Hey everyone! So I wanted to do a quick update on my Latisse experience so far. This pic was taken before I started using Latisse. Mind you, I haven't used any eyelash lengthening products since March--approximately 8 months (basically since I found out I was preggerz, lol). As you can see, my eyelashes are hardly visible, and they are very straight. My lower lashes are pretty short, as well.
So the one week update (sorry, no pic - you really can't see THAT big of a dif!) is that my lashes look a *tiny* bit longer, but they have started to curl at the ends too. Yay! I can tell that it's working, and I just need to be diligent about applying Latisse every day.
How I use Latisse: I just follow the instructions -- Put a drop on the sterile brushes that came with the kit and swipe it along the upper lash line of each eye, once every night. I was told by someone else who was prescribed Latisse that she was told to use it twice a day. I guess this would have to be okayed by your doctor, because Latisse has the potential to mess with your eye pressure or something. I'll have to ask mine the next time I see her.
I'll keep y'all updated, but I've been told not to really expect results for 90 days. Also, as a quick update, my broken nails still need some time to grow out....especially my thumb. BLEH! Lol
Hey everyone, I just wanted to do a quick update, since I've been a little MIA. I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on November 6, 2010. I had to have an emergency C-section, but am recovering pretty nicely. Unfortunately, I broke 2 nails at the hospital, and have now cut down all my nails. =( It's okay though, gives them time to grow out healthier...or they would be healthier if I could remember to put on cuticle oil!! LOL
On another note, now that I am not pregnant anymore, I have officially started using Latisse. I tried to take some "before" pics, but they kinda turned out blurry. I'll be posting a short blurb about that when I have a chance.
Anyhoo, I'll try to post more nail stuff when my nails grow out. Unfortunately, one of the breaks is about 1/2 way down my nail bed, and it's on my thumb. =( I swear, my thumb nail is like the slowest growing nail ever....I suppose it could because it's also the biggest, but yeah...it's going to be awhile. In the meantime, I'll try to figure out other beauty stuff to post about.
Don't you just love the Paul Frank onesie? I think TnT actually fits into it now...but I'm trying to make sure he wears everything at least once, so he might not make it back to the Paul Frank one before he grows out of it. We'll see....
Hey Everyone! I had an awesome time on Friday, and I'm sure you can guess where I was from the pic: BLIZZCON 2010!!! And yes, that's a glittery Horde symbol on my cheek. It took me 1/2 an hour to draw on, but I loved the way it turned out. Sorry the pic is blurry...I didn't even take backups. =/ Ah wellz!
It was sooo much fun to test out Diablo 3 (this time they had 5 classes to check out...last year they only had 3). They announced the last class: Demon Hunter...which sounds like it's going to be fun to play! I also tested out Cataclysm beta, and played Worgen for the first time (last year I only tried the Goblins). It looks like it's going to be fun as well.
But enough geek talk, moving on to makeup and nails!
So I decided to try out Finger Paints's "Be a Pal-ette". I didn't take a pic of my look before I threw on a design, but you can kinda get a good idea of the color from the pics.
The color was pretty solid after two coats, and it's a pretty, shimmery, purple for the fall. I wanted to do a Konad design, but I didn't have my plates with me at my new home (still at my parents's house, lol), so I just made do with what I had: mainly the white and silver striper polishes.
I know this kinda ends up to be my fallback design when I cover my whole nail in a polish. I really should expand to more designs, but I don't really have a long attention span at the moment. I like designs that are quick and easy. =)
In the top pic, I used Seche-V, the UV top coat. Unfortunately, it does not work the same as their regular Seche Vite top coat. I thought I had waited long enough for the design to dry, but when I applied the top coat, it smudged! This normally doesn't happen with Seche Vite. I was pretty disappointed. Plus...after I set it with the UV lamp, it still wasn't really shinier or glossier than the regular Seche Vite top coat. I might have to try this over a different polish to compare. In the other pic (the one on the left), I used Seche Vite, and like I said, I couldn't really tell a difference between the two. In fact, the one with Seche-V chipped first. Sad, isn't it? It also chipped within a few days...didn't even last a week. I couldn't stand having chipped nails, so I decided to change my look. I will say, though, the Seche-V removes pretty easily with nail polish remover. I hate it when it takes forever to remove nail polish! LOL
Next, I decided to try MissChevious's Vampire Nail design. Here's a link to her video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkgbp1mOe5Y . This pic to the right shows two coats of China Glaze's "Lubu Heels". It looks almost completely black, but you can still tell that there's a hint of red glitter. Two coats gave a pretty opaque coverage.
I know in the video, MissChevious covers her whole nail in the vampy polish, but I was in the mood for a French, lol.
I added my fangs to the ring finger, and then added some drops of blood.
I think the mani turned out to be really cute! I definitely like doing Halloween looks, although I'm not too fond of creating them myself (in case you haven't noticed, I haven't done a Halloween tut this year!).
I topped this look off with Seche Vite, and was happy to report that this look lasted a week before it chipped.
Lastly, I was tired of worrying about chipped polishes, so I decided to sport another Gelish manicure. =) I'm still wearing this look.
Basically, this is Gelish's "High Bridge" as the base color and "Gossip Girl" as the tip. I then put on a little nail art flower on each nail (from Sally's Beauty Supply), and topped it with a generous amount of Gelish's Top Seal to ensure I wouldn't lose it, lol. So far, it's been about 4 days and it's lasting just fine.
I don't plan to change my nails anytime soon, but I'll keep you updated on how this manicure lasts. Unfortunately, I broke my pointer finger on my left hand...instead of doing the "right" thing and taking off the Gelish manicure to fix, I've been trying to keep it together with just some nail glue. But of course, this doesn't work...it stays solid for only a day....the break has gotten bigger now. I may have to just suck it up and redo that nail properly. =/
Anyhoo, I realized that in my haul, I didn't mention that I did buy one other thing from the MAC Venomous Villains collection: a mineral eye shadow for Maleficent "My Dark Magic".
It's a black and pink shadow on one side, and a black and opalescent shadow on the other side.
I had a hard time deciding whether to get this duo or the other (She Who Dares). I only decided on this one because I figured I'd use these colors more. It's not very often I'd wear a dark green or dark blue shadow.
When I bought this, I was told the colors would show up better with a greasestick base (which I coincidentally already owned, lol).
As you can see, without the greasestick, the colors are very faint. I'm sure you could layer it until you got the right color, but why bother when you can easily get the dark rich colors with a greasestick?
I absolutely love how it looks with the greasestick....it's like a black base with pink/opal shimmer.
So far, everytime I've worn this shadow, I've used my greasestick. This also makes the colors stay on longer...at least 8 hours. =)
I think I'll experiment on this with my eye shadow mixing medium (aka Glycerin and water, lol). I want to know if this make any impact at all....I'll let you guys know how it turns out. =)
Anyhoo...that's all I have for now. Till next time!
PS Sorry if the blog looks a little funny...I had to change templates, and I'm having some technical difficulties, lol. Hopefully the next post will look better.
Disclaimer: 1. I bought every product I'm showing by myself (nothing was sent to me for free). 2. No one has paid me or compensated me for this video or blog. 3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used. 4. These are my honest opinions.
I bought some Blossom Cuticle Oil recently, and I figured I'd do a little review on it.
I bought two of them, Lilac and one other scent (I'd check, except the little sticker fell off, lol). They both smelled REALLY good, but I liked the Lilac one better and gave the other to my mom. (Her cuticles are super dry...she really needs to step up her nail care!)
But how does this oil compare to others? In the past, I've used Seacret's Cuticle Oil, Essie's Apricot Cuticle Oil, and Burt's Bee's Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream.
If I apply Blossom Cuticle Oil, I can already tell that I need to reapply within 8-12 hours. Now this isn't so bad...I'd apply cuticle oil twice a day anyway. But I just don't like that my nails go from moisturized to dry in such a short amount of time. Each bottle runs around $2.50.
If I apply Seacret's Cuticle Oil, I can see my cuticles drying up within a day...sometimes two. I feel like I don't have to be as diligent in applying the cuticle oil twice a day. This oil doesn't really have any scent. Each bottle runs around $10.00.
If I apply Essie's Apricot Cuticle Oil, I think I would need to reapply every 16-24 hours. Cuticle oil is recommended to be used twice a day, so I guess it does its job. This oil also smells pretty nice (though I'm not sure how "apricot" it smells, lol). Each bottle runs around $4.00.
If I apply Burt's Bee's Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, I can probably wait at least 1-2 days before reapplying. Maybe this particular choice feels more moisturizing because it's a cream and not an oil. It does have a nice refreshing lemon scent. Each container runs around $7.00.
All-in-all, I guess you get what you pay for. The more expensive the bottle, the longer it lasts. This may not be try for all cuticle oils, but it was for the ones I tried out. I haven't finished any of the bottles, so I couldn't tell you how long they last. I would guess a 4-6 months each.
If I were to recommend any of these, I would probably recommend the Burt's Bee's cream. It just seems to work the the longest, and feels the most moisturizing.
Hi Everyone! I finally had some free time after my super busy weekend to update my blog and make a new video.
This look to the left was the design I sported for my best friend Liza's wedding this past weekend. Her colors were Dark Red & Silver. =) It was such a fun wedding, but seriously...my feet/ankles were super swollen with all the standing I had to do. It's a tough life, being a bridesmaid, LOL.
Anyhoo, here's the video:
What I Used:
Seche's Recondition (Base Coat)
Orly's Bare Rose
Orly's White Tips
Art Club's Silver Glitter
Art Club's Red Glitter
Art Club's White Polish
Seche Vite (Top Coat)
Silver Rhinestones
It's a pretty simple look, based on a picture I saw on CoolNailArt.com. It's a wonderful site to get ideas from!
Anyhoo...on to my HAUL! Like I said in my last blog, I haven't done one in a long while....but I decided to get a bunch of polish for the fall. There are lots of awesome new polishes, and I've always liked darker colors. =)
My new 9 Polishes:
I got two from Finger Paints (Sally's), two from China Glaze (Sally's), four from Orly (Beauty Headquarters), and one from MAC. All in all, not a bad fall collection, right?
This is Finger Paints's "Be a Pal-ette". I thought this was part of their Seduced by Fall collection (it was in the display), but when I checked on their website, I couldn't find it (AT ALL!).
Basically, this is a very deep, metallic purple. Swatched on the left is two coats. I think two coats actually gives a nice even coverage, though it's hard to tell in the picture.
This runs about $4.99 regular price, at Sally's Beauty Supply.
This next color is Finger Paints's Autumn Blaze, which is definitely part of their Seduced by Fall collection.
This is a very deep, metallic red. The color actually looks a lot darker in real life. Shown on the right is two coats. It applies beautifully and very even.
This runs about $4.99 regular price, at Sally's Beauty Supply.
Next up is China Glaze's Mummy May I. This is from their Halloween collection (obviously you can tell from the name, lol).
This is a black polish with purple glitter. Swatched on the left is three coats. I needed the third coat for a full, even coverage. Without a top coat, you can kinda see from the picture that the application leaves bumps where the glitter is. I would recommend using a thicker top coat to smooth out the bumps. I think I'll experiment a little to see which of my top coats will do the job. =)
This runs about $5.99 regular price, at Sally's Beauty Supply.
This next color is China Glaze's Lubu Heels. This isn't from their Halloween collection or anything. In fact, I'm not sure if it belongs to any collection? I just saw it on their Halloween Display and decided to pick it up, LOL.
This is a black polish with red glitter. Swatched is three coats. It pretty much applied the same as Mummy May I, and it looks really similar, except the subtle glitter color difference. It also need a thicker top coat to smooth out the glitter bumps. MissChevious (on YT) as come up with an awesome Halloween nail design, and she uses Eyeko's Vampira as her base color. I would say this China Glaze dupe comes pretty close, and I'll be trying out her look in the next couple days. =) Will definitely post pics!
This runs about $5.99 regular price, at Sally's Beauty Supply.
Next we have Orly's Winter Wonderland from their 2010 Holiday Collection. (I suppose this is more a winter look than a fall look....)
This is a very translucent polish, with very fine silver glitter. Pictured on the left is just one coat. I'm sorry it's a little blurrier than I'd like. =/ But you can still see that one coat would add a nice amount of sparkle to your nails, if you're looking for something along those lines. I'll post pics of what it looks like on normal nails, with probably three coats (depending on coverage) whenever I get the chance to put it on. It might go on my mom first, LOL. She's already sporting one of my new polishes...but I keep forgetting to take a pic of it!
This runs about $5.00 at Beauty Headquarters. At Sally's, Orly's regular polish is around $5.99, but not sure if this one is considered part of the premiums.
This next polish is Orly's Glitz and Glamour. This is also from their 2010 Holiday Collection. I think this color's wearable from fall through winter, just because it's golden. =) LOL
This is a gold metallic polish. Strangely enough, I didn't have one in my collection, so I decided to pick up this polish (I have a silver one, though...). Swatched on the right is 2 coats. I did it when it was kinda dark, so I didn't notice that the coverage was still uneven. I think a third coat would've tidied things up. When I have it on regular nails, I'll try to remember to take a pic to update. =)
This runs about $5.00 at Beauty Headquarters. At Sally's, Orly's regular polish is around $5.99, but not sure if this one is considered part of the premiums.
Next we have Orly's Out of This World. This is from their new Cosmic FX collection.
This is a deep purple polish with very fine purple & gold glitter. It's had to see the gold flecks in the picture on the nail, but you can kinda see it on the bottle.
I suppose that it's a little disappointing that it looks super cool in the bottle, yet doesn't have the same wow factor on the nail. =/
This runs about $5.00 at Beauty Headquarters. At Sally's, this polish is $8.99.
Here is another polish from the same collection: Orly's Lunar Eclipse.
This is a blue polish that has very fine blue and purple glitter. There are two coats on the swatch. I think a third would even out the tone, but still, I can't see the purple on the nail. Perhaps another disappointing polish?
This runs about $5.00 at Beauty Headquarters. At Sally's, this polish is $8.99.
And last, but not least, we have MAC's Bad Fairy, from their Villainous Villains collection. I wanted to get Formidable too, but it's sold out like EVERYWHERE!
This is a pink-ish polish, with very fine pink and gold glitter. This swatch has two coats and it doesn't look too even, but I assure you, on normal nails, two coats looks perfect. (This is what my mom is sporting atm!) The picture does not do it justice...it really does show the two-toned glitter very nicely. =)
I was told that the other two polishes in the collection have Orly dupes....but I think I'd rather have the MAC version if the Orly ones aren't cutting it....
This runs about $13.00 at MAC.
Not a bad collection, right? I will be trying these out within the next few months, so I'll try to take updated pics and whatnot.
Till next time!
Disclaimer: 1. I bought every product I'm showing by myself (nothing was sent to me for free). 2. No one has paid me or compensated me for this video or blog. 3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used. 4. These are my honest opinions.
Hi Everyone! As promised, here are some pics and my thoughts about putting MAC's Fluidline in my waterline.
To the left, I have a pic of how my eyes looked after I had put on eye makeup (without mascara), including the gel liner in my waterline. As suggested by JuicyStar07, I dried my waterline first, with a cotton swab. Then, using an angled brush, I applied MAC's Blacktrack into my waterline. Drying my waterline with a cotton swab felt a little funny at first, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I do agree that it helps the liner apply easier, and probably helps it stay on longer, so it's a good step to include.
This second pic is blurry, but this is after I applied a purple eyeshadow (the darker color of NARS's Jolie Poupee Eyeshadow Duo) over the Fluidline. As you can see, it softened up the lower lashline, so it wasn't a harsh black line. Plus, it's always good to set a liquid with a powder. =)
This pic to the left was taken 8 hours after application. I know my eyes look like their facing weird directions (I feel like ALL these pics make me look like I have a lazy eye or something!)....but anyhoo, you can see that most of the waterline makeup is still there.
Yes, I know, this pic to the right is blurry, but you can see that if you're looking straight at me (and not down into my waterline), the liner is holding up pretty well. =)
Hmm...not sure why my eyes are kinda pink in all the pictures. I don't remember them looking so pink that day....maybe it's just something the camera picked up.
Soo....in comparison, I must agree that gel-lining the waterline definitely lasts longer than just using a plain eyeliner. Usually, I need to reapply a regular eye liner into my waterline every 4-6 hours (if I'm not being lazy, lol). It's really annoying to have your makeup disappear (into your eyes?) after you've spent a lot of time making sure you have it they way you want. With using a gel liner, I could apply it and forget about it, knowing that it'll stay put for at least 6-8 hours. It applies really smoothly, though I want to get a softer brush. My angled brush (MAC's 208) is perfect for eyebrows and applying gel liner to my top lid, but it feels a little rough when applying to my waterline. I know MAC has a softer, albeit larger, angled brush...so I might pick one up this weekend...along with Bad Fairy (one of their 3 new nail polishes coming out for their Villainous Villains collection). I've seen some pictures and reviews on it, and it looks fantastic! And the guru's say that there's no dupe for it, so I'm definitely splurging the $12.50 for it. =) I believe I'll be heading there on Sunday, so I'll try to get it swatched that night to include with my latest nail polish haul. I can't believe I haven't done one in FOREVER....but I haven't really bought that many since I've become preggerz. However, I decided it was time to update my collection for the fall, and have bought quite a few polishes (8 so far, + Bad Fairy will make 9, lol).
I also have a quick and easy nail art tutorial that I'm putting together coming soon. My nails look pretty enough for a bridesmaid in my best friend's wedding this weekend. I'm not 100% thrilled with them, because they don't look close enough to the photo I based it on....but hey, that was probably done by a professional, and I'm just a lil old amateur. =/ Still, I can't wait to show them off at tomorrow's rehearsal. =) I'll also be following a hair tutorial to get a Taylor Swift inspired look for my hair. I'll probably take a before and after pic for that, and post them as well. Lots of stuff to come, it seems like!
Anyhoo....till next time!
Disclaimer: 1. I bought every product I'm showing by myself (nothing was sent to me for free). 2. No one has paid me or compensated me for this video or blog. 3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used. 4. These are my honest opinions.
Hi Everyone! After letting my nails rest a few days, I had finally found a design I wanted to try out. This look is based on a picture I saw online...somewhere on Coolnailart.com. Unfortunately I don't have the link or the name of who posted it, but if you see it or it's yours, please msg me so I can give you the proper credit!
So...back to the look. Basically it's an arrow French, with a heart drawn in where the bottom point fits in snugly to the arrow. It's a pretty cute idea, and I thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately, I draw hearts with a brush like a little boy would. =/ I'm sure with more practice I'll be able to get it....maybe.
Here's the video I uploaded to YouTube (Steps are simplified):
Bluish Holographic Glitter
Gelish: PH Bond
Gelish: Foundation Gel
Gelish: Water Field
Gelish: Gossip Girl
Gelish: Top Seal
Beauty Headquarters Gel: White
How to create the look:
*Note: If you want to do this look in regular nail polish, ignore the gel-requirements like curing and such.
Step 1: Clean nails with alcohol
Step 2: Apply PH Bond
Step 3: Apply a thin coat of Foundation Gel (Base Coat)
Step 4: Cure for 30 sec
Step 5: Apply one coat of Base Color (I used Gelish: Water Field)
Step 6: Cure for 1 min
Step 7: Apply one coat of Tip Color in a French Arrow Tip (I used Gelish: Gossip Girl)
Step 8: Cure for 1 min
Step 9: Apply second coat of Tip Color
Step 10: Cure for 1 min
Step 11: Draw a Heart (I used BH Gel: White)
Step 11a: If you want to, you can add glitter using a thin brush on top of the white. (Optional)
Step 11b: If you want to, you can add rhinestones (I used blue ones on my right hand.)
Step 12: Cure for 2 min
Step 13: Apply Top Seal (Top Coat)
Step 14: Cure for 2 min
Step 15: Clean of tacky layer with alcohol
And voila! You have a French Heart Manicure! This pic to the left is my right hand. You can see that my left hand is totally incapable of drawing a good heart, but I tried to camouflage it with rhinestones.
Now, this look takes a lot of patience...I think I spent almost 2 hours....but I was super slow! I'm sure if I had to do it again, I could do it in a lot less time. The part that took really long was drawing those damn hearts, lol. I bought a brush (shown in the pic above), but I realize now that I should've bought a thinner brush that could draw thin lines easier. But I guess it's cool. It was my first time using that kind of gel for nail art....I think it's really hard, but the gel is kinda forgiving. I plan to try out flowers next...I've seen a video that makes it look easy. =)
In this pic to the right, You can see that the glitter part got a little messy on my thumb. I fixed this by putting a layer of top seal after the French tip, but before the white hearts. This step is optional, but I just wanted to test it to see if it worked...which it did. =)
On my middle and pinky finger, I was able to brush off the excess glitter, whereas on my thumb the glitter stuck to my tacky layer. I should've put glitter on my right hand because it looks like the glitter camouflages the poorly shaped hearts a lot better than the rhinestones, lol.
All in all, I'm actually pretty happy with how my nails turned out. Obviously, my next try will look a lot better...but how often do I really re-do a look? Well, once in a blue moon...like with 3TanjaJ3's look that I've repeated like 3 times already, lol. I may try this out with regular nail polish....which I haven't worn in over a month, lol. =) This Gelish nail polish is just more convenient to wear because of the no-chipping and stuff, even if I don't last the whole 2 weeks before WANTING to change my polish, lol.
I've actually tried out using a gel-liner on my waterline and have taken some pics...I'll post that blog up sometime next week. =)
Till next time!
Disclaimer: 1. I bought every product I'm showing by myself (nothing was sent to me for free). 2. No one has paid me or compensated me for this video or blog. 3. I am not affiliated with any of the companies of the products I used. 4. These are my honest opinions.
