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