Valentine's Day

In honor of Valentine's Day, I gathered up a few of my favorite pink and red lipsticks. I mixed in both drug store and department store finds to include a little bit of everything. Here they are in no particular order:

Stila Happiness

Stila Lip Enamel Luxe Gloss in Happiness. This is an opaque, warm-toned baby pink gloss with a slight silvery sheen to it. It came out about one or two years ago with their Barbie collection.

LOREAL Kerry's Rosewood

Kerry's Rosewood is part of LOREAL's Colour Riche line. For me, it is the "my lips but better" color. A nice neutral pink with slight brown tones. It's a bit sheer and glossy and also has small gold glitter. I happen to like the glitter because it punches up the color, and they aren't super huge or abrasive.

Viva Glam Gaga

Viva Glam Gaga is definitely an in-your-face pink! It is an extremely yellow-based light pink that is also super opaque, which may make it difficult to pull off for darker skin tones. For me, this is definitely a statement lip and is different from my usual super-nude lips. Like all MAC lipsticks that I own, it has the signature vanilla cupcake scent and is a Lustre finish, which translates to a more shiny, moisturizing color.

Revlon Carnation

Carnation is part of Revlon's Colorburst line and is a middle of the road pink, a bit like very light fuschia. For warmer or deeper skin tones, it can be considered an amped up neutral, in my opinion. It has a slight silvery sheen to it when you look at the bullet but does not translate on the lips. This is a pretty color and would make a beautiful "statement lip" for work.

Stila Tickled Pink

I LOVE THIS COLOR. Tickled Pink is another Enamel Luxe Gloss from the Barbie Collection. Its a bright fuschia that has a super glossy finish and is a go-to color for spring and summer. Definitely spiced up a fresh-faced look! Disclaimer: I have NO idea why it looks like I applied this lip color with my eyes closed! I absolutely promise you it doesn't look like that in real life- the shine really distorted the image lol.

I swatched all of the colors on my hand, and threw in a few extra! (from left to right) Happiness, Kerry's Rosewood, Viva Glam Gaga, Revlon lip butter in Cotton Candy, Carnation, Tickled Pink, Stila Joy (Barbie Collection), and Loreal Sunset Red.

What are your favorite pinks and reds? Are you more of a neutral gal? Let me know!

and last but not least.... Will you be my Valentine?

Accent Nails

The other day, I decided to give myself a break from all the dark polishes I've been gravitating towards and decided on a clean, light color- Essie's Marshmallow. Marshmallow is a soft, white shade that leans toward a warmer off white. Its a sheer white which in my opinion is much more flattering and wearable than a whiteout white. The formula is on the watery side and is very sheer, so I used three coats for opacity and maximum evenness. Anything less will leave you with a bit of a streaky finish. I used CND Stickey Base under this, but probably would have gotten better results if I had used a ridge-filling basecoat instead. Beautiful color nevertheless, and definitely a go to.

Essie Marshmallow

After about 2 days of wear, I decided I wanted to refresh my mani and add accent nails. What better and more attention-grabbing then a new color I picked up? Save Me from OPI's Nicki Minaj collection. Save Me is a color that definitely packs a punch. It consists of very small silver glitters and larger holographic bar glitter. I normally despise bar glitter, but truth of the matter is, I can't say no to holographic anything! I had to layer this one up quite a bit. For the picture below, I used a whopping 5 coats for complete opacity.

OPI Save Me

Thumbs up for holographic goodness!

The picture above really shows off the amazing holographic bar glitter. I bet this polish would look amazing over a dense metallic silver, or over black.

Have you picked up any polishes from the Nicki Minaj collection? What do you think of Save Me?

Fashion Trend Friday!!

Hey all! This is the second installment for Fashion Trend Friday and will be all about things currently in my online shopping carts!

(1) Liquid Leggings. I love these. They spice up boring outfits, look great for nighttime and add edge to any outfit. Love. The ones below are from target and retail for $24.99

Image credit: target.com

(2) Fur vest. Like the liquid leggings, they add oomph to any outfit. I like the bigger black and grey ones. Faux of course! This one is from Michael Kors and goes for $103.99 on sale from $175.00. The price is a bit more than I'd like to pay for, but I'm sure there are similar styles that are much more affordable.

Image credit: zappos.com

(3) Colored denim. I've seen jeans in a rainbow of colors, but my favorites right now are indigo/cobalt blue, and true red. The indigo is especially great for those who are easing into the trend, or are not as comfortable with some of the other colors out there, like lime green or yellow. Below, the blue ones are from New York & Company and go for $59.85 while the red ones are from Charlotte Russe and retail for $29.99.

Image credit: nyandcompany.com

Image credit: charlotterusse.com

(4) Fitted leather jackets. I love the way they look with more feminine clothing, a jeans and a tee, basically anything! This is a great versatile piece that is also functional for getting through the last bits of winter. Push up the sleeves for extra points! The one below is from BeBe and is $149.00

Image credit: bebe.com

Have you jumped onto the bandwagon for any of these trends? What other trends would you like to try?

Olay Pro-X Spin Brush: A Review

With all the recent buzz on YouTube and in the blogosphere on the Clarisonic, I couldn't help but be intrigued by promises of beautiful, glowing skin. However, the hefty price tag of the Clarisonic held me, and I'm sure many others, back. So when Olay came out with a similar version for $49.99 (less than half the price of the Clarisonic!) I ran out to make a purchase. 3 months later, I am ready to report my thoughts on this product.
First, of all, the brush is pretty small and lightweight. It is also battery powered, but Olay says it is safe to use in the shower (which I have not). It has two speeds, and an on/off button. The package comes with the actual cleansing unit, one brush head, and a deluxe sample size cleanser. The cleanser in my opinion, performed in an average way. It cleansed my face without leaving it dry or tight, nor did it leave any residue behind. I felt it cleansed well but it was not different enough from my other cleansers that I felt the need to run out and buy a full size of it.
The cleansing unit itself as I mentioned, was light weight and battery powered, which I liked. This made it extremely easy to use and I didn' have to worry about it running out of charge and not being able to use it because when the batteries die, I can instantly replace them and the product will be ready for use. The Pro-X offers 2 speeds- slower for sensitive skins and a more high-powered one, which is the setting I use most. I don't think it is too fast or abrasive by any means (and wouldn't mind it being a tad faster as a matter of fact.) The brush head bristles are very soft, they remind me of the bristles of an extra soft tooth brush really. Here's what the front of the brush looks like:

Here's what the back looks like:

The immediate difference I noticed from the Clarisonic is the way the brush operates. Whereas the Clarisonic brush "flexes" back and forth to give your skin a deeper cleansing, the Olay brush only spins clockwise.
The way I like to use the Olay brush is as follows: first I take off as much of my makeup as possible with a makeup wipes- I am really enjoying the Kirkland ones from Costco right now! Then I add a nickle-sized amount of Philosophy's Purity Made Simple cleanser to the dampened brush head and spend about 15-20 seconds on each part of my face (forehead, nose, each cheek, chin) Then I rinse the cleanser off of my skin, use toner, and follow up with moisturizer. I rinse off the brush head and leave it to dry. After using this product for a little over three months, it is worth mentioning that I have not yet needed a replacement brush head. The bristles look exactly as they did when I first purchased the brush and are not splayed or broken.
The final verdict? The Olay Pro-X Spin Brush definitely deep cleans my skin more than if I would use makeup wipe or a cleanser on its own. Even after wiping as much as possible with a makeup wipe, the brush head picks up all traces of foundation, power, etc. that were left over. Though I have not used the Clarisonic, I would definitely recommend Olay's alternative if you are on the market for a relatively cost-effective cleansing brush that will deep clean your skin and offer light exfoliation.

Benefit Sun Beam

Hey y'all!
The latest liquid highlighter to join Benefit's "beam" family is Sun Beam. Sun Beam is a beautiful bronzy-golden highlighter which can be used on the face or body.

On my medium-dark skin tone, it gives a very subtle warm glow that looks natural and makes my skin look radiant. Because the color is not too warm, I can see this looking gorgeous on fair skinned girls and looking especially amazing on darker skinned beauties. Here's what it looks like on me:

Benefit Sun Beam unblended on the left, blended on the right

I like to use this on my brow bone, on my cheek bones, and on the Cupid's bow. For a night out, this would also give a beautiful sheen when mixed with moisturizer on the decollete and on legs.
As for the longevity, with a primer or over foundation, Sun Beam tends to last a good 5-6 hours on me. After that, I notice the sparkle slowly begin to fade away. I wish it would last a little longer, but with a coordinating highlighting powder over the top, or Urban Decay's All Nighter, I'm good to go.

So what do you think of Sun Beam?

Red Carpet Gel Nails

Hello all!
The subject of today's post is a topic that is near and dear to my heart- gel nails. Before gel nails came on the scene, I would either use silk wrap or acrylic on my nails, both of which are incredibly damaging, so that I wouldn't have to worry about a broken nail or chipping nail polish. Gel polish however, completely revolutionized manicures as we know it. It offered a beautiful, long-lasting manicure without sacrificing the health of the nail plate and actually helped protect the nails so that they could grow longer. What was even better than salon gel manicures, was the gel manicure anyone could do at home. Red Carpet Manicure has recently come to beauty supply stores such as Ulta (where I bought mine) and Sally's. I've even seen them at some of the larger Duane Reade drugstores. I think that what the company offers is a wonderful and versatile line of products that are affordable, and very well worth the price. So let's have a look.

First up is the LED gel polish curing machines. They offer a portable one, priced at $19.99 which takes three minutes to cure the polish. They also offer a larger one, which I've dubbed "the amphitheater" which, compared to other gel polish curing machines, is extremely small, light weight and portable by any standards. It will run you about $49.99 and cures polish in 45 seconds. This is the one I have and it looks like this:

The next product is the gel polish base, Structure. It is a clear polish that is quite thick, making it more difficult to apply. It also has a very strong, odd smell, kind of like vinegar or salad dressing :P ! You can see from the picture below just how thick in consistency the base is.

What is wonderful about Red Carpet Manicure is that they have a HUGE selection of gel polish colors to choose from. While the colors are mostly classics (pinks, nudes, darks, reds), they do have a small selection of more fashion-forward colors such as glitter top coats as well as a variety of finishes (jellies, frosts, glitters, metallics, cremes). I picked up two shades- a light, sheer pink and the black. Both are extremely sheer- after 3 coats, the black is still a see-through jelly. Both are of a standard consistency and are extremely easy to work with. However, there are colors in the line that are completely opaque, just not the colors I happen to pick up. Though the bottles are small, they cost about $9.99 a piece but again, are well worth it.

The next product is their topcoat/sealant, Brilliance. I expected this one to be thick and harder to work with like Structure, but it was not. Brilliance is actually on the runnier side so I had to be very careful about cuticle flooding. However, after curing, it left a hard, extremely shiny finish that I was happy with. Neither the actually gel colors or brilliance have the strange smell that Structure has.

So, now that I've reviewed the products that the company has to offer, I'll go over how I use it. First, I do a standard manicure (shaping the nails, a light buff, pushing back and moisturizing the cuticles, clipping back hangnails). Then I'll prep the nail with nail polish remover to get rid of any cuticle oil or cream residue. The company offers a bottle of "Prep", but I find that it is not a crucial step that affects the longevity of my manicure. I then apply a think coat of Structure and cure in the amphitheater for 45 seconds.

Creepy hand in UV light picture!

I then apply 2 coats of gel color curing each coat for 45 seconds. I sometimes will not apply any color and will just apply Brilliance (more on this below), which I cure for 45 seconds. After applying topcoat, the last step is to apply 'Purify" which is used to cleanse the nail and remove all of the tacky residue. While I do have this product, I often use pure acetone as it works just as well and is a more cost-effective option. I also hear some ladies use 90% Rubbing Alcohol and swear by that too. Either way, by this last step, my nails are smooth and shiny.

As I mentioned above, sometimes I'll just use the base coat and the top coat with no color in between. This way, I can use any polish I want over the top and not have to worry about chipping and I am not limited to using just gel colors. I know others who sandwich a gel base, a normal polish, then gel top coat in between. With nail polish, I'm a commitment-phobe so I prefer to not get locked into a single color! :D



This is what my nails look like after I cure the base+top coat

I did a clear gel manicure last night and painted on two coats of Deborah Lippmann Lady Sings the Blues over it. Review to come!

Deborah Lippmann Lady Sings the Blues

What do you think of gel manicures? Have you ever done it at a salon or have you done it yourself at home?

Cuticle Care

Hey everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Did anyone watch the Super Bowl? Wasn't it crazy intense? Anyway, I thought I'd write a post about something that is key to a beautiful and long-lasting manicure. To me, one of the most important parts of a manicure is cuticle care. I constantly have dry-looking cuticles, especially during the cold winter months. I have a few life savers I wanted to tell you about. First up is CND Solar Oil. I keep a bottle by my nightstand because it seriously is a great product. It is the standard consistency of a cuticle oil and has a pleasant, light scent that dissipates when the product sinks into the skin. It kind of reminds me of cherry almond. I am pretty sensitive when it comes to scented products, but this one doesn't bother me as it is so light. Upon application of the oil, you can almost feel it moisturizing your cuticles, and I like that the product absorbs quickly. I massage it onto the cuticle, the nail bed, and the surrounding area as per the instructions. I use this at least once a day and have found that there is an overall improvement of the ragged roughness of my cuticles.

Next up is LUSH Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter. It comes in a pretty large pot and a little definitely goes a very long way. It is a very thick consistency, much thicker than a body butter. As you start massaging Lemony Flutter into your skin, it melts into a moisturizing formula that is a bit greasy and takes quite a while to absorb and sink in. It's also great as intense therapy for rough, dry hands. I absolutely love this product but to me, it has one downfall: the scent. It is a very STRONG lemony smell that reminds me of Ajax or Dawn- basically like a lemon fresh scented cleaning product. As amazing as it made my hands and cuticles feel, I had to give up using this product because I couldn't stomach the smell which lingers at least a whole hour after use. So if like me, you are sensitive to strongly scented products, this may not be the product for you. However, if you don't mind strong scents or enjoy lemony scents, I would absolutely recommend this product. Unfortunately, I don't have the container to show you, but this is the picture from LUSH's website:

Image credit: lushusa.com

The last product I wanted to talk to you about is Healthy Hoof Intensive Protein Treatment. It comes in a small pot which similar to Lemony Flutter, you dip in and need only a small amount for all ten fingers. What I like about this product is that it is very rich and hydrating, but not greasy.

While it doesn't absorb as quickly as the Solar Oil, it is definitely not greasy and does not have a powerful scent. I find that after using this product, my cuticles stay hydrated and neat looking, which I love. The best part, besides its benefits of course, is that it is extremely affordable. You can purchase it online from beautydeals.net for only $3.19! Plus, though the tub might look small, mine has lasted a whole year and I've just hit pan on it. Its also small enough to toss into a purse and use on the go.

In this picture you can see just how much I used up!

What are your favorite cuticle care products? Have you used any of the ones I've mentioned today?

Fashion Trend Friday!

Hey everyone! Today I'm starting a new series, Fashion Trend Friday, where I'll talk about my favorite up-and-coming fashion trends. First on the agenda, spring trends.



Spring trends mood board

 In my office, I have a bulletin board where I cut out pictures in magazines that inspire me. It can be anything from a makeup look, a hairstyle, an outfit, a shoe, a celebrity, ad campaign... you get the idea lol :) For this spring, I noticed some definite trends.
1) Flower print anything. Scarves, dresses, bags, maybe a cute pair of flats? Flowers are definitely in.
2)Ikat and tribal prints. Looks especially good on short dresses, sweaters or cardigans
3)Stacked chunky-heeled booties. Dresses up any outfit and balances our other ultra feminine spring trends like pastels, chiffon, or ruffles.
4) Brights. Looks great as a single pop of color, like the cute flats on my mood board and livens up outfits you may already have in heavy rotation.
5)Blazers. The perennial classic is hot for spring in both longer and more fitted styles. It can dress up or down any outfit.
6) Fitted black leather jacket. Looks incredibly chic when worn with a dress or a great pair of dark-wash skinny jeans.
7) Fur vests. Still going strong from a few seasons ago. Love the way they look with a casual outfit (as seen on Jennifer Lopez and with cute dresses like Rachel Zoe)
8) Nails as accessories. My favorite looks for spring are bright pastels like the yellow on my mood board, or intense teals. Galaxy nails (where multiple glittery/shimmer polish shades are sponged onto a black background) are also having a moment. Its really a very easy manicure and looks like you've put tons of effort into it, even when you haven't!
9) Big, high buns. Made popular on the Chanel runways, this interesting take on the classic ballerina bun is both put together and sexy.
10)Liquid/leather leggings. Like the blazer, it can instantly glam up an outfit that might otherwise be boring. If you're feeling extra dangerous (lol) try combining a few of these trends and wear liquid leggings with a cute bootie and a blazer!

What are your favorite spring trends?

Origins Ginzing Eye Cream

Hey all! As you've probably guessed by the title, the subject of today's post is Ginzing Eye Cream by Origins. I recently purchased this product because I wanted a hydrating eye cream that would reduce the appearance of my (scary) dark under eye circles. I've heard wonderful things about this from one of my favorite YouTubers Tanya Burr as  Pixi2Woo. If you haven't checked out her channel, you seriously should! Anyway, I stopped by the Origins counter and here's what they have to say about the product:

Refreshing eye cream to brighten and depuff

√ 86% brighter appearance
√ 80% reduction in puffiness

Late night? Long flight? Look tired all the time? Prepare to become one of the perky people! Nature's clinically-proven morning-after eye cream instantly reduces dark circles. Unsightly bags and puffiness virtually disappear. And Origins proprietary complex of Caffeine from Coffee bean, Panax Ginseng, Magnolia Extract and natural optic brighteners rapidly wakes up, refreshes and restores radiance to tired eyes.

• Best for all skin types

Sounds good to me! It didn't take much convincing for me to bring one home...

Origins Ginzing Eye Cream

The eye cream comes in a small pot that you can either dip your finger into to get the product out. The consistency is pretty standard, but on the thicker side as far as the eye creams I've used go but its the color of the product that struck me.

Unblended on the left, blended on the right

As you can tell on my hand (I'm a NC35 in MAC terms), it's a very light peachy pink color with a silvery sheen to it- not quite a shimmer, definitely not glitter, and not really a frost either. When blended, the peachy pink color disappears and leaves behind a sheen that catches the light. While the cream is not pigmented or tinted, when applied to the eye area it does help to [temporarily] reduce the appearance of dark circles. What is also interesting is that when worn alone, the sheen remains for the whole day which makes me look a bit more awake and rejuvenated. When worn under makeup, the sheen is not visible but I do notice that foundation and concealer blends more easily and that the eye area doesn't look parched or dry. I don't have bags under my eyes but I do feel a very slight cooling sensation so it does feel nice when I apply it to my tired eyes in the morning.
I've used the product for about a week and really like it so far, but can't yet attest to the claims it makes for long term benefits. If anyone is interested, I'd be happy to do a progress check or an updated review of how Ginzing has worked for me.

Have you used Ginzing? Or do you use another eye cream that you absolutely love?

Essie Starry Starry Night Franken

Hey all! I wanted to show you a franken I created the other day. A franken is a nail polish that you mix yourself by using nail polishes you have to create a different polish. I was seriously lemming Essie Starry Starry Night after seeing it on  Scrangie's blog. It's basically small silver squarish glitter in a navy blue jelly base. Its a beautiful color and really does look like a night sky full of stars buttttttt it was limited edition and goes for a lot of money on ebay so I decided to make my own!

Thumbs up for a cool franken!

For this franken, I dumped out an old bottle of nail harder I had laying around and poured in about 3/4 of Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure in Navy Baby. For the silver glitter (the remaining 1/3 of the franken), I used a nail art polish from Sinful Colors, which was just small square silver glitters in a clear base. Though I don't have the original Essie polish, I think my first franken came close enough. The navy polish I used wasn't a jelly, so the silver glitter didn't peek through as much as I would have liked... but hey not bad for a first try!