💄 Bitch Perfect 💄

Today I have an exciting new review on Charlotte Tilbury's lipstick line. This is my first experience with this brand and so far, I think it is fantastic! I recently purchased some Charlotte Tilbury products after a fellow YouTuber spiked my interest in her line. I trust his reviews, so I was quite pleased when Ms. Tilbury's line was made available in the US, so I could test them out. I ordered this product from Beautylish. (I've ordered from their company several times and have always been very pleased with the quality of the products they carry, the customer service, and the fast shipping. I use the Beautylish app on my cell phone.) 

This is my first Charlotte Tilbury lipstick, and let me just say, I'm in love with it! This is the K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick in, "Bitch Perfect". Let's just be honest, I half got it for the clever name! 

My pictures do not do the packaging justice. In the photos, it appears gold, but the case is actually a beautiful rose gold color. It feels heavy in the hand and very well made. These lipsticks are made in Italy. They are paraben-free, and is available in the US through Beautylish. This shade I ordered is the perfect, classy pink nude. It will not make you look washed out. Although I have fair skin, I do feel that this shade will flatter multiple skin tones. The formula is a bit reminiscent of some MAC creme sheen lipsticks, but with a much better quality to it. There is a bit more slip, so it applies smoothly to the lip without tugging the delicate skin. It also has less grittiness to it as well, and more staying power without being overly drying. It has a faint hint of vanilla, yet not enough scent to offend anyone who prefers an unscented product. On my lips, the formula feels hydrating. (I always exfoliate my lips and moisturize before applying any lipstick.)

The price is $32. It is a bit steep if you're on a budget, but it is a solid quality product that should give you many uses, so I feel it's a good investment in a very wearable color. On occasion, the skin around my mouth can be sensitive, but this product did not irritate me, so even though it's not advertised, I do think this would be safe for someone with sensitive skin/lips to use as well. It also provides UV protection.

"Bitch Perfect" has nice staying power as well and does not bleed or feather outside of the lipline. One application with a lip brush has lasted through a meal and several glasses of water without showing signs of wear. When it eventually does wear down throughout the day, it is uniform on the lips, without making you look splotchy or leaving behind a ring. 

        (Swatched on the hand.)

Overall, this is a quality product, and is worth the investment. I'd highly recommend Ms. Tilbury's K.I.S.S.I.N.G lipstick line. If you're looking to invest in a great, pink neutral that you can wear during the day, or use to compliment a smokey eye at night, "Bitch Perfect" is a lovely shade. It can also be layered for a more intense look. The light-diffusing pigments in it give off a beautiful, multi-dimensional sheen to the lips, and make your teeth look whiter as well.  (I applied it with a lip brush, Wayne Goss no. 2. I will do a separate review on his brushes; they are lovely!)

It is recommended that you apply this lipstick with a brush for a more precise application. However, I tested the product by applying it both from the bullet, and also with a brush. Both methods worked well, if you favor one over the other or find yourself in a time crunch.

(A bit of a side note. It's been a while since my last post, apologies! It was necessary to allow myself to rest as I've been very sick. Long story short, I've had two trips to the hospital this month, and I'm still not 100% just yet.Hopefully my posts will become more frequent as my health begins to improve though.) 

Makeup Monday

Today for Makeup Monday, I'm sharing my favorite hot pink lipstick. This lipstick is from Urban Decay's Revolution Lipstick line, and normally retails for $22.00. The shade I'm featuring today is in, "Anarchy". It is a gorgeous, bright fuchsia pink, with a buttery smooth formula that glides on the lips without tugging. It is richly pigmented and lasts for ages on the lips without being drying or feathering outside of the lipline. The formula is moisturizing, and the intense pigmentation makes this lipstick nearly opaque in one swipe! This lasted for around 6 hours on me, through both eating and drinking. I actually wound up taking it off of my lips for the night with makeup remover, since I was ready for bed and wanted to take my makeup off, so I have a feeling it would possibly last longer on the lips. 

If you want to get your hands on this gem, I recommend signing up for Ulta's mailing list, and waiting for a 20% off coupon to purchase it. You could also sign up for Urban Decay's online mailing list, or wait for a Sephora sale, so you can get the most bang for your buck. 

A day in the life of a therapy dog

Every Thursday, my therapy dog Ranger and I go through the same routine. I spend several hours grooming him (either on Wednesday night after agility, or early Thursday mornings.) Once he is all clean and handsome, I grab our gear, put on my uniform and ID badge, and he get his therapy bandana on. Next, I walk him, put his seat-belt harness on him, and then we're on our way to our therapy visit for that day!


Yesterday (Thursday) was our visit to our favorite Adult Day Care. The people there are beyond fantastic, and we always have a blast on our visits! On a typical visit, we see around 35 people. Ranger enjoys all of the attention he gets; he always has a happy face and wiggles his stubby tail when he sees everyone!


Ranger has developed an uncanny ability to sense which people need them most attention and love from him on each visit. On Monday while we were on a therapy visit to a local school, it was a little boy in our READ program who was struggling to get through his book that day. Ranger sensed that the little boy was becoming stressed and frustrated, so Ranger instinctively stretched his body across my lap and snuggled in close to the boy to gave him kisses. The little boy pet Ranger and began to relax and feel at ease with his new friend beside him. He then started to calm down and began to enjoy his book!


As Ranger and I have matured a bit as a therapy team, we've learned to pick up on each others signals and I use Ranger's senses to our advantage. I try to be a very observant handler with him, and always keep one eye on my dog and one eye on our surroundings so I can continually make adjustments as needed. Therapy teams are like a pair of scissors: The handler represents one scissor blade, and the dog represents the other blade. Seperate, they are no good to anyone, but together, they can make a fantastic team! As his handler, it is my job to be the best advocate that I can for my dog, and as my pet partner, it is Ranger's job to watch my cues and commands and stay well-behaved at all times. One of the ways that we stay "sharp" is by continually training and working together.


At the facility we went to yesterday, there is one lady in particular there that he adores and has a certain bond with. She is quiet and calm, and always welcomes Ranger with a big smile. She doesn't say much; the Dementia has robbed her of that capability; but, no words are needed to understand the bond between human and canine on our visits.  Everytime that Ranger and I walk into a room at this facility and he see her, he will very gently tug on his end of the leash to let me know that he wants to visit with her. Yesterday in particular, was a very sweet visit. She was not feeling well and was snuggled up with a blanket. You could tell that she was not having the best day. Once she saw Ranger however, her eyes lit up and you could instantly see her mood and her day improving! (Therapy dogs have have that "magic" about effect!) I asked her if she would like to visit with Ranger and she nodded her head to say, "yes". I then positioned Ranger close to her and knelt beside them both so that she could pet him and visit. Ranger snuggled in as close as he could get to her. That's when he did the sweetest thing; he looked into her face and as gently as he could, he laid his head on her arm and gave her kisses; all the while, she grinned from ear to ear! Ranger snuggled there with her for several more moments before we went to visit the rest of our friends. The entire room could feel the warmth and love that Ranger shared with that sweet lady yesterday. As a handler, I live for moments like that! It absolutely melts my heart that I am able to share this sweet dog in such a positive light with others. I look forward to the day that Ranger's little sister, Mykelti follows in his steps and becomes a registered therapy dog as well! 


~In a funny side note, one of the other things that I've also noticed on our visits at the Adult Daycare is what a "ladies' man" Ranger is! He is quite the canine Casanova! The little ladies there LOVE him and get the biggest kick out of petting him and giving him kisses. Of course, Ranger doesn't seem to mind that one bit! Yesterday after our visit, I noticed when I was putting him into the car that he had lipstick all over him! If you look closely in the picture below, you can see pink lipstick. (On the other side of his face, he had bright red lipstick all over him lol; it took me a while to get it all off of him once I got him back home!)

What do therapy dogs do in their spare time? Squeeze in a power nap, of course! Being a therapy dog + and a Casanova is a tough job! ;) After we got home from our visit yesterday, Ranger took a nice, long nap!