Archive for September 2012

Wet'n'Wild Petal Pusher Palette

Sunday, September 30, 2012

So this week CVS has Wet'n'Wild products at Buy One Get One FREE. FREE. Gosh, how long has it been since I've seen a sale like that? Forever! Anyways, I thought I'd show you Petal Pusher, in case you were thinking about picking one up.

Petal Pusher has eight purply-pink-plummy shades. From left to right, a pale ivory pink opalescent satin, a soft pink mauve satin, a purple with a touch of blue opalescence, a chunkier blurple with silver sparkle, a frosty shell pink, a plummy purple with golden sparkle, a black base with redish pink sparkle, a black with multicolored sparkle (predominately silver).

The pigmentation is quite good- weaker with the satiny lighter shades but especially good with the two dark shades on the left side of the palette. My favorite color is that warm plum with gold sparkle. It is absolutely gorgeous.

A great palette to have even full priced at $4.99. Here's an EOTD that I did with it.

Brows: NARS Bali Shadow
Eyes: NYX HD Eye Shadow Base, Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara, Essence Lash Volumizing Fibers, Wet'n'Wild Petal Pusher Palette, La Femme Eye Liner Sealer

Do you have this palette or any of the other Wet'n'Wild 8 Pan palettes? Are you planning to purchase anything from this sale?

Nail Pattern Boldness Halloween 2012: Bitches Brew

Saturday, September 29, 2012

A few weeks ago, I saw that Nail Pattern Boldness post a picture on Facebook of a new Halloween polish. Bitches Brew.

By golly, I had to have it.

Well, that presented me with a problem. I was supposed to be at a meeting at school at 3p.m.

I KNEW that this Halloween polish had to be mine. So what did I do? I had my tablet in my lap, slyly ordering polishes during the meeting. It's fine, those other fellows didn't even notice. They were too busy arguing over what project we were going to do for this semester.

Bitches Brew is a clear base with a smorgasbord of metallic glitters. Orange, purple, yellow, even a hint of blue in every shape and size. Here, I layered it over black, smoothed it out with one coat of NPB Glitter Food and topped it off with a quick dry topcoat.

I do wish that there was a tad bit more of the yellow bar glitter. It's just such a nice touch- I see a few sprigs of it in the bottle but haven't actually had any show up on my nails when I apply it. Overall, this polish makes me so absolutely excited for Halloween. I've actually already worn this polish THREE times in the last few weeks! You don't know how rare that is for me. It's not uncommon for me to ignore a polish for half a year at a time.

As soon as Bitches Brew is available, you should definitely pick up a bottle. You can buy NPB polishes on Etsy or on Llarowe.

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

50 Words or Less Vol. IV: The Broken and the Used

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Sad title, no? I just wanted to show you some items that are being tossed today or in the near future.

1. Wet'n'Wild I < 3 Matte Palette. I was so bummed out when I dropped this and shattered it. I heard that it's being repromoted so I'll definitely be repurchasing this when I see it! Hopefully soon.

2. LORAC Behind The Scenes Eye Primer. It was drying out really fast and it turns out that I had squeezed it so hard that the exterior cracked and was letting air in! I taped up the holes (pathetic) but it's on its last leg anyways. Can't wait for Sephora F&F sale to buy a new one.

3. Avene Diacneal. Finally finished up my tube after two years! Don't use it daily though, which is why it took so long. Avene actually discontinued this, replaced it with Triacneal. I might buy that, I might not- depends on how well my glycolic acid peels go.

4. Make Up For Ever Powder Blush #133. Even though I never used this blush (Seriously. I've NEVER used it) I'm still pretty sad that I shattered it. Because of the shimmery/satin texture, I might actually be able to fix it!

5. NYX Taupe Blush. I hit pan on this contour shade and it became really fragile and broke. The crumbling pieces were making a mess so I tried to repress it, which really messed up the texture. Toss. Oh well, I ordered a new contour shade.

6. Kose Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil. Oh thank goodness, I thought I'd never finish this bottle. Don't dig the stuff, definitely not rebuying!

Fess up, what things have you broken lately? Or even better- finish any beauty products?

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

Born Pretty Store Review: Plate m66

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Hi folks! I'm finally back. Today I'll be showing you a stamping design that I did recently. It seems weird that I haven't stamped in what feels like a really long time! This is my favorite plate that I've tried from Born Pretty Store, the online nail art store that pretty much carries everything.

This plate is called m66 and it features bamboo, lily pads, a cherry blossom branch, wild flowers as well as a little figure. I love that the imagines are huge and not confined to the size of a single nail. I used Sinful Exotic Green as the base green, then stamped the bamboo design with both Le Chat Dare to Wear Enchanted Green and Sally Hansen Lickety Split Lime.

This plate is fantastic. Crisp images that are etched deep enough for great transfer. The best part is that I could do like five more different manicures with this, I don't think it will ever get old!

Remember, you can use my code for 10% off at Born Pretty Store! Neat, right?

Product featured was sent to me for review. Links in this post are NOT referral posts- I am in no way compensated if you use the code or the link to purchase any products. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Winner Giveaway!

Friday, September 21, 2012

Congrats to Thalie, from Glazed Talons for winning the American Express Gift Card! My email to her has already been sent.

Thank you so much to all those who entered. I really liked that sort of small blog unannounced giveaway- I enjoy giving away things to people who really read my content, not contests that make you jump though hoops (+ 1 entry if you post this on Facebook! +2 entries if you tell everyone on Twitter about this contest everyday! +3 entries if you bake me a cake!).

Wait.. I do enjoy cake....

Also I might not be super active blogging for a bit, my internet is down. Curses. Blogging from my phone is a nightmare, I won't even attempt it.

Have a great weekend!

Quick Nail Art

Monday, September 17, 2012

Quick post! Here's a manicure that I wore a few days ago.

I started with a base of Zoya Veruschka, then sponged a subtle gradient using a black creme polish at the tips. Then, I adhered these black triangular studs using clear polish and topped it with a topcoat. Simple enough, right?

Photo taken with my iPad. Not half bad. Only drawback is how awkward it is to take a picture with a tablet!

Nail Pattern Boldness Flipping Out Hard

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Recently, I made an order from Nail Pattern Boldness and over joyed when it arrived just a few days later. I'm such a big fan of NPB polishes, you have no idea. My experience with Nail Pattern Boldness has been similar to crack (or so I presume)- once you get your first taste, you'll keep going back for more. Allison is now my glitter dealer and I mean that in the best possible way.

Flipping Out Hard. I've been waiting for this one to restock- I wanted this one as soon as I saw it. Matte yellow-green and blue neon glitter, in a slightly neon (lime-ish? I'm making up words now, pretty tired) base. Here, I'm wearing two coats of it over one coat of China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise as the underwear. Topped with one coat of Nail Pattern Boldness Glitter Food (highly, highly recommend this!) and a coat of Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender.

I posted pictures of this one on Instagram and quite a few people people commented how it reminded them of the infamous Floam by Nail-Venturous (now produced by Ninja Polish). To be honest, I have no idea since I don't own Floam but judging by the pictures I've seen of it, it looks like a different ratio of colors (if they are even in fact, the same colors/shapes/size of glitter. I have no clue).

I love this so much. Eye searing neon glitters, really densely packed. Later this week I'll show you other polishes that were in the same order but I'm already convinced that I need another fix soon- I have my eye on Madam Rose!

Nail Pattern Boldness is sold on Etsy, check out the Facebook page for the newest updates on polish restock times.

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

That One EOTD with the Blue

Thursday, September 13, 2012

A quick EOTD, featuring two things that I'll be reviewing shortly.

Brows: NARS Bali shadow
Eyes: LORAC Behind The Scenes Eye Primer, NARS Outremer, La Femme Eyeliner Sealer, LORAC Beige, Red Wedding false lashes- D4121*, MAC Chromagraphic Pencil in NW-NC 20/25, circle lenses*

I like this blue.

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

Maybelline Downtown Brown

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Last month, my beau (hah, that word makes me giggle) was in town and I was trying to enjoy the last few days of my summer before school began. He was a little perplexed as to why I kept on stopping at the drugstores in town.

Morgan: What are you looking for?
Me: Nothing, nothing. *under my breath* Drat. It's not here.

(next drugstore). Repeat above scene four times.

Finally, I found it! At a Walgreens. That fall limited edition Maybelline display. Complete with some cool duochrome polishes (already have my China Glaze New Bohemians, so *yaaaawn*) AND THIS.

Maybelline Downtown Brown.

Me: Whoa Nelly! Look at that shimmer. Duochrome. Multichrome even. Do you think it translates onto the nail from the bottle?
Morgan: Are you going to buy that?
Me: Well. I shouldn't. I mean, I was all hung up about Cover Girl Chocolate Mint, and then I frankened that and felt a sense of satisfaction.
Morgan: Why are we here?
Me: I just wanted to look at it, ok?
Morgan: So you're not going to buy it?
Me: I don't know. I mean, it seems pointless to buy something similar to something that I already made. But look at that shimmer. WHAT IF IT DOES LOOK THAT STUNNING ON THE NAIL?
Morgan: I'm going to get a Diet Coke. *walks away*.

Morgan comes back. I'm still holding the bottle.

Me: Arggh. It could be everything I've ever dreamed of.
Morgan: So.. you are... going to buy it?
Me: Unnngrrrgggh. (Defeated sound, similar to the air being let out of a balloon slowly).

Morgan rolls his eyes, grabs the bottle of polish and pays for it with his Diet Coke.

I like to think that my boyfriend is all soft on the inside and that he bought it for me out of love, respect for my hobby. The reality is that he bought it because he didn't want to stand in a Walgreens for another half an hour.

To sum it up: three coats. Crazy multichrome shimmer doesn't translate to the nail. Still cool. Keeping it forever. I regret nothing. Thanks, my love!

Product featured was given to me as a gift. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Jelly Sandwich

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

I slapped this manicure together rather quickly. It's been a while since I did a jelly sandwich, so tonight I put on a thick coat of OPI Don't Touch My Tutu, a layer of Ulta Pinada Yada Yada, another layer of the OPI and finally a layer of Zoya Paloma*.

I love how glossy it is! Even though I had quite a few polishes on, it still felt decently thin, not like I globbed on a million coats.

What's your favorite layering combination you've done lately?

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

Rockin' It- Marcelle Rouge Xpression in Cleopatra

Monday, September 10, 2012

It's hard for me to adore Rae from the Notice anymore than I already do. However, this here Marcelle Rouge Xpression lipstick she sent me way certainly ups the ante. This particular shade, Cleopatra is exactly what was missing from my lipstick wardrobe!

A gorgeous saturated fuchsia that I found pretty flattering indeed!

I'm totally wearing my pajamas.

The great thing about this lipstick is that it has great slip, but very light feeling. Fantastic, rich pigmentation. Why can't we have nice things over here in the States? I kid, I kid. No seriously, why can't we have this particular nice thing?

I'm also wearing:

Brows: NARS Bali shadow
Eyes: e.l.f. Eyelid Primer, NARS Alhambra shadow, NARS Bali shadow, LORAC Beige shadow, NARS Pandora shadow, La Femme Eye Liner Sealer
Face: MUFE HD + Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, MUFE Full Cover Foundation, Guerlain Emilio Pucci edition Meteorites, NYX Taupe
Lips: Marcelle Rouge Xpression in Cleopatra

Thank you so much, Rae! I absolutely love this lipstick, I've really enjoyed wearing it. Isn't it great how a wonderful shade of lipstick can really improve your mood?

Product featured was given to me by a friend. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

CLOSEDManicure Clean Up: Q-Tips Precision Tips Review & $25 AmEx Gift Card Giveaway

Sunday, September 9, 2012

I've mentioned it before, but rarely do I ever clean up manicures. It's just the way I apply polish, during a normal application, it's just very unusual for polish to end up flooding my cuticle. However, nail art is a whole other beast. Between sponging gradient nails and water marbles, I ALWAYS end up using Q-tips. Actually, if you read through my previous tutorials you'll notice that I always use the brand name Q-tips.

The reason that I'm picky about brand name Q-tips is that I always feel like the cheaper generic cotton swaps are flimsy and each cotton swap has barely any cotton on it at all. There are three things in life that I think people should splurge on and go for the brand name stuff; toilet paper, laser eye surgery and Q-tips.

Recently I tried out the new Precision Tips Q-Tips. Uhm, this are kind of FANTASTIC. The reason being that the traditional Q-tips are rounded so while they remove polish off the cuticle, it's hard to get a perfect crisp neat line close to the nail. These Precision Tips give you more control with the fine tip. I've been using them non-stop for perfect manicure clean up.

With the Q-tips sent for review, there was also a $25 American Express gift card. I'd like to pass this gift card on to my readers.

Giveaway: one $25 American Express Gift Card.

To enter: Follow this blog (any way you chose- Google Friend Connect, Bloglovin', RSS feed, etc), leave me a comment below in the Disqus comment form with your EMAIL IN THE EMAIL SPACE (NOT IN THE BODY OF THE COMMENT) and your favorite beauty related way to use Q-Tips, let me know if you've tried the new Precision Tips yet!

UPDATE: A clarification about that email space. If you're posting as a guest (meaning you don't have a Disqus account) it looks like this:

Entering your email shows me what your email is, but not the world.
If you are already a Disqus user, just use your Disqus account (as long as Disqus knows your email).

Hope that helps!

CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

I was provided with Q-tips® Precision Tips® cotton swabs, as well as the $25 gift card and information about the product by Rocket XL. All opinions are 100% my own.

Glitter Gal Lizard Belly

Thursday, September 6, 2012

One of the few Glitter Gal holos left in my stash that I have not shown you folks. The reason being that I had difficulty taking pictures of it. This is the third time that I've put it on, taken pictures and when I reviewed all the images, thought that they were absolutely rubbish.

I want to love Lizard Belly. A sultry dark green holo. But I can't. First of all, the holographic nature is greatly diminished on the nails compared to in the bottle. It's not its fault, honestly. With darker bases, holo particles have to work that much harder. Too much silver holo and it ends up looking grey. Actually, I think that happens a bit with Lizard Belly. The base is too opaque and the submerged holo particles look a bit... grainy? That's the only way I can put it.

Wonderful glossy formula though.

Product featured was sent to me as a prize for winning a contest. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy.

Annabelle B-Ray Revisited

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

During my move from the Philly area to Minnesota last year, I somehow managed to lose a lot of my makeup. I'm not sure how, but it really bummed me out. Among my lost treasures was Annabelle B-Ray, a discontinued Canadian matte navy shadow, utter perfection in a pan. The amazing Rae from theNotice recently sent me one of these (one of her backups, I suspect. My heart melted, you amazing woman, you!) recently in a care package and I can't tell you how happy it made me!

Over bare skin on the left, on top of primer on the right.

One of my favorite uses for B-Ray is as a liner. Used with a drop of La Femme Eye Liner Sealer, it creates an inky liner. Not quite as stark as black, but still very dark and defining.

To sum this post up, I love B-Ray and I love Rae. (B-Rae? I feel like I should rename this shadow after her.) Thank you so much Rae for inquiring after my health! :)

Franken: Avoidance Maneuver™

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Hey folks!
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I had a wedding to attend, of which I was a member of the bridal party- so things were really hectic between the rehearsal, the actual nuptials, the pictures and the luncheon the next day! Today, I want to show you another one of my frankens and the story behind it.

I have a friend. One of her interesting personality quirks is her remarkable ability to avoid any and all conflicts, awkward situations, confrontations and mildly uncomfortable scenarios- especially if they involve men. It's amazing really, this individual can avoid almost any imaginable issue that you can think of if she so chooses. It's not just a skill or technique, it's an art.

So I named this franken after my friend CP because of my admiration for her Avoidance Maneuver™. No seriously, we've actually named this behavior the CP Avoidance Maneuver™.

Avoidance Maneuver™ is a violet jelly polish with fine and medium square gold glitter. Two coats pictured here. I'm happy that this polish doesn't eat topcoat.