'Mystic Nights'

Hey guys.

Finally time for a non-Valentine's Day-related post!

After all the nail posts it's definitely time for a look.

I've been wanting to go back to my Vice palette & try some shadows I never got around to trying.

SO, here's 'Mystic Nights'.

I used:

UD Naked Skin Foundation

UD Primer Potion

L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara

Covergirl Line Exact eyeliner

'Stardust' e.l.f. eyeliner

AND (all from UD Vice Palette)

As any of you who follow my blog regularly know, 

I really love to wear blues/greens/purples.

I really wanted the purple and blue to be more vivid though,

so I'll think i'll wet them & try this look again :)

What do you think, though?

Let me know! :)

'With Love'

Hello again!

Time to V-day post #2.

I've been saving this one to be posted ON Valentine's b/c it really epitomizes it for me.

Here's 1 coat of Rockstar Nails' 'With Love' over 2 coats of Zoya's 'Kiley'.

'With Love'  is a clear base packed with white, red, & black jumbo hearts. 

You definitely have to go fishing with this one.

But, the overall effect is still nice.

POLISH INFORMATION

Brand: Rockstar Nails

Type: Glitter Top Coat

Formula: Okay

Opacity (1-5): 1-

Application: Okay, DEF. have to do some fishing with this one. No other way.

Price:  $8.50

Get This: For right now, it's sold out/no longer available, but i'm sure it will come back because its been available on her site for a long time before the holiday.

What do you guys think?

Any of you have this polish or tried anything from Rockstar Nails?

'Daddy Daughter Duo'

Happy Valentine's/Single Awareness Day, readers!

Hope your day is filled with whatever you want it to be filled with.

It was on Valentine's Day 2 years ago that I found out I was pregnant :)

So this day holds a super special meaning for me.

I have a brand new indie maker for you today!

Well, new as in one i've never tried before.

Here's 4 coats of 'Daddy Daughter Duo' from Daily Lacquer!

'Daddy Daughter Duo' is a milky white base filled with very light, medium, and hot pink small hexagonal glitter, larger pink holo hex glitter, holo half moons, & pink hearts! Definitely a unique combo. I love trying new brands & fell in love with this polish when I saw it on Etsy, so i've been excited to try this one.

POLISH INFORMATION

Brand: Daily Lacquer

Type: Glitter Creme

Formula: Great!

Opacity (1-5): 1- definitely a polish that needs building up for opacity. But it's easy to do!

Application: Great

Price:  $9

Get This: Unfortunately it's not available on her Etsy anymore :( BUT she has many others to choose from!

I was really pleased with this bad boy. I didn't have to go fishing at all, and even after building it up in 4 coats, it was hardly cake-y... OR a pain to remove! I'm very impressed with Daily Lacquer so far! She's got so many other awesome looking polishes I want to try.

What do you guys think?

'Heart Burn'

Hey guys.

I've got a polish from All That Glitter's Valentine's Day collection for you today.

If you're a regular reader, you know ATG is one of my favorite indie brands :)

Here's 3 coats of 'Heart Burn'.

'Heart Burn' is a hot pink jelly base jam packed with different glitter. There's teeeeeeny circular white & black glitter, teeny tiny silver bar glitter, iridescent micro glitter, & jumbo sized white & black hearts. I really like how she used the bar glitter here. I usually hate bar glitter, but it's tiny & sparse enough that it compliments the polish very well :)

POLISH INFORMATION

Brand: All That Glitters

Type: Glitter Jelly

Formula: Good!

Opacity (1-5): 3

Application: Great, but you really have to dig out the hearts.

Price:  $8

Get This: her Etsy site

What do you guys think about this polish?

Stay tuned for several more indies! :)

'Layla' & newest V-day nail mail!

Hey!

Today's polish is one that I obviously HAD to buy,

since it's my daughter's name :)

Here's 2 coats of Zoya's 'Layla'!

'Layla' is "ultra bright medium hot pink with slight red undertones". 

Basically, a fancy way of saying an awesome neon pink. 

As is typical of neons, this dries matte, but a topcoat quickly fixes that.

POLISH INFORMATION

Brand: Zoya

Type: Neon Creme

Formula: Good, but a little runnier than I like.

Opacity (1-5): 4

Application: Good, but some balding.

Price:  $8

Get This: Zoya.com

I LOVE the color of this polish.

However, I don't feel that it's all that different or better quality than other neon pinks that I've tried. HOWEVER, it IS named Layla- so it's obviously worth trying :)

ALSO, my V-day nail mail all came in today!

Can you guess which these are? ;P

Stay tuned the next several days to find out!

'Bubblegum' tutorial!

Hey everyone.

I've had a few people ask me about doing a tutorial for the 'Bubblegum' look,

so I obliged!

In case you didn't see the post,

this look used all unnamed pinks from a Sephora palette,

plus 'Raspberry' from BFTE.

1. On a primed lid, sweep the lightest pink of the pink trio on the inner corners outwards, using a flat shadow brush.**You'll notice a lot of fallout with the Sephora shadows,

but that will be taken care of at the end :)

2. Using a fluffy brush, sweep the lightest pastel pink from pt. 2 of the palette on brow bone.

3. Using the shadow brush again, apply the matte pink to rest of lid.

4. Using a thin liner brush, apply the darkest pink to the crease.

5. Using a different fluffy brush, blend 'Raspberry' over the crease.

6. Using a short, square, thin brush, apply shadows under waterline the same order as one lid, lightest to darkest. Also, finish blending together everything up top so it looks fluid.

7. Apply eyeliner & mascara. Also, dab a bit of foundation on a makeup sponge & swipe under both eyes with it, picking up any fallout.

Tada!

What do you guys think?

I haven't done many tutorials before,

so was this one helpful?

Let me know! :)

'25 Random Things About Me' & 'Questions' tag

Hey everyone!

I figured I'd post 2 tags from Natasha over at Project Pan that she tagged me in.

I haven't done any of these in a long while,

but I think they're fun to read & learn more about the people behind the blogs :)

The first one is 25 Random Facts about me!

1. Despite beauty & nails, I don't like many other "girly" things, such as Coach bags & almost all jewelry :x

2. Though I've quit drinking it now (except for like once a month), i LOVE me some sweet tea.

3. I have my name tattooed in Cherokee (my heritage) on the back of my neck.

4. I have a 16 month old baby girl who is the absolute joy of my life.

5. I'm in my last semester of classes in college, (prior to student teaching).

6. My major is special education.

7. I have an inconvenient growing addiction to pizza.

8. I love mild, cloudy, and breezy days.

9. I get motion sick pretty easy. It's pathetic.

10. I hate corndogs & stuffing.

11. My favorite color is red.

12. I'm fascinated with psychology, particularly abnormal psych, & almost majored in that instead.

13. I want a kitten so bad I can hardly stand it,

but my boyfriend (whom I live with) is allergic to them ://

14. My feet are almost always cold, no matter how thick my socks or how warm my boots are,

thanks to my hypothyroidism.

15. Eye exams have shown that I will most likely have Glaucoma in the future. Yay.

Can you tell my body totally sucks? :P

16. Did I mention that I'm almost legally blind? My contact prescription is a ridiculously high number. My eyes are such wimps.

17. I've been all over Greece & can't wait to go back.

18. I HAVE to sleep with a fan blowing on my face, even in winter.

19. I love me some Riesling :)

20. I played the violin for years & am hoping to pick it back up soon.

21. I love LOTR.

22. Some of my favorite shows currently are Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Homeland, Dexter, Project Runway, & Top Chef.

23. I have almost always had long hair all my life.

24. One of my favorite things to do is go to shows with friends,
particularly electronic/dubstep/jamband shows :)

25. I am 5'2".

NEXT UP,
Questions.

Here are the rules for this tag:

Answer the 11 questions you were asked.

Set 11 questions for the 11 people you tag.

Mention the blog who tagged you.

Simple enough!

Natasha's Questions:

1. What was your dream job as a child?

Believe it or not, a neurosurgeon. At least it was in the 4th & 5th grade.

2. What is your dream job now?

To be a happily successful teacher! 

3. What is your current job?

I currently don't have a job, other than going to school full time & watching my 16 month old daughter full time :) Which is a job unto itself

4. How often do you paint your nails?

Every day or every other day, usually.

5. What is something you want to try harder at this year?

Working out. EVERY year I talk about how I want to try to do it, and I may even have a little motivation at first, but it never lasts. This year I want to stick with it long enough to see some results!

6. What is your favorite way to spend your day off?

My favorite way to spend a day off is either spending time with my little family outside,

or lounging inside watching football or hockey for a lazy day.

7. What country do you currently live in?

The US of A :D

8. What is your background/heritage?

My heritage is Cherokee Indian.

9. What is your proudest accomplishment?

My proudest accomplishment is my daughter :) Next up will be graduating college.

10. Have you ever broken a bone? If so, which?

I've broken the bigger of the two bones in the bottom part of my leg. Sorry, anatomy isn't my strong suit. All I know is that I had a cast from my toes to my hip for like 6 months and it sucked.

11. Do you prefer sweet or salty snacks?

Sweet!

My Questions:

1. Do you prefer makeup,nails, or something else?
2. What country do you most want to visit?
3. Do you have any siblings? If so, how many?
4. What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
5. Describe yourself in 3 words.
6. Do you have any children? If yes, boys or girls & how many?
7. What's your favorite board game?
8. Who's your favorite indie polish maker?
9. What is your current occupation?
10. Cats or dogs?

i tag anyone who wants to do this :)

Let me know (leave me the link in a comment) if you do so I can go read it!

'Shivon'

Helloooooo.

 I have a pretty and intriguing polish for you today!

Here's 2 coats of Zoya's 'Shivon' :)

'Shivon' is a metallic "rose gold with hints of purple & bronze & a strong gold duochrome shimmer". Basically, NOMZ. I didn't even realize the duochrome until I got outside,

and boy, is it gorgeous :)

POLISH INFORMATION

Brand: Zoya

Type: Metallic Duochrome

Formula: Great!

Opacity (1-5): 4

Application: Good

Price:  $8

Get This: Zoya.com

What do you think of this polish?

'Pink Lemonade'

Hey lovely readers!

I have another Valentine's makeup look for you today.

This one is much more wearable than 'Sweet & Sour' ;)

I realize pink lemonade is more of a summery drink,

but it's exactly what this look reminded me of :D

Here's 'Pink Lemonade'.

Swatches!

'Ruthless' & 'Trace' are SYN Cosmetics pigments.

I've really fallen in love with this company.

All their pigments are super shimmery & vivid,

with little fallout and a great price :D

'Raspberry' is BFTE,

 while 'Vanilla' is on of my favorite shadows from Urban Decay to use as a highlight.

What do you guys think?

I've never really worn this exact combination on my eyes before,

and I really love it!

Super wearable & would look great on any eye color :)

'Knees Up'

Hey everyone,

super short post today.

I've had this polish for awhile now,

but have been waiting until Christmas or Valentine's to feature it.

IT'S MY FAVORITE COLOR EVER, so get ready.

This is 2 coats of Butter London's 'Knees Up'!

(sorry for the crappy pics! The photo editor I use changed it's site

 & everything is different, humph)

'Knees Up' is an absolutely gorgeous, rich metallic red.

 It's sexy and vivacious and everything awesome.

POLISH INFORMATION

Brand: Butter London

Type: Metallic

Formula: Great!

Opacity (1-5): 5

Application: Awesome

Price:  $15

Get This: Beauty stores like Ulta and Sephora

What do you guys think?

Stay tuned for another V-day makeup look tomorrow! :)

'Boy Meets Girl'

Happy Monday!

I have a new indie brand (for me) for ya'll today.

This is 2 coats of 'Boy Meets Girl' from Rockstar Nails.

'Boy Meets Girl' is a clear base filled with white bar glitter, large blue & pink square glitter, & black hexagonal and heart shaped glitter.

Here I've used it over 2 coats of CG's 'Pelican Grey'.

You can obviously see the bubbling. Next time, I'll just pick out the glitter using a toothpick or something.

POLISH INFORMATION

Brand: Rockstar Nails

Type: Glitter Top Coat

Formula: A little thivk

Opacity (1-5): 1

Application: Okay :/

Price:  $8.50

Get This: her Etsy site

Have any of you tried this indie brand?

What are your thoughts?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/111809571/boy-meets-girl-nail-polish?

Ravens Superbowl look!

Hey guys!

Hope ya'll are enjoying the Superbowl now that the power outage is over with.

I had thought the Ravens had a for sure win,

but that break seems to have given the 49ers new energy...

anyway, go Ravens!

And here's a look I created inspired by their team colors of purple, gold, & black :)

The blending could have definitely been a little better,

but I like it okay!

I used:

Too Faced's Shadow Insurance

Sugarpill's 'Poison Plum'- lid & waterline

UD's 'Black Market'- crease

UD's 'Blitz'- brow bone & waterline

UD's Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner 'Midnight Cowboy'

Covergirl Line Exact liquid eyeliner

L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara

What do you guys think?

I would have like to have been more adventurous with the eyeliners,

but I just didn't have time.

It was still fun to create, though.

GO RAVENS! :D

'Snowglobe'

Happy Super Bowl day!

I don't know about you guys, but i'm rooting for the Ravens :))

I can't wait for the commercials, too.

Although last year there weren't many that were that funny...

Anyway, middle TN got a mini snowstorm yesterday,

so it was a perfect day for this polish!

Here's 2 coats of Kawaii Nail Lacquer's 'Snowglobe' over

 2 coats of Dollish Polish's 'A Bad Case of Blue Balls'.

I did such an atrocious paint job that it pains me to post these pics,

But I don't know when i'll have a better time to post them!

Macro!

'Snowglobe' is a clear base with silver & light blue microglitter, light blue, medium hexagonal glitter, medium silver holographic glitter, large white hexagonal glitter, & sparse white bar glitter. This is the 4th and final christmas/holiday polish I purchased from her recently.

POLISH INFORMATION

Brand: Kawaii Nail Lacquer

Type: Glitter Top Coat

Formula: Pretty good

Opacity (1-5): 1

Application: Good, barely any issues with gloopy-ness

Price:  $9

Get This: her Etsy site

I've bought several polishes from this indie maker before,

and loved ALL of them.

Definitely recommend you check her out!

What do you guys think?

Have you tried any polishes from Kawaii Nail Lacquer?

'Rory' & V-day stamping

Happy Saturday :)

I've got one of my recent V-day polish purchases for you today.

Here's 2 coats of Zoya's 'Rory'.

'Rory' is a "medium mauve pink with lilac tones, gold & silver reflective metallic shimmer accents, and a foil-like finish". Basically, right up my alley. Not only are pinks this shade some of my favorite to wear, but shimmer makes it perfect. 

POLISH INFORMATION

Brand: Zoya

Type: Metallic Micro Glitter

Formula: Excellent!

Opacity (1-5): 5

Application: Incredibly smooth

Price:  $8

Get This: Zoya.com 

    I also attempted some Valentine's Day themed stamping.

 I like stamping, even though I'm not very good at it :P

This is BM plate 08 over 'Rory'.

Totally messed up on my pinky,

and the 'L' for 'love' disappeared on my thumb...

:x

What are ya'lls thoughts?

Let me know!

January Favorites!

Alright guys,

it's that time again!

Here's my favorites from this past month:

Murad Energizing Pomegranate Moisturizer 

I've been using this bad boy for over 5 years, & it's about time I blogged about it!

I'll do a full review of it later, but this is basically the BEST moisturizer i've ever used.

Especially with the dry, cold weather we have nowadays- this stuff is fantastic.

Not only does it smell great, but it leaves my skin feeling super smooth & lovely!

(Not to mention all the benefits to your skin)

You can get this at Murad.com or beauty stores like Ulta for $33.

Covergirl Outlast Nail Gloss

So far I've only tried is brand in 'Constant Candy', but I was so impressed that it has to be added to my favorites list, & I HAVE to buy more. It's the longest lasting polish I've tried in a long time, and it's just about $5! How awesome is that?!?

Sephora Smoky Studio Palette II

This was my first time trying any Sephora shadows or glosses,

and though I haven't tried all of them yet- i'm very impressed from what i HAVE tried.

Great pigmentation & staying power.

NOT TO MENTION that I got this entire palette for about $30 :)

What are ya'lls thoughts about these products?

What is your favorite product from January?