Dropping in again for Cyber Monday!

Well hello again! Judging by how many of you checked in here the last time I posted, there are still plenty of former Beauty Addict readers out and about. Thought I'd pop in again to share some Cyber Monday deals from my new biz, Redwood & Vine. Things are going AMAZINGLY well and I love creating and sharing new and unique goodies!

Today you can save up to 65% on holiday gifts for everyone on your list -- and some treats for you, too! Here are just a few of the deals up for grabs:

• 65% off throw pillows

• 40% off phone cases, including clear, nautical and faux glitter styles!

• 50% off cards, labels, stickers, gift wrap and gift tags -- check out the best in my Holiday Shop!

• 40% off funny, cute, or monogram mugs for everyone on your list

• 20% off everything else!

And the best part? If you have something in mind and don't see it, I can custom design it for you! Just hit me up via Facebook or Twitter.

So stop by and say hi if you have a moment -- I'd love to hear from you! And of course...happy shopping :)

Hello, it's me.

I was wondering if, after all these years, you'd like to meet?

(Nobody says it better than Adele. It is known.)

It's been a long time since I've posted in this space. Since I last checked in, I got married, moved to the amazingly beautiful Napa Valley, and had a baby boy, Alex. Life has been good!

While I was on maternity leave I found myself wanting a new hobby/side job/passion project. I had some ideas knocking around in my head for baby onesies, and had a backlog of shower invitations and games I had created for friends over time. So I created my very own shop with Zazzle and started making those creations available for purchase.

My new venture is called Redwood & Vine, an homage to my new surroundings in beautiful Napa, bursting with tall redwood trees and rows of grapevines as far as the eye can see.

It's been an amzing success so far and, if you find yourself in this space, I'd love for you to check out what I've been up to. As of today, I have nearly 4,000 designs up for sale, from iPhone cases to funny tees to monogrammed bridesmaid gifts. Here's a little sample:

 

Rose Gold iPhone Cases
by Redwood and Vine

I hope you get a chance to check it out, and if you do, I hope you find something you love! I'd love to reconnect -- find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Moving On

This post has been a long time coming, and is maybe the most difficult one I've ever written. After years of swimming in beauty products, and loving every minute of it, I'll no longer be posting in this space. It's not that I don't still love everything beauty, but my interests and passions have changed and expanded over the years -- which I think is totally normal, and one of the best things about living. Over the past couple of years I've found myself wishing I could blog about cooking, or restaurants, or travel, or my new hobby -- DIY projects and refinishing furniture (I know, I know...that's a HUGE departure from lip glosses!).

I've had an amazing time building Beauty Addict over the past few years; through the blog I've been able to experience some pretty surreal moments, most notably, the first time I stepped backstage at Fashion Week, and being featured in the New York Times. I've had so much fun, learned something new every day, made a little money, and best of all, I've made some honest-to-goodness lifelong friends who I treasure.

From my heart of hearts, I thank all of you who've read, commented, reached out, and encouraged me over the years. The best part about this blog was always the interaction with readers and fellow beauty junkies!

So where do I go from here? Well, many of you know that I've been living part-time in Hawaii the past couple of years. Right now, John and I are working with our landlord to fix up and manage a vacation rental home here in Honolulu, and we're having an amazing time with the process.

We realized we had a unique opportunity to write about our experiences, from documenting our efforts to fix up the house and its furnishings, to sharing local restaurant reviews with our guests and tips on things to do in Hawaii (some features on Hawaiian beauty products are guaranteed to sneak their way in, too).

So we've attached a blog to the website for our vacation rental, which is still in progress -- right now we're waiting for the professional photos of the space, and then we'll be ready to start renting it out. In the meantime we've started to post some updates on our progress, and I have to admit, it feels really good to be blogging again.

I hope you'll check out our vacation rental website at Hillside Hideaway (and consider booking with us if you're ever planning a trip here).

And definitely check out the blog! Things are just getting started, but I promise it'll be a fun collection of DIY projects, decorating ideas, photos, restaurant reviews, recipes, tropical-style beauty features, and local tips.

As for beauty, I'm planning on keeping my original passion alive through Twitter (@beauty_addict) and Pinterest. I'll use Twitter to share my likes and loves just like before, albeit in a shorter format. And if you're not yet familiar with Pinterest, it's an online pinboard where you can document favorite products, ideas, photos and inspirations. Kind of like a "Favorites" folder on steroids. I love it, and have been using it to pin favorite things like clothes and accessories, recipes, home and DIY inspirations, and lately, beauty products -- because even though I'm not blogging here anymore, I'll always be a beauty addict.

Catch me on Pinterest here. If you need an invite, email me at kristen@hawaiihillsidehideaway.com.

Keep up with me on Twitter here, at my original Twitter handle.

Again, a huge thank you to each and every one of you who read this blog and helped keep Beauty Addict fun and vibrant over the years. I hope to see many of you over on Twitter or at the Hillside Hideaway blog!

Lots of love and aloha,
Kristen

Jillian Dempsey for Avon Professional Eye Duo

This isn't such a great week for Avon & Me. First my hopes for the Lotus Shield were dashed, and now I'm disappointed by another product that sounded so good on paper and looked great in the tube.

Jillian Dempsey for Avon Professional Eye Duo is a GREAT idea -- it combines a shimmery liquid shadow on one end with a coordinating liquid liner on the other. I tried it in White with Jet Black eyeliner.

But, for starters, the "white" liquid shadow isn't white; it's a pinkish champagne with white shimmer -- which is definitely better than straight-up white shadow, but then why not just call it Champagne?

The shadow applies easily with a sponge doefoot applicator and dries quickly; however, it's not very pigmented and it's REALLY pale--if you have a darker skin tone you might want to go with one of the other three shades. I do like the iridescent quality of it, though, and I may reach for it in the future as a highlighter.

The other end, the black liquid liner, was what really disappointed me. The formula is thin and a little watery, so once the first stroke starts to drag out, the liner loses its intensity and opacity. You might need to go in for another dip to finish the job. Additionally, the brush is a little too soft. With liquid liners, a good brush is CRITICAL. If you're new to the medium, this isn't a great one to start with; the soft brush makes it too easy to make the line too thick or lose control of it. I'm a pretty experienced user of liquid liners and I was able to get a nice even line with this, but it's just not the best of the bunch. It also took upwards of 20 seconds to dry fully.

Overall, it was okay, but I'd never buy it and can't really recommend it. Another one I wanted to love but just couldn't. Bummer!

Self-Tanner Review Series: Victoria's Secret Beach Sexy Gradual Tan Moisturizer SPF15

I LOVE a tanner with some SPF. You can slather it on in the morning and go about your day knowing that not only are you protected from the sun, but you'll be tan by dinnertime!

Victoria's Secret Beach Sexy Daily Glow Gradual Tan Moisturizer SPF15 is the reincarnation of VS's last gradual tanner, Bare Bronze Daily Glow. That one was a favorite of mine for both scent and effectiveness, so I was curious to try the new version and see if anything had changed.

Well, we know there's now SPF 15 in it -- that's a plus. And the scent is the same (praise the beauty gods!). I love the smell of this tanner; it's beachy, tropical and coconutty, and it masks most of the DHA smell without interfering with it and creating some hellish, putrid hybrid.

The one thing that disappoints me is that the potency has changed. It's now absolutely identical to Bath & Body Works Glow & Steady in both texture and potency. This is not necessarily a bad thing on its own; Glow & Steady is one of my favorite gradual self tanners. The problem is that the original Bare Bronze came in two concentrations, and the Medium/Deep was nearly as powerful as a full strength tanner. This new Beach Sexy gets you tan, but not as quickly as the old one (it comes in only one concentration).

Overall, though, a great pick! If you like Glow & Steady but not the scent, try this one instead. Or if you're just looking for a great gradual self tanner that smells fabulous and protects you from the sun's rays, go for it!