Video: My Boyfriend Does My Makeup!

I am so excited to share this video with you guys! We were cracking up the entire time and I literally had tears streaming down my face.

Big thanks to David for editing :)

Kool-Aid Hair

I did something a little crazy to my hair. I dyed the tips with Kool-Aid! I used Pink Lemonade flavor because I wanted it to be a light pink. I literally just boiled some water, poured it into a mug with the Kool-Aid powder, stirred it around, and dunked the tips of my hair into the Kool-Aid and left it for about 8 minutes. It already faded a bit after the first shower so I'm guessing it won't stay in my hair for long. But the good news is that Kool-Aid packets are 25 cents apiece so I can afford to re-do it every week or so for as long as I feel like having it! Yay!

Here's a photo I took on my webcam:

Video: Beauty Products I Regret Buying

Hello there! Still no camera! Here's another video that I did:

Thanks for watching!

Fishtail Braid Mani

Here's my last mani I took pictures of before my camera died. I had this on my nails for almost a week because I loved it so much! I used this tutorial to help me create this look.

First I did two coats of OPI Fiercely Fiona, a slightly greenish yellow, on each nail. Then to create the stripes I used butter LONDON Slapper and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Celeb City, a silver foil.

I'm also still really digging the oval nail shape on me! I haven't broken a nail since! I think I'll keep him :)

First Video Blog! July Favorites

It's my first video! I lost my camera battery charger so I can't take pictures at the moment. I wanted to post SOMETHING so I decided I'd make a video! I'd been wanting to make a Favorites post for a while so here are my July favorites.

Aaaaand....I forgot a favorite so I made a second video! (Yes, it was that important!)

Hope you enjoy the videos! Let me know if you liked the videos and what topic you think I should talk about next!

P.S. Sorry about the horrible lag between the video and audio on the first video. I'm not sure why it's doing that. I'm going to try to fix it right now.

Neon Ruffians and New Nail Shape!

Notice anything different about me (other than my bangin' manicure)? I decided to try oval-shaped nails for a while and see how I like them. Before I started growing my nails out a couple years ago, my nails were oval-shaped because I just trimmed (or bit) them down to the nail bed and my nail bed is naturally oval-shaped. They weren't an intentional, graceful oval shape though, they were just ragged and ugly! Anyway, I was constantly breaking the corners of my rectangular-shaped nails and having to cut them down and file them to get them to be even again, so I thought I'd try a new shape and see how it works for me. I didn't really like the shape at first but now it's growing on me! And I haven't broken a nail so far!

Anyway, for my first mani with my new nail shape I thought I'd try something that would emphasize the oval-ness. I did a neon ruffian manicure using hot pink and orange! On my thumb and ring fingers, which were my accent nails, I did two coats of Revlon Tulip, a nice hot pink. On my other fingers, I did two coats of OPI A Roll in the Hague, a bright reddish orange. After my base color dried, I used the opposing color to create the "ruffian" style. It's pretty easy to do because you basically paint the second color like you would paint your nail normally, following the curve of your cuticle, just up a little higher! I did two coats of the second color too, just to make sure I didn't have any patchiness.

What shape do you prefer your nails in? What do you think of the ruffian manicure style?

Turquoise Gemstones

I am so unbelievably in love with this mani, you guys. I love turquoise - the color, yes, but also the gemstone. I saw this mani on the Tumblr Fuck Yeah Nail Art, and I fell in love. It looks just like turquoise! I had already been wearing two coats of L'Oreal Gorgeous Gold, an AMAZING (seriously amazing, guys, I should've taken a picture of it just by itself) gold metallic with medium gold hex glitters, for a day or two, and I thought it would be the perfect base to try this turquoise mani with.

I did a little variation on the technique used by Topcoat It. Here's what I did: I painted one coat of China Glaze For Audrey over Gorgeous Gold. Working one nail at a time, before For Audrey dried, I pressed a crumpled piece of plastic wrap over my nails to create some texture, like I thought a turquoise gemstone should have. Then I let all my nails dry. I then took some q-tips and filled my nail polish remover cap with some acetone-based remover. I dipped it very quickly so it didn't soak up too much remover, then I rubbed it gently over my nails. I rubbed harder on certain spots to get the gold to peek through just where I wanted it. After doing this on all my nails I finished with a glossy topcoat!

I absolutely love how this looks, although I think it would look even more like a real turquoise gemstone if I used a grayer base. Something like OPI Number One Nemesis (the Chanel Graphite dupe) would look awesome. I also think that using a glitter or metallic base makes it easier to rub away your top color without accidentally removing your base color because they are harder to remove. I think with any other color combination this might end up looking like crackle polish, so if you like that look but don't want to spend the money on a crackle polish or are frustrated that you can't get it to crack the way you want, you might try this. What do you think?

I'm back! With another gradient!

Hi folks! Sorry for the unexpectedly long hiatus - we moved at the beginning of the month, and when the cable guys came to install the internet, they discovered that the wires they needed were nowhere to be found in our building! So they have to come and physically install these wires in order provide their service to our building. That is going to take another few weeks!!! I've been going to Starbucks almost every day to do my homework, but the outlets there are a precious commodity and I'd feel bad hogging them to post pictures of my fingernails on the internet. Luckily, our upstairs neighbors were nice enough to give us their WiFi password over the weekend, so I'm back online!

I've amassed a bit of a collection of pictures to post while I was gone, but I'll start with the last ones I took at our old place. This is my favorite gradient I've done so far!

I started with two coats of China Glaze Electric Beat, a bright periwinkle blue. Then using a makeup sponge, I dabbed China Glaze Flying Dragon on the tips to create a gradient. (Check out this gradient tutorial for a good explanation of the process.) Flying Dragon is one of the most amazing polishes I've ever seen and I can't believe I never noticed it on the display before, as I think it's permanent. It's a bright, almost neon, reddish purple with chunky purple and blue shimmer in it! I can't wait to wear it on its own because I think the neon-ness will come out more.

I love the way Electric Beat brings out the blue shimmer of Flying Dragon. Unfortunately I took these photos after a couple days so the tips are a little worn, but I still think this mani is absolutely gorgeous. I've got to do another gradient mani soon!

EOTD - Bright Blue Eyelashes!

Here is another look I did with the MAC Zoom Lash colored mascaras! This look uses the blue mascara, Blue Charge. 

First, I prepped my lids with Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original. Then I blended NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Horseradish, a minty green, all over my lid. I set this on the outer half of my lid with Mojo Spa loose eyeshadow in Garden Party, a shimmery minty green. In the crease I blended Urban Decay Haight, a bluish teal. I darkened the outer corner with the Balm The Mother-in-Law, a dusty navy blue. 

On my lower waterline, I used NYX Retractable Eye Liner in Gray and smudged it with the Balm The Mistress, a gunmetal gray. I also smoked out my top lash line a bit with The Mistress. 

Again I prepped my lashes by using a coat of the Step 1 white primer side of my Maybelline XXL Pro Extensions mascara. I finished with two coats of MAC Zoom Lash mascara in Blue Charge. 

NOTD - Glitter Gradient

I learned my lesson the last time I did a gradient, so I went to Walgreens and bought some of those soft makeup sponges! I used those when I did this fun glitter gradient!

I started with two coats of Ulta Peach Parfait, a coral jelly. Then, I used the makeup sponge to dab some of Milani Gems onto the tips of my nails. I found that I couldn't get the opacity of the glitter that I wanted near the very tips, so when I was done sponging I just used the Milani brush to fill in the gaps.

After the glitter dried, I did one more thin coat of Peach Parfait to do a jelly sandwich effect! I finished it up with a coat of Seche Vite fast drying top coat to smooth out the bumps.

I think this mani is totally adorable and reminds me of cupcake sprinkles!

EOTD - Pink and Purple

I got the limited edition Zoom Lash mascaras from MAC recently and I've been trying to figure out different ways to wear them! Here is a look I did with the purple mascara, Plum Reserve.

First as always I prepped my lids with Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original. To start I blended Urban Decay Free Love eyeshadow, a peachy pink, all over the lid. Then I blended Urban Decay Woodstock, a bright shimmery fuchsia pink, into the crease. I accented the outer corner with MAC Passionate, a matte hot pink.

I lined my waterline with Urban Decay Rockstar, an eggplant purple eyeliner. I smudged that with Urban Decay Psychedelic Sister, a bright purple, and smudged a bit more Woodstock around the edges of that too. I highlighted my browbone and inner corner with Urban Decay Sin, a light peachy highlighter.

To finish, I coated my lashes with a coat of the Step 1 Primer side of my Maybelline XXL Pro Extensions mascara. If you want the colored mascara to be extra vibrant, or if you have naturally really dark eyelashes (jealous) then this step is important. Then I finished my lashes with two coats of MAC Zoom Lash mascara in Plum Reserve.

Would you wear colored mascara?

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains!

New amazing Revlon lip product? Um, hello, SIGN ME UP!!! The beauty blogging world has been in a craze over the new Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. I was lucky to find a completely stocked display of them at CVS a couple weeks ago, where I picked up three, but then a few days later when I decided I wanted a couple more colors, I've had to stalk them down between various Walgreens, CVS, and Ultas! Now I have all five colors that I want, and I'm totally happy!

All of the balm stains are super moisturizing and feel really nice on my lips. They are buildable in color, so you can have just a slight tint if you want, or you can make it really opaque and have the color pop. They do stain the lips fairly well, especially the darker colors like Sweetheart and Adore.

First up is Rendezvous, which is probably my favorite because hello it's ORANGE! It actually leans a bit coral-tinged too. I love it :)

Next up is Charm, a light peachy nude. This is the only one I'm not super crazy about. It applies a little streaky and collects in my lip lines. The stain color for this one is actually a dark pink color, not a light peachy color.

 Here is Honey, which is my next favorite. It's a mauvey-pink that is pretty close to my natural lip color. Perfect for everyday!

 This is Sweetheart, a bright hot pink. It's not fuchsia. This is a great option for a bright pink summer lip! The stain color on this one is BRIGHT pink!

Last I have Adore, a dark brick red with subtle golden shimmer. I should mention that all the other colors I have do not have shimmer. I love this one because it's difficult for me to pull off dark, vampy lip colors with my light coloring, and this is subtle yet still dark enough to make a statement.








So have you jumped on the Kissable Balm Stain train yet?! If not, what are you waiting for?!

Nanny Nail-Art

The 9 year old girl I nanny for, K, is totally awesome and reminds me a lot of myself when I was her age. She's very creative and always has her nose in a book. She always enjoys seeing what I come up with on my nails, and occasionally I'll do hers for her.

The other day I jumped on the magnetic nail polish bandwagon when I picked up Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color in Silver Elements from Walgreens. The magnetic trend hadn't really peaked my interest, but it was less than ten bucks so I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

I tried it out later back at home and IT WAS THE COOLEST THING EVER!!! The design ended up being pretty cool but the best part by far was peeking under the magnet to see it doing its thing to the polish. It was like magic. I knew this would be something that K would be totally fascinated by, so the next day I told her I'd do her nails for her. Her reaction after seeing the first magnetized nail was pure shock and awe. It was hilarious. After every single nail she just kept saying "How does it DO that!?!"

I didn't get a proper photo of my nails with this one, but here's a photo of K's and my hands with our matching nails!

Skittle Gradient!

I have been in such a nail rut the past couple weeks! I have been wanting to attempt a gradient mani for a while now but always assumed it would be time-consuming and difficult. Then, I checked out this tutorial by The Nailasaurus and realized how easy it was! I also saw this mani while browsing through the Tumblr blog Fuck Yeah Nail Art and I loved the color scheme, so I decided to translate it into a skittle gradient mani!

First, I did two coats of OPI Did You Ear About Van Gogh?, a light putty color, as my base color. I did it, yes, at midnight, and let it fully dry overnight before starting the gradient. Following Nailasaurus' tutorial, I started on my thumb with Essie Tart Deco, a neon coral-pink. On my index finger I used Essie Mint Candy Apple, a bright minty aqua, and on my middle finger I used Essie Smooth Sailing, a shimmery cornflower blue. Looking at my finished mani, I wish I had a brighter, more pastel cornflower blue because I don't think Smooth Sailing really goes with the other two colors as well. I repeated the pattern for all the rest of my nails.

Sammy's tutorial is SUPER easy and FAST! I think it only took me about 15 minutes to do all of my nails. The gradient came out a lot smoother than I thought it would too. The only thing I will do different next time is use a different sponge. I decided to do this gradient on a whim so I didn't have the nice soft makeup sponges that she recommends. All I had was a really rough exfoliating sponge that, as I'm sure you can see, left me with a bunch of little fibers all stuck to my nails! I will definitely pick up some makeup sponges at Walgreens in the next couple days and you can expect to see a bunch more gradient manis in the future!

OPI Just Spotted the Lizard

Here's a picture of a nail polish that has been all over the blogs lately, but I still must share it because I'm surprised at how much I love it! This is OPI Just Spotted the Lizard from the latest Spiderman collection, which is kind of a weird movie for a nail polish brand to team up with (although I guess it's not much weirder than the Hunger Games).

I picked this up because it's a known dupe for Chanel Peridot, that much-sought-after polish that came out last year. I thought Peridot looked cool, but I would not have paid $25 for it. So when it came out for $8, I decided, why not. I surprisingly LOVE IT! The green-gold duochrome effect is so mesmerizing in person. Although my boyfriend kind of ruined it for me a little bit when he was like, "Hey! Green and gold, just like [our high school] colors!"

P.S. Does anyone else think of this clip from Friends when they hear the word Spiderman? I love Friends!

Review - Maybelline XXL Pro Extensions Waterproof Mascara VS. Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara

I mentioned a couple posts ago that I hate the Rimmel Lash Accelerator mascara I've been using for the past few weeks. I started using it because it claims to make your lashes appear "117% longer after just one month." Uhhh...yeah right. After using it for a few weeks I see absolutely zero difference in the length of my lashes. It also clumps and smudges everywhere, and doesn't hold a curl. My lashes almost look even worse after putting the mascara on, if that's even possible. I kept using it even though I hated it, hoping to see a long-term difference in the length, but that's not happening so finally I decided to chuck this horrible mascara.

I used to use a Maybelline mascara with the white primer wand on one end, and I remember really liking it so I decided to try one of those again. I read a tip somewhere that waterproof mascaras hold a curl better, so I settled on this Maybelline XXL Pro Extensions Waterproof mascara. It claims to "tame unruly lashes" and boost length up to "85%."

I LOVE this mascara! It's one of my favorites that I've ever tried. The Step 1 primer side does seem to separate and straighten out my lashes that like to poke out every which way, although it doesn't weigh down my curl. The Step 2 mascara side builds on top of the primer to add length and volume, again not weighing down the curl. I also really like the brush on this mascara. The Rimmel brush would ALWAYS get mascara on my eyelid, but this brush doesn't do that. The only thing I find annoying is that because of the dual-sided packaging, the wand is really short so the tube bumps against my cheekbone when I'm trying to get the lashes on the very ends. But that's really not a big deal. The formula isn't "wet" like the Rimmel one so I can use the tip of the brush to get the baby lashes without getting clumps all over the place.

Here are some photos of the process:

Bare, uncurled lashes. Yeah, I know they suck.

Curled lashes using the hair dryer method (see below).

Step 1 primer side. 2 coats.

Step 2 mascara side. 2 coats.

Comparison shot! Ignore the fact that I look cross-eyed.

So yeah, pretty awesome results for my short, stubby, straight blonde lashes. I realize now they look a bit clumpy, but I'm willing to give and take a bit when it comes to having curlier, longer lashes.

Edited to add: I wrote this review before I actually wore this mascara out and about for the day. At the end of the day I had black smudges all over my under-eye area! Not good. I'm not sure if it's just because it was super hot and humid today, or if it's the mascara. That's a big negative, although it probably won't deter me from continuing to wear it until I find something better.

P.S. Here's a tip for curling your lashes that I just discovered! Blast your lash curler with a hair dryer for a few seconds before curling. It made a HUGE difference for me! Just make sure it's not too hot...burning your eyelid would suck.

Any other mascara recommendations out there?

Essie Smooth Sailing

If I had to choose my top 5 favorite polishes (not that I could ever actually choose), this would probably be one of them. This is Essie's Smooth Sailing from their Braziliant summer collection last year. It's a medium cornflower blue color with silver and purple shimmer. It's such a unique color and I love the chunky shimmer.

One thing I also love about this polish is that it's a color that works any time of year. I wore it a few times during the winter, and I just wore it the other day which totally complemented my tanned skin. The application is just the best; this is two perfect coats.

If you were forced to choose a top 5 favorite polishes, what do you think would be in it? I think butter LONDON Wallis would also be up there for me; I'll have to showcase that one on my blog soon.

EOTD - Autumn in Summer?

This eye look ended up looking a bit more autumn than summer, but it's still gorgeous! I used a heck of a lot of products in this look so brace yourselves!

As always I started with Urban Decay Primer Potion. Then, I blended Urban Decay Half Baked, a light golden shimmer, into the inner third of the lid. I patted MAC Rule, a light matte orange, into the center, then MAC Red Brick, a darker matte orange, into the outer third. Into the crease I blended MAC Embark, a dark matte brown, and darkened the outer crease with Urban Decay Snakebite, a shimmery dark bronzey brown.

I lined my lower waterline with Wet N' Wild Coloricon eyeliner in Dark Brown and set and smudged it with Embark, Rule, and Red Brick. I lined my top lashline with Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid Eyeliner in Demolition. Finally, I finished my lashes with Rimmel Lash Accelerator mascara in Extreme Black.

Hey, that wasn't so bad! Love the pop of bright orange in the center with golds and browns! What do you think; is this summery to you, or does it look too autumn-ish?

EOTD - Pink and Grey

I sure have been posting a lot of eye looks lately! I have been challenging myself to use shadows I haven't used in a while (or ever!) before buying any new ones. So far I'm resisting the temptation...I'm sure when I get paid next week it'll all be for naught, though. The new Sugarpill palette is calling my name...

To start this look, I used Urban Decay Primer Potion as I always do. On the inner third of the lid, I blended Urban Decay Free Love, a light shimmery pinky coral. Then, I packed MAC Free to Be, a matte pinky coral, all over the bottom of of the lid. This shadow is a little hard to work with so you really just have to keep packing it on to get it to be really opaque and bright. It's gorge though so I give it a free pass. In the outer half of the lid, I blended NYX Greyish Brown, which is a matte dark grey with a bit of bluish-looking shimmer (totally don't get why it's called Greyish Brown. there's no brown in it whatsoever). I blended NYX Dune, a dark grey shimmer with a bit of golden shimmer in it, into the crease.

On the bottom lashline, I used NYX Eye/Eyebrow Pencil in Grey and smudged it with a bit of Greyish Brown. I highlighted the browbone and inner corner with...I can't remember. I think it was either UD Bootycall or Mary Kay Moonstone. To line the upper lashline, I used Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid Eyeliner in Perversion. Finally, I coated my lashes with Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara in Extreme Black.

I love the combination of pink and grey! What do you think of this color combo?

EOTD - Mojo Spa Isis Loose Eyeshadow

Just a quick couple photos for this post, but I wanted to show you guys my last Mojo Spa loose eyeshadow that I picked up a couple weeks ago called Isis. For this look, I basically used the same products and method that I did for this eye look, but instead of using MAC Plum Dressing, I used Isis. Isis is a crazy sparkly cool purple with blue-ish shimmer. Also, instead of Blackout, I used Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid eyeliner in Perversion on the top lashline.

Sorry this photo's kind of blurry on top, but you can
see the shimmer better this way at least!

P.S. Totally off topic, but does anyone have recommendations for a heated eyelash curler and/or a good mascara for short, stubby, pin-straight lashes? My lashes have always sucked but it seems like they've been getting worse the past couple weeks. I'm currently using a Revlon manual eyelash curler, but the curl fades away almost immediately after putting on my mascara. I also hate the Rimmel mascara I'm currently using b/c it's really liquidy and gets all over the place. Thanks!

EOTD - Beachy Golden Eyes

I saw a look like this on, I believe, a promotional image for Too Faced's new summer palette. It's a shimmery golden lid with a light turquoise bottom liner. I love how summery this color combination is! It makes me think of sitting on the beach watching the ocean.


As always, I started by prepping my lids with Urban Decay Primer Potion. I blended Urban Decay Baked, a shimmery gold, all over my lids. Then I (carefully!) patted a Mojo Spa loose eyeshadow in Havana, an insanely sparkly dark brown, into the crease. I darkened the outer corner with MAC Embark, a dark matte brown. I lined my upper lashline with Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Demolition, a dark brown.

On the bottom, I lined my waterline with NYX Slide-On Eye Pencil in Tropical Green, a dark metallic aqua green. I set this and smudged it ith Urban Decay Flipside, a bright shimmery turquoise. It showed up much brighter and bluer in real life; for some reason it doesn't pop as much in photos. I highlighted the browbone and inner corner with Urban Decay Bootycall as usual. Finally, I coated my lashes with Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara in Extreme Black.




I absolutely love this eye look and basically want to wear it all summer long. It goes great with bronzed skin ;)

Essie Navigate Her

I'm sure you've seen this polish before, but it's probably one of my absolute favorites that came out this spring so I just had to share it. It's Essie Navigate Her, a light pastel spring green creme.

It applied like a dream in two perfect coats. It's different than a lot of other light mint greens because it doesn't have any blue in it. I absolutely LOVE this color! My best friend, who also bought it for herself, ended up not really liking it because she said the color reminded her of boogers. I was like... o_O...the most gorgeous boogers ever! (Ew, sorry, that was gross.)

Anyway, a few days after this I put a coat of butter LONDON Tart With a Heart over this and it was even more beautiful!

EOTD - Vibrant Purples

I recently got a slew of new MAC eyeshadows. I created my own palette full of purples, because I adore purple eyeshadow on me. It really brings out my greenish greyish eyes, in my opinion. Here's a look I did with some of my new shades:

First, I prepped my lids with Urban Decay Primer Potion. Then, I patted MAC Vibrant Grape, a matte reddish purple, all over the bottom part of my lid. I blended MAC Plum Dressing, a shimmery reddish purple, into the crease. I darkened the outer part of the crease with MAC Fig. 1, a dark matte eggplant color. I lined my lower lashline with Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Rockstar, a dark eggplant, and set it with Fig. 1. I smudged Urban Decay Blackout, a matte black, into the upper lashline.

I highlighted under my brow and in the inner corner with Urban Decay Bootycall, a light champagne shimmer. Finally, I curled my lashes and finished them with Rimmel Lash Accelerator mascara in Extreme Black.

I love these purples. The warmer, reddish purples really work with my skintone and eye color. Vibrant Grape was a little hard to work with because it was on the dry side, but with some work I got it to build up to opacity. What's your favorite color eyeshadow to use to bring out your eye color or skintone? 

Revlon Tangerine

Pantone has decreed that Tangerine is THE color of the year, which perfectly coincides with my deep rooted obsession for all things orange lately. This Revlon polish, incidentally called Tangerine, was calling my name.

It's a light, bright orange with visible shimmer. It applied wonderfully, flowing on in two easy coats. Maybe a smidge on the thick side, but not bad. Perfect summer pedicure color!

Showing off my pretty ring that I got at a cute shop on Milwaukee Ave. called Tiara Love.