Archive for November 2011

CND Effects- Shimmer Edition

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Good evening!

Tonight, I wanted to show you some of my CND Effects, namely the Shimmer Effects that I have. It's funny, I've had these for the longest time but I never give them the attention they deserve.
If you don't know much about CND Effects, they're sparkle, pearl and shimmer polishes meant to be transforming topcoats. Awesome in a bottle, basically.
I swatched four of these polishes over various colors to show you. Here is Emerald Shimmer (#554), Scarlet Shimmer (#557), Copper Shimmer (#556) and Gold Shimmer (#553), which is the order they are from left to right on every picture.

Over black (Wet'n'Wild Black Creme):

This makes the shimmery colors pop out the most.

Over a light pink (Wet'n'Wild My Private Cabana)

It's really hard to see, but the shimmers give lighter colors a delicate pearlescent feel. It's soft, very subtle but I think it does transform work-safe into something with a little bit more personality. Copper Shimmer, in particular makes this pink glow.

Over a jade green (Orly Lucky Duck):

You won't believe how Emerald Shimmer absolutely POPS over this green. It enhances the base color so well!

Over a dusky mauve-taupe (Essence Walk of Fame):

I think these shimmer look rather unusual on top of this faded shade. Not unusual in a bad way, per se, but unusual in a "hmm, I've really never seen this combination before" way.

I saved the best for last.
Over an indigo blue (Orly La Playa)

LOOK AT THAT. Is your mouth open? Are you making weird sounds with your breathing? If not a single one of these shimmers appeals to you layered on top of this dark blue, you might be dead inside. And I would get that checked out, if I were you.

I want to get Ice Blue Shimmer too, and I'll be satisfied. Have you seen the mood ring manicure CND created using Shimmer Effects? Check it out Steph from Imperfectly Painted's take HERE and AllLacqueredUp's take HERE.

CND Effects are usually price around $8+ but can be hard to find. Your best bet might be eBay to acquire these amazing transforming topcoats!

Have a great night!
-Mimi

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

EOTD: Fyrinnae Madame & Eve's

Monday, November 28, 2011

Good evening, wonderful readers!

I used another Fyrinnae Arcane Magic shade today- Madame & Eve's. I was wondering how I was going to use this tricky color when I found that the shades in my Wet'n'Wild Lust Palette amplified the base color of Madame & Eve's, quite perfectly.

I also dug out an old pair of lashes from KKCenterHK, Ballerina CM408 that made this look extra glamorous.

I used:

Brows: NYX Brow Shaper, NARS Bali shadow

Eyes: LORAC Behind The Scenes Eye Primer, Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy, Fyrinnae Madame & Eve's shadow, Wet'n'Wild Lust Palette, LORAC Beige shadow, LASHEM Double Trouble Mascara*, KKCenterHK Ballerina CM408 Lashes*

Have a great night!

*indicates a product that was sent to me for review. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

LORAC 3D Multiplex Eye Shadow Palette

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Hi you guys! I'm back from my 'vacation' and I'll be responding to all the comments on my scheduled posts soon.
A few weeks ago, HauteLook had a sale on LORAC products that I was really excited about. I had hoped to see a certain palette and lo and behold- it was on sale! For $12 I was able to score the LORAC 3D Multiplex Eye Shadow Palette that I had craved greatly earlier this year.
I love the small efficient shape of LORAC palettes, and this one was made even cooler by having holographic snakeskin print covering it.

The six colors are a rather unique set, I haven't really seen anything else like this before.
From left to right:
A soft yellow chiffon shade, with a bit of pinky opalescence.
Rich golden bronze metallic.
Red-brown duochrome, that flashes green.
A foil-like silver shade.
A dark metallic blue.
Black matte with multi-colored sparks.

The shadows are very interesting. I love LORAC shadows, but it seems they never use they same formula, they're always changing and I never know what to expect. The single shadows are incredible, especially the mattes but the Private Affair palette was rather 'dusty' feeling. Now this palette is fantastic. All the shadows are super soft and fluffy. Calling them buttery would be an insult, they are more like mousse or whipped cream. They are very nice to work with.

All in all, a fantastic set of shadows. There are so many ways I could use this palette, I've only begone to think of combinations that would look pretty. I think a lot of these shades would also make great supporting colors to other shadows I already own as well.

Do you own any LORAC shadows? What did you think of them?

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Design Essentials Express Conditioner (Your Hair Will Thank Me For It)

Saturday, November 26, 2011

I want to talk about my all time favorite hair treatment- Design Essentials Express Instant Moisture Conditioner. It's pretty freaking amazing, and I rarely rave about hair products.
What it is- an amazing deep conditioning treatment that leaves your hair tantalizing soft and smooth. The kind of smooth that makes you stroke your hair over and over again, completely mesmerized by the silky strands that is now your hair (this was my sister, about a month ago when she tried it for the first time. She just sat there and pet her own head for ten minutes. "It's so soft!").

I can't take a picture that shows you how soft my hair is. I wish I could let you touch my hair through the internet.

We used Express at my cosmetology school and without fail, every individual who used it would instinctively reach up to try to touch their hair, especially while I was blow drying. Hey! Lady! You can touch it when I'm done!
I recommend using it with heat, for the best results. I know not everyone has a hooded drying for use at home so I strongly recommend a bonnet attachment for your blow dryer, (like this one). Using a bonnet dryer does make me feel like a little old lady, but it works. I bought mine at Sally's for around $7.
Here's what I do. After shampooing my hair, I hop out of the shower and towel blot my hair. I comb a good portion gently through my hair, from root to end and put a shower cap over my head. I plop down in a chair, set my blow dryer to LOW heat, and attach the bonnet to it and put it over the shower cap.
15 minutes later, I'm comfortably drowsy and very warm and I step back into the shower. I'll rinse it out with cool water and proceed to dry and style my hair as usual.

What I like about this conditioner is that it is not heavy, my tresses do not lie limp with the weight of the moisture. It smells rather nice too. It's just such a nice pick-me-up for your hair, to keep it manageable and silky soft. I like to use Express every two weeks or so, and the difference is noticeable.
The easiest way to find this product is probably at salons that carry Design Essentials or online, at Amazon or Ebay for around $10.

What is your favorite conditioner?

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Water Marbling with China Glaze Westside Warrior

Friday, November 25, 2011

*I'm on vacation, so this is an automated post. I'll reply to your comments as soon as I'm back!*

Hello!

Today's nail color is China Glaze Westside Warrior, from the Metro Collection. Since I've been really busy with work and school, this collection just about passed me by without me taking notice. Once I saw in person though, I couldn't help but really want it.

I thought long and hard about how to wear it, I love the color olive but I didn't want it to bee too camouflage/dusty, so I decided to water marble it. It was entirely by chance that Westside Warrior was right next to Brucci Meryl's Marital Bliss in my untried box, and I thought that it would make a great combination.

lobster hands

Side note: Meryl's Marital Bliss? Really? Marital Bliss? That sounds like a pamphlet right out of the 50s or something. When I think of marriages, I think of hard work and communication. Not a gilded pewter pot of pre-made happiness. I guess if marriage was a polish, to me it would be extremely complex shade that looked different at every angle.

Have a great weekend!

My Take on CND for Jen Kao Spring 2011

Thursday, November 24, 2011

*I'm on vacation, so this is an automated post. I'll reply to your comments as soon as I'm back!*

As soon as I saw the pictures from CND's press release for Jen Kao Spring 2011, I was in love with the neon blue + black gradient nails.

I tried to duplicate them to the best of my ability. I don't have rounded nails though and used what I had- Funky Fingers 220 Volts and Wet'n'Wild Black Creme.

image from CND

I'm quite happy with the result!

Happy Thanksgiving (to those that celebrate it)!

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Essence Irreplaceable

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

I stopped by Ulta today and picked up this little gem, Essence Irreplaceable. A delicate putty color with gold glass-fleck. For 99 cents? I'm all over that like white on rice.

I love Essence polishes, but perhaps this one could have used a few drops of thinner. It's not thick exactly but it's thicker in some places on my nails than others, not much self-leveling.

It's gorgeous. Soft, inconspicuous and pretty. Work appropriate, but with winks of highlighting gold.

I really like this trend of light taupes/putty colors with shimmery bits (another example- Orly Nite Owl).

Have a great night!

Product featured were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

FOTD: Rimmel Red Hot Lips

Monday, November 21, 2011

A quick FOTD- I'm actually rather sick but for some strange reason I took it upon myself to shower, fix my hair and put on some lipstick.

Looking at this picture, I see that my brows need some serious... tweaking. Monstrous.

Brows: NARS Bali shadow
Face: MUFE Full Cover Concealer, MUFE HD Foundaiton, BECCA Nymph PSP, NARS Douceur blush
Eyes: LORAC Behind The Scenes Primer, LORAC 3D Multiplex Eye Shadow Palette, Wet'n'Wild Creme liner
Lips: Rimmel Red Hot lipstick

I sincerely hope that none of you get sick this week, especially with the holidays approaching. Blech!

Glitter Chevron- Wet'n'Wild Back Alley Deals

Sunday, November 20, 2011

I did my nails today, wanting to use those Wet'n'Wild Ice Baby glitters in my design.
I settled on the simple, yet interesting Chevron shape on black. Super easy to freehand, no guides needed.
Wet'n'Wild Back Alley Deals is so sparkly and beautiful on top of black (Wet'n'Wild Ebony Hates Chris).

What do you think of the Chevron shape? Do you like it, or prefer the rounded French manicure better?

Have a great night!

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Marc Jacobs Oh, Lola! EDP Review- Observations From an Olfactory Simpleton

Saturday, November 19, 2011

image from Sephora.com

Since I'm entirely new to judging perfumes, I'm only allowing myself to review scents that are easier to find, more commercially available. I'm hoping that these perfumes will have less exotic notes, ones that I can easily understand as I start to train my nose to pick scents apart!

Today, I want to talk about Marc Jacobs Oh, Lola!, the younger sister to Lola EDP, that I've been testing out for the last week or so.
It opens up very fruity, and very bright. Later on, the floral component of peony makes the debut, intermingled with strong vanilla. If Oh, Lola! was a young woman, she'd be charming, energetic and quite well rounded. Sweet, but not falsely so.
I've had several people sniff me wearing this perfume and they all agree it is a 'young' scent. I'm not saying it's only for those young in age (I'm a firm believer that every individual is as young as they choose to be, at heart) but that say, if you had to buy a perfume for a niece, granddaughter, cousin, etc in the 16-24ish range, they would probably find Oh, Lola! quite pleasing. It's not as sexy or complex as other scents out there, but it is unoffensive to most and generally pleasant.

Here's the break down, as from MarcJacobs.com:
Topnotes - Pear, Effervescent Raspberry.
Midnotes - Peony, Magnolia, Cyclamen.
Basenotes - Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Vanilla.
There's some controversy over Dakota Fanning in the ad campaign for Oh, Lola! I don't want to put it on my blog, it kinda creeps me out. I think Dakota's large, child-like eyes, the position of the bottle (between her legs) is a bit... uncomfortable. You can Google it to see what I mean.

Have you tried Oh, Lola! or the original Lola perfumes?

This post contains a review of a sample of a perfume that I received with a purchase. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

L.A. Colors Live

Friday, November 18, 2011

Today I'm showing off one of my favorite polishes, L.A. Colors Live. I love this polish so much, it's the only polish that I've ever bought a backup for (at $1... I couldn't talk myself of NOT buying a backup). Live is a super gorgeous and dense silver foil. My camera freaked out trying to capture its reflective nature in the sun, as you can see. It's actually easier to see the lovely brush-stroke free finish of the foil in my shaded picture.
This amazing silver polish even satiated my lemmings for Zoya Trixie.

However, I have noticed some inconsistencies in my two bottles. One has larger foil particles and the other one is finer, making it great for stamping. Barely noticeable.

Have a great night!

Love,
Mimi

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Crabtree & Evelyn La Source 60 Sec Hand Fix Review

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Hello!
My mom gave me this set recently, a Crabtree & Evelyn La Source 60 Second Hand Fix set. I was really glad to be able to try it out as work has been seven different kinds of hell on my hands. Maintaining cuticles and supple skin is not easy with new paper cuts and abrasions nearly every day!
What exactly is this set? A tube of La Source Hand Recovery (scrub), as well as as a tube of La Source Hand Therapy (cream), complete with rather specific instructions.
First off, I'd like to call bullshit on something. According to C&E, this hand set smells like:

"A crisp, clean scent of refreshing aquatic accords, musk, and gentle shoreline breezes."

I beg to differ. To me this smells like public bathrooms. You know, with their cheap deodorizing spray? Overwhelmingly chemical-y scented, generic 'sea' scent. Kinda gross.

The product itself isn't too bad. The instructions tell you to use the scrub on dry skin (huh? It feels overly abrasive that way, I would NOT recommend it). The pumice bits leave my skin very nice and smooth, and there's a bit of an oil layer that sinks into the skin if you follow up with the cream.

The cream is super emollient, it takes quite a while to sink in even when I massaged my hands together for 10 minutes absentmindedly while watching Revenge. I'd recommend using it before bed, so you'll be sleeping and won't be worried about slick hands.

Over all, my feelings about this set are pretty "meh". It works. It's not that nice smelling. It's pricey at $38 for the full size set, and $15 for the mini. You can definitely find better for cheaper. I appreciate that my mom gave it to me, but it's not something I'd buy for myself.

Have a great night!

Products featured in this post were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Orly Birds Of A Feather: Fowl Play

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

I always go bananas for flaked polishes. However, as I've mentioned before, I'm anti- Flakes and Shimmer being friends (am I for polish segregation? That's a weird way to think about it). I think they should stick to their own kind and not mix. Ever. This one is no exception. As much as my heart is doing little loops for the beautiful dark purple, the warm flakes... the shimmery bits are distracting to me, taking away from the over all beauty instead of adding to it.

I had a bottle of OPI Merry Midnight as well as Shim-Merry Chic once... and give it away for the same reason. I just don't dig it. Gah. If this polish wasn't a part of a set, I wouldn't have purchased it. Now I'm kinda thinking that you might see it on my Blog Sale page some day, real soon.

Ah well! I know there's people out there who probably love it. So enjoy the pics!

Have a great night.

-Mimi

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use. For addition information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

EOTD With An Eye Shadow I Made

Monday, November 14, 2011

Hullo! Today I used an eye shadow I made a few years back, when I was really obsessed with making mineral shadows. This one is called 'Poseidon', an overly shimmery sea green that shows up way more blue in these photos. The other two colors I used were Shiro Cosmetics Majora's Mask (the deep indigo with shimmer) and Kokiri Forest (that lovely olive).

My eyelashes are starting to look respectable! Not utterly gorgeous, full and luscious ... but respectable. I'm getting there.

Products used:
Brows: NARS Bali shadow
Eyes: UDPP, NARS Bellissima I, Shiro Cosmetics Majora's Mask, Kokiri Forest. Poseidon shadow, Prestige Total Intensity liner in Deepest Black. LASHEM Double Trouble Mascara*

Have a great night!

*indicates a product that was sent to me for review. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Zoya Neeka - What a Beauty!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Good evening!
I received my order from Zoya yesterday, including two colors from the Smoke and Mirrors collection. This is Zoya Neeka, a beautiful smokey grape with purple shimmer and gold micro glitter.

The formula is very opaque in just two coats, but it didn't self level that well so I felt like I needed three plus top coat to really make it shiny. I don't own anything even remotely close to this shade. I'm happily surprised by how much I love it. It reminds me of the color of the sky on a cold fall day, at dusk when the sun creeps away.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised at falling in love with another Zoya color!

Have you ordered any shades from the Smoke and Mirrors collection?

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Be Creation Konjac Sponge

Saturday, November 12, 2011

About 10 months ago (jeez, I'm a bad blogger. So behind!) I made a purchase from Sasa and it included a konjac jelly sponge from Be Creation for about $7. I had no idea what it was, I think the 'jelly' part of the name made me hungry.
After I received it, I googled it and found a review on MUA about it. The reviewer's chief (and only) criticism was that this funny little sponge went moldy quickly. I found a solution for that, but first- let me describe the darn thing.
I bought the heart shaped one. It came semi-wet in a solution that I assumed inhibited bacterial growth. It's made out of konjac fibers (the same konjac that Asian jelly snacks are made of). You use it when it's wet and fully expanded.
When I use it, it feels absolutely wonderful, like thousands of bubbles are massaging my skin. It's so great to use with a cleanser to remove makeup, the heart shape makes it easy to use the point to clean around my nostrils and around my eyes. I love that it gently removed dead, dried skin from my cheeks with each use but it wasn't a harsh exfoliation like a scrub or washcloth.

Now the tricky part- keeping it from getting moldy. I poured some isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol, 91%) into a spray bottle. After every use, I washed it thoroughly with antibacterial soap and I wrapped a towel around the sponge and squeezed to get all the water out, then sprayed it down with alcohol, (making sure to saturate the middle of the sponge) which dehydrated it faster than letting it dry on its own. I then hung it in my room (better than the bathroom, which can be humid at times from showers) in a well ventilated area free from dust. I haven't had any issues with my konjac sponge going bad.
I lost my sponge in the move from Philly to MN, so my use of it wasn't continuous. I'd estimate with daily use, it would deteriorate and fall apart after about three months. I really like this sponge, and it's too bad that Sasa no longer carries it. I've seen some cheap ones on eBay, so I think I'll be ordering one from there shortly.

Product featured was purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Blog Sale!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Hello, all!
I'm having a small blog sale. With the holiday shopping season lurking ahead, I need to make some room/save some cash for gifts! Click the tab above (or click HERE) to get to the blog sale section.

Thanks for checking it out!

Haus of Gloi Order- Observations from an Olfactory Simpleton

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Good evening! I've come across a lot of blogs that said a bunch of really nice things about Haus of Gloi, so I made a small order a few weeks ago. It was very, very small. Just three mini pumpkin butters (I've been pampering my skin like crazy lately, all sorts of scrubs and butters. I smell delicious.) in the scents Saft Ernte, Absinthe and Olde Cider Haus. I also received a sample of Absinthe perfume oil with my order, which was awesome because that was the scent that I was most curious about.

First of all, let's examine the packaging. While someone had obviously taken a great amount of time and thought and my package was meticulously packaged and included a handwritten thank you note, it was missing the invoice and one of the pumpkin butters was missing its label as well. This irked me somewhat, as I had forgotten what the last butter I had ordered was and had to rummage through my emails to find the original order confirmation. The labels themselves, on the butters and the oil sample are delightful works of art, each one complimenting the theme of the scent very well. Each butter jar was also sealed, which I appreciated.

Now the break down of each scent- (may I remind you that my novice nose is not particularly well trained and so I must offer my apologies for my rudimentary observations)

Saft Ernte- Immediately I smell the peach and the nutty spices. Segues into stewed pumpkin.

Absinthe- A contradiction of herbs, mint and potent lemon open the scene. Hours later, sugar and the licorice scent of anise dominate, just like cold water dissolving a sugar cube and swirling into a glass of la fée verte.

Olde Cider Haus- Strong vanilla. A second cautionary sniff reveals sweet apples and sun warmed grass.

The texture on the body butters was amazing. Perfectly silky, fast absorbing and non-greasy. Also I appreciated that unlike other popular body butters (cough, cough, The Body Shop, I'm looking at you), there was no alcohol in the ingredients so that I could safely apply the butters after a shower without my legs burning because I just shaved (side note: why, why would there be alcohol in a skin product? Could someone explain that one to me? IT BURNS.).
I also found that the pricing and the shipping costs were very reasonable. Aside from the missing invoice and label, I see no reason why I wouldn't recommend Haus of Gloi to everyone out there. It's evident that they make exceptionally well crafted vegan products, and I can't wait to try some of their other offerings (scrubs! More perfume oils!).

Have a fantastic night!

Products featured were purchased by me for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Freaky French With Zoya Savita

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Good evening!

I've really been enjoying some of the manicures I've been doing lately that involve tape. This one is no exception. I had this idea to use paper edging scissors meant for scrapbooking to create custom nail guides. Only, I amped it up a little by doing more than just a simple tip. I thought that since Funky French meant an interesting colors used for the tip, this takes it a little further- Freaky French!

I used Zoya Savita here, with a topcoat of Seche Vite to make it glossy. Speaking of Zoya, I had an amazing experience with their customer service. Last week, I ordered a few polishes when I received an email about the B2G2F code. Yesterday, I checked the status of the order, and there was a mysterious set back. I emailed them about it, and wouldn't you know- I was emailed back about 12 hours later (and considering most of those 12 hours were not business hours, I was impressed!). Even better, it was a friendly, personalized email (automated responses bum me out) that let me know that the whole situation had been sorted out. Neato!

I can't wait to get my order (Yara, Neeka, Posh and Mira).

Have a great night!

Love & Beauty Rust

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Good afternoon!
I have another Love & Beauty polish from Forever 21 to show you today, called 'Rust'. What an ugly name for something so beautiful. Rust is a clear base with fine and round copper glitter. The glitter is so pretty, exactly the shade of a freshly minted penny.
I'm nearly 100% sure that this is a spot on dupe for one of the new seasonal Sephora by OPI colors called Don't Be Eggnogious. I don't have the latter to do a side by side dupe, but if you check out the swatch on Sephora- you can tell that it's in the same vein- copper small and round glitter.
I love how this shade looks over black.

$2.80 dupe? Yeah, I can live with that.

Product featured was purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Not Just Being #Thankful On Thanksgiving

Saturday, November 5, 2011

I'm thankful for a goofy brother who likes to put
clothes on dogs, and a very patient pet.

Hello!
I wanted to sort of explain why I've been tweeting on Twitter tweets that end with a #thankful
Thanksgiving is coming up quite rapidly (hooray for pumpkin pies and stuffing!) and yes, people tend to be very grateful and thankful on that particular holiday.
What about the rest of the week, month, year? I know that I'm often guilty of forgetting all the things in my life that I'm blessed with. This last few months, I've made an extra effort to remember all the things I'm happy to have in my life by sort of counting them down as I sleep.
Now I'm doing it on Twitter. I'd be thrilled if you guys joined me! Nothing fancy, just all month long end your appreciative tweets with #thankful. They can be silly ("I'm thankful that my walls are quite sound, as my dad snores loudly #thankful") or more serious ("I'm thankful that my family is in health! #thankful")
Let me know what your Twitter account name is, so that I can follow you. I would absolutely love to know all the things and people in your lives that you are happy to have. If you don't tweet, feel free to let me know by comment or email!

Remember, you can follow me @MUWithdrawal

Happy November!

EOTD With Fyrinnae Mephisto

I think I've found the most perfect eye shadow ever. Fyrinnae Mephisto.
It's a matte ultramarine blue base with copper and red shimmer. I think. By that I mean, I'm not sure because every time I look at I look at it or apply it.
It's just freakin' beautiful. Sometimes it's a glowing copper-y red shimmer, sometimes a beautiful indigo.
This EOTD only uses one shadow.
Seriously, I'm only using Mephisto. I used it on the lid, in the crease, and to line on the top lid.

It can look so different on top of primer, used wet or blended out completely.
Here's the original swatch in this post.
Brows: NARS Bali shadow
Eyes: LORAC Behind The Scenes Primer, Fyrinnae Mephisto, La Femme Eye Liner Sealer, Prestige Total Intensity Liner in Deepest Black, LASHEM Double Trouble Mascara*

Have a great night!

*indicates a product that was sent to me for review. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Scotch-Tape Explosion Mani

Friday, November 4, 2011

After seeing a really awesome tutorial on Nailside about using Scotch tape to create an 'Explosion' mani, I decided to try it out myself.

I used Zoya Harlow and Harley as my two colors. Using Harlow was a great idea, since the matte formula made it dry lightning fast. I'm a really impatient person and I wanted to peel back the tape as soon as possible to take a peek at the design.

Since this was my first attempt at it, it's not exactly perfect! My reverse design on my ring finger is super thick, and some of the edges aren't as neat as they could be.

I topped it all off with Seche Vite. I really like this look though, and I will definitely be repeating it in the future!

Products featured were purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Love & Beauty Navy

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Good evening!

Earlier this year, I went with Jana from Jeweled Tips on a polish hunting trip. At Forever 21, I picked up a few very interesting polishes, including this one. While simply dubbed 'Navy', it is exactly that- a navy creme but with a scattering of fine gold shimmer.
The formula was very nice, two easy coats.
It's too bad the shimmer doesn't play a more prominent role. It only shows up outdoors with bright sunlight. Most of the time this shade looks like a simple creme.

What a pity!

Have a great night.

-Mimi

Product shown was purchased by me, for my own use. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Look #2 With Wet'n'Wild I ❤ Matte

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Here's another quick EOTD I did today with my I [Heart] Matte palette.

I really can't tell you how much I love the jade shade. It's so perfect in every which way.
I used the purple as almost an after thought. Now that I'm looking at pictures of this EOTD, it makes me wish I would have applied liner on my lower lash line as well as the top. Oh well. Perhaps next time.

I used:
Brows: NARS Bali shadow
Eyes: UDPP Primer, Wet'n'Wild I [Heart] Matte palette (purple, jade, nude and white shades), Bobbi Brown Chrome Eye Shadow in Silver, Prestige Total Intensity Deepest Black liner, LASHEM Double Trouble Mascara*

I think I'm going to try to use the blue shade next, it's the only color I haven't touched yet in this palette!
Have a great night.

-Mimi

*indicates a product that was sent to me for review. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

CLOSED China Glaze Winter Giveaway-For You And A Friend!

Good day, folks!

This is a lengthy post, but I swear it has a point. I recently have gained a lot of followers and I wanted to celebrate that and thank all of you by having a winter giveaway.

About eight months ago, roughly when I stopped blogging for a while, I was in a really crappy situation in my life. At that point, I wasn't buying much makeup because when times are tough, simple things like a new polish are luxuries that are the first to go. A friend of mine send me a package with a few things that I would have in no way bought for myself. I was deeply touched. I started bawling my eyes out when I opened it up.

It wasn't about the cosmetics I was given (though can anyone not be thrilled with new makeup?) it was about the fact that someone cared enough and was so kind and generous at a really shitty part of my life. I don't know if you've ever been in a situation like that, but it's so uplifting knowing that someone wants you to have something nice for you to enjoy, just because.

So, back to this giveaway. I know many of you don't celebrate the holidays, you might not do the whole present exchanging thing, but there's no reason why I can't give you a present, from me to you just because I think that you deserve one.

While we're at it, I want to give YOU something to give away to someone else. So ONE winner from this giveaway will win TWO sets of 7 polishes.

-They're packaged in two separate packages- one called Winter Ice with the polishes Snow Globe, Blue Year's Eve, Tinsel Town and Icicle as well as a snowflake charm necklace, the other set called Seasonal Sparkles with the polishes Poinsettia, Twinkle Lights and Holly-Day. (Click HERE to see Scrangie's swatches of all the polishes)

You get 7 polishes to enjoy. You get to give the second set of 7 polishes to anyone you like. A mother, a daughter, a friend, a coworker, maybe a blogger you thought would really enjoy these polishes. You can even divide the second set up and give it to multiple people. It doesn't matter to me. Just give it away and possibly make someone else's day.

(Of course, you could sell the second set... but that would really bum me out and completely defeat the whole point of a giveaway that kept giving.)

To Enter:

-Be a GFC follower and leave a comment on this page WITH YOUR GFC NAME, with your email or some other way to contact you such as a Twitter page. Tell me about someone in your life that you'd like to give the second set to.

For example: "My friend just started getting into nail polishes, and I'd love to surprise her with a bunch of new holiday colors."

-For an additional entry, follow me on Twitter, tweet the following (Please leave your Twitter name and a link to the tweet if you've done so!):

@MUWithdrawal is giving away @ChinaGlaze Holiday polishes, for you AND a friend! http://bit.ly/rE5YSU

-For another additional entry, blog about this giveaway or post it on your side bar, using the image above.

(Please leave me a link to the post if you do this.)

This giveaway will end on November 30th, at 10PM Central time. I will select one winner using Random.org. This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only (sorry international people! I hope next time, I'll be able to include you too) and for those age 18 and older. The winner has 72 hours to respond to me once I've emailed them and announced it, before I pick another winner. You may email me your entry, if you'd prefer. I will package the prize to the best of my ability and use tracking within the US, but once the post office has it, it's out of my hands. I reserve to right to disqualify any entries that are ineligible incomplete or spam.

Last, but important tidbit:

Sometimes my commenting platform, DISQUS craps out. If that's the case, and you just see the default Blogger comment form, don't worry. I'll still see it, and I'll tally those manually and copy and past the entry into DISQUS when it goes back up again.

Whew. Sorry for that ridiculously long post.

Good luck, thanks for entering!
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To my makeup fairy godmother, my deepest thanks.

Products in this giveaway were purchased by me, for the sole intention of giving them away. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.