DIY Colored Nail Tips

I love the classic French manicure. The iconic white and pink shades work with virtually every outfit/look possible, and it's a fool-proof way to make your hands seem 100 times more graceful. And, I always do them myself. I never have gone to a salon to get artificial nails. It's two things for me: a) fake nails means you need to get glue and acrylic, no thanks! and b) it's friggin' expensive to maintain! So, when I want to make my nails look classic, elegant, and polished, I turn to the classic French mani. But sometimes I put a twist on the classic French and use different colors for the tips of my nails. It's a fun variation from the standard French and really catches eyes.

What I used:

How I did it:

I applied Really Rosy on the tips of my nails in a side-swiping motion. Many tutorials and nail artists rely on nail strips to align the polish evenly, so I recommend this for beginners. It makes the polish apply evenly and is basically foolproof. I have gotten the hang of doing my own nails without a strip. I then let the polish dry, and applied 3 coats of Orly Sealon topcoat, letting each application dry between layers.

*Viola* A perfect for spring manicure!

Look it! Look it!

Look what I found the other day at my local HEB....

.......OPI Rainforest!!

The most gorgeous deep emerald green, Rainforest is truly a unique shade of nail lacquer. Limited availability has made this shade a target for nail polish enthusiasts, making it a highly collectable OPI shade.

Nail Whitening DIY

I love pampering my nails. It's definitley a hobby of mine. Every aspect of it is entertaining and relaxing for me. I love the choosing of the polish, preping the nails, and spending time decorating them with the lacquers and the tools of the trade. But there is a dark side to this hobby *insert ominous music here*.....the inevitable and gradual nail yellowing that comes with the constant nail polish usage.

Even using a base coat under a polish won't always protect your nails from staining and yellowing. This is why, every now and then I treat them with a simple mixture of household ingredients to help whiten and refresh them and help them look their best even when they are erm, naked.....you know, sans polish!

What you'll need:

(2 1/2 Tbsp.) Baking soda
(1 Tbsp.) Hydrogen Peroxide (3% formula)
Lemon or Lime wedge
Plastic mixing dish
Cotton Swabs or paint brush






Step 1: Mix baking soda and hydrogen peroxide together in plastic dish until it becomes a paste-like consistency.

Step 2: Squeeze the juice from the lemon or lime wedge into paste.





Step 3: Apply paste to nail tips using cotton swab or brush. Make sure to push mixture underneath the nail as well.




Step 4: Leave on for 5 minutes.

Step 5: Rinse with warm water.

Step 6: Rub nails with remaing lemon or lime wedge to help brighten and refresh nails.

This is a very easy and inexpensive way to give new life to your nails with simple, everyday items you probably have lying around your house!

MAC Hello Kitty

Oh MAC...what a name in the cosmetic world. Known best for their rich pigments and shade selections, MAC has a continual revolving series of collections each season. Barbie, BBR, Heatherette, Fafi, and on and on and then on some more... But their latest collection has me intrigued. It's the damn packaging, though. Yes, Hello Kitty is nostalgic to many 22 year olds. Gosh, as far back as I can remember, I was a huge Sanrio fan. Especially growing up in Hawaii! It was everywhere! To this day, my sister and I still have a bag of erasers and pogs with the designs of Hello Kitty, Pochacco (my fav), and Keroppi! Just writing this brings a flood of memories. The excitement of being 4 and 5 and heading to the PX and picking out a new eraser or pencil with any one of these characters and being so proud to carry them around. So, I have decided to pick up a few of the HK collection and spend moderately rather than lose obscene amounts of moolah just for an items adorable packaging!

Mini-Haul Plan:
Lipglass in Sweet Strawberry
Blush in Fun & Games
Lipstick in Strayin'

News Flash....

I have some incredibly important information for anyone in search of a great nude toned lipstick. I have recently discovered how perfect Maybelline's Moisture Extreme in Nude Blush really is. This is the perfect lipstick to bring together any look. It really brings that polished, yet subtle finish! It's perfect to wear along with a smokey eye look, as it never overpowers the face. This shade is so fool-proof that you can easily apply it without a mirror and achieve fabulous results.

Breakdown:

Coloring: Medium Pinky-Beige

Packaging: Standard plastic two-piece style

Price: Around $6usd at drugstores

Application: Very moisturizing cream formula

Scent: Highly fragranced. Melon-Cucumberish

Lasting: Standard. Re-application needed hourly.

Overall rating: 4.8/5

Would I buy again: Yes

Review: Hard Candy Fragrance

First things first, fragrances are all about personal preferences...That said, Hard Candy is an absolutely delicious and flirty scent in my book! I had a sample from Sephora that I kept in my vanity for about 6 months before actually trying it out. Oh my, I fell in love with it at first spritz! And then, here's the great news...I was able to purchase a full-sized 1.7 oz bottle for only $10 through their website. It was a super clearance event. Apparently Hard Candy is reorganizing their company.

Anyhow, Hard Candy reminds me of a trip to a carnival. It's reminisint of caramel popcorn and vanilla cotton candy on a warm summer evening. I would consider this a muskier scent that lingers throughout the day. It dries down on a heavier vanilla note, which I happen to love in a fragrance.

Sure, Hard Candy really caters to the younger population, but I can really see this fragrance on anyone who wants to exude fun, flirty, carefree, yet a hint of mysterious-ness....well, as far as a fragrance can allow. I recieve many compliments on this fragrance, but it never overpowers any situation~very silky and smooth notes. It's even perfect for the autumn/winter months. It's really a quick pick-me-up in a bottle. Hey, even the bottle rocks. It looks great on my vanity fragrance tray! I only wish that it would never run out....9.5/10

Get Ye Butts to Walgreens.....

I wanted to let you all know that there is 2 more days remaining to get on over to your nearest Walgreens drugstore to get the new Revlon Matte Collection items for really cheap! It is advertised this week as $3 off any Revlon item. Okay...this means that the new Revlon Matte eyeshadow singles which are originally $4.99, are now $1.99! Yippee!

I am in the process of doing a full review on all the shades, but had to let y'all know about this killer deal before it ends on Saturday at midnight! To make this deal even sweeter, you can pair it with manufacturer coupons, to easily score these shadows for less than a buck each. Nice.

So check back in the next couple of days for reviews, swatches, and more about the Revlon Matte Eyeshadow collection!

I am also thinking about trying out some of those matte lipsticks, also.....

Review: Covergirl Lipstain in Everbloom Kiss

Not too bad, Covergirl. Not too bad....

I was truly and pleasantly suprised with this drugstore lipstain! The quality and value you get for the money is great! This easily earns marks higher than the Vincent Longo, Urban Decay, Bliss, Laura Mercier, and other higher end names lipstains out there, all of which I have tried to no success. Covergirl has made a fantastic lipstain for the budget beauty diva to get her hands on easily especially in these tighter economic times.

Let me begin by saying that a lipstain is my favorite lip product medium. A stain, ideally, infuses your lips with a long lasting, semi-permanant color that stays put for longer than lipsticks, glosses, or balms. This format is great for me. It diminishes the needs for touchups and reapplications throughout the day.

Everbloom Kiss is a lovely, darker flushed raspberry pink that applies quite opaque, but soft on the lips. It never overpowers a finished look. Yes, packaging is different. It's like sharpie marker. You can't mess up with this format~it's fool-proof! I can quickly apply this on my lips and it distributes the color evenly. After an hour or more, I don't have that dreaded line around the edge of my lips that are routine with many, many other lipstains out there.

My only complaint would be not knowing how much product is in the tube itself, or how much is remaining! It's basically a wait and see. A window would be helpful to view the product. But overall, a great buy at less than $8 at any local drugstore or grocer!

Pardon the delays

I am one of those people that have a hard time multi tasking. With a school schedule filling my week, assignments left and right, numerous family affairs to handle, and deciding on all the components of building a new home (this is crazy difficult, fyi), I am feeling the pressure to keep a handle on my blogs. So sorry for any delays between posting and continual updates. I am working hard on outlining a schedule that will help free up some time that will strictly be dedicated to my blogging ventures.

OPI South Beach

In case you haven't heard, the new Spring OPI Nail Lacquer collection is out in stores! OPI is one of my top 3 favorite nail polish brands out there. I always get excited when they launch a new collection. The last collection I practically camped out for was the France collex. (fyi, Parlez-vous OPI? is one of my all time favorite polishes). Anyhow, the lineup for the SB launch is as follows:

Over Exposed in South Beach: Deep Raspberry shimmer

Done Out in Deco: Lilac Shimmer

Suzi & the Lifeguard: A Light pink shimmer

OPI on Collins Ave.: Deep pink-red creme

Party in My Cabana: a darker creme pink

Paint My Moji-Toes Red: a dark orange pink creme

Bronzed to Perfection: bronze shimmer

Conga-Line Coral: medium red/orange coral shimmer

Clubbing Til Sunrise: light gold orange shimmer

Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot: medium pink creme

Miami Beet: deep raspberry/purple creme

Sand in My Suit: frost light pink

These are only quick descriptions off the top of my head. I really am eyeing the Paint my Moji-Toes Red, Miami Beet, and OPI on Collins Ave. I am probably going to use my Ulta coupon that came in the mail to snag a couple of these for around $13.50. Not the greatest deal, but well worth it if you are an OPI junkie like me! Another option I may opt to do is ordering thru 8ty8beauty. Low prices on OPI's compared to retail. Yes, shipping bites, but well worth it if you order multiple polishes!