Plaid!

Yeah...I did plaid nails today. Inspired by this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw1s_mhE0O0 I randomly chose to watch. 

Blue base : Sally Hansen Blue Me Away

Pink stripes : Covergirl Fuchsia Girl

White stripes : Claire's two way nail art and pen brush (no name)

I used the brush end of my two-sided tool with the dotter on the other end for the pink, so it's much thicker than the white. I would've liked it better if I could see more of the blue, but since it's such a bright color it still shows up alright. Although I'm still getting used to doing something more interesting than just one color on my nails, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out. Hopefully it lasts more than a day! 

Collective Haul: Summer

Here's some stuff I acquired over the summer. Most of it is from Ulta, but a few items I picked up at Target.

 

I was attracted to the Essence products at Ulta because they were so cheap. I liked the yellow and salmon-colored nail polishes since they were so unlike the other colors in my collection. The yellow (Sundancer) is more opaque than the salmon (What Do U Think?) but they both have decent color payoff. They chip very quickly, though. They were only $0.99, after all. I was attracted to the "Nail Stampy Set" because it looked like a cheap dupe for the Konad stamper. It was only $2.99 and seems to work pretty well. I don't love the images on the plate, but I could easily get some actual Konad plates to go with this set. The mini Orly nail polishes were right at the checkout, and I just couldn't resist. The dark navy blue (Witch's Blue) was also different from other colors I already had. 

I picked up the top two items in the photo at Target. Both were in those two-for-one packs. I've liked Maybelline's The Colossal Volum' Express for quite awhile, but the Almay was a new one for me. I'd never tried any of the products available for specific eye colors before (I have green eyes), and I figured I could use a neutral-but not black- shade of mascara. It's a nice reddish brown color. I like the mascara's formula pretty well, too. Everything else was picked up at Ulta: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Purple (love these. I have 10 colors), Essence eyeliner pen (felt-tipped kind...not very black and seems to dry up quickly, but only $1.99), Ulta eyeliner in Raisin (good color, not too long wearing), Ulta lipliner in Beet (love this color), NYX brow pencil/brush in Dark Brown (LOVE this. best eyebrow pencil I've tried). 

Last two items: this Ulta blending sponge looked almost identical to the Sonia Kashuk version (http://www.target.com/Sonia-Kashuk-237-Blending-Sponge/dp/B00149XKOY) but $5 cheaper. I really like the finish and coverage it offers, plus the shape makes it easy to get every little area of the face. The Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Gel Creamliner (again, for green eyes) I got at Target. I LOVE THESE. The colors show up really well and last a very long time. This is also by far the creamiest cream liner I've used. The one for green eyes has a green, a purple, and black with fairly unnoticeable green glitter.

That's all for now. In general, pretty successful. The only items I didn't love were very cheap, so it's hard to complain.

Orange Nails

Here's another random idea for nails. I knew I wanted to do orange, but after having bought the double-ended dotting tool/brush I was in a mood to try new things, so I decided to add the stripes.
Base color : Revlon Craving Coral
Orange Stripe : Finger Paints Original Orange
Yellow Stripe : Essence Sundancer

Walgreen's Haul/Review

A few weeks ago, I got off work early and decided to stop at Walgreen's on the way home. In addition to a magazine, I also picked up a few beauty items. 

This is my second bottle of the L'Oreal go 360 Clean cleanser. I had a coupon so I figured I'd pick up another one, since I like it so much. Even though I have oily skin, I got the cream cleanser rather than the gel. Not sure why I picked that one up in the first place, but I liked it enough to buy it again. It leaves a refreshing, clean feeling unlike one I've had with any other cleanser I've used. 

The got2b hair products, which usually are about $6.50 each, were on sale for $5.50 AND buy one get one free. Naturally, I had to give them a try. I was curious about the Guardian Angel heat protector/blow dry lotion after seeing Beauty Broadcasts/Emily's (http://www.beautybroadcast.net/2010/08/another-review-thon.html, http://www.youtube.com/user/emilynoel83#p/u/12/82cfyi39NQ0) review on it, so that was my first choice. Because the second one was essentially free, I chose a product I've never tried anything like before: a root-lifting spray.

 I've used each only once, but I really liked the results I got from using the Guardian Angel blow out lotion. My hair seemed to dry pretty quickly, didn't look frizzy, and felt really soft afterwards. Plus, I enjoy the smell of the product, although it is kind of strong, at least it is pleasant. I was less pleased with the root-lifter, however. I really didn't notice any difference. It smelled nice, so I guess nothing bad happened, but I didn't notice any "lift" either. My hair is fine and has no volume at all, so I was really hoping this would change that. Oh well, it was basically free so I'm not complaining. 

I had been wanting one of the eos (evolution of smooth) lip balms for awhile - I had also seen these on Emily's  YouTube channel (BeautyBroadcast) a few times. I had tried their shaving lotion, which I also really like, so I figured these would be worth a shot. The one I got is Summer Fruit scented. I'm not exactly sure what fruit it is, but it smells very nice. It actually kind of tastes like it smells, too, which is nice. Plus, the packaging is just too cute.
I also randomly picked up a few wet n'wild eyeshadows. I hadn't tried their products in awhile, and they're so cheap. These colors looked pretty, so I figured I'd try them. I haven't really had a chance to try these out yet, since I've been in the process of moving and most of my makeup has been packed up. I did swatch them right away, and they seem pretty decently pigmented, at least for the price. (If I remember correctly, these were both under $3).
That's all for this haul. Until next time. :)

Pink Flower Nails

I'm not really sure where the idea for these nails came from, I just kind of...did it.

Nail color : China Glaze - Sugar High (Up and Away Collection)
Flower petals : China Glaze - Something Sweet (Up and Away Collection)
Flower center : Essence - Sundancer

I used this tool from Sally Beauty Supply to make the dots. I had always shied away from doing any kind of nail art because I assumed it would be too challenging, but this dotting tool is seriously so easy to use. It's really handy that the brush is connected to it, too. And it's really affordable!

I had already had this on for a few days before I decided to photograph it, so my nails are a little worn away...whoops.

Hello.

I decided that, due to my (mild? more than mild?) obsession with beauty products that has rather exploded in the last year, I may as well start contributing to the beauty blogging world. Everything I know comes from: other bloggers/YouTube, magazines/books, and personal experience.

In theory, I'll post a variety of things including: product reviews, photos of nails or makeup I've worn, and maybe even inspiration-type pictures. Of course, that all could change once I actually get going. Mostly, I'm just going let this blog go where it wants to.