New Years Nails

New Years Nails!

 

Since I now have a new laptop (yay!), I thought I would hop on here and make a post about a great polish that will be perfect for New Years Eve!

 

One of my favorite drug store polish brands is Sinful Colors.  For only $1.99 a bottle, you get a great polish in hundreds of colors not to mention special edition colors throughout the year.

 

This holiday season Sinful Colors released the 2012 Holiday Glitters collection.  I wanted to share my favorite from this collection which is called Ice Dream.  Ice Dream is a great glitter polish that sparkles and shines beautifully.  It has silver and blue glitter and dries smoothly.  I think this polish is perfect for New Years and for any winter party since the colors are not just limited to Christmas.

 

 

As you can see above, Ice Dream shines without looking gaudy or over the top.  Even though Ice Dream is limited edition, you can still find bottles at Rite Aid and Walgreens.  Each bottle is $1.99.

 

 



Simple yet fun tutorial!

This tutorial features the Earth Looks Small from Down Here palette which was part of the Wet n Wild Dream Weavers collection that I posted about previously (click here to see post)

Earth Looks Small from Down Here palette

So far I have found the Dream Weavers collection to be colorful, spirited and fun.  Each palette in the collection has unique colors to offer.  I chose to do a tutorial using my favorite palette from the collection.  Earth Looks Small from Down Here has three eye-catching colors that compliment just about anyone.  The deep golden color is a greenish-gold shimmer.  The blue shade is a rich blue that leans more towards indigo.  The green color is a shimmery teal.  All colors combined work well together and create a look that favors a peacock feather.  Obviously this look is not office friendly but it would look great worn during a girls only night on the town! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~ How to get this look! ~~~~~~~~~~~~

I began the look by applying foundation and concealer.  I wanted this tutorial to use as many drugstore products as possible so I chose Rimmel's Lasting Finish foundation in Soft Beige and Milani's HD Advanced Concealer in 01.  Next, I applied the dark blue shade from the palette using a shader brush (MAC 239) while keeping the color only on the eyelid.  I then took a fluffy brush (MAC 222 or 217) and blended the dark blue upward towards the crease; you must be careful not to extend the color too high.  I repeated this process 3-4 times to achieve the concentrated deep blue color.  Next I took a clean fluffy brush and lightly blended the green shade into my crease and above it; moving the color towards the browbone.  My eye sockets are quite small so in order for crease shades to show up properly, I have to blend them higher than most people.  If your eye sockets are larger, don't blend the green color too far above your crease. 

After blending the green shade and blue shades together in the crease, I took my Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Binge and applied a thick line in the upper lashes.  I ensured that the liner blended into the shadow that was already on my lid, while taking care to make sure the lash line was well defined.  After lining the upper lashes, I then lined the lower lashes using a pencil brush (MAC 219) using the blue shade from the palette.  I finished the look by choosing Ardell 301 false lashes and Prestige's My Blackest Lashes mascara.

If you don't have this palette remember any navy, purple, blue-green or teal shades can be used.  If you don't have a shimmery gold color, a champagne like Stila's "Kitten" or a shimmery white could work as well. 

In the NUDE!

Nude lips that is.  To me there is nothing better than a nude lip.  They go with anything...they make lips look younger, fuller AND they don't show up if they get on your teeth!!

I went through my collection of nude lipsticks and one thing I noticed was that most of my nude lipsticks come from drug store brands.  I believe you can find a good nude lipstick without the big price tag.

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Revlon Colorburst lipstick in "Soft Nude" and Revlon Matte lipstick in "Nude Attitude"

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NYX Round Lipsticks in "Ceto" and "Iris" 

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Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick in "Airy Fairy" and Rimmel Moisture Renew in "Dreamy"

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Palladio Herbal Lip Slix in "Champagne" and Milani HD advanced lip color in "Classy Nude"

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Loreal Endless Lipcolor in "Crystalized Coral", "In the Buff" and "Timeless Tawny"

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Loreal Color Riche lipstick in "Fairest Nude", Wet N Wild lipstick in "902C" and Avon Smooth Minerals in "Apricot Glow"

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MAC lipstick in "High Tea" (Lustre) and "Creme d' Nude" (Cremesheen)

Swatches of all the colors...

Top to Bottom:
Soft Nude, Nude Attitude, Ceto, Iris, Airy Fairy, Dreamy, Champagne, Classy Nude, Crystallized Coral, In the Buff, Timeless Tawny, Fairest Nude, 902C, Apricot Glow, High Tea and Creme d' Nude.


Whichever one you pick, you can't go wrong.  Each  choice provides a slightly different take on the concept of a nude lip.  Some of these are more brown, others more pink and even a few are "barely there".  If you want the classic nude lip go with Soft Nude, Nude Attitude (matte) Classy Nude, In the Buff or Creme d' Nude.  If you want a slightly pink nude lip go with Ceto, Airy Fairy, Fairest Nude or Apricot Glow.  If you want a shiny nude lip go with Iris, Dreamy, Champagne, Crystallized Coral or High Tea.  Finally, if you want a brown toned nude lip go with Timeless Tawny or 902C.

Love those Lips!

I wanted to stop by for a short blog about lip liners.  I don't really use lip liners much.  I have less than 10 in all and I only use about 3-4 on a regular basis.  Since I am always on the lookout for a deal, I thought I would share with you a little secret...the best lip liner only costs .99!  They are called Jordana lip liners and they come in tons of colors.  You can find Jordana lip liners at your nearest Walgreens.  I find that these lip liners are highly pigmented, go on smoothly and that they don't tug.  They are truly a steal for only .99 and I challenge you to find a better liner at a price point this low!

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"Deep Purple", "Mahogany", "Petal" and "Natural"

Swatches L-R
"Deep Purple", "Mahogany", "Petal" and "Natural"

Deep Purple is good for a plum/wine colored lip.  It blends nicely with most purple-based lipsticks and glosses.  Mahogany is good for a deep red or brown lip.  It looks nice even on small lips like my own since the darker color provides a stronger line of definition.  Petal is a good choice for pink or mauve toned lips...it's not too bright and has good color payoff.  Natural is a good choice for nude looks, light browns or light mauve lip colors.  I find that I use Natural most often.

Luxe for Less

It's that time again...another luxe look for less!

The pick for this week is another lip look.  I've paired a lip liner, lipstick and gloss again.  All items are affordable and can be easily found.  The pictures below really don't do the look justice.  This look has more of a "berry" and/or "plum" feel to it than what comes across in the pictures below. 

Lip gloss--$6.99 at CVS--Milani 3D Glitzy Glamour gloss in "Fashion Diva"
Lipstick--$5.54 at Target--Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick in "Plum-Tastic"
Lip liner--$.99 at Walgreens--Jordana lip liner in "Deep Purple"

Total for look--$13.52

L-R swatches-
Milani gloss, Jordana lip liner and Maybelline lipstick. 


The Milani 3D gloss is full of sparkle!  The gloss goes on thick but it is not totally opaque.  This gloss has tons of glitter and shine which can fake a good set of lips on anyone.  The gloss has a slightly sweet smell to it and it goes on smoothly.  This gloss would be a great accessory to anyone going out for the night or going to work.  It's not too bright but it still makes a point to shine and enhance your lips.  The only drawback is that this gloss doesn't have the staying power like other glosses do.  Oh and did I mention the super-cute bottle it comes in?  Fancy isn't it?

Jordana Lip Liners are truly one of my favorite drugstore finds.  I am not a lip liner kind of gal.  I don't mind lip liners but I rarely use them unless I wear dark colors.  I had been looking for a nice plum color to enhance my lips since I think purple tones look good on me.  This liner (and every other Jordana liner I've tried) worked well.  It doesn't pull or tug on the lips and the color payoff is rich and vibrant.  You also can't beat the .99 price tag either.  Buy one and it just may make you a new fan of lip liners!  I know I love them now!

The Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick line did not interest me too much when it came out.  I had thought it was just another way for a makeup company to get more money for the same item they sold (and repackaged) in the past.  Well, I am going to change my thoughts.  The Color Sensational line is not my favorite however I do like the formulation, texture, color payoff and packaging (somewhat).  I now own 4 lipsticks from this line and each give wonderful color pigmentation.  Some of the colors are really flattering and moisturizing as well.  The only drawback is the packaging.  I don't mind the lipstick case itself...it is sleek and easy to open.  The bad thing about this packaging is that ANYONE at the store can open it up, play with it and then put it back on the shelf.  There is no protective seal around the cap which freaks me out a bit.  Anyone could have played with the lipstick you chose to buy a mere few hours after that touchy-feely person left the store.  The possibility of germs coming from a new, unsealed lipstick is slightly overwhelming. 

The final look--this picture doesn't really capture the true plum tones that this look gives.  The picture above is slightly too pink however it does highlight the nice gloss coverage and pigmentation that the lipstick gives.

Livin' luxe without the bucks!

I love department store makeup.  Each brand has something unique and satisfying within their collections.  Clinique, Estee Lauder, MAC, Chanel, etc all are nice but it's even nicer to find makeup that doesn't cost as much AND does a good job.  Despite the lower prices, I do believe it's possible to get a good look without spending a fortune.  Each week I plan to bring you a look or product that I believe helps you to live luxe without the BIG bucks.


Here is my pick for this week.  Total cost...$11.37

I used Rimmel's lasting finish lipstick in "Airy Fairy" ($5.19 on Ulta.com), Prestige's lipliner in "Silk" ($2.19 on Ulta.com) and NYX megashine lipgloss in "Beige" (on sale at cherryculture.com for $3.99)

Pictured above is Rimmel's Airy Fairy.  It's a mauve toned pink with a nice, semi-gloss finish.

L-R
Prestige "silk" lipliner, Rimmel "Airy Fairy" lipstick and NYX "Beige" lipgloss
Pictured above is swatches of each product (with flash).

The final look.  The NYX gloss is almost a dupe for Airy Fairy yet gives the lipstick more dimension and opaque coverage.  I am not the biggest pink fan but I really don't mind this color combo.  This is a great look that is natural and suitable for everyday wear.