Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Let's Catch Up: July 2012 Favorites!


{Revlon Nail Polish in Gold Coin-review coming!}
{Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm-review coming!}
{Physicians Formula Mosaic Blush-review coming!}

As you can see some of my favorites are new products I've been testing out! I have so many reviews coming up for August! Stay tuned!
And there were no empties this month!

What are some of your favorite products from this last month?

xoxo


p.s. don't forget about the giveaway going on at HannahJustyne-Soap and Glory and nail polish galore! Click here to enter! Ends tonight!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Get Colorful with the CoverGirl Trio in Firecracker, Review & Swatch


CoverGirl Eye Enhancers Trio in 100, Firecracker
.14 oz-Made in USA of US & imported parts-$4.70-Permanent

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Weekly Beauty Giveaways Round-up! Check these out!

Here's some beauty (and non-beauty) giveaways I've stumbled upon this week! Check out the two previous weeks of round-ups here and here to be sure not to miss any giveaways that still might be happening! As always, links to the giveaways are embedded in the blog's name!

At A Scholar Life there's a giveaway of skincare and nail polish products going on! {International} (8/06)

Kaki at Glitter Obsession is giving away 5 China Glaze OMG nail polishes! {Worldwide} (8/15)

HannahJustyne is also giving away some skincare and nail polish! {International} (7/31)

HelloMissNikki is giving away the entire China Glaze On Safari collection! {Worldwide} (8/10)

Island Girl Insights is giving away some goodies and ad space! {International} (8/15)

Kay at Banini Beauty is have a five-winner jewelry giveaway! {International} (8/16)

Maddy at Spilled Polish is having a jewelry and beauty product giveaway! {International} (8/11)

Finally, there's a great Prairie Charms bracelet giveaway going on at Hairspray and High Heels! {International} (7/31)

That's it! Good luck if you entered!

xoxo

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Easy Hogwarts Nail Design!


Let's face it-not all of us are nail design wizards or have the insane amount of time to create some of those designs! So if you're a big Harry Potter fan like I am, here's some Hogwarts-inspired nails that are especially easy and quick to create!


So bascially what you need to do is create a nail to represent each house using its colors-you can make it as easy or difficult as you like. I chose to make it pretty easy by just using the base color from each house and then used a side swipe of glitter as the accent color used.

Now that left me with the thumb free to do whatever I wanted!


I chose to do a crest that for some reason wouldn't pick up well in my pictures. You basically just outline a black crest shape and use the same colors used for the houses in their coordinating quadrants in the nails! Super simple but very easy to screw up if you go out of the lines (as you see I've done!)


What do you think? How would you do an easy Harry Potter design?






If you liked this post, check out some others:

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

I Won Another Giveaway! Check it out!

Nikki at Nikki's Beauty held a summer beauty giveaway for June and I won along with two other people!


Thank you so much, Nikki!

She was incredibly generous in her giveaway and I can't tell you how excited I was when I saw the package sitting on my doorstep! I have so many new reviews and makeup looks coming soon!

Click here to go to her blog and comment and follow to thank her for holding such an awesome giveaway!

xoxo

Cosbar at Target Nail Polish in Bronze, Review & Swatch


Cosbar at Target Nail Polish in Bronze
0.33 fluid oz.-Made in China-$3

Monday, July 23, 2012

Philosophy Take a Deep Breath Moisturizer, Review & Photos


Philosophy "Take a Deep Breath" Oil-Free Energizing Oxygen Gel Cream Moisturizer
Full size: 2 oz.-$34-Permanent

Weekly Post Round-up 7.22.12



Sorry it's a little late this week! I was super busy yesterday(:
I've got some exciting posts planned for this week! I won a giveaway so there'll be some pictures and a thank you post up later, and some great reviews!

xoxo

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Holiday in July Sale at SkinCareRX, Apothica, and SkinBotanica!

I have some exciting news! I received an email a few days ago that there's a 25% off storewide sale going on at SkinCareRX, Apothica, and SkinBotanica!



xoxo

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Weekly Beauty Giveaways Round-up! Check these out!

Hi everyone! Here's some of the beauty (and a few non-beauty) giveaways that I've found this week! As always, please check out the two previous weeks here and here to catch any more that still might be going on! And links to the giveaways are embedded in blog titles!

ALLTHATSLAP is giving away a MAC Cut Caper lipstick and mineralized eyeshadow from the Heavenly Creatures collection! {International} (8/01)

Jayne at Cosmetic Proof is giving away a Julep Intro Maven Box worth $40! {Canada & US} (7/31)

Sarah at Crazed and Caffeinated Beauty is giving away some NYX, Sephora, Pur, and Cake products! {International} (8/07)

Charlotte at lilmisschickas is celebrating 300 followers and giving away an Origins Super Spot Remover! {International} (8/08)

Lipgloss Affairs is celebrating 100 followers and giving away an assortment of beauty products! {International} (8/13)

Over at Natalie Roseanne's Nails and Beauty Blog there's a 100 followers giveaway with an assortment of beauty and jewelry products going on! {International} (8/20)

Here are some giveaways for bloggers only! (i.e. guest posts, ad giveaways, etc.)

Nykki at Nykki's Mane Blog is giving away three ad spaces for the month of August! (7/29)

Wonderland Beauty is looking for some guest posters! There will be five winners! (7/22)

And now for some non-beauty giveaways, but are part of a summer beauty series or by other beauty bloggers themselves, so I thought I'd showcase them anyway!

There's a great Prairie Charms giveaway going on at Hairspray and High Heels where you can win a single bracelet of your choice! {International} (7/31)
For those who aren't familiar with Prairie Charms, it's a lovely little British company that makes some of the most beautiful bracelets! They are also donating some of their sales to charities. They currently have a project occurring called Project Blogger. Click here to go to the website!

Kay at Banini Beauty is having a small giveaway with some of her handmade jewelry pieces! {International} (8/16) There will be five winners for this giveaway! Kay is so sweet and her blog is awesome so even if you don't enter her giveaway, definitely go and follow her blog!

Drugstore Divas is giving away a 1Sol swimsuit as part of their Summer Beauty Guide! {US only} (7/22)

Drugstore Divas is also giving away a Naturepedic Organic Cotton Standard Pillow! {US only} (8/07)
I mean, who doesn't need their beauty sleep?(:

Wow. That was a lot of giveaways this week! Good luck if you enter them!

xoxo

p.s. just let me know if a link doesn't work or you know of another beauty giveaway that I haven't mentioned yet! I did have like 15 to keep track of :-)

Friday, July 20, 2012

Gradient Sunrise Nail Design!


I finally decided to try a full on gradient manicure, and I just bought a new Cosbar nail polish in bronze that I was dying to use, so I did a golden, sunrise-inspired manicure!



Here are the polishes that I used to create this manicure:


Cosbar bronze, Wet n Wild "The Gold and the Beautiful", Wet n Wild "9.0.2.1.Orange", and Wet n Wild "The Yellow Years"

Here's how I created this manicure step by step!

1. Start with a shimmery bronze color (Cosbar) and apply it to the lower two thirds of the nail.

2. Next, take a shimmery yellow polish (The Yellow Years) and apply it to the free space on the nail above the bronze color.

3. Then take a glittery gold color (The Gold and the Beautiful) and dab it where the yellow and bronze meet, going more onto the bronze color.

4. Finally, take a glittery orange (9.0.2.1.Orange) and very lightly dab it towards the top of the gold polish.

I will say that if you have never tried a gradient manicure before, it takes a little practice. Be sure to wait a long time in between layers so that each one has time to set and harden, or else the new polish layer will begin to remove the one beneath it, leaving you with a patchy manicure!

What do you think? Do you like to do gradient manicures?







If you liked this post, check out some others:

Monday, July 16, 2012

Cool Off With This Sparkly Watermelon Nail Design!



I love to eat fresh, chilled watermelon on a hot summer day, so that's what inspired this watermelon manicure with a twist! I didn't want to do the usual insipred manicure, so I added a pink glitter to spice it up! Enjoy!



Here's the polishes that I used:

Here's how to recreate this manicure step by step!

1. Start with a pink cream polish that's a cross between a barbie pink and a hot pink (Beautiful Girl by Sinful Colors) and apply it to the entire nail, leaving the top quarter free of polish

2. Take a thin pink glitter polish (Glass Pink by Sinful Colors) and apply it all over the first pink polish

3. Apply a mint green polish above the pink on the free space (Mint Green by Love & Beauty)

4. Apply a thin strip of a white cream polish right under the mint green (French White by Wet n Wild)

5. Make some black dots for the seeds on the pink part (Black Creme by Wet n Wild)

6. And then finish it off with your favorite top coat!

What do you think? Do you like to wear a watermelon manicure in the summer?








If you liked this post, check out some others:

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Weekly Beauty Giveaways Round Up! Check these out

Here's this week's beauty giveaways! As always, check out the last two weeks of roundups here and here to be sure not to miss any other giveaways that may still be going on! All links to the giveaways are embedded in the blog names! Good luck if you enter!

Emma at Beauty by Emma is giving away a MUA Undressed eyeshadow palette! {International}(7/24)

There's a couple of giveaways going on over at The Do It Yourself Lady! The first one (click here) is some indie polishes {international} (8/10), and the second one (click here) is a set of the New Black nail polishes {US only} (7/30)

...and don't forget about Kay at Banini Beauty's first giveaway! Ends in one day!

If there's any other beauty giveaways going on that I haven't mentioned in previous posts, feel free to leave the links below! I would ask that you please refrain from posting giveaways links on any other posts except for this one!

p.s. I know it's not beauty related, but Drugstore Divas is giving away a great swimsuit, valued at $215! {US only} (7/22)

xoxo

Friday, July 13, 2012

Skintimate Shave Cream in Raspberry Rain, Review


Skintimate Shave Gel with Vitamin E and Olive Butter in Raspberry Rain
7 oz.-$2.99-Limited Edition

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Monday, July 9, 2012

How To Do an Easy Grey Smokey Eye


I think grey smokey eyes are beautiful! They're not quite as harsh as a plain black look and really add some depth and sparkle!
Here's I created my easy smokey eye:

1. Start off with a dark grey cream shadow for a base. I used elf's Shadow & Liner Stick in Smoke. Put the cream all over the lid and lower lashline.

2. Take a grey eyeshadow and put it on top of the cream to intensify the color & set the cream underneath. I used Platina by Covergirl.

3. Take a shimmery black eyeshadow and apply it to the outer corner and the outer third of the lower lashline. I used Shimmering Onyx by Covergirl.

4. Next apply a shimmery cream highlight to the inner corner and browbone. I used Champagne by Covergirl.

5. Apply a black or dark brown eyeliner to the upper lashline. Really work it in betwee the lashes. Also apply it to the upper and lower waterlines. I used Black/Brown Eyeliner from NYX.

6. Finally, curl the lashes and apply your favorite volumizing mascara! You could also apply some lashes to make the look more dramatic!

Here's the products that I used:


How do you create your favorite smokey eye?



If you like this post, check out some others:

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Weekly Post Round-up 7.08.12



I'm currently on vacation until this Saturday, so all the posts are pre-written and scheduled for this week! I'll still try to reply to comments as much as I can and I will be checking my email often! I hope everyone has a great week & I'll see you when I get back!

p.s. have you followed me on Twitter? Click here!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Weekly Beauty Giveaways Round-up! Check these out!

Here's some more beauty giveaways to enter in! Check out the last two weeks of round-ups here and here to make sure you don't miss any that might still be open! As always, links to the giveaways are embedded in the blog names! Good luck!

Jayne's Birthday Giveaway is going on over at Cosmetic Proof! She's giving away a the Balm palette, a Body Shop Oil, and two Color Club polishes! (7/31) {Residents of North America}


Miranda at Miranda's Makeup and More is giving away a Julep intro box! (7/16) {Residents of US & Canada}

Kay at Banini Beauty is holding her first giveaway! She's giving away an assortment of lashes, nail polish, and skincare! (7/16) {Open internationally}

&& Check out this body spray & body wash giveaway at Hairspray and High Heels! (7/9) {US only}

 
If you know of any more giveaways that aren't in this week's post or in the last few weeks', please leave a comment below letting me know so that I can add it to the list!

xoxo

p.s. is it bad that I've already started buying for my next giveaway at 400 followers? I just get so excited for giveaways! :D

Guest Post: Finding the Perfect Red Lipstick & Lipgloss

Hello everyone. My name is Chianne. I am the owner/creator of Forever Glamanista , a blog that is all about all things beauty. First I want to make sure that I thank K. for letting me write this post for her blog. I love your blog and you are a big inspiration to me.


One thing I feel is essential for my growing make up collection is to have the perfect red lipstick and lip gloss. There is so much you can do with a red gloss or lipstick. You could go with the classic red lip or you could go a bit darker and make it dramatic. I felt that I’ve never really had the perfect shade so I decided to find it. I have looked at so many different red shades from so many different companies without buying them at first, just to see what was out there. With my skin tone, I definitely knew that I wanted a darker red lipstick and gloss. I had tried a few different ones. I liked them but I didn’t really feel like they were my perfect shade.   

I bought a NYC lipstick in Ruby.  When I first saw this I liked the color and shimmer in it. But when I put it on it looked really bad on me. The shimmer was just to much for me with this color. So this lipstick definitely wasn’t my perfect shade. While I haven’t found my perfect lipstick yet, I have found my perfect gloss.
This gloss is the second one that I bought. The first one was Raspberry Mousse lip gloss by Forever 21, Love and Beauty Line. But I found this when I was at a local beauty supply near me that sells NYX. This is in the color Copper. I love the pigmantation, the color, and the shimmer of this gloss. When I wear It I feel like its not too much, but there's just enough.
So when looking for your perfect red lipstick, it's all about you and what you want in  the red color, whether you want a dramatic red color or a classic neutral color.  There is a color out there for you, you just have to find it!
                                                                                                                                                       
Read more of Chianne's posts over at her blog, Forever Glamanista
                                                                                                                                                      

Friday, July 6, 2012

Shimmery Purple Winged Eye Look


I know ^ creepy enlarged picture of my eye :D

I don't do winged eye looks. Ever. Mainly because I didn't own an angled eye brush (I do now) and My eyes are super wrinkly so it's really hard to get a consistent, smooth line. But I finally got it down pat!

The pictures really don't do the purples I used justice at all as they're so much more vibrant in real life.


I used a couple of colors from the Wet n Wild Petal Pusher palette, and I have to say, I'm really disappointed with the matte colors I used. I was hoping they would be more vibrant than they were, but they came out really chalky and basically the same color. Next time I try this look I'll definitely use some different colors on the lid.


Look at that perfect wing. I'm so proud of myself, you have no idea! My eyes are extremely hard to get a good line on.

Here's what I used & how easy it is to get this look!


1. Start with a matte, white base. I used the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk. Blend all over the lid, browbone, and lower lash line.

2. In the Wet n Wild Petal Pusher palette, start with the matte white (left browbone shade) on the inner third of the eye. Then take the matte lilac (left eyelid) and put it on the rest of the lid.

3. To define the crease a little, take the burgundy from the palette (right crease) and lightly put it in the last third of the crease and on the outer third of the lid to define.

4. To add some shimmer to the matte pastel colors, take Nude Beach from the Too Faced Natural Eye palette and place it where the matte pastel colors are.

5. Because I wanted more shimmer, I really wish I owned glitter to put over top, but the closest I had was some pink glitter eyeshadow from Sephora (discontinued). But if you own a pink glitter, I would use that. I placed it on top of Nude Beach.

6. I then highlighted the browbone using the shimmery white cream color from the Revlon Cream Illuminance Shadow palette in Seashells.

7. On the lower lashline, use an angled brush to place a vibrant purple/blue. I used the left definer shade from the Petal Pusher palette. Then, on the outer third of the lower lashine, place a shimmery black on top of the purple. I used the right definer shade from the Wet n Wild palette.

8. Next, create a simply wing with a dark black eyeshadow-I used the right definer shade again from the Petal Pusher palette-starting where your eyelashes start in the inner corner and extending to the crease.

9. Finally, add a few coats of your favorite mascara to finish off the look! You can even apply a pair of corner lashes to make the look even more dramatic.

How do you wear your favorite winged eyeliner look?


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Thursday, July 5, 2012

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Summer Orange Blaze Nail Design


It's been hitting 100 degrees here nearly everyday, so to celebrate the extremely hot weather (sarcasm, I love the cold) I did a summer mani inspired by the hot days!


I used:
Party Peach by elf
Blazed by Wet n Wild
Break the Ice Megalast polish by Wet n Wild

This is super simple to do!
I put two coats of Party Peach all over the nail to get an opaque, even color, then followed it with a diagonal stripe of Blazed across the center of the nail. Then, to add a little something, I used Break the Ice on top of Party Peach on one corner of the nail!


I absolutely love this! It makes a statement but is so incredibly easy!

p.s. have you followed me on Twitter? Click here to keep up to date with posts and extra content!

xoxo



If you liked this post, check out some others:

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Gift Card Giveaway Winner & I Won a Giveaway!

First off, thank you to everyone who entered in my SkinCareRX $20 giftcard giveaway! I'm sorry that it took me a little while to pick the winner but I just wanted to validate every entry and makeup sure that everyone was getting all their chances to win!

So, without further ado, the winner is...





#55, Carolsue!

Congrats! I'll be announcing it on Twitter, as well!

And, I won a giveaway! I was literally so excited that I won and checking the post everyday until it arrived!
The giveaway was held by the lovely Ren at BeautyByRen! Click here to check out her awesome blog and make sure to follow her! Click here to follow her on Twitter too!


I won the Too Faced Natural Eye palette! I'm so excited & can't wait to do a review on it! Ren also sent a lovely card (how beautiful is that writing?!) so thank you so much to Ren!

Happy Fourth of July to all my US readers & enjoy your fireworks & family bbq's today and tomorrow!

xoxo

Monday, July 2, 2012

Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait, Review & Swatch


This came in the Target Beauty Bag, and I'm so glad I got a sample of this before I spent money on it! I was seriously considering purchasing this one because it's the one that Emma Stone is wearing in the advertisements, and her lips are the most beautiful color! But after getting the sample, I really don't think this is the shade for me.


The color is so dark! How on Earth is this the shade that Emma Stone is wearing in the adverts? It's a berry color, not the orange/coral shade shown on her lips. I would have thought that Tutti Frutti is closer to the shade she's wearing.

The color is pretty much the same shade as my lips, so I'm not impressed with it from the start. It's a beautiful shade for anyone who doesn't have naturally berry-toned lips, but when I wear lip colors, I look for something that's different from my natural color.


My biggest issue with this color is the gold glitter. Now, there's a difference between incorporating a fine glitter into a lip color versus glitter chunks. It is so incredibly gritty on the lips that I just could not stand it. The smoothness of the other lip butters I have is not evident in this one at all because the glitter is just...horrible. It's distracting and gross.

After a few minutes the glitter kind of wore out or I just didn't notice it as much. But it was still gross.

I will say that the formula is still even, opaque, and doesn't settle into any lines, even with the glitter, which is always a plus.


The Pros:
Good color if you don't already have berry-toned lips, good formula

The Cons:
The glitter is chunky and gritty

The Bottom Line
6/10
I definitely will not be purchasing this one! Personally, it's just not the color for me. I really want to try Tutti Frutti and Raspberry Pie next!

So if you received this sample or already own it, what did you think of Peach Parfait? I would love to know if you thought the same as me!






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