items would you want with you?

I kept remembering this classic pageant-girl question these past few weeks, as we moved house and I didn't have my full collection of beauty supplies right at hand! Although I'm a little at a loss as to why you'd need beauty items on a deserted island, I definitely was glad to have a few of my faves during the move, so I thought this would be a cute post idea!

My favorite products were among the last items to be moved, and I made sure they were in my purse or a small box that went with me in my car, much like the tip I received from another mom to help my kids with the move: giving them a backpack or box to put their most important items in so that they would never be without them even during the confusion of a move!

Here are the items I've been reliant upon to make myself still feel human while dealing with the move!

Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray

I think this spray was under $5 at Walmart, and I really love it! It smells tropical, like coconut, and adds nice texture to my hair! It's perfect to use before curling my hair to help create the loose beachy waves that I love, but I can also use it alone on damp hair, scrunch my hair with my hands a little bit and be good to go!

mark. Petite Slither Cosmetic Bag

This is the perfect size make up bag to throw in my purse so I have my favorites with me at all times! It's faux leather and excellent quality, plus the inside is a slippery material that can be wiped clean easily in case of any make up residue! It's a very eye-catching little bag to pull out, too!

mark. On The Dot Neutral Eye Color Compact

As much as I love my i-marks for custom color choices, On The Dot Neutral is definitely my go-to eyeshadow compact! They're very pretty with a metallic finish, and I love the range of looks I can create with it! I have to say that I use the middle row shades the most, with the center shade as a base, the left shade to add a little more color, and the darkest shade in the outer edges and crease, all blended out for a pretty and quick eye look!

Go With The Pro Mini Brush Kit

When I am in a hurry, I just use the applicator that comes in the On The Dot compact, but when I have a little more time and want a more polished, blended look, I reach for my mini brush kit. Can't beat the price ($16 for 5 brushes & the case?! score!) and I use the eye shadow brush and concealer brush the most!

Lash All You Want High Volume Mascara in Black

I know I just don't shut up about this mascara, but it's seriously my favorite ever! Before this one, mascara was one of the products I would stray from mark. for, since I wasn't a fan of the previous mark. mascaras. On the NYC trip I won last year, we got this mascara as a gift, before it was available for us to order, and I've been in love ever since! It has the plastic bristles on the brush to coat every lash, and makes my lashes look amazing!

Gloss Gorgeous Stay On Lip Stain in Vibe

I'm not sure what made me give this lip gloss another try, but I'm so glad I did! The first time I used it, I didn't like it.. and I think I must have just been using too much, because now it's my absolute FAVORITE lip look. It's a click top pen style, with a brush attached that the product dispenses through. Goes on glossy, but since it's a lip stain, the color lasts long after the gloss has worn off! Vibe is the shade I always have with me, but I also like Pop when I'm going for a little more toned-down lip.

Please Hold Eye Primer

Another product I talk about all the time - and for good reason! It makes my eyeshadow more vibrant and last longer with no creasing. I apply it with the little concealer brush from the mini brush kit, and love that I can also use it as an under-eye concealer in a pinch.

So those are the products that have kept me sane while we moved! I took a little more time getting ready tonight, to take my kids to an adorable little 4 year old's birthday party at a friend's house, and had fun trying out the new mark. hair care products! Pretty sure they'll be the topic of my next blog post, once I've tried out the rest of them, but for now here's a little peek at the 3 products I used today, and the hairstyle I got with them in under 10 minutes!

Locks In Place Buildable Hold Hairspray

Curl to Curl Reactivate and Define Mist

Curl Time No-Clip Curl Styler

Sorry for bad photo quality, but I loved how my hair turned out!

I'm going to try {again} to get better with blogging more regularly, so I'm making it my goal to try the rest of the new hair care line within the next week, so that I can blog about my reviews! I hope you liked this post, and I'd love to hear your answer to...

...if you were stranded on a deserted island {or new house}, what beauty items would YOU want? Let me know in the comments below! 

when life hands you lemons...

...take a bath with yummy Lemon Sugar bath & body products from mark. AND help an amazing cause at the same time!

During magalog 3 (which lasts through March 22), I'm joining some fellow mark. reps in donating a portion of all Lemon Sugar sales to Alex's Lemonade Stand, a foundation started by a little girl who wanted to help the doctors cure childhood cancer.

You can read more about the organization here: http://www.alexslemonade.org/ and follow our fundraising progress here: mark. reps Lemonade Stand.

But first, let me tell you a little bit about our Lemon Sugar products!

A luscious blend of sparkling citrus and sugar with fresh notes of lemon zest, orange blossom, and sugar crystals, the Lemon Sugar collection is tangy yet sweet, and consists of:

Hand It Over Super Moisture Hand Cream, $4

full of vitamins and skin conditioners, and the perfect size for your purse!

{$1 donation with every purchase}

Three's A Charm 3-in-1 Cleanser, $8

my personal favorite of the collection, this foaming cleanser can be used as a bubble bath, shampoo, or body wash, and leaves behind the light scent of sweet lemons! I especially love mixing it with Change Is Gonna Come exfoliator to give it a little extra power as a shower scrub!

{$2 donation with every purchase}

Get Misty Body Hydrating Mist, $12

this water-based fragrance mist leaves skin feeling hydrated, refreshed, and lightly scented. Try layering it on top of the Whipped Up Body Butter to make the scent last even longer!

{$2 donation with every purchase}

Whipped Up Body Butter, $10

A super-rich and ultra-hydrated whipped body cream leaves skin feeling soft and silky, and can be used on all skin types, including super dry winter skin!

{$2 donation with every purchase}

Other scents come and go (Peony Apple, Berry Cranberry, Pear Blossom, and {spoiler alert} the upcoming Jasmine Petal have all been great limited edition scents for the bath & body line), but Lemon Sugar is the popular and steadfast scent you can return to over and over again! It's a win-win right now since you can get some really great products while helping out an amazing cause!

To shop the Lemon Sugar collection, head to my eBoutique at http://tmassmann.mymarkstore.com and click on Bath & Body! Use promo code WELCOME for free shipping on your first order, or MARKFS30 for free shipping on any order over $30. Thanks SO much for your support!

A huge thank you to mark. rep Sharon Roberts Phillippi for organizing this event and for the graphics used in this post!

my LUSH obsession

There's something I need to confess...

My name is Trisha, and I'm addicted to LUSH. It's only been 2 days since my last long, luxurious bath with a Lush bath bomb, and I can't stop daydreaming about which product I'll use next.

Whew, glad I got that off my chest.

Seriously though, if you've never tried Lush products (or never heard of Lush) it's time to get to the Mall of America NOW. Or order online at www.Lushusa.com. One way or another, you HAVE to get yourself some bath bombs, bubble bars, soap, or which ever product most intrigues you!

Not sure where to start? No problem! I'm here to share with you some of my favorite products from Lush!

Twilight bath bomb * Golden Wonder bath bomb

Ring of Roses Buttercream soap * Rose Jam bubbleroon * Ruby Red Slippers bubble bar

Amandopondo bubble bar

This is my current Lush collection! I do have doubles of a few of these too. I store them each in separate ziploc bags to keep them fresh. Golden Wonder and Twilight are my favorite of all the bath bombs I've tried (and I've tried a LOT). I'm most excited to try the Ruby Red Slippers bubble bar next, it was a "Retro" product back only online for the Christmas season, and I snapped up 2 of them! They are similar to the Sunnyside bubble bar, which is covered in gold glitter:

Sunnyside bubble bar

With the bubble bars, you crumble them under running water, and they fill your tub with gorgeous fluffy bubbles that smell AMAZING. Sunnyside is a citrus-y scent, and when you push the bubbles aside to look at the water, it looks like you're taking a bath in swirling liquid gold! Can you see why I'm excited to try Ruby Red Slippers?! Another similar product that I'm dying to try is called Turbo Bubble, and it looks like the same thing only in PINK. omg.

Next up are some products that are permanently in either my Lush shopping cart or wish list, waiting for the next order I place. When considering what to buy next, I read the reviews on the website, and also watch youtube videos to see what each product looks like in use.

MMM Melting Marshmallow Moment bath melt

#1 on my list to order next is the MMM Melting Marshmallow Moment bath melt. It will be my first bath melt, and I read that it has some of the bubble bar powder in it to make it frothy & bubbly! It's pink, it's shaped like the bottom of a cupcake, and it smells sweet - what's not to love?!

Also on my list is the Fizzbanger bath bomb. This is one of the newest bath bomb formulas, that combine bath bombs with bubble bars. I wasn't crazy about the scent based on the description, but if you get a chance to stop in a Lush store location, they have products set out that you can test in store, and Fizzbanger was one of them on my most recent visit. It looked similar to Twilight, which leads me into my next photos to share - Twilight in action!!

Twilight bath bomb

Here's a great close up of Twilight! I've seen the colors range on this one from a candy pink to a pale lilac, and since all Lush products are handmade, you get natural variations each time you shop! I love the stars molded in to the top of the bath bomb, too! When using a bath bomb, fill your tub first and then gently drop the bath bomb into the water.

pretty pink froth when Twilight first hits the water! 

The pink mixes and swirls with gorgeous pale blue, like a beautiful sunset!

Twilight moves and swirls throughout the tub while it slowly dissolves, over about 10-15 minutes!

Sorry for the size, but you just have to see the detail of the glittery "stars" showing up in the Twilight sky of your tub!

As I said, I've tried many of the bath bombs Lush offers, and after Twilight, Golden Wonder is hands down my 2nd favorite! Golden Wonder was another Christmas seasonal product, and I liked it so much (and couldn't stop talking about it) that my hubby went on ebay and got 5 more for me, after Lush had sold out! If you're able to get your hands on one, I definitely recommend it! It smells great, shakes like every good present should, and leaves tiny gold stars floating on top of your water!

Other bath bombs I've tried are Rose Queen, Sex Bomb, Dragon's Egg, Pink, Tisty Tosty (which has the same rose/lemon scent of my favorite Ring of Roses soap!), Ickle Baby Bot, Rocketeer, and Space Girl. There definitely have not been any that I didn't like - just ones that I didn't like as well as my favorites! I won't go in to details on all of these, but if you're perusing the website and want to know my opinions on any of them, feel free to ask in the comments :)

Last up is one more product that I'm very intrigued by and have considered buying a few times, but just haven't been able to bite the bullet and try it:

Caca Marron henna hair dye

Their Henna Hair dyes have been catching my attention every time I'm on the website or in store, and one of these days I will work up the nerve to try it! I've been dying my hair for years, and would love to switch to a more natural, chemical free method. I read as many reviews as I can find for this stuff, and I think the main thing holding me back is the time involved (we're talking like 1/2 the day to dye your hair...) and the upfront cost. The brick is $25, and I'd probably get 3 uses out of it, so it's not THAT bad, just enough of a cost upfront that I always skip over it in favor of the bath bombs, haha. If any of my lovely readers have tried this, or any other brand of henna hair dye, I would LOVE to hear your feedback! 

Thanks for reading! I'm going to try to be more of an active blogger, so watch out for some of my new mark. favorites in a post coming soon!

Get The Look - Kaley Cuoco @ People's Choice Awards!

The fabulous and talented Jamie Greenberg (www.jamiemakeup.com) was the make up artist for actress Kaley Cuoco when she hosted the People's Choice Awards!

Gorgeous, right?!  Us Weekly even chose Kaley's look for Best Eye Makeup! Want to get the look for yourself? Jamie is the sweetest gal ever, and sent me a message from Sundance because I was wondering the products used! Here are the steps, straight from Jamie herself:

"Hi Trisha! My internet isn't working at Sundance but wanted to send you the look via my blackberry on facebook...hope this works! Ha! So I prepped Kaley's skin with For Goodness face and Get Defense Eye Cream! I prepped her lips with Big 15 in 1 stick! Love that!!!! 

I used Get A Tint all over her face! It gives sucha good glow to well moisturized skin! I used Get Bright under her eyes!!!! I used a wet foundation brush to blend both concealer and foundation to the face...it really makes it melt in! 

Next I used Please Hold Eye Primer on both of her eyes! I applied I mark in latte in her crease and the grey tone from ON THE DOT collection on her lid! I then added the chanel (shimmery wet shadow) ever so lightly on the top because Kaley loves that stuff!!!! 

I lined Kaley's eyes with On the Edge in Cleo on the top lash line! On the bottom lash line I used jet set and steely gaze to get that icy black look! A million coats of Blacklash top and bottom lashes

Then for her cheeks I used a lot of textures. I used Julie Hewitt's Cheekie Lip and Cheek Shine in Peachie...again Kaley likes it! Then I blended in mark"s shimmer brick with a damp brush again and swirled it on her cheeks and cheekbones to get that shimmery dewy look!!!! I set it all with matte-nificent! And used Lip Click Bare Hug on her lip with Lancome's Juicy tube in spring fling.....you could use any pro gloss....like pro gloss in swell...I've used that on her before!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

Here's a close up of Kaley's eyes:

And one more picture that shows the shimmer on her eyes really well!

Here's the list of products used - and all but 3 can be purchased on my eBoutique! http://tmassmann.mymarkstore.com

mark. products:

For Goodness Face Antioxidant Skin Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30, $18

Get Defensive SPF 15 Eye Cream, $14

The Big Fix 15-in-1 Benefits Balm, $10

Get A Tint Tinted Moisturizer Lotion SPF 15, $12

Get Bright Hook Up Highlighter, $6.50

Please Hold Eye Primer, $8

I-Mark Custom Pick Eye Shadow in Latte, $6

On The Dot Eye Color Compact, $16

On The Edge Hook Up Liquid Eye Liner in Cleo, $6.50

No Place To Run Longwear Eye Liner in Jet Set and Steely Gaze, $9 each

Scanda-Lash Hook Up Mascara in Blacklash, $6.50

Touch and Glow Shimmer Cream Cubes, $16

Matte-Nificent Oil Absorbing Powder, $12

Lipclick Full Color Lipstick in Bare Hug, $11

additional products:

Chanel Illusion D’Ombre Shimmer shadow in Epatant 

Julie Hewitt's Cheekie Lip and Cheek Shine in Peachy

Lancome Juicy Tube in Spring Fling

I'm usually a total devotee to mark. products, but I gotta say that Chanel shadow is on my wish list!

Thanks again to Jamie Greenberg for taking the time to send me the details on Kaley's look - it's no wonder all of us mark. reps are such big fans of Jamie!

autumn obsessions!

I'm loving this weather we're having in Minnesota, I think fall is my favorite season! Today I dyed my hair brown again for the fall, and I've been browsing kid crafts & snacks, home decor, and beauty ideas for autumn too. I've put together a list of some of my autumn obsessions from around the internet, cute things that I definitely want to try this season!

Starting with the crafts & snacks for kids - I think I might go with a mummy theme this year for my boys! Their Halloween costumes are already here waiting for them (Brody's going to be Lightning McQueen from Cars, and Brett's going to be a puppy) but their favorite Halloween book is this one:

And when I was browsing for Halloween crafts & food ideas, I found these adorable cupcakes and mummy pizzas, so I think this is a shoo-in for our Halloween meal this year!

(instructions for the mummy pizzas are here and the cupcakes are here!)

I made mummy hotdog wraps for Brody's 2nd Halloween, along with graveyard brownies! Last year's Halloween meal was tomato soup and ghost toast (grilled cheese) with eyeball mini donuts!

(Leave a comment if you'd like instructions for any of these!)

On to crafts! These first 2 ideas came from a e-newsletter from Parents.com, called 100 Days of Holidays. I've been subscribing to this newsletter for a couple years now, and it's awesome! It's a daily newsletter from before Halloween through Valentines Day, I believe. 

A Pumpkin Marquee, made with an apple corer.

Super adorable Candy Corn Wreath!

Good Housekeeping also has some adorable ideas:

Pumpkin Picture Frames - how adorable are these?!

And a Halloween light garland!

Last but not least, my favorite place to find gorgeous pumpkin ideas has been Lauren Conrad's website! 

My hands-down favorite, lace covered pumpkins, from Lauren's 10 Pretty Pumpkins post!

Chalkboard painted pumpkins! 

 Pumpkin Candy Dish

and mini pumpkin vase, both from another Tuesday Ten List.

My only wish is that she would post how-to's for all the gorgeous ideas!

Speaking of Lauren Conrad, here are some halloween beauty ideas from her!

Halloween manicures!

And the adorable Candy Corn Manicure, which she does have instructions for!!!

Rounding out my favorites post, if I dress up for Halloween this year, it will definitely be with this gorgeous mermaid make up tutorial by Blair Fowler! (I have a serious mermaid obsession...)

If you haven't heard yet, Blair & Elle Fowler are teaming with mark. to find Miss Glambitious 2011! Check out the Meet Mark tab at elleandblair.com for the details!

Thanks for reading! If you have any Halloween crafts or plans you'd like to share, I'd love to see them! :)

DIY manicure - water marble!

Hey everyone! A few days ago while I was browsing my Twitter (you can follow me @trishamarkrep) I saw a Cosmo tweet about official NFL nail polish, and of course I clicked the link to check out the official nail polish for the MN Vikings! They mentioned the idea of water marbling the 2 shades together, and the picture they showed was so pretty and intriguing that I just had to learn the technique! It took me a couple tries, but I got results that I'm super happy with, and I wanted to share! I used all mark. products for this look, and you can pick the products up at my eBoutique: http://tmassmann.mymarkstore.com Use promo code WELCOME for free shipping on your first order of any size!

My finished nails!

Supplies:
-2 contrasting nail polish shades (I used mark. Nailed It Trend Mini Lacquers in Steel Plum & Industrial)
-mark. The Big Fix 15-in-1 Benefits Balm
-toothpicks
-paper towels
-shallow dish or bowl of room temperature water
-nail polish remover, Q-tips, & cotton balls for cleaning your fingers up


Instructions:

Prep your nails by painting on a base coat. I used Industrial, the grey shade.

Use The Big Fix to coat your fingers. Make sure to cover your cuticles and the front & back of your fingers, down to your second knuckle. This helps so that you can wipe the extra nail polish right off your fingers after you dip them. (I've also seen tutorials using clear tape, but that looked a little more time consuming to me). I did just one hand at a time so I could use my other hand for the rest of the steps.

Loosen the covers on both shades of nail polish. Holding the brush about an inch above the surface of the water, let a drop of nail polish fall into the water. I started with the plum shade so that I could see it more easily. If you're doing it correctly, the nail polish should skim across the surface of the water, thinning out and expanding like you see above. If the drop of polish just sinks to the bottom, you might have to hold the brush closer to the surface of the water.

Working quickly, let a drop of the 2nd shade of nail polish fall in the center of the first. It should expand out also. Keep adding drops of alternating colors, making sure to go quickly. If the drop doesn't expand, the outside shade of nail polish might have dried too quickly. I'll explain further down how to clean it up and start over if you need to.

You'll end up with a rough bulls-eye design of nail polish rings. The exact number of rings doesn't matter much, you just want a fairly small inner circle.

 Take a toothpick, and starting near the outside, drag the tip of the toothpick toward the middle. If you've ever made a marble cake, it's the same principle. You don't want to start at the very outside edge, because that layer of polish will be too dry and will just cling to the toothpick and pull the whole bulls-eye apart. Usually starting with the 3rd ring of color will work, but if you feel or see it pulling on the toothpick, you'll need to start in a little further.

This was my finished design, and it was big enough that I wanted to dip a few fingers instead of just one. I wasn't able to take a picture of my own hand dipped, but when I did my sisters nails later, I made sure to get a picture:

You can sort of choose the section of the design you like best, by lining your finger nail up with that part of the design. Dip your finger(s) in through the nail polish and try to keep it as still as possible. Make sure your finger is deep enough that your first knuckle is under water. (You can also see in this picture an example of when the 2nd shade doesn't expand - you can see the outline of the purple that I started with, and a tiny dot of grey in the center. I just let another drop of purple fall and tried again)

This picture shows how to get the extra polish out of the water. You do this both when your finger is still dipped to clear away any extra polish so that your finger doesn't drag it up, or when you need to start over if the polish dries too quickly for the next color to expand. Start with the toothpick near the outer edge and swirl it around, twisting as you go, to collect the extra polish.

Didn't get a picture of this next part, but when you take your fingers out of the water, I like to sort of curl my fingers up and out, so that the tip of my finger nail comes out of the water first. That helps keep any leftover polish on your finger instead of gunking up your finger nail.

My fingers after dipping 4 at once. I let it dry just slightly (30 seconds or so) before starting to wipe away the polish on my fingers. Using The Big Fix before dipping your nails makes it easy to wipe most of it away with a paper towel, and then after my nails were fully dry, I used a Q-tip dipped in nail polish remover to clean up closer to my nail. I was happy with the design on my pinky and middle finger, but re-did my ring and index fingers. Make sure to do another base coat and reapply The Big Fix before starting over, and let the base coat dry. (We learned this the hard way when I was trying to go get my sister's nails done at midnight, haha!)

My finished nails, left hand!

And right hand. I think my middle finger on this hand is my favorite!


I had a lot of fun with this technique and have gotten tons of compliments on the results! The one thing I'll make sure to do next time is apply a clear top coat to help the manicure last longer. I hope you enjoyed reading, and I'd love to see pictures if you water marble your own nails! Feel free to comment with questions if there's anything I didn't explain well enough :)