Sparkly Silver Nails Tutorial-and Bonus FOTD

Hey everyone,
I have damaged nails.  I have a habit of occasionally picking off my nail polish instead of using polish remover, and a lot of times I forget to moisturize my cuticles until it's too late and they look all dry and kind of hurt.  So, I have had to chop them off and start over many times.  This time, at least, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel; I should only have to chop once or twice more, and then I will be able to start growing long vampy nails (mwah ha ha!).
While my nails are extra short, I try to paint them lighter colors so that their tiny size isn't so painfully obvious.  Therefore, I wanted to share with you my favorite light nail look-sparkly silver glitter.

Step 1: Clean your nails, attend to all cuticles and possible hangnails, and brush on a base coat.  To mend my nails and help them grow in better, I'm using Nail Life Nail Revitalizer in the non-formaldehyde formula.

Step 2: Paint nails with two coats of your favorite frosty or shimmery white.  Here I'm using Finger Paints Well Cultured Pearl, which is glowy and awesome.

Step 3: Top it off with two coats of a silver glitter topcoat.  I used Pure Ice Beware, which consists of a clear base with heavy amounts of small silver glitter.
Now you're done!  I added these next two pictures to show the difference in shine between direct and indirect light.

Indirect light-sparkly

Direct light-blinding! Well, to my camera, at least.

To finish, I'll leave you with a little FOTD featuring Detrivore's Lab Rat eye shadow (part of the Mad Scientist collection) and Maybelline ColorSensational lipstick in their  new shade Deepest Cherry, which I am testing and will review shortly.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonder-filled day!

Amethyst Butterfly FOTD

Hi there!
This look was from a day or two ago, when the weather was very soft and springlike.  I felt it was definitely time to bust out the pink eye shadow.  I named this look after a great friend of mine suggested that the extended crease gave the impression of butterfly wings.

Beauty Stuffs:

Face: Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss powder foundation in Sleek Siamese

Detrivore blush in Lascivious

Brows: Detrivore eye shadow in Fortress 

Eyes: Detrivore Original eye shadow primer

Detrivore eye shadows in Laboratory (lid), Livor Mortis (crease and lower lash line), and Apparatus (to blend)

Maybelline Volum' Express The Falsies mascara in Black Drama

Lips: Revlon Color Burst lip gloss in Bordeaux

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonder-filled day!

Gloomy Blues FOTD

Hi all,
Today I was inspired by the hail and snow outside to do a look with gray and blue...it turned out a bit brighter than I expected, but I still like it.

Beauty Stuffs:

Face: Meow Cosmetics Pampered Puss foundation in Frisky Siamese
Hard Candy Blush Crush Baked Blush in 127 Honeymoon

Brows: Detrivore loose eye shadow in Fortress

Eyes: Detrivore Original eye shadow primer
Detrivore eye shadows in Test Tube (Light blue, on lid), BSoD (Bright blue in inner crease), and Apparatus (soft gray in outer crease)
Detrivore Pallor Mortis white face powder to blend and highlight
Milani Runway Eyes eye shadow in 02 Black Out (as liner)
L'Oreal Voluminous Power Volume 24H mascara in 681 Blackest Black (review coming soon!)

Lips: Revlon Color Burst lip gloss in 008 Peony

By the way, I just finished performing in a production of Così fan tutte at NAU, and my hubby brought me some lovely orchids I just had to share.

Aren't they pretty?  Anyway, thanks for stopping by, and have a wonder-filled day!

Maybelline the Falsies Mascara Review

This review is not sponsored in any way.  All products were bought with my own funds.
Hello all,
I am addicted to mascara.  My eyelashes are so pale and straight that I feel quite strange leaving the house without it.  Also, I just love the look of big, black "foofy" eye lashes, and I don't have the patience yet for falsies.  So, I am always looking for the next great mascara that gives me the results I want without draining my wallet or exposing me to tons of toxins.

Today I am going to review Maybelline's Volum'Express The Falsies (the original Falsies, not the one or two new versions of it that have come out recently).  This mascara can be found at just about any drugstore or grocery store, and ranges in price from $5-$8 depending on sales and where you buy it.  You can tell it apart from the ten zillion other Maybelline Volum'Express mascaras by the lovely purple packaging. A mascara's packaging is its least important aspect, but I do have a soft spot for the color purple.
The Falsies boasts a plump traditional fiber brush with an interesting shape.  It is slightly curved, with a flatter side and a wider side.

See what I mean?  I like to use the flatter side to deposit more product at the roots of my lashes, and the longer bristles to sweep upwards and create a nice taper to the lash.  This is a fiber mascara, so the volumizing is very good, with some lengthening to boot.  The fibers don't fall out into my eye, which is always a plus.  Unfortunately, at the end of the day I do find a little bit of smudging on my lower lash line if I'm not careful to put some face powder down there to keep it nice.  

Here are my bare lashes after being curled.

Here are my lashes, curled, with two coats of the Falsies.

Fluffy!

I give this mascara a 4.9 out of 5 for efficiency, cost effectiveness, toxicity and staying power.  This mascara is listed on the Skin Deep database as a 3, which is very good for a drugstore mascara.
That's all for now-have a wonder-filled day!
All opinions are my own, and I was not solicited to do this review.

DIY Leave-In Conditioner

This blog post is not sponsored in any way.  All products were bought with my own funds.
I am no chemist, so many recipes for home-made beauty products baffle me.  I'm not brave enough to try buying the individual ingredients contained in most beauty products and mixing my own, but I do love to save money and try new things.  My hair is dyed (the ends were blonde, then red before I went to black), and therefore fairly dry and fragile, so I decided that a leave-in conditioner was in order to supplement my regular in-shower conditioner.
Rambling aside, here is my simple, cheap recipe for leave-in conditioner.

Step 1-buy a cheap, lightweight conditioner.  I chose Suave Naturals in the scent Sweet Pea and Violet, because it smells yummy.  I only paid $1.50 for the whole bottle.

Ingredient time!

Step 2-get an empty spray bottle.  You can reuse the bottle from a non-aerosol hairspray or leave-in conditioner that you used up and washed really well, or you can get a bottle fairly cheap from Target, Sally's Beauty Supply, or tons of other places.

Step 3-fill the bottle with about an inch or so or your chosen conditioner.  Add more for a heavier, more moisturizing treatment; add less for a lighter finished product.  It's a matter of personal taste.

Step 4-fill your bottle the rest of the way with water.  If you have hard water or don't want any minerals touching your hair, you can use distilled or purified water.  I just used the tap.

Put the top back on, shake it all up, and you're done!  I love both the convenience and the frugality of this method.

On a side note, I had time to get a little fancy with my hair today, and added a little braid.

So much fun!  Thanks for visiting, and have a fantastic day!

Maybelline SuperStay 24 Color Review

This review is not sponsored in any way.  All products were bought with my own funds.

Since I am studying opera, every now and then I find myself in need of long-wearing products.  On the stage your makeup has to stay strong through singing, shouting, kissing, crying, and costume changes without needing touch-ups.  This semester I have had to forgo my preference for indie and all-natural cosmetics to find something that will last through three hours of Mozart's Cosi fan tutte.  Therefore, I am reviewing Maybelline's longwear liquid lipstick in the color Reliable Raspberry (you have to love the lengths companies go through to name these things).  

One side of the packaging has a doe-foot applicator and the liquid color...

And the other side is a glossy lip balm  to go over it.

When worn alone, the liquid lipstick has a matte finish.  While it is drying, it is extremely tacky, and feels heavy and gooey on the lips.  Once dry, it's as if your lips are bare, if a bit dry.

The balm adds considerable shine, and makes the lips feel kind of "gooshy"-slick, but cushioned with a hefty layer of product.

This product will last for hours upon hours, even with lip balm on top.  You don't have to use the included balm either; I used Burt's Bees on top and it stayed perfectly fine.  If you do a lot of eating or drinking, a little bit of the color on the inside rim of the lips will wear off, but the rest will stay until you take a washcloth and cleanser to it at the end of the day.  I give it a 4.5 out of 5.  The color selection is pretty average, but that seems to be standard for longwear liquid lipsticks.  This product ranges in price from $8-$10.

All opinions are my own, and I was not solicited to do this review.

Red Lippie Series

This review is not sponsored in any way.  All products were bought with my own funds.

Hello!  I have been ill with the flu recently, and have only just gotten back to participating in everyday life.  I thought I'd start with another segment of the red lip series I started a while back.
Here today is one of Revlon's Lip Butters, which were reviewed to death when they originally came out a year or so ago.  If you're not familiar with the concept, these products are supposed to be pigmented (like lipstick), but moisturizing (like lip balm).  I'm happy to say that, though my chronically dry lips will always need lip balm, this lippie is indeed both pigmented and moisturizing.

The packaging is pretty, with the cap color-coordinated to eliminate guesswork when getting ready.

Each color is named after a dessert.  Red velvet cake just happens to be one of my favorites.

As you can see, Red Velvet is a deep, cool red.  The finish is very glossy, and the color glides on like the butter is was named for.  However, it is a little sheerer than traditional lipstick, and you might need a few swipes to get the color you want.  Plus, the drawback to moisturizing formulas is that they wear off very quickly.  Eating, drinking or even talking too much will eradicate the color.  As a final note, the super-soft product will settle into any dryness you may have, so be sure to exfoliate before wearing this product.

Overall, I give this a four out of five; if you like your reds hotter, Revlon also puts out a bright, warm red Lip Butter called Candy Apple.  These retail for about $6-$8.

All opinions are my own, and I was not solicited to do this review.