# SPECKTRA FAQ: Acronyms (cosmetic and bulletin board/chat)



## martygreene (Jun 4, 2005)

Since there have been a lot of questions about it lately...

Bulletin Board/Chat slang:
AFAIK - as far as I know
ATM - at the moment
B/C - Because
BBL - be back later
BTW - By The Way
BRB - Be right back
FWIW - For What It's Worth
FYI - For your information
HTH - Hope That Helped
HTF - Hard to find
HTHS - Hope That Helped Some
IAWTC - I Agree With This Comment
IDK - I Don't Know
IIRC - If I Remember Correctly
IMHO - In My Honest/Humble Opinion
IMNSHO - In my not-so-humble opinion
IMO - In My Opinion
IRL - In Real Life
ITA - I Totally Agree
J/K - Just Kidding
LMAO - Laughing My Ass Off
LOL - Laughing Out Loud
LJ - livejournal.com
MYOB - Mind your own business
OMG - Oh my G-d
OT - Off Topic
OTOH - On the other hand
OP - origional post/poster
PBI - Politely butting in
PLMK - Please Let Me Know
RAOK - Random Act Of Kindness
ROTFL - Rolling on the floor laughing
S/F - split from
THNX (THX) - thanks
TIA - Thanks In Advance
TTYL - talk to you later
TTYS - Talk to you soon
TY - thank you
W/O - without
WTF? - What The F--K
WTG- way to go
/me - denotes action. */me dies* is the same as typing **dies**


Makeup related slang:
BN - brand new
BIN - buy it now (ebay related)
BNIB - brand new in box
CCB - Cream Colour Base
CCO (or CCS) - Cosmetics Company Outlet (Cosmetics Company Store)
CP - Custom Purchase
DC (D/C, DC'ed) - Discontinued
D/S (DS) - Drugstore
E/L - eyeliner
E/S - Eyeshadow
EOTD - eye of the day
FOTD - face of the day
GC - Gift Certificate (gift card)
GWP - Gift With Purchase
HG - Holy Grail
LE - Limited Edition
L/G - Lipgloss
L/S - Lipstick
LNIB - like new in box
MA - makeup artist
MLBB - My Lips But Better
MSF - mineral skin finish
MUA - makeupalley.com
NIB - New In Box
RIS - Received In Swap
SA - sales associate
SIB - Still In Box
T/M - tinted moisturizer
UD - Urban Decay
YLBB - Your Lips But Better

Makeup Alley also has it's own set of "cutesy" terms for skin tone, which are generally abbreviated since they are all really long. These are:

AAB - Amazing Asian Beauty
BBB - bleached blonde bombshell
CCC - Captivating Caramel Cutie
DDD - Dark Darling Diva
FFF - Fair Foxy Femme
GGG - Gorgeous Golden Goddess
LLL - Light Lovely Lady
MMM - Marvelous Medium Mademoiselle
PPP - Pale Porcelain Princess


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## YOOTOPiA (Dec 12, 2005)

could you perhaps post acronyms from the clearance bin section?


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## martygreene (Dec 13, 2005)

such as?


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## YOOTOPiA (Dec 13, 2005)

for me "sib" and "ris" don't ring a bell hehe..
i figure it's "still in box" but then it'll say "used" so i get confused
i've seen some people ask about nib (new in box), bn (brand new) too
thanks a bunch in advanced
oh and "cp" =)


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## user3 (Dec 13, 2005)

*SIB* is Still in Box , that does not mean new that just mean they have the box

*CP *is Custom Purchase meaning they will go out and buy you want you want upon whatever you both agree on for the exchage money another item etc..

*RIS* is received in swap, meaning they got that item from another swap that they had with someone else. Typcially that they can only give you info on how much they have used the product. Sometimes they might know how the other swapper used the product.


*M/U* = Makeup


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## Ms. Z (Dec 13, 2005)

*Acronyms (cosmetic and bulletin board/chat)*

Thanks, I need this.


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## martygreene (Dec 14, 2005)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *YOOTOPiA* 
_for me "sib" and "ris" don't ring a bell hehe..
i figure it's "still in box" but then it'll say "used" so i get confused
i've seen some people ask about nib (new in box), bn (brand new) too
thanks a bunch in advanced
oh and "cp" =)_

 

Those are covered above, in the "makeup related slang" area.


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## aziajs (Jan 8, 2006)

What does *r/o* mean?


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## user3 (Jan 8, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *aziajs* 
_What does *r/o* mean?_

 

read on


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## fabbyabby (Mar 9, 2006)

What is &amp?


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## shamelessmuse (Mar 9, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *fabbyabby* 
_What is &amp?_

 
Usually it is a character error for and.  Someone will use an and sign that the code on the forum doesn't understand and it spit's out that.  sometimes it does it with ' or " as well


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## martygreene (Mar 9, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *shamelessmuse* 
_Usually it is a character error for and.  Someone will use an and sign that the code on the forum doesn't understand and it spit's out that.  sometimes it does it with ' or " as well_

 
Correct. It's a mis-parsing by the computer/server/forum of the code for an ampersand (the and symbol on your keyboard).


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## Ms. Z (Mar 9, 2006)

What does HD mean?


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## martygreene (Mar 9, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *ZLoves2Shop* 
_What does HD mean?_

 
Can you show me where it was used?


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## eowyn797 (Oct 15, 2006)

how about OA?


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## Simply Elegant (Oct 16, 2006)

Raok?


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## martygreene (Oct 16, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Simply Elegant* 

 
_Raok?_

 
random act of kindness


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## LuvBeMac (Dec 30, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *eowyn797* 

 
_how about OA?_

 
Other Arrangement


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## tdm (Jan 18, 2007)

What about p/m? I saw this in another thread:

http://www.specktra.net/showthread.php?t=62858




Golders Green p/m ???
Accent Red p/m ????


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## MiCHiE (Jan 18, 2007)

^Pigment

What's ISO?


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## KeshieShimmer (Jan 18, 2007)

how about DH? I know it had something to do with a male significant other. oh wait it's "Dear Husband' right?


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## Janice (Jan 18, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *♥MiCHiE♥* 

 
_^Pigment

What's ISO?_

 
ISO = Is seeking out

 Quote:

   Originally Posted by *KeshieShimmer* 

 
_how about DH? I know it had something to do with a male significant other. oh wait it's "Dear Husband' right?_

 
Correct!


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## martygreene (Jan 19, 2007)

ISO also can mean "in search of"

unless you are talking cameras, in which case it's something else entirely, which I forget at the moment.


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## c00ki312 (Mar 13, 2007)

what is 'HIP'? as in L'Oreal HIP Pigment in Tenacious???


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## bsquared (Mar 15, 2007)

the HIP in L'oreal HIP means High Intensity Pigment . . . it's just the brand name for that collection of cosmetics


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## elektra513 (Mar 25, 2007)

What is XD? I saw this in Mac Chat.


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## Krasevayadancer (Mar 26, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *elektra513* 

 
_What is XD? I saw this in Mac Chat._

 
Looks to me like a form of emoticon, similar to =) or ;-)


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## Larkin (Mar 27, 2007)

Can someone tell me what "<3" means?


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## mena22787 (Mar 27, 2007)

<3 is a sideways heart


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## Larkin (Mar 28, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *mena22787* 

 
_<3 is a sideways heart_

 
Thanks


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## mena22787 (Jul 10, 2007)

how about obo?  it's usually in the for sale section


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## rnsmelody (Jul 10, 2007)

obo, means or best offer =)


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## mac~A~licious (Jul 10, 2007)

thanks, i really needed this. newbie.hehe


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## AppleDiva (Jul 11, 2007)

What does "bump" mean in the sale and swap area?


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## lara (Jul 11, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *AppleDiva* 

 
_What does "bump" mean in the sale and swap area?_

 
Bump is someone posting a nothing/empty post in order to push their thread back to the top of the new entries list.


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## Ms. Z (Jul 11, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *KeshieShimmer* 

 
_how about DH? I know it had something to do with a male significant other. oh wait it's "Dear Husband' right?_

 
Oops, this is what I wanted to know, not HD


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## Shimmer (Jul 11, 2007)

Dear Husband
dd = dear daughter
ds = dear son
ss = step son
sd = step daughter
SO = significant other


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## kuuipo1207 (Aug 14, 2007)

what's SIL?


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## lara (Aug 14, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *kuuipo1207* 

 
_what's SIL?_

 
Sister-in-law.


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## SChotgurrl (Dec 30, 2007)

Anyone know what smh means? I've seen it used similar to how we say lol or asap, etc....but still have no clue what it stands for!


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## user46 (Dec 30, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *SChotgurrl* 

 
_Anyone know what smh means? I've seen it used similar to how we say lol or asap, etc....but still have no clue what it stands for!_

 

shaking my head


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## nunu (Feb 4, 2008)

what about MIA??

thanks!


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## k.a.t (Feb 6, 2008)

I remember when i first saw MUA i thought i was make up addict lol


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## aaj83 (Mar 6, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *nunu* 

 
_what about MIA??

thanks!_

 

MIA means "Missing in Action"


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## Obreathemykiss (Mar 6, 2008)

Yes...I needed this.  TY.


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## Kalico (Mar 7, 2008)

What is an MES?


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## prettyeagle (Mar 7, 2008)

MES - mineralized eyeshadow.

i hope im correct!


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## nunu (Mar 7, 2008)

yes MES is minerlized eyeshadow


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## sass000 (Mar 8, 2008)

What does rtvd mean? thanks


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## cosMEtix (Mar 25, 2008)

what does  bump mean?


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## cosMEtix (Mar 25, 2008)

High Intensity Pigment


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## erine1881 (Apr 28, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *sass000* 

 
_What does rtvd mean? thanks 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
returned to vendor.  after a certain period of time, any extra product that hasn't sold from LE collections gets sent back to corporate.


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## Rennah (May 4, 2008)

This thread is really helpful... I had no idea what 'HG' meant!

Thanks!


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## kobri (May 8, 2008)

What's WOC?


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## kobri (May 8, 2008)

nm figured it out


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## jayne5787 (Jun 17, 2008)

what does YW mean?


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## SuSana (Jun 17, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *jayne5787* 

 
_what does YW mean?_

 
you're welcome


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## blindpassion (Jun 17, 2008)

VAE is volcanic ash exfoliator
quite a new acronym


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## jayne5787 (Jun 17, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *SuSana* 

 
_you're welcome 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
ooh makes sense. thanks!


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## madame_morbid (Jun 17, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *kobri* 

 
_What's WOC?_

 
I've been wondering what this means myself.....


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## lara (Jun 17, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *madame_morbid* 

 
_I've been wondering what this means myself....._

 
Women of Colour.


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## pretebrowneyes (Jun 17, 2008)

OMG...this so helped.  I've been looking at CP curiously ever since I got on this forum, lol


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## jayne5787 (Jun 18, 2008)

one more: what's DC? (not discontinued, but in regards to shipping)


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## SuSana (Jun 18, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *jayne5787* 

 
_one more: what's DC? (not discontinued, but in regards to shipping)_

 
I believe it's delivery confirmation.


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## jayne5787 (Jun 18, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *SuSana* 

 
_I believe it's delivery confirmation._

 
thanks again


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## SuSana (Jun 18, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *jayne5787* 

 
_thanks again 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
you're welcome


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## spoiledkiwi (Aug 28, 2008)

What does "rop" mean?


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## lara (Aug 28, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *spoiledkiwi* 

 
_What does "rop" mean?_

 
Read On Please


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## mahagaya (Oct 1, 2008)

i'm newbie here 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



what does UNK mean? thanks!


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## Exotic Beauty (Oct 14, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *mahagaya* 

 
_i'm newbie here 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



what does UNK mean? thanks! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 
UNK = Unknown


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## kaexbabey (Oct 15, 2008)

how about eta?


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## Janice (Oct 15, 2008)

eta = edited to add


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## lara (Oct 15, 2008)

Or Estimated Time of Arrival. 

That gets thrown a lot when talking about when MAC things are going to hit the shelves in the UNK territories of the world.


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## brokenxbeauty (Oct 15, 2008)

What is a LL (makeup-wise?)


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## SuSana (Oct 15, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *brokenxbeauty* 

 
_What is a LL (makeup-wise?)_

 
liquid liner?  lip liner?

I know LLL is liquid last liner.


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## Nita67 (Nov 2, 2008)

My! I am learning alot!  Very helpful.


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## sedated_xtc (Dec 2, 2008)

I just came across a thread that says "I'm NC 50" 

what's that mean?


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## lsperry (Dec 3, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *sedated_xtc* 

 
_I just came across a thread that says "I'm NC 50" 

what's that mean?_

 
This refers to a MAC foundation shade. The following is from maccosmetics.com foundation shade guide:

 Quote:

  GUIDE TO M·A·C SHADE NAMES FOR FOUNDATION, CONCEALER, AND POWDERM·A·C shade designations for Foundations, Concealer, and Powder are a combination of a letter and a number. 

The letter represents the colour family of the product. The number denotes the lightness or darkness. The higher the number, the deeper the colour. 

The first step in selecting your shade is to simply look at your skin, without makeup, in daylight. 

Decide which of the following descriptions best represents your skin colour: 

If your skin looks more Golden Beige, you match with *Neutral Cool *or *NC* shades. 

If your skin looks more Pink Beige, you match with *Neutral Warm *or *NW* shades. 

Most skin tones will fall into these two classifications. However, if you are still not certain which classification is right for you, consider the undertones in your skin. 

To determine your undertone, take a look at the underside of your forearm: 

If your veins look more blue, then you most likely have pinkish undertones. If your veins look more green, then you have more yellow or golden undertones. 

If you have a significant undertone to your skin, you may choose to play it up or play it down by trying a shade that includes or excludes your undertones: 

If your skin looks more Yellow-Golden Olive, you will find those undertones in the Cool or C shades. 

If your skin looks more Beige, you will match with the Neutral or N shades. 

If your skin looks more Pink, you will find those pink undertones in the Warm or W shades. 

Please bear in mind, finding the "right" colour is something very subjective. Most people will wear a variety of different shades throughout the year because the colour of skin changes according to the lighting, the seasons, and physical well being. We encourage you to visit a store near you.


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## sedated_xtc (Dec 3, 2008)

Wow, that was so useful!! Thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!


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## chaffsters33 (Dec 8, 2008)

Thank you so much for this thread! I was getting really confused!


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## Kayteuk (Dec 9, 2008)

Whats FTW?


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## Stephy171 (Dec 9, 2008)

SOOOO GLAD I FOUND THIS!! hehe


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## Dice1233 (Dec 9, 2008)

FTW = for the win

(not sure if there is another make-up specific meaning for it)


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## Kayteuk (Dec 12, 2008)

Thank you!


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## NeonKitten (Jan 12, 2009)

what a wonderful thread...woo i thought i was the only one terribly confused


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## hotpinkanthia (Jan 12, 2009)

Thanks!


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## nunu (Apr 14, 2009)

What does FTW stand for?


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## DirtyPlum (Apr 14, 2009)

^^ in what context?

'for those wondering' i think...


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## lara (Apr 14, 2009)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *nunu* 

 
_What does FTW stand for?_

 
Mostly used to mean For The Win, a positive exclamation.


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## makeupmag (May 27, 2009)

I put together three lists of beauty acronyms and terms here yesterday. I'm sure I missed out something here and there, so I hope you ladies could add to them; I know it will be a useful resource for beauty junkies. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Thanks!


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## Junkie (Nov 5, 2009)

Gah! Thanks everyone...lol omg I was confused with a few, but this helped loads!


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## Lauren1981 (Nov 5, 2009)

omg i'm so glad i found this thread because so many times i'm reading posts with acronyms and i have to read the context of the sentences over and over for a  freakin light bulb to go off in my head. lol!
THANKS!!


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## Junkie (Jan 22, 2010)

lem?

as in "I'm seriously lemming mac blankety lipstick"? - nevermind found it ahahaha!

I finally found out what HG was lol....


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## marlojean83 (Apr 26, 2010)

Ah!  Thanks for spelling it all out for us - I'm so glad I'm not the only one confused by abbreviations!  This helps me out a ton!


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## be.rgrs (Oct 16, 2010)

Yay! So much easier. Thank you!


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## MissJojo84 (Oct 20, 2010)

I got a couple.. GPS = Grease Paint Stick, and JEP= NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil


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## dahlingdiva (Nov 23, 2010)

How about IMC (I'm Confused) 
  	TMA-(Too many acronyms)
  	Serious, how could I possible know or remember all these? lol


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## Spanky (May 5, 2012)

Ahh this thread is so helpful. Thanks also for posting the MAC color definition, it helped me a lot. Most of the def. are too lengthy & tmi for me to get something out of.


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## urshz (Aug 15, 2012)

BS ...I saw that one the other day, said Toxic Tale BS

  	Means she got it from BlogSale and now selling it herself


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## Elana (Sep 2, 2012)

What do people mean when they say they have "saran wrap lips"? I'm seeing that in the Chanel lipstick thread and I'm like whaaa??


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