Trend Makeup - Stained Lips and Edgy-Messy Eyes

This is an edgy smokey look inspired by the makeup I have been seeing in a lot of magazines from Fashion Week. I've seen the red lip as a huge trend as well as a love of smokey, smudgy eyes. I decided instead of doing a full on red lip, I would keep the lips more wearable and trendy and go with a smudged out red lip. I hope you all enjoy!

 

Products Used:

Face:  

• Nars Sheer Glow in Punjab
• Bobbi Brown Cream Concealer in Sand with Pale Yellow Powder
• Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light to Medium Bisque
• Mac Fawntastic Cream Color Base
• Chanel Tan de Soleil de Chanel (Bronze Universal) Cream Bronzer
• Mac Ladyblush 
• Mac Prep and Prime Translucent Powder

Eyes:

• Mac Eyeshadows in Charcoal Brown, Soba, Stove Pipe Black, Ricepaper
• Mac Impeccable Brow Pencil in Taupe
• Mac Feline Eye Kohl
• Benefit Bad Gal Waterproof Eyeliner
• Make Up For Ever Lash Fibers
• Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden
• Dior Diorshow Blackout

Lips:

• Revlon Lipstick in Ruby

Nail of the Week - Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Houndstooth

Want to get stopped by every single person in an airport? Wear Sally Hansen's New Salon Effects in Houndstooth. The reason I was a bit MIA yesterday was because I was flying to Austin. In the airport I had men, women and children all staring and stopping me to ask what I did to my nails and how they could have theirs look like mine! Sally Hansen's Nail Effects are a new take on the "minx" nail. These pretty designed nail stickers are like instant nail polish for your fingers.

Here are my thoughts on the actual packaging and how I applied these amazing "nail stickers". The Sally Hansen Salon Effects retail for $10.49 at CVS in the city I live in. However, some people have reported they have found them for as low as $8.00 a piece. The entire kit includes 16 nail stickers, a cuticle stick, a mini nail file and a nice little instruction kit. For the first nail, I followed the instruction to the tee and had no problem applying the stickers. However, I would recommend a practice run first because the stickers can be hard to smooth out at first. To do a practice run, I would recommend using one of the stickers that is too big for your nails (the kit includes 16, so there are invariably stickers left over) and trimming it down to the size of your nail and applying it. If you do it the first time smoothly, then you are ready to apply all the stickers. If you struggle a bit - try different techniques to get it to smooth out evenly. I recommend using your finger to smooth down the middle of the sticker first and then applying the edges of the sticker. I also advise using scissors to trim the excess sticker once you have applied the nail sticker to your nails. Finally, I do not recommend using the nail file provided. I used a glass nail file and I had no problems, however the nail file provided isn't the best and I found that a glass file makes the whole process a lot easier.

Please also note, there is  no need for a top coat or base coat with these stickers. One thing I did notice about the Sally Hansen Salon Effects was that they smell a lot like nail polish on the fingers. In fact, when you first open the sealed package provided within the kit, the aroma of nail polish is extremely strong! Another thing to note, the stickers come with a clear plastic overlay to protect them which you peel off if you read the instructions. Unfortunately, for the first one I mis-read the instructions and applied the stickers without removing the clear plastic coating. Failing to remove the clear plastic coding made it extremely difficult to smooth the nail sticker out on my nail. The nail sticker on my thumb on my left hand crinkled badly and did not look pretty.I had to remove and re-do the sticker. I thus recommend to note the clear plastic coding and learn from my mistakes! :)

I will be testing the Sally Hanse Nail Effects out all week. I am going camping this weekend, so if the Sally Hansen Salon Effects last through this weekend, I will be extremely impressed! I will keep you updated on how they hold up! I have thus far been swimming in chlorine water with them and traveled across the country with them without any crazy mishaps. They have stayed beautiful and in tact thus far. We shall see if they can overcome the hurdles of camping now! :)

Nail of the Day - Butter London Artful Dodger

I have been admiring Butter London's Artful Dodger for the past few weeks. I know it looks a lot like China Glaze's For Audrey at first glance, but trust me - It's not! This beautiful pale blue has just enough green in it to make you take a second look. I wish I could say it was super opaque with just one coat, but it wasn't. I had to apply two good coats to make this polish really stand out. I used OPI's Nail Envy as a base coat, two coats of Butter London Artful Dodger and one coat of Seche Vite for this effect! I don't know if I just love blue nail polish or what, but I really love, love, love this polish! Enjoy!

Blue and Gold Makeup Tutorial Using Mac Jeanius Collection

Here is the gold and blue makeup look from the Mac Jeanius Collection Overview video. I opted for a blue and gold look which is coincidentally the same colors as my high school colors. Goooo Panthers!!! :) I wanted to do a blue look without making the eye completely blue. I have always thought pairing golds with blue can look really nice on warmer skin tones. I also opted for a peachy cheek with a warm nude lip to finish off the look. I hope you all enjoy!

Products Used:
Face

• Nars Sheer Glow in Punjab
• Chanel Blush in #65 Espiégle
• Benefit Hoola Bronzer
• Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Sand with Pale Yellow Powder
• Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light to Medium Bisque

Eyes:

• Mac Charcoal Brown Eyeshadow
• Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eyeshadow in Lit
• Mac Stovepipe Black Eyeshadow
• Mac Motorhead Eyeshadow
• Mac Ricepaper Eyeshadow
• Benefit Bad Gal Waterproof Liner
• Make Up For Ever Lash Fibers
• Dior Diorshow Blackout Mascara
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eyeliner in Baked

Lips:

• Mac Half Red Lipliner
• Mac Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Bare Again

Zoya Intimate Collection for $25 for International Women's Day!!!

Zoya is running a promotion today and today only! If you buy today you can get the entire Zoya Spring Collection for $25!!! I just made my purchase of these lovely lacquers and I highly recommend you all definitely check out this amazing deal!

Here's what you need to do to enter:

1. Go to this website and add the Zoya Intimate Collection to your cart.
2. At checkout enter the following code: ZOYAWD 
3. Your order total will automatically be reduced to $25.00 plus FREE shipping!
4. Fill in your info and wait patiently for your new polishes to arrive.

Zoya has unfortunately sold out of it's initial quantities of this promotion, however they are still taking orders with this promotion until midnight tonight. Please note, your order will be delayed by ONE week once stock as replenished. So, if you're willing to wait a little bit longer than usual (patience is a virtue!) then check out this awesome deal! Enjoy!

Mac Jeanius Collection Overview with Swatches and Mac Sheen Supreme Lipsticks Overview with Swatches

Finally! My Mac Jeanius Collection items and Mac Sheen Supreme Lipsticks arrived! I was so excited to share these items with you! I purchased two of the eyeshadows (each $19.50) and a lip glass ($14.50) from the Mac Jeanius Collection. I was not very excited by any of the lipsticks or the blush. I went to the store and swatched both the Overdyed Blush and Pink Cult Blush and found them both to just be "ehhh". I think I picked the best of the bunch!

I also managed to get some of the Sheen Supreme Lipsticks ($14.50)! These lipsticks are suppose to replace the Mac Slimshines, which were one of my favorite lipsticks Mac ever made! I am so impressed with the Mac Sheen Supremes! They are creamy, moisturizing and so pretty on the lips! I love their texture and formula and I think Mac has really improved since the Slimshines. Check out the video I posted below for more information on possible dupes and all my thoughts on the new products I purchased! Enjoy!

Top: Indigo Pink Lip Glass, Left: Stovepipe Black Eyeshadow, Right: Motorhead Eyeshadow

Left to Right: Indigo Pink Lip Glass, Stovepipe Black Eyeshadow, Motorhead Eyeshadow

Left to Right: Impressive, Quite the Thing, Bare Again

Left to Right: Impressive, Quite the Thing, Bare Again

Left to Right: Bare Again, Impressive, Quite the Thing

Nail of the Day - Butter London No More Waity, Katie

I was not super impressed with this color when I first saw it advertised on Butter London's website. I thought, I'll buy it for my readers. They will probably like to see it. However, when I opened the package from Butter London to reveal this beautiful color, I was stunned!  I wish I could say it was as fun to apply as it has been to wear the past few hours. First, what you should know about this lacquer is that it is quite sheer. I applied between three and four coats to get this vibrant of a light lilac purple. However, the lacquer itself is stunning with it's gorgeous lilac purple that isn't too sissy or girly, while still maintaining some sparkle. I am a sucker for a good sparkle. I have been raving all week about Deborah Lippmann's glitter polishes, however Butter London has reminded me why it's made such a mark on lacquer-loving-ladies for so long.

I applied OPI's Nail Envy as a base coat, three-to-four coats of Butter London No More Waity, Katie (and yeah, it was hard to apply so many coats without getting any chunkiness), and finally I applied Seche Vite as a top coat. I hope you all enjoy!

To My Loyal Readers..with Love and Concern!

I received an email from a reader who had a very bad experience with MBeautyLounge recently. I am a big believer in telling it like it is - so here goes. The very sweet reader ordered several limited edition nail polishes from MBeautyLounge and waited patiently in her home state of Hawaii. The nail polishes were not arriving after several weeks of waiting. At this point, the reader tracked her package using the order confirmation number on MBeautyLounge's website which stated her order had shipped out on February 11, 2011. However, when this sweet reader contacted the post office with the tracking number that MBeautyLounge provided her, the post office told her the tracking number was not active.

Sad and frustrated, the sweet reader attempted to contact MBeautyLounge. However, MBeautyLounge's website's customer service page was malfunctioning. The electronic form where the reader was meant to submit her complaint was not working and resulted in an error every time she attempted to submit her concerns about her order. Finally, the reader found a place to email MBeautyLounge. She attempted to email their customer service department. No response.

Finally, today on March 7th this reader received her purchase. However, one polish was missing! On her invoice was handwritten "out of stock" with a note saying she'd receive a refund for the missing polish. This reader has yet to receive the refund on her debit card and is extremely frustrated that nobody informed her that one of the polishes she selected was out of stock and that a refund would be issued in it's place. Additionally, the reader is now worried she might not get her money back.

I wanted to share this reader's experience with you all because I know I made the recommendation to use MBeautyLounge for pre-ordering nail polish. Clearly, had I known these issues would take place I never would have made a recommendation to use their company. I have used them several times in the past with no hiccups, however this experience makes me question their integrity as a company and whether I want to continue to support them. In my opinion, customer service is paramount. If someone tells me I will be issued a refund on my debit card, I expect it to happen - immediately. Life is too stressful as it is to be bombarded with bad customer service. For this reason, I wanted to share this experience with you all. I hope all of you will not have similar experiences with any of the company's I recommend in the future. I will do my best to better screen which company's I associate with and recommend.

Much love,

Jessica

Nail of the Day - Deborah Lippmann's Razzle Dazzle

While at Nordstrom last weekend, I picked up Deborah Lippmann's Razzle Dazzle. Although cranberry nails are typically unspectacular in the nail world, I found Deborah Lippmann's Razzle Dazzle to be a refreshed version of the fading fad. I love how opaque this polish applies, however it does require a good two coats before it really shines. I applied OPI's Nail Envy as a base coat, two coats of Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle and Seche Vite as a topcoat. What are your thoughts? Does this nail polish refresh the old cranberry nail? I like it a lot. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle Two Coats with Flash

Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle Two Coats with Flash

Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle Two Coats with Flash

Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle Two Coats with Flash

Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle Two Coats NO Flash

Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Makeup for the Girl on the Go

We are all busy people. Now, I know all my readers are women - I know I have some men out there who read my blog. So, don't take offense to the title of this post please! I just wanted something catchy to grab your attention since I have been gone for sooooo long! Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has been patient with me this week! This makeup is for those of us who don't want to sacrifice looking put together because we have an early morning flight, an exam, a stressful day ahead of us or we just hit snooze one too many times on the alarm clock this morning! I tried to use minimal products while maintaining a sleek, put together, easy go-to look. I wanted you guys to feel put together even when you don't have a ton of time to spend applying everything perfectly! I hope you find this helpful! Enjoy!

Products Used:
Face:

• Laura Mercier Pressed Mineral Powder in Real Sand
• Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Sand with Pale Yellow Powder
• Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light to Medium Bisque
• Mac Bronzer in Refined Golden

Eyes:

• Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream #15
• Benefit Bad Gal Waterproof Liner
• Dior Diorshow Blackout Mascara
• Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara in Black
• Mac Impeccable Brow Pencil in Taupe

Lips:

• Buxom Lip Gloss in Dolly

Face of the Day - The Brighter the Better

What kind of a person would I be if I said I loved bright colors but I never showed you any of my favorite bright colors? Well, I hope I have achieved my goal with this look. I was inspired by all of my favorite bright colors in my collection. I know this isn't a particularly wearable look, however I thought it was really fun. I used an array of colors from orange to turquoise to purple to pink. I really wanted to hit the 80's on the head with my lipstick and blush while still bringing a bit of mystery and fun to the eyes. I hope you all enjoy! Happy Sunday!

Products Used:
Face:

• Nars Sheer Glow in Punjab
• Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light to Medium Bisque
• Bobbi Brown Concealer in Sand
• Nars Blush in Desire

Eyes:

• Mac Technakohl Eyeliner in Smooth Blue
• Mac Shadestick in Mango Mix
• Mac Eyeshadow in Para-Disco
• Mac Eyeshadow in Orange
• Mac Eyeshadow in Odalisque
• Mac Eyeshadow in Omega
• Mac Eyeshadow in Brulé
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eyeshadow in Morphine
• Tokidoki Perfetto Eyliner in Sabochan
• Mac Feline Eye Kohl
• Make Up For Ever Lash Fibers
• Dior Diorshow Blackout
• Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara
• Mac Impeccable Brow Pencil in Taupe

Lips:

• Mac Show Orchid Lipstick
• Mac Magenta Lipliner

Nail of the Day - Deborah Lippmann's Superstar

The minute my exam was over I headed to Nordstrom for some retail rehabilitation! It just happened to be the same day as the Spring Fashion Event at Nordstrom and my Nordstroms was buzzing with customers all in line to get their makeup and nails neatly manicured! I was lucky enough to steal the attention of a nice sales person for Deborah Lippmann who showed me tons of amazing colors from her collection. However, almost every single polish I picked out for my nails was sold out! Finally, after lots of searching the salesman gave me Deborah Lippmann's Superstar for free!!!! He said he felt so bad that every polish I chose was sold out. He told me if I purchased one of other lacquer, he'd give me Deborah Lippmann's Superstar (the only one left in the store and the tester!) for free! At first I was like...the tester? But then he explained, "oh, I just opened this one this morning and I am the only one who has used it all day - I've probably swatched it four times today. I realized he was basically giving me a FREE brand new polish! I decided, free was better than paying for it! I jumped on it and purchased Deborah Lippman's Razzle Dazzle and received Superstar for free!!!!

By the way, I am so in love with Deborah Lippmann's nail lacquers. They are soooooooooooo beautiful. This one nearly took my breath away when I got it home and painted my nails! It's so unique and like no other polish on the market. I am definitely in heaven! To apply this lovely lacquer, I put down OPI's Nail Envy and then one coat of Deborah Lippmann's Superstar. Yes, it only took ONE coat!!! Ahhhh. Finally, I applied Seche Vite as a topcoat. Pretty spectacular, huh? I feel like a SUPERSTAR! :)

Deborah Lippmann Superstar One Coat with Flash

Deborah Lippmann Superstar One Coat with Flash

Deborah Lippmann Superstar One Coat with Flash

Deborah Lippmann Superstar One Coat NO Flash

On-the-Spot Acne Treatment - It REALLY Works!!!

Neutrogena's

On-the-Spot Acne Treatment

This is not meant to sound like an advertisement at all so please don't take it to mean this, I have just been using this product for years and it definitely works for me, so I thought I'd share.  I do not get paid to say this stuff :)

I have suffered with acne for years and have tried EVERYTHING!!!

I found this "On-the-Spot" Acne Treatment by accident really or you could say just out of desperation.  I have never been someone whose face breaks out everywhere but more just a breakout spot here or there but pretty consistent. I saw this on the drugstore shelf one day and out of sheer desperation just decided to try it...no one told me about it and after trying it, I was furious that NO ONE had said anything to me about it  before, because...IT WORKS!!!

When I have a breakout, I just dab a little of this on in the morning before or even after applying my makeup (probably better to do it before applying the make up :), rub it in a little and i'm on my way.  Then after a long day, I wash my make up off, towel dry and then dab a little more on before I go to bed.  Make sure it dries before laying down :).  The directions state you can apply it 2-3 times per day and of course, they recommend using it on freshly cleaned skin. :)

I'm telling you...most blemishes will be gone in a day or two, depending on how large they were.  Better to dab this on as you see one starting to form.  

I've read a lot of reviews about it to see if it really is this good or if it's just me and most of the reviews are in agreement with me. I have read a lot of reviews about it being really expensive and I would agree if I were spreading this all over my face, but honestly, its not really designed for that, thus the "On-the-Spot"name.  In my experience, it only takes a very small dab of this product to cover a spot, so if used this way, it actually lasts quite a while.

Now this isn't a MIRACLE by any means, but for those of us who struggle with breakouts, it sure will feel like one!  I swear by this and everyone I have introduced this to, thanks me.

Try it, you won't regret it!

Source:  Walgreens.com

Product Details:

Size:  .75 oz

Price:  $6.99

Where to Buy:  Walgreens/CVD - Drugstores

Active Ingredients:  Benzoyl Peroxide - 2.5% Acne Treatment