MAC Zoom Lash Mascara Pics

Hi Everyone! I just picked up a couple tubes of the new MAC 'Beth Ditto' Zoom Lash Mascara: Blue & Burgundy.  I absolutely love them and I plan to go back and get the Plum & Black next time I get paid, hahahah. =)

In this pic, I'm wearing the blue mascara (and in case you're wondering what else is on my eyes, tokidoki pink from the adios palette, Sephora blue metallic liner up top, and Sephora silver liner on the bottom).  I have two coats of the mascara, and I absolutely love how it makes my eyelashes look so much longer and curls without needing a curler.  I mean..you can see my lower lashes (which are normally invisible) pretty clearly in the pic (as clear as it gets, lol).  And you can actually see the blue-ness.  I always dig having colored eyelashes...

Now I'm not sure how much you can actually see the Burgundy color in the pic to the right.  Ugh, I can see my puffy eyes, hahaha.  I noticed my right one was super puffy today, but some gentle patting has helped a little.  In this pic, I'm wearing light pink, pink, and light purple on my eyelids (from the 88 shimmer palette), MAC's navy eyeliner (the mechanical kind) on the upper lid, and Victoria's Secret's purple glitter eyeliner on the lower lid.  I then added two coats of the Burgundy Zoom Lash. 

Like I said, I really like these mascaras and I've gotten loads of compliments on the blue one.  I think the Burgundy is a little more subtle and harder to notice, so no one's said anything yet.  But the day is still young...LOL.

Random notes (yes, this isn't a full review...there's loads of them out there.  This is more my personal opinion of the mascara.): It applies pretty well, and doesn't clump.  I feel like one coat isn't enough...but two makes my lashes look longer and fuller.  I don't usually wear mascara everyday (eyeliner is my absolute "won't walk out the door without" makeup), but since I've gotten these, I've really enjoyed applying it almost everyday.  Would I recommend it?  Absolutely.  I got mine at the MAC store, and they run about $15 each, which IMO is well worth the price.  I don't know the rules of how long to keep mascara, but I usually go through a tube (if I were it often) every 3-4 months.  Maybe I should stock up, in case they take these away? 

Till next time!

31 Day Challenge - Day 14: Flowers

Hi Everyone! It's been such a busy week so far, but I thought I'd just do a quick post on the challenge.

I decided to do a monochromatic french manicure with flowers on my thumb and ring finger.  I think the concept was better in my head (like they all are! lol), and the execution...not so much.

I only wore this look for a few days (chipped easily without a base coat), and now my nails are bare again.

I did add a little bit of glitter along the edge of the french and a little in the center of the flower in hopes of salvaging my look.

I guess it's simple enough that altough it didn't look the way I wanted, I could live with it, lol.

Looking at the next day for the challenge, I see it will be a Delicate Print.  If anyone has seen my work, you'll know that "delicate" will be pretty tough for me.  After that is Tribal Print...and I never really do those either.  I guess this challenge also encourages us to try new things, but ...it's still like a mental thing with me, lol.  I have hope after that because I already know exactly which glitter I want to do! LOL  I heart me some glitter!

Anyhoo, I gotta get back to work...Till Next time!

Brazilian while Pregnant?

Hi Everyone!  This particular blog is for those of you who might be interested in getting a Brazilian Wax while you're pregnant.  **Warning: This blog may contain some graphic terms, and my not be for the faint of heart. =)  I will not be posting any pictures of a Brazilian wax or anything, but I'm sure you can either picture it on your own or use your imagination.  (Note, yes, poor dear, I put my new Minnie Mouse Ears on the baby and snapped a picture...he doesn't even know what's going on!)

Sooo...let's get into some background.  Before I found out I was pregnant with this little guy, I would get a Brazilian Wax (further dubbed Brazilian) every...maybe 2-3 months for at least 5 years.  In case you don't know what a Brazilian is, it is where you get your pubic hair removed...with wax (I usually just get rid of all the hair, but some people like to put in shapes and stuff).  Before you ask, YES it hurts.  However, I can assure you that it hurts a lot less now, than it did the first few times I had it done.  In fact, if I'm not lazy, I can actually give myself a Brazilian.  I have tried all sorts of waxes, and I prefer the ones that use the strips to remove.  The girl I normally go to uses both the wax that uses strips to remove (for the top part) and the wax that dries and can be removed without strips (for the sensitive areas).  Of course, at home, it's easier to just stick to one, and plus...I'm lazy.

Moving on to the goodz.  When I found out I was pregnant, I stopped getting Brazilians.  I started to do research, and found that I'm not the only one to question whether it hurts the baby or not.  I couldn't bring myself to ask my mom or my OB, so I just relied on what friends said and the internet said.  I had friends that were worried about the trauma it could cause to my body and stress out the baby...plus, one said "who cares what you look like down there!"  The internet gave mixed reviews...some women get it done and say it hurts more, and some said they would never do it while pregnant because it could hurt the baby.  I also didn't want to have a huge hairy bush when I gave birth.  I started getting addicted to watching childbirth videos...and I was thinking how awful it looked to have a huge head come out with a hairy pubic area.  Yes, I'm THAT vain. =/ Hahhaha

At around 5 months, I was getting ready to be a bridesmaid in San Diego.  I figured, since we're staying at a hotel, maybe we would be getting some pool time in...SOOoo, why not? Let's get a Brazilian and see what happens.  I would hate to not go to the pool because I was embarrassed of body hair.  And I would also hate to shave down there, because I feel the hair would come out coarser.  So, I made an appointment with the Waxing Queen, and warned her that I was almost 5 months pregnant.  She asked if I was sure that I wanted to do it, and I said kind of, lol.  I decided that as long as I didn't stress about it, the baby would be okay. =)

Let me tell you, it REALLY HURT.  It hurt worse than the first time!!  It hurt like nobody's business.  And I didn't want to stop 1/2 way through...so....I let her finish.  But I did tell her that it hurt, lol.  Normally, I'm pretty stoic...but I couldn't help myself from wincing in pain.  (There were other women in the waiting room, so I didn't want to actually scream or anything, lol.)  And that really opened up my eyes...I guess when you're pregnant, you are a lot more sensitive (in more ways than one! LOL).  BUT, I decided that although it hurt, I would do it again...but only once more.  I just wanted to get another Brazilian right before I gave birth.  That meant I would have 4 months to get ready for the pain, hehehe.  (Note, after all this pain...we didn't visit the pool.  BOOOOOO!)

When I got to around 8 months pregnant, I was busy with being a bridesmaid again (hahah, yes, crazy!) and my baby shower and stuff.  And before I knew it, it was getting close the the due date.  I had too many things to prepare for the baby coming, and I had getting a Brazilian at the back of my mind.  I was thinking I should get it done close to my due date so that I wouldn't have too much regrowth when he came.  I had just made an appointment when....yes, my water broke. JEEZ.  The baby was over a week early!!  So, needless to say, I had to cancel that appointment, lol.  While in labor, it was decided that I would need an emergency c-section...so they had to actually shave off my pubic hair.  I was...annoyed, lol.  But, at this point, it was too late, lol. IF I ever get pregnant again, you can be sure that I'll have my Brazilian at least 3 weeks before my due date, esp since I'm pretty sure I'll be having another c-section.  But that's a big IF.

Post-pregnancy, I had to wait for my c-section scar to heal.  I waited a little over 3 months before I made another appointment with the Waxing Queen.  She was very gentle, and worked around my scar.  And it still hurt more than normal, but not as bad as when I was pregnant.  All the times I had it done after that was about back to normal.  Even to the point where I could do it on myself again.

Moral of the story? I don't think a Brazilian affects the baby...but it sure hurts a lot if your pregnant or just gave birth.  To me, it's worth it, but if you don't have a high pain tolerance...maybe this isn't for you.  I suppose, you can always give it a shot and stop if it hurts too much.  I was just too vain, hahaha.  Mind over matter! =)

Hope y'all found this blog informative!

Would you or wouldn't you? Did you or didn't you?

Till next time!

31 Day Challenge - Day 13: Animal Print (Fail!)

Hi Everyone!  So yes, as the title suggests, I tried to do an animal print, and failed. Go me!

So...I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm not a big animal print kinda person.  I've probably only done animal print nails once. Or twice. I don't really own animal print clothes...but admitedly, I <3 animal print bags.  Not just any animal print: Snake Print.  In hindsight, I should've just done snake print nails.  Instead, you have this sad look to my left.

So what I did was use O.P.I.'s I Don't Give a Rotterdam as a base color, and used my Art Club Nail Art Lacquer in Black to do the design.  What is it, you might ask?  It was supposed to be a Koala face.  I thought w/ some eyes and a long tear-shaped nose, it would be totally recognizeable.  Sadly, that is not the case.  I would need cute fluffly ears, and a little baby koala in the pouch.  So yes, it's a fail.  Seriously, I have no idea what I was thinking!  If it was a challenge that I liked, I might be tempted to do it again, but since it's Animal Print, I'm going to write this off as a fail and move on.  Someday...if I am so inspired...I will post a better animal print.  I have an idea for a snake print one that I want to try out...my last snake print idea did NOT work out.  At all.  Bleh...

Here's that challenge:

So...Flowers is next.  Hmm...my Summer Flower mani is pretty popular...I should try to make a new version of it. =)

Till Next Time!

Disclaimer:
1. Every product I used for this blog was paid for with my own money.
2. I am not affiliated with any of the companies who's products I used.
3. I am not being paid for this blog.
4. These are my honest opinions.

Gelish Magneto Review

Hi Everyone!  I had to run to TWO Sally's on Friday, but I am happy to report that I was finally able to get a couple bottles of the Gelish Magneto polish: Inseparable Forces (Blue) & Electric Metal Lover (Red).  Sounds a little patriotic, hahahah.  I also grabbed a pack of the 3 magnets (wavy, straight, and star).

Let me tell you, when I first looked at the bottles, I was kinda disappointed.  I was paying as much as a regular full-sized bottle, but only getting a mini-bottle that would do about 10 manis (a normal full-size does closer to 40).  Second of all, everywhere else online had the kit (which was what I was expecting) that included a full-sized bottle plus a matching non-gel bottle of magnetic nail polish (and a magnet).  I mean...if I didn't pick up the extra magnets, I wouldn't have gotten any at all!  So...first impression, not the greatest.

I decided to test this on my mom's nails first (poor guinea pig!).  I tried all 3 of the magnets on Electric Metal Lover, and had mixed results.  I wish I took a pic of her nails, and I'll update if I do. =)  But as far as I can tell, the wavy lines and straight lines are the best of the bunch.  The star just didn't work for us, and my guess is because our nails were too short/small.  But anyhoo, let's go with the steps first.

1.  Push cuticles back and shape your nails.
2.  Lightly buff the top of your nail, just to get rid of the shine.
3.  Clean nails with alcohol (or nail cleaner).
4.  Apply PhBond.
5.  Apply foundation gel then cure. (Try to get this layer on as THIN as possible!)
6.  Using a clean brush or lint-free wipe, get rid of tackiness.
7.  Apply one coat of magneto polish and cure (for 30s if using an LED lamp, 2 min if using a regular UV lamp.)
8.  Apply 2nd coat of magneto (don't cure yet!) to one nail.
9.  Hold magnet above the nail, as close as you can get without touching.  NailHarmony recommends 5 seconds, but I feel that 10 seconds is more appropriate.  The lines are more distinct and hold the shape better.  It is very important that you put on a coat of polish and use the magnet right away for each nail. Try to hold the magnet as steady as you can!
10.  Repeat for the rest of the hand.
11. Cure for 30s if using an LED lamp and 2 min if using a regular UV lamp.
12.  Apply top finish then cure.
13. Use alcohol on a lint-free wipe to get rid of tacky layer.
14. Admire your handiwork!

Now, you can cure after each nail for the 2nd coat of the magneto polish, but I didn't find that was necessary.  This is a relatively quick process, and you can easily finish one hand without worrying that the magnetic-ness will separate (did that make sense?).

On my right hand, I did a little bit of experimenting (left hand is completely the Inseparable Forces for both coats).  For the first coat of magneto, I used Electric Metal Lover on every finger except my ring finger which is Inseparable Forces.  After curing that, I used Electric Metal Lover for the second coat on every nail except my middle finger which is Inseparable Forces.  So, a quick recap would be that the experiments were on my ring finger - Blue base and Red 2nd coat and my middle finger - Red base and Blue 2nd coat.  I absolutely love how my middle finger turned out.

My pointer finger looks funky because I didn't hold the magnet over the nail long enough and I tried to fix it by replacing the magnet over the nail for a longer period of time.  This did not work...so I guess there is a time limit as to how long you have to use the magnet for before it doesn't work right.  Hence, why I said it was important to do each nail individually and quickly. Another important tip is to hold the magnet as steady as you can.  To achieve this to the best of my abilities, I rested my hand flat on a table, and then lightly rested the tip of the magnet on my cuticle area.  I found with this method, I was able to remain fairly steady for 10seconds.

My thumb looks a little funky because I didn't stick the finger in all the way and the nail didn't cure properly...and when I swiped the top coat, everything just smudge.  I didn't really have time to fix it, so I just left it for now (well, I re-did the top coat, but that's just about it).  I'm getting lazy in my old age, what can I say? Heheheh

Here's a closer look at my middle finger and ring finger.  Sorry my camera shots have been kinda blurry.  I think I will invest in a better camera soon enough...but for now, we'll have to suffer through these shots.  I'm not sure if you can see it, but the middle finger has a hint of red underneath, and I really like how that turned out.  The ring finger's purple hue has been a hit at the housewarming party on Saturday. =)  (Excuse my poor sentence structure, but you know what I mean!)  You can also see a better look at the non-waviness of my pointer finger.  You can kinda see lines, but it's mostly smooth.

Kk, to the break down:

Pros:

• The wavy and straight lines look awesome...if you want a quick, funky nail, this is a nice route.  
• I've worn this all weekend, and no chipping.  I'm pretty sure I won't see any for at least another week or so.  I think it's awesome Gelish was able to figure out how to combine their system with look of a magnetic polish!
• Colors on the bottle is pretty accurate.

Cons:

• Price - definitely paid more than a regular bottle of Gelish or Magnetic Polish, but I think that was my bad.  I've seen the kit with both for $19.95, which I feel is reasonable.
• Slight learning curve - took me a few tries on my mom's nails to get the hang of it, and even then I messed up 2 nails. =)  Eventually, your nails will come out great!
• The polish I got did NOT come with magnets...had to purchase them separately.  And even then, the star magnet did not work as well as I would have liked.  I'll try to do another post with just the designs.  If you get the kit, it comes with one magnet.

Would I recommend?  Of course!  Everyone I know that uses Gelish is super excited about the Magneto, and I don't think they will be disappointed...unless they didn't buy the right thing, like me. LOL  I'm not disappointed in the polish itself, so I'll try not to let me hold that against them! =)  I suppose it was my fault in buying it at Sallys instead of where I normally buy it. =/ Woe is me.  Overall, this product does exactly what I expected to, and that's what matters to me.

Anyhoo, I hope this review was helpful, even if I kept jumping from topic to topic.  I obviously don't organize my thoughts before I start blogging, hahaha.  But I like it this way...and I hope you do to.

Till next time!

Disclaimer:
1. I bought every product I used in this blog.
2. I am not affiliated with any of the companies who's products I used.
3. I did not get paid for this review.
4. These are my honest opinions.

Kat Von D - Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick Review

Hi Everyone! So I decided to start off with a review of Kat Von D's Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick (in Berlin).  I have used it a couple of times, and I think it's a pretty good product.  Check out Exhibit A (aka the photo on the left), this is one hour after I had applied the lipstick. 

Let me back up, first of all, this is a lip product that's supposed to stay on your lips and not everything your lips touch.  If your SO is anything like my hubby, I'm not allowed to kiss him if I've got a lipful of gloss or lipstick or anything.  Until now (insert dramatic music here).  I've tried a few lip products that claim it won't "kiss off", but none of them had worked for me.  They either kissed off, or made my lips so dry, it would peel off.  Thiis product does neither, so I consider it a star!

When you first apply the product to your lips, it glides on smoothly, and the applicator is small enough to get into the corners of your lips easily (without creating a big fat mess!).  Next, I kept my mouth ajar for about 3 minutes (you probably don't need to do it THAT long, but it's not like the product feels dry or anything, so it's hard to tell when it sets!).  I gently tested out my lips with my fingers and was happy to see that there was no lipstick on them. I let them set (with my mouth closed this time! hehehe) while I made lunch for the day, and probably all the way to work (in LA traffic...so 45 minutes?).  When I got settled into work, I took a quick pic, so I could show you how it looked after the first hour.

Check out Exhibit B (the pic on the right).  This pic was taken approximately 4 hours after application.  Notice that it still looks the same.  Lips didn't feel dry at all (not necessarily moisterized either, though).  During this time, I had some breakfast (toast and a Diet Coke - breakfast of champions) and a snack (little container full of cheerios).  Glad to see that nothing came off on my drink. =)

Next we have Exhibit C (this pic on the left).  I know I don't have the best quality pics of this, but I think you can see that some of the lipstick has peeled off.  At this point, I had worn the liquid lipstick for over 8 hours.  For the most part, I think this product did what I needed for the day: stay on my lips and not things I kiss/drink, and not make my lips feel super dry.  When I gently blotted my lips with a napkin, there was no smudging or transferrence to the napkin.  However, I noticed that when I blew my nose, I unintentionally rubbed my lips a little, and a little bit of the lipstick came off.

I guess you'll just have to be mindful that you ARE wearing lipstick, although you don't need to reapply it ever 2 seconds. =)

Pros: Long-Lasting (almost 8 hours! - pretty darn good for a lipstick!); Pretty Color, Doesn't dry out lips

Cons: A little pricey ($19 @ Sephora for a small tube), only available (atm) in 6 colors.

Would I recommend?  Of course...I haven't really found anything that works as well as this.  I'm tempted to try the look in the ad, where you paint the top lip red and the bottom lip pink.  If you use a regular lipstick, this wouldn't work out too well, because it would just smudge over each other.  However, with this liquid lipstick, I think it could work out nicely.  I'll post a pic if I try it out.  A friend told me it's weird to have two color lips like that...hehehe.

Till next time!

Disclaimer:
1. I bought all the products I'm using/reviewing.
2. I am not affiliated with the companies of the products I'm using.
3. No one has paid me for this blog/review.
4. These are my honest opinions.