CG "For Audrey"

This is my favorite polish EVER. I just painted this today for a shopping trip I've planned for tomorrow. This is China Glaze's "For Audrey." It is a robin's egg or Tiffany blue color and one of the most iconic polishes possible. It has a cream finish and beautiful on all skin colors.

CG "Starboard"

This is yet another China Glaze Spring 2011 color. This one is called Starboard and it is a creamy opaque true green. Loving it.

OPI "Black Shatter"

Okay, so not everyone may remember the crackle polishes from back in the day? Which day? The 90's. Covergirl made a big fat fail polish that was supposed to crackle. Recently, BarryM made a great one. Now the major league polish companies are catching on. OPI released their first ever crackle polish in the new Katy Perry collection. Basically, you put down a base coat and let it dry completely, then you put a layer of the crackle polish over it and it cracks right in front of your eyes.  Then I suggest putting a thick top coat over top such as Seche Vite.

This is OPI's Black Shatter crackle polish applied over top of China Glaze's Snow (just a shiny opaque white) and topped off with Seche Vite quickdry topcoat.

OPI has announced that they will be coming out with some more colors very soon.




On that same note, China Glaze, my holy grail nail polish company... has also released a crackle polish line. They have 5 or 6 colors I believe. I know they have a black, white, pink, grey, and purple for sure. I have heard from multiple accounts and seen first hand that the purple does not do right. The pink is AWESOME. The black is the same as OPI's and I don't know yet about the others. I went today and purchased the pink and grey so I will be reviewing those for you soon. By the way... As you can see the crackle is sort of latteral? This is because I just did a thin layer like you would normally paint your nails. If you kind of zigzag the polish then you will get more random cracks. Make sure you use the sheerest layer possible though to get the most crackle. :)

China Glaze "Ahoy!"

This is another polish from the Spring 2011 China Glaze collection. This one is called Ahoy!  It is a purplish-fuchsia with red and magenta sparkles. It is really pretty and a great consistency. Its sort of like a cooler toned "Strawberry Fields" It may be my top polish from this collection.

China Glaze "Knotty"

This is the first polish that I'm reviewing in China Glazes spring 2011 collection called "Anchors Away" It is a nautical/summer-like theme.  This particular polish is called Knotty. It is a sheer yellowish nude with lots of shimmer. I like this... I just wish it was more opaque. This is two coats. The problem is that it almost gives a yellow tinge to the nail. It wears quite a while though. I love this new collection and I will be reviewing all of the colors in it.

China Glaze "Strawberry Fields"

This was my color for Valentine's. I LOVE IT. Its a vibrant fuchsia pink with lots of gold shimmer. I really can't tell you how unique this color actually is. I can't think of a dupe or close comparison. I definitely recommend this one.

China Glaze "Wild Mink" and accent nail.

This is China Glaze's Wild Mink. This is one of my all time favorite pink polishes. It is a lovely opaque creamy almost mauve like pink. It has the smallest hint of gold and pink shimmer.  I really love this color. As an accent, I painted my ring fingers with one coat of Wild Mink and the two coats of a polish called "Spitfire" from the brand Pure Ice. This is a brand that is commonly available at drugstores and they have some great glitter polishes. I topped all my nails with a thick coat of Seche Vite Quick dry top coat.

China Glaze "Mrs. Clause"

YES, I am aware that Christmas is long gone. I actually painted my nails this color and took this picture before Christmas. I did not review this because I felt that it missed the mark for me as a holiday color. It was definitely not what I expected. Mrs Clause was supposed to be a  red with lots of glitter. Instead it is like a hot pink.. with a good bit of glitter.  I do however, like this color. It is not one of my favorites but I thought it would be cute for around Valentines. This was in China Glaze's holiday 2010 collection.

Sally Hansen "Sheer Strawberry"

This is Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails polish in the color Sheer strawberry. This took 2 coats and is very difficult to work with. It is pretty streaky, and the tiny brush means you have to use  more strokes to get a coat down, causing more streaking.  If you can work quickly and with a lot of polish, then this is actually a very nice, affordable light, sheer creme pink.

NYX Pearl Mania Pigments Storage and Review

NYX is a great Lower end makeup brand.  It’s really a shame that drugstores don’t carry it. You can however, find this brand at your local ULTA and online. I love their mosaic blushes and a lot of their single eye shadows are exact dupes for MAC shadows. They are very pigmented and packaged cutely.

Today I wanted to review and show you a way that I store my NYX Pearl Mania Loose Eye shadow pigments.  These are around 3 dollars each. They are tiny but there is so much product inside these little jars.  The formula is very pigmented and beautiful. You can use them wet or dry and there are 30 lovely colors to choose from.

The problems I have found with these pigments (as with any pigments) is that they tend to be very messy. For most people who dabble in makeup though, they are worth it once you get the hang of them. The big problem with this particular brand and product is the packaging.  Although it is cute and adorable… It is very impractical. The only brush you can get in there is a liner brush so you are forced to dump a bit of product out while making a mess and losing product.

My solution came in the form of a 7 dollar container purchased at Wal-Mart that is meant to store beads.

This clear box came with 24 small gram jars with screw on lids, and a lid for the box. I can store it sideways alongside my palettes. I just dumped the jars into their own gram jar. The lids are secure and they are the PERFECT size.  I’m sure you can find this container at most craft stores. I do not know the exact size of the jars but I think they are all about the same.

 The only problem is, I didn’t label these jars. You could easily get some round tags and type or write the names on them, or you could peel the name off the jar and stick it to the gram jars.  Either way, I wasn’t concerned with the product names.

Here are a few random swatches of some of the pastel colored pigments.

China Glaze "Rose Among Thorns"

 

This is China Glaze's "Rose among Thorns" This is considered a Neon I believe? It is my favorite hot pink. It is so bright, and it has a nice jelly finish. Top this with a little Seche Vite Quick dry Top coat and it will look like  acrylic plastic yumminess in just two coats.

VS Beauty Rush Lipglosses

Well, I am finally back from a mucho needed Hiatus. I was gone a little longer then I intended, but I gladly got swept up with all the holiday fever. My nails are finally growing in healthy (thus far.) They are not as strong as I’d wish for them to be at this point, but I am working on it. I am keeping them semi-short for a while until I trust their strength. Also, I write a lot so length isn’t very functional for me at the moment.

This month will be filled with lots of lovely love inspired beauty products and ideas. I have pretty pinks and reds planned for nails. Later this month, I’ll give you some of my favorite scents for Valentine’s. I might even have a makeup eye look or two for you.

This post is for kissable, yummy lips. These glosses are looked over sometimes because the formula of tube glosses tends to be a little too sticky. The Beauty Rush lip-glosses from Victoria Secret are fabulous though. They have a great consistency, cute colors, scents, and even flavors.

I’ve tried many of them over the years but I will review 3 for you here. These glosses are priced at 7 dollars but I believe you can get them 5 for 20 dollars or something along those lines.

This is one is called Taffy go Lucky. It smells very bubble-gum taffy-like. At first glance it looks like your standard hot pink gloss however, this gloss has lots of gold shimmer which makes it pretty unique.

This gloss is called CupQuake. I promise you, you will want to lick your lips ALL day... (and so will he.) It honestly smells just as it sounds. The color doesn't exactly match the name or scent to me... but heh? It is a fuscia/purplish color with lots of sparkles but pretty sheer.

This is called Spearminty. It will give you a bit of a blue sheer hue (basically adds a blueish cast shine.) This can help make teeth appear slightly whiter. It smells very minty but isn't over the top. Its a very sweet-smelling light mint. Kissable much?

All of these glosses taste as good as they look and smell. I would definitely recommend them as a sheer light option on a low maintenance day. Wear them over lipstick or on their own. A little goes a long way and they are great for all ages.

 

Top:     Taffy Go Lucky

Middle:       CupQuake

Bottom:      Spearminty

China Glaze "Lubu Heels"

Birthdays are out of the way, now we can REALLY focus on Christmas. I won't be posting many polish colors and reviews for the next month. I had planned two Christmas manicures to share with you but unfortunately due to something obviously internal, my nails became so fragile that they just broke. Three broke and others were flaking so I trimmed them all VERY short, so that I can nurture them.  I will have some other things up for you this month though, so keep checking.

This is China Glaze's "Lubu Heels" under white light and flash. It is a deep brown/black base (kind of watery) with red sparkles.  It works best over a creme black base. I just used liquid leather from China Glaze but you can also get the same effect by using 3 good coats of the Lubu Heels. This is a classic, classy, Christmas manicure. Its very simple. This polish does the work for you.

China Glaze "Watermelon Rind"

This is China Glaze's Watermelon Rind. I know this isn't a traditional emerald green, and it may miss the mark for some, but I really loved this one for Christmas. I find it super pretty, especially if you are a bit weary of darker polishes.

Lush Lashes for the Holidays

Everybody wants nice glamorous lashes for the holidays. Most girls allow themselves a little extra sparkle around Christmas. We want to look special and festive.  A lot of people will amp it up with false lashes. I personally am very picky about falsies. I would wear them everyday if I could find a nice VERY natural looking pair but for now, I wear them when I want to go out. Some people will wear them 2 or 3 times in their life. Maybe prom, stage performances, weddings? If you want something to make you feel beautiful and amplify your eyes, I would encourage you to give some falsies a shot.

I love LOVE MAC lashes, they have a fabulous assortment but I gotta share with a gem I found. NYX sells some great lashes. They have 90 different styles. I have tried a few and I have loved them all. The regular ones are around 5 dollars, compared to $15 for MAC. The theater/costume ones are around 10 dollars. Here are two I've tried and loved.

These are stock number EL 101 "Nirvana"

These are stock number EL 110 "Illumination"

Also, Although it is possible to work with the glue that comes with them, I use a separate glue that I purchase for around 4-5 dollars. It is by Revlon. It shows up blue when you apply it to the black lashes but dries clear.  It really holds all day, is easier to apply with the brush, easy to see because of the color, dries completely clear, and removes like a dream when I am ready to take off the lashes.

Revlon Precision Lash Adhesive

Wanna know how I apply mine? It is honestly, not as hard as people make it seem.

Step 1: Curl your own natural lashes

Step 2: Mascara your natural lashes as you usually would

Step 3: Line your top lash line as close and evenly as you can with a dark liner (This step is VERY important)

Step 4: Brush on a nice even line of the lash glue onto lash rims

Step 5: Gently blow on glue and wait about 20-30 seconds for glue to get tacky.

Step 6: Start at corner of eye (look down into mirror) and apply lashes (longest lashes go on outside corner)

Step 7: Gently push lashes down, as close to the lash line as possible. You may want to use a cutlicle stick or something for this step, just be careful.

VOILA! Enjoy your long, full, beautiful lashes. 

Hope this helped, be on the look out this month for a post on my fave, and fail, mascara reviews. :)

China Glaze "Phat Santa" & "Party Hearty"

This is China Glaze's Phat Santa. Its a slightly darker then color block red. It has a gel-like consistency. If you don't know what I mean by gel-like then I'll try to explain.The finish is sort of transparent. It has a deep jello-like appearance. You can't actually see through the polish, its sort of like looking through a piece of hard candy or thick colored glass.

This, yet again, is the beloved "Party Hearty" aka Christmas in a bottle, by China Glaze (over top of the Phat Santa)

China Glaze "Jolly Holly" & "Party Hearty"

This is China Glaze's Jolly Holly. It is a tidbit shimmery. Its a dark forest green. Its a great evergreen like color for Christmas. This, again, is part of the 2010 Holiday Collection.

This is China Glaze's Party Hearty over Jolly Holly. It is SO beautiful over this. Again, the picture gives it no justice.  It makes your fingers look like little wreathes. Love it.

China Glaze "Snow" & "Party Hearty"

So, I am feeling REALLY Christmas-like now. I went to a Christmas parade last night, and the weather is getting colder, and I went Christmas shopping again this week. I've been working on Christmas cards this morning. Could it be my nail polish? MAYBE.

This is China Glaze's Snow.  It is basically White-Out with a shiny finish. (..and not a gooey-gloppy mess.. Please do NOT paint your nails with white-out, its not cute)

This is Party Hearty -- AKA, Christmas in a bottle.  Seriously.  It has tiny gold sparkles, and small round green glitters, and then larger red hexagon type glitter.  It is topcoat, so you will want to wear something under it.  This pic does NOT do it justice. Trust me, If you want one Christmas nail color, this should be it. I will be showing you more colors underneath this, this month. 


Both of these are in China Glaze's 2010 Holiday collection, so make sure you pick them up before it is too late.

China Glaze "Peace on Earth"

It is officially Christmas-time! Happy December! This is my favorite month. Christmas is the happiest time of the year. This month is action packed for me. I have Christmas with all the shopping and preparation and fun, my birthday, my mother's birthday, my father's birthday and tons of cheer. I also have an excuse to glam up the beauty products just a bit to celebrate the holidays.

Bring on the festive nails!

 This is China Glaze's Peace on Earth. A lot of people have said they were hesitant about this color, specifically if you are ordering online but loved it when they got it. Its really beautiful and you have to see it in its full glory to really appreciate it. It is a limey-olive like color with gold shimmer. It has almost a metallic-frost like finish.  I love it honestly. Its a great color for fall or Christmas. Its my transitional color at the moment. 

China Glaze "Ingrid"

For the last day of November 2010, I wanted to squeeze in ONE more yummy fall polish. This one is Definetly fall.

This is China Glaze's Ingrid. It is a muddy brown with tiny gold shimmer. I love love it.  Muddy colors are very popular this fall. This looks nice on just about anyone. 



Look forward to lots of nice Christmassy colors coming soon.

China Glaze "Salsa"

I am thankful that thanksgiving is over for this year. It was fun but way too busy. I didn't have time to post at all. I will make up for it soon with lots of reviews for December. I wanted to share with you what I wore for Thanksgiving. My camera was being VERY uncooperative but I'll give you what I have. Oh, and forgive my cuticles...it has been a torturous week of baking for my poor nails.

This is China Glaze's Salsa and Ruby Pumps. I have Salsa on all fingers except my ring finger is Ruby Pumps.  I will review Ruby Pumps later. For now I can say that if you want a nice primary hot red with unbiased, perfect, gel-like consistency (but lots of attitude), then Salsa is perfect for you. I love it. <3

Favorite Fall Finds

Collectively this season, I’ve identified some major favoritism going on in my makeup collection.  I’ll share some of my cherished treasures with you right now. Honestly there hasn’t been a single time this fall that I have put on makeup without reaching for at LEAST one of the of these.  Some are higher end products and some you can find at your local drugstore.  These are not in any particular order.

MAC Eye shadow in Mulch: $ 14.50

This eye shadow is a Velvet finish. It’s a reddish brown with bronze sparkles. It is SO pretty. I love this for a contour for just about any shadow at the moment.

  
MAC Eye shadow in Satin Taupe: $ 14.50

This eye shadow is a must have for everyone. If there was only one shadow to own from MAC, this is it. I put that much faith in it. It is SO versatile and looks great on everyone’s skin.  It is a shimmery silvery brownish purplish taupe and can be used on its own or as a contour.  Don’t let the fact that it’s a frost finish put you off. You don’t have to “Snookie it up” to pull off this shadow. 

Cover girl Drama Eyes Palette: $ 5 – 7.00

What can I say besides GREAT bargain?  Actually, I can say a whole lot more. This product is one of the best eye shadow palettes I’ve found in a drugstore. You get 4 really pigmented, beautiful, silky colors. Covergirl has really improved their formula over the years so if you are afraid to try it, you should give it  a chance. With a deal like this you can almost risk not liking it. You will love it though. You have a nice white, black and silver color.  Instant Smokey eyes anyone?  To be festive, and why I’m loving this SO much this season though is for the fourth color.  No one can deny this beautiful reddish berry color is an exact dupe for MAC’s Cranberry.  This color is gorgeous. You can’t go wrong with this palette.

  
Maybelline Colorsensational lipstain in Touch of Toffee: $ 5- 7.00

Finally, a good drugstore lipstain! I was so excited when I tried this that I ran back to the store to get whatever other colors I could find.  This stuff really holds true to its purpose.  It goes on evenly and dries quickly. It looks like a stain. It doesn’t go on patchy or wear off in areas. You can layer it to get a deeper affect if you want, use it as a lipstick base, put a pretty gloss over it, or wear it alone with a little balm (my favorite.)

Mac lipstick in Viva Glam Cyndi: $ 14.50

This is my red.  I’m timid when it comes to red lipstick but this color is so flattering on everyone.  It’s one of those “foolproof ones.”  It’s a little sheer which is exactly what I want. Probably more beautiful than the color is that every penny from the sale of this lipstick goes to help with the research against HIV/AIDS..

Nyx blush in Espresso:  $ 6 – 9.00

Love this one…  It’s a mauve-y color and perfect for fall. I love this very lightly just below the apples of my cheeks in that “ C “ area or as a contour.   It has the most minute amount of shimmer and it really doesn’t transfer to your cheeks or face.

ELF studio Blush in Berry Merry: $ 3.00

GOURGOUS! I honestly am IN LOVE with this. I mean seriously… three dollars??  Its beautiful. If you are sparkle shy then look away. This blush may contain sparkle content not appropriate for all consumers… haha. I love it.  Seriously, this is a great blush.  It’s a mauve dark pink with tons and tons of gold shimmer and sparkle.  It’s so pigmented that it will probably last a few days past forever.  This will definitely be a favorite for a while to come.

As I said before. These products are amazing. If you are looking for some great fall staples, try some of these. 

China Glaze "VII"

This polish was in the collection released to celebrate China Glaze's 10th year anniversary. They are all labeled by roman numerals. There ended up being 12 of them I believe. This is number 7. Its a purplish eggplant creme color but can look almost brown in low lighting. It is really pretty and I'm enjoying this color a lot this season. 

China Glaze "Twenty-Four K"

This is China glaze in the color Twenty-Four K. I Love this color in the summer and fall.  Its very versatile. Its a sheer color in some light and in other light it is almost a chrome. Its a yellowish-gold and VERY pretty. The name doesn't fit as much for me but heh.  This was actually on sale for super cheap so I love it for that. I don't know that it is a must have but I definitely enjoy it in my collection.

Four Fabulous Fall Fingerpaints

I'll start off by saying I'm rather content with my alliteration title in its full grammar loving nerdy-ness. Now down to business.

I am a faithful worshiper of China Glaze brand nail polish. I do have some other brands, but CG (China Glaze) has always had my heart..er...nails. Finger Paints is a great brand too. I will be upfront however, they chip/peel easily. Even with an adhesive base-coat and a quick drying topcoat, they last no time for me.

I personally love the bigger brushes on CG but some people despise it.  Finger Paints has much smaller brushes. Also, the paint seems to be a lot thinner so its easy to get build-able color without smudging or lumping it up. (This may be why it chips so quickly.) Either way, I still like this brand and they have a HUGE range of colors.

These are four of my favorite Finger Paint colors for fall.

Holly-Wood Frame

This is a neutral shimmer color. It has the microscopic little shimmers that make it a perfect nude color for any time. I love it even more in the fall.








Free Form Fawn

This color is pretty unique. It showed up a bit more magenta in the picture but its just a tad darker.  Its a mauvy-magenta Jelly finish type.








 Artist's Inspiration

This picture also came out a little lighter. This is a unique color. It is a bronze brown with gold and bronze shimmer. Gorgeous really. 








Copper Elements

This one lives up to its name. It looks like a shiny copper penny (slightly more orange) It has yellowy bronze understated shimmer. The PERFECT burnt orange color for fall.

Clinique 3-step Bonus

Skin care is very important. Makeup needs as  fair a chance as you can give it. You can't expect your makeup to give you the results you want without a smooth radiant canvas.  A lot of people struggle with acne and sometimes it can be a medical condition. This is all to often, however, not the case.  You may say "I take SUCH could care of my face but I'm constantly breaking out" or "My face is so dry it flakes?!" I can confidently say it is highly likely that you are using the wrong skin care products.  Yes, there are some great drugstore products but I've found nothing that compares to Clinique 3-step. A lot of people call this "high-end." I call it high-quality.

Clinque is extensively allergy tested. They are fragrance free and very good for all skin types. The 3 step program has definitely changed my skin. I have very dry/combination skin. I get really dry on my forehead and cheeks (to the point of flaking) and really oily on my nose and chin. Honestly, these products cater to everyone. 

It consists of 3 steps:

Cleanse

Clarify

Moisturize

There are 3 different cleansers and you can get them in the bar form. Most women prefer the liquid soap. I personally use the mild. You wash your face really well. A soft brush can really help you exfoliate. The second step is very important. It is sort of a toner/lotion type thing.  It is a liquid and you use a cotton round or ball to swipe it all over your face. It will tingle but not burn. This helps you feel like its really working.  I use Clarifying lotion 2 for this. The final step is moisturizing.  A lot of people (especially people with oil-prone skin) feel they can skip this step. You really need to moisturize. I honestly can't stress this enough.  Clinique is a genius in the moisturization field. They have come up with a solution for everyone. There are 2 moisturizers. The dramatically different moisturizing lotion and the gel.  I suggest the gel unless you have VERY dry skin. I found the lotion to be heavy for me and it would just sit on my skin and cause a few blemishes.  You are supposed to use this system twice a day.

If you still have trouble figuring out which products are right for you, go online here. Click on "Get your skincare analysis."  You can also go to a Clinique counter where someone will be glad to help you find whats right for you. This set is a great deal because it lasts at least 6 months. It costs around 50 dollars but if you go now during the holiday you get an even better deal.  For 10 more dollars (60) you get a larger Clarifying lotion with a pump so you don't have to unscrew the lid every time.  You also get a travel size set of all 3 and a nifty little bag to hold whatever you like.  

I can confidently suggest women of ANY age buy these products. It will definitely improve your skin. 

I hope this review helped. Until next time guys... wishing you all clear skin, and very Happy Holidays!

China Glaze "Sugar Plums"

I guess I'll start my first post out as a review sort of thing...

This color is "Sugar Plums" from China glaze's 2010 holiday collection. They have some FABULOUS colors in this collection. This one is So so. For me its honestly something that can be easily duped. I like original/unique colors.  This color is a deep crimson/maroon. It has a sort of magenta hue and is VERY dark.




 I wouldn't have bought it except I'm a sucker for all
those pretty little sparklies <3