Nail Dotting Tools!

I am so excited to receive my first nail dotting tools today!  My nails were barely dry when the mailman delivered these, so I haven't had a chance to use them yet.  They are much cooler than I expected, and if I told you what I thought a dotting tool was, I would just humiliate myself.

Also, my computer completely crashed earlier and I had to restore the whole thing, so the photos are the best I can do for now until I figure out how to do them the way I was before.

This is what they look like:

Yay!!!  I look forward to trying these so much, I might just remove my polish now... hehe.  And a special thanks to Kattatonic Fierceology since it was her post that encouraged me to buy these!

Broken Hearted Purple Rain...

Wow, I cannot believe that I wore Rose Confidentiele for 6 days, that's like a record!!

I wanted purple, so I went with this:

Beautiful, but too vampy and dark for right now- it's almost black on my nails in certain angles! 

So I went for Broken Hearted Crackle on top. 

When I first used the China Glaze Crackle line, I didn't like them because they were thick and didn't crack as well as OPI, but this combination seemed to work really well, I'm glad I kept it around.  But it's defnitely about time for some polish hauls!!

I'm still trying to get decent pics of my nails, but I tried:

By the way, has NARS changed their polish caps yet???  Last time I bought any was with the Mash, King Kong etc. remakes. If not, please hear me NARS:  It's enough with the sqaure caps already!!!  Use them as a cover like everybody else, I can't take it anymore!! 

LOTD and a Micro-Mini MAC Haul!

I was going for a mermaidy type colour combo, because when I got this eyeshadow, I thought, ohhh, such a beautiful sea green!

Please forgive the eyeliner, it is a skill I have yet to master, and I went over it so many times I had to give up. 

I know picking up a couple of things doesn't classify as a haul, but here is what I got:

And I am VERY happy with my two items!!!  Why I slowed down on buying MAC lipsticks, I don't know... just everyone online seemed to be on a MAC overload, so I wanted to see what else was out there.  I love their cremes, and amplified cremes= total love!

I *finally* got Impassioned, here is the swatch:

And not least of all, I bought this out of admiration for Temptalia, the very first beauty blog I ever read:

I swatched these next to Inglot purely as a colour reference:

Hope everyone is enjoying their day! 

Makeup Inventory: Blushes

So I'm up until 3 a.m. going through all this stuff- shocking discoveries, I tell you. 

First, I would like to congratulate myself for tossing 27 products!!!  Yay!!  I also decided, I am going to curb by enthusiasm for trying new products, and try to only buy ones based on performance or for elegance (Dior Mitzah, yes, I am referring to you!). 

Second, I have 105 Inglot shadows.  Seriously.  Let's put this in perspective- I have three foundations.  I think the point is clear. 

Third, my heart sank when I discovered I lost my Sleek Pan Tao blush.  I was using it every other day, and I've gone through everything now, so I really lost it.  I lost several other products too, so I am thinking I must have forgotten to empty one of the drawers before I threw my old unit out.  Placing an order with Sleek (and Inglot... for non-eyeshadow products) today. 

Here are the 21 blushes I have now:

Stila Heart
Sonia Kashuk Poppy and Peonly liquids
Sonia Kashuk Angelica loose
Physician's Formula Happy Booster Natural and Rose
Elf Pink Passion and Fushia Fusion
Tokidoki Bella stick
NARS Super Orgasm and Sin
NARS Hungry Heart
Dior Strawberry Sorbet and English Rose
Too Faced Avant Garde
Sleek Flamingo and Pixie Pink
Lorac Flaunt * (I will review this one very soon!)
Urban Decay Score and Quickie
MAC Mighty Aphrodite

L: Sleek Flamingo

R:  elf Pink Passion

Boots!

Boots, you say?  Summer has barely started here!

Well.... if I dont start my winter shopping now, I will never get it done.  Plus, I just finished unpacking and realised.... I did not bring any boots!

I always have a few pairs, but two are must-haves for me: a tall, black pair, and a functional pair because we get 4 feet of snow at times!

These were screaming at me right away:

I mean, CUTE!!  These I can wear anytime though.

These are the tall boots up for consideration:

#1.  But let's be realistic:  I have an extremely active toddler to tote around, so how much use would these get?  Plus, I would never hear the end of it if I show up somewhere in these boots. 

#2.  They look sturdy, practical, comfortable, and cute.  They're just, well, flat.  

#3.  I like these a lot, but they look like just about every black boot I've ever owned.  But, I really like them.  Stylish, nice.  

#4.  Like these a lot too, I've owned a lot of riding boots in my life, so I know they are comfortable.  Cute, not so flat, although hmmm... the rounded toe. 

#5.  Well, I had to throw these in, they are so cute!  I think they similar in style to #1.  Plus, I do have two pairs of shorter cowboy boots.  But, I love the slouch, the criss-cross buckle, and the high to low tops. 

Sooo, I have to choose between #1 and #5, and also between #2, #3, and #4.  I am trying to curb my accumulation of stuff!!!

I LOVE winter!!  Reminds me of so many things I love, and I love that it comes back every year! 

Makeup Inventory: Eyeliners

Soooo, due to having accumulated so many products, I decided to inventory everything!  This post is kind of for my personal reference, documenting these items makes it so much easier to toss old things or what I don't use. 

The first category is eyeliners, because I don't have very many and they were already all together in one drawer. 

I have 20 eyeliners!!  And I really only use 4 or 5. 

These are:  Milani Liquif'eye (x2), Nars Palladium, Dior (x2), MAC Slick Black and Greengrease paint sticks, Tokidoki black and purple felt pens, Urban Decay Catfight glitter liner, Tarte, Jemma Kidd liquid liners in purple, teal, and green, no7 and Sonia Kashuk liquid liners, NYX Milk, Prestige white liquid, Maybelline blue and black gels, MAC Blacktrack, and Pixi gel. 

EDIT: I have thrown away SIX eyeliners!!  Yay!

St. Moriz Mousse: My First Tanning Product... Ever!

I really cannot even provide any rationale whatsoever why I purchased this.  I have never had any inclination to be tan.  But I heard all the raves about it, curiosity won over, and I kind of jumped in feet first.... literally!

It's a tanning mousse, pretty simple and straighforward there.  I used a tanning mitt to apply.  Oh, also, I did purchase the "dark" version because parts of my body are already tan so I didn't see the point of getting the original, and I intended for my lighter parts to match my tanner parts, if that makes any sense. 

I have never used a tanning product, ever.  However, I do get naturally tanned very quickly.  That is, if I drive all day with my arm out the window, I will see the beginning of a tan the next day.  I used to live near the beach, and I would do everything I could to not tan, yet I was always considerably tanner than I hoped, even after a short while. 

Anyway, enough about that.  Here are the results:

As you can see, the untanned leg is quite pale.  I only applied on my legs, because I just wasn't sure about the whole thing.  But for a comparison, these are my arms:

I did finish applying to both legs, and I must say, this whole thing was not a good experience for me.  I felt traumatized by losing my paleness for some reason.  The first day, I tried as hard as I could to scrub the tan off in the shower, but it fought back, although it was much lighter. 

Once the tan was in place though, I really liked the colour and how it matched my 'real' tan, although it was hard to get used to tanned legs! 

Two days later, I had a change of heart and applied the product again, trying to have an open mind and also, wanting to verify that yes, it does work very well. 

Although I have not reapplied the product and have no intentions of, I will say as a product, it is very effective.  I did not experience any streaking, although I did have to be cautious around my tattoos, which is to be expected.  I applied it from my upper thighs all the way to my feet, and I thought it applied evenly and it was fairly easy to do.  The foam was airy and light, and it didn't drip. 

I used this at night, and one drawback I can say is that it had a lingering slightly unpleasant scent, but based on other sources, I think this may be the case with a lot of self tanning products. 

Overall, I say if self-tanning is your thing, this is for sure a good product.  Not orange, inexpensive, and easy to use.  I got it from Amazon for around $11.  The bottle is also huge- 200 ml, so quite a bit of product that should provide many uses.  







Korres Quercetin & Oak Antiageing Face Primer

I wasn't really interested in this product, but it came in a set of other items I purchased. 

It is very thin and lotiony, and has a detectable scent. 

Unlike the Vitamin E one, this did not feel moisturising on my face.  It felt very light and not sticky, but once it was on, it didn't make my skin feel smooth or soft.

As far as antiageing properties, I really cannot attest to that.  I dont buy any antiageing products and how would I be able to tell on my face because I only used it a few times.  I think a lot of antiageing products are just marketing fads because it seems to me that serums and lotions and exfoliants would be the way to go for antiageing, not face primers, but I may be mistaken.  I can see if you are already on an antiageing regimen how it would be helpful to maintain that in every product.  But my point is, I don't feel it firming my face when I wore it or anything like that.  It says wrinkle-filling, so this product is most likely not for me anyway, as I dont have any wrinkles on my face that I know of. 

My main complaint about this product is that it does NOT work.  I do not have oily skin, but I feel like it made the foundation more oily and harder to apply- like it was creating an uneven surface. 

I put on foundation and powder for the express purpose of reviewing this primer, and it was no longer on my face when I went to remove my makeup, only three hours later, while indoors the entire time.  I used a white cloth- there was not a trace of face makeup remaining.  I feel like this product actually contributed to the makeup rubbing off because even without a primer I would still have at least some, if not all, remaining after that amount of time. 

Overall, I would not personally recommend this product, but I believe it was intended for a different demographic. 

Don't worry, Korres, I wont hold this against your butters or shower gels!!

 

Wrecking Balm Tattoo Fade: Ten Day Update

This photo shows a portion of a small tattoo, about three inches wide I have on my upper arm. 

I have been using the Wrecking Balm system on it as directed with the exception of the concealer for ten days. 

Keep in mind that this is a close up, but this is actually how it looks.  The first two letters are h and m, and I notice fading only on those letters so far, but that's a significant result because the company says it takes two months for the majority of tattoos to notice any fading and six months to fade most of the way. 

I feel like the most important thing in using this system is consistency.  I have continued to use it as directed, despite the pain and bleeding I initially experienced, which has since disappeared.  I also used the tool on Low setting the first week, but now I am up to the High setting with no discomfort. 

On the coloured tattoo I used this on, which I apologise I don't have a better photo, I was really freaked out because some of the green ink actually oozed out and bled into some of the other parts so it looks really gross and smeared.  Besides that, some of the black that is outlining parts of the green also faded, some yellow is faded too, and some pink faded almost all the way already.  I have a lot of purple, and it hasn't budged a bit though.  But right now both the tats look way, way worse than before, so I have to keep using this.  I have to use it until it won't do anything else. 

In between using the system, the skin feels hard and rough, patchy, like it has accumulated an extra very thin layer, and it gets whiteness over it- that's what I was attempting to show in the first photo. 

Some of the areas seriously look like the stuff is drawn on me with crayons, like I could just wash it off, like its all rubbed off, I am so sorry I don't know how else to explain it.  Ok, like the lines are not crisp anymore, that's a better description. 

I know it's doing something, but how far I can go with this, I have to keep using it to tell.  I still think there is absolutely no hope for the huge black ones I have, I mean I would probably be using this thing for the rest of my life. 

Butterfly Award!

Thank you sooo much to FoxyAries!!  I love this award, I really appreciate it!

These are the rules: link it back to the blogger who sent it, and then give it to 7 people, and write 15 things about myself.  I just did that!!  But agghhh, I will do it again!

The bloggers I choose to give this to are:

Charlotte Sparkle

Ashii

Maryam

Meredith Jessica

Miss A

Kate Vergara

Jessy

Great job on all your blogs!!

So the 15 things about me, and these are gonna be short:

1.  I do not like ground beef.

2.  I am really bad at math.

3.  I am nearsighted.

4.  I've had braces as a teen.

5.  I do not like baths.

6.  I do not have pets.

7.  I own several big boxes of crayons.  For myself.

8.  I get frustrated when I can't fold fitted sheets straight.

9.  I sleep on a memory foam mattress.

10.  I don't like sweetened tea.

11.  I didn't learn how to drive until I was almost 19 years old.

12.  I am allergic to onions.

13.  I am deathly terrified of mice.

14.  I've had my nose (and many other things lol) pierced.

15.  My second favourite colour is black. 

Thanks again, FoxyAries!!

Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner

Since I have been practising with black eyeliner a lot lately, I thought I would branch out and I've always liked blue eyeliner on others. 

I got this in Sapphire, which appeared blue on the package:

It is blue, just not the blue I had in mind....

It is such a pretty navy blue.  The swatch shows up much better here with flash:

And without flash:

Now, I must confess, this is only the second brand of eyeliner I have ever tried.  I bought this one in black orginally because I had placed an order for Blacktrack but I just couldn't wait to start using "gel" eyeliner.  I really had no clue what gel eyeliner was, even though I do remember MUAs using these little pots on me.  I thought it meant gel, like hair gel or shower gel- how ridiculous, right???  Well, I didn't know any better!  At least now I'm starting to get the hang of it. 

So, not having much to compare it to, I don't really know how effective my review will be, but I will try. 

I really like it, it has a thick texture and is really easy to work with.  If I make a mistake and see it right away, I can take care of it, but otherwise once it's on, it's on until I take it off.  I love that part about it.  I have never had it run or fade on my eyes.  I don't use it on my waterline though, I prefer a pencil for that. 

One thing I absolutely hate about this, is the brush.  It is just useless.  This is the worst photo ever (sorry, my camera has issues with black!) but it is the worst brush ever for eyeliner.  It is thick and wide, and even though its stiff, it doesn't help make a straight line.  It does not apply the product evenly at all, it seems to take some away every time I slide the bristles over it.  Apparently I must have tossed out the one that came with the black one I have right away, which is what I did with this one.   

I've been using the Sonia Kashuk bent angled eyeliner brush, and it works perfectly.  Thick, thin, straight- it does it all. 

Back to the product.  I love it.  It is easy to work with and stays put.  Excellent pigmentation (with the right brush!), affordable and accessible.  

Fabulous Find: Wall Print!

I was so excited to see this!!  The town I live in is a small college town, with a central downtown, which mainly consists of one or two streets where all the shops are located.  They are mostly independently owned, small businesses, and much of the networking in town is conducted there- not via the Internet!  I love to meet new people as well as browse.  I saw this and I had to have it- this is a cover from British Vogue back in the early 90s, so cool then and forever!! 

It's actually a canvas print, so I put it above my makeup area- where there were already nails from the previous owners (thanks... not!)

Beautiful ladies!!

I always thought Linda looked better as a brunette though!! 

Wedding Party Shoes??

Which pair is better for formal attire:

I am so torn and I hesitate to give any advice, because they're not even similar!!  I guess if I have to choose one of these, I would go with the second one. 

Dove Deodorants: Visibly Smooth and Smooth Cashmere

I am running really low on my usual deodorant, Cashmere Mist.  I can only order it online, and that takes at least 5 days.  I thought it was practical to take the suggestions for inexpensive deodorants, so I headed to Walmart.  I was completely overwhelmed when I reached the deodorant aisle- an entire AISLE OF DEODORANT!!!!  Omg I almost walked away.  I've never been in a deodorant aisle in my life just in case you couldn't tell.  Then I saw, oh, ok, half of it is mens- this might not be so bad.  It was really crowded there, and I am taller than a lot of people so I chose some strictly because they were on the top shelf.  Believe me I had no intentions of being in a crowded Walmart trying to look for a new deodorant!

I chose these two Dove products:

I really didn't see anything that said 48 hours deodorant, although I did see some that said 24.  I thought "Clinical Protection" sounded promising.  Then I spotted Smooth Cashmere a little bit away- fabulous, something cashmere, I thought. 

The Visibly Smooth one makes the following claims:

I don't know about you, but the only thing I do to make my underarm hair "look and feel less noticeable" is to shave it.  I shave under my arms every other day, whether there is a microscopic growth or not, I don't care. I have been doing that forever, so it's a habit for me by now.  I don't have underarm "stubble" at all, but I don't think any hair I have grows particularly fast anyway. 

This deodorant comes in a dial-up form, which I am showing here only because I am not that familiar with it, so I thought maybe there is someone like me that could use the information.

Initially, I was interested in trying the product to see if the claims proved to be true, but 1.  how am I going to take a picture of my own underarm, and 2.  I can't stand the smell of this product.  It literally makes me want to gag.  It says "Wild Rose" which should have given me some indication, but I like rose scents... this is not any rose scent I've ever smelled.  It's highly perfumed and in an unnatural way.  I really hate it. I thought the smell would dissipate over the day, but it didn't.  I would rather go au naturel then wear this.  Too bad I couldn't smell it before I bought it, but the box was sealed. 

On a positive note, this deodorant does apply dry on my skin and it goes on clear. 

The other one I chose is a solid deodorant called Smooth Cashmere.  Sounded promising to me... it isn't.  It doesn't smell that bad, but comparing it to Cashmere Mist is out of the question.  Cashmere Mist smells like buttercream frosting compared to this one.  Well, its more powdery might be a better description.  The Dove Smooth Cashmere is floral too, although more subtle than the other one. 

I tested these at the same time, one under each of my arms, and they were effective deodorants, but I am not using them again.  I would rather scrape the remaining product I have out of the container and apply it with my fingers if I have to.  

Nail Polish Today: Chanel Rose Confidentiel

Sooo, the cotton ball fiasco is over and I finished my nails- with this:

I've always loved this shade and the formula is fantastic.  I am so not in the mood for glitter any more, and I love this dusty mauve for a nice, soft, toned down look.  

I Hate These!

Ok, so I am now using my blog as an outlet... I know it's not acceptable to 'hate' but I don't mean it literally, these things are annoying!!

I personally feel this rant is justified.

"These" are what I am annoyed with right now:

No, not marshmallows...

Cotton Balls!!

I am so frustrated, because of moving, I seem to have a million pairs of boots but basic things I need everyday are nowhere to be found and it feels like I am going to the store four times a day. 

So, I want to remove my nail polish.  Remover- got it.  What am I supposed to remove it with?  I can't find square cotton pads anywhere around here, so I have to resort to these silly little fluffy things. 

Not good for what I need to do.  First of all, the remover gets absorbed into the fibers so quickly, and I need the remover on my nails, not on this fluff.  Then I am so paranoid that the fibers will get onto my nails I try to be as careful as possible.  I end up using seven of these just to do what I normally do with two or three cotton squares!

So, cotton balls, while you may have a place in my medicine cabinet, you are no longer being used on my nails. 

Cotton squares, if I find you, I will buy you.  If not, then I will order you!

Maybelline Falsies "Flared" Mascara

I love Falsies mascara, and I usually use the Black Drama version.  I saw this one on display and couldn't pass it up. 

I was impressed with the brush:

The handle is flexible- bendable, really:

I love, love, LOVE this mascara!!  It isn't heavy on my lashes at all, and it doesn't clump, smear, or flake.  It doesn't give that cakey, furry look of a lot of volumising mascaras, it looks more natural.  For those of you who don't know, I am a natural blonde, so my lashes are really light. 

Here is my before and after:

I took the "After" photo immediately after I applied.  I was like, whoa.. remind me again why I don't wear mascara??

I also used more coats to try to get the "flared" effect, but I liked how it looked at first.  I kept coating and separating so many times, I should have just left it alone, but to give a proper review, I wanted to achieve the maximum results possible. 

Here is how that turned out:

I absolutely loved how it felt so weightless, not crunchy at all.  I just started using Falsies this year, after many years of Dior, but I hope they never stop making it!

I know different mascaras can be irritating to some, but if you can wear Maybelline mascaras, I say definitely go for it.