Face of the Day - October 22

This was the first time I used the Sonia Kashuk Eye On Dazzling Color palette. So far, I'm loving it! Can't wait to try some of the other shades!

For product photos and a list of the things I used, keep reading!

"Decked for the Holidays" Collaboration: Snowman Manicure!

For this manicure, I started with a layer of Revlon's Quick Dry Base Coat. Then, I put three coats of China Glaze's Dorothy Who?. After letting that dry, I used a dotting tool (I found mine very cheaply in a set of five from eBay) and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri polish in Whirlwind White to do the snowman & flakes. I did the snowmen first, starting with the bottom circle of the snowman's body and then building up to the head. The largest dotting tool is still smaller than I wanted to start the snowman, so I put extra polish on it and swirled it around a bit more to make a wider circle. After the snowman's body was complete, I just used a smaller dotting tool to drag some of the white along the base of the nail. I used the same small tool to make the snow dots on all the other nails. Once they were dry, I put two coats of Seche Vite to make sure the surface was smooth and I couldn't feel the dots through it.

Before deciding on the manicure I ended up doing, I tried a few different designs and color combinations to see which I liked the best, although I always used the same white since it's the most opaque I've come across. In case you like any of these better, the one on the left has Essie's Coat Azure as the base color and China Glaze's Fairy Dust for the glitter. The one in the middle is Finger Paints' Laugh My Art Off with China Glaze's White Cap to add a glow and more glitter. 

Of course, if you're more artistic or have better tools than I do, you could add details to the snowman, like a face or buttons. I don't have that kind of ability, however, so I just left mine simple. 

If you do one of these or a variation of it, I'd love to see it! 

Definitely go check out the other participants in this holiday collaboration!!

Natalie:
Blog: Purplestar Makeup
Title: Beautifully Frozen
Link:
http://purplestarmakeup.blogspot.com/2011/12/decked-for-holidays-collaboration.html

Sarah:
Blog: LashGirl
Title: Soft and Sexy Look
Link: http://lashgirl.me/?p=2572

Wendy:
Blog: Luvlifebeauty
Title: 2 Looks, 1 Lipstick
Link: http://wp.me/p1HLFz-ut

Britney:
Blog: The Glam Goddness
Title: Vampy Candy Cane
Link:http://britters89.blogspot.com/2011/12/holiday-collab-look_10.html

Venessa:
Youtube Username: venessaesquer29
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dRn-qCVjUc&feature=youtu.be

Maria:
Youtube Username: fabulousblueyes
Title: Holiday Gift Wrap Eye Makeup
Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqDIDuZHVIA&feature=g-u

Allie:
Blog: My crazy obsessions
Title: Dark Holiday Eyes:
Link:http://alliebabii.blogspot.com/2011/12/dark-holiday-eyes.html

Cinthia:
Youtube Username: MakeupWithCinthia
Title: Holiday Party Makeup
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b03cfCGZCg&feature=youtu.be  

Nail Polish Haul and Swatches

Here are the nail polishes I've gotten recently. Mostly holiday colors. I got China Glaze Sacred Heart for $1.99 and Orly Halley's Comet for #3.99 in the clearance bin at my Sally's. 

L-R: Milani Ruby Jewels, China Glaze Sacred Heart, China Glaze Mrs. Claus

 Sacred Heart is a lovely opaque creme classic red polish. It's called a neon on the bottle, but it isn't matte. I wish Mrs. Claus was more red than pink, but it's still a nice polish and I think it has some potential for interesting layering combinations. It's very sheer.

L-R: China Glaze Party Hearty, Milani Silver Dazzle

These Milani "one coat glitters" all look AMAZING. I decided to just get this one. This is two coats, but it's totally opaque. It's hard to tell in the picture, but it is totally matte and you can feel the glitters, so you may want to use a topcoat with it.

L-R: Milani Hi-Tech, China Glaze Mistletoe Kisses, Finger Paints Mistletoe Mischief

 Mistletoe kisses is definitely one of the coolest polishes I've seen lately and the one I'm most excited to use for the holidays. Mistletoe Mischief is sheerer than I hoped - this is 3 coats - but it's still a lovely green.

Orly Halley's Comet

I could NOT get this one to photograph well at all. It's an amazing color. It goes on fairly sheer but after 2-3  coats it's just fantastic. It looks mostly blue in this picture, but it has a lot more of a teal effect in person, and it's much more glittery looking in person as well.
Scrangie has a much better looking photo of this on her blog : http://www.scrangie.com/2010/09/orly-cosmic-fx-collection-fall-2010.html

Overall I'm very excited about all of these! It'll make for some interesting Christmas manicures!