Ulta "Envy"

Fun fact about me: I get crazy obsessed with TV shows.  Like, it gets really bad. Doctor Who? Binge watched 6 seasons in a week.  Supernatural? Seven seasons in the same amount of time.

My newest obsession is "Arrow" on the CW, starring Stephen Amell.  I binge watched two and a half seasons in four days.  And I mean, can you blame me? Look at him. Loooooooooook.

Anyway, enough fangirling.  In honor of my new favorite show, I picked a deep rich green.  Get it? Green? Green Arrow? Yes, I'm hilarious.  It's actually one of my favorite colors. It's Ulta's "Envy" and it's definitely a go-to color for me.  It covers well, is super pigmented, and it has a subtle shimmer when the light catches it right.

One Coat

Two Coats

I do want to say that it has a blue undertone, and captures differently in different light.  I took a picture in my living room last night, and the color comes off more blue in that picture, so it keeps you guessing.

Little more blueish in this light.

Also!  At lunch today, I got a compliment on the color from the waitress. She also complimented my shoes (my plaid Bobs...) which was a little strange, but we had a long conversation in the restaurant about nail colors.  It definitely shut up the loud frats in the corner. Ha!

Does anybody watch "Arrow"? I definitely have a feeling I'm going to be emotionally distraught after this episode...especially since I'll have to wait a couple of weeks for the next one!

Boxycharm madness

Hey guys! So I've been lacking so much. First I haven't done my Boxycharm for the month of January, I'm sorry! And then I missed doing a post last week, I'm terrible. Lol. Okay so we are totally catching up right now.  This post is gonna be Boxycharm for January and February! It's gonna happen. 

January Boxycharm! 

Wow did Boxycharm pull all the stops out for this month. The month's theme was celebrate in style for New Years and it's gotta be one of my favorite boxes so far! As almost always, all these products for this month is full size which is awesome. 

Let's start with the Beauty For Real The Perfect Pencil. It's a great color. I like it. However to claim it's the only lip liner you'll ever need? Not too sure about that. But the color is nice. A mauve brownish red. I love wearing it with Bite Beauty's Grace color. So pretty. It matches so great together. 

Left is the lip liner and right is lip cream. 

Beauty For Real True Color Lip Cream in "Always There". The color is reddish pink. It's super shinny and pretty. I'm in like with it. It a great smooth lip gloss which is super pigmented. What's more to like? The fact that it has a mirror on the bottle and a light? Yes, please. I didn't even realize that the light was on it until I pushed the button on the top of the wand and was like what?? Very cool. Maybe I'm just easy to please, but I think this is a great thing. You know when you're in a dark lit bathroom and you're trying to touch up, this is a great addition to lip gloss. Good job Beauty For Real. 

Mirabella Face Prime. I'm just not sure about this one...I have oily skin most of the time. It's like a shine magnet. So this product is silky and smooth, it just goes on e skin really well. It scares me. Haha. I've used it a couple of times but I don't have much trust in it for my skin. The idea of it is great. Feels good but I don't think it's made for me. I think I'm gonna have to find someone to give it to. Not too impressed with it. 

Pur-lisse Skin Sparkle Flash Tattoos. I'm wishy washy on this too. Is it cool to wear fake tattoos for adults now? New tread I'm guessing. I work in a profession where I just don't think I could pull it off. Maybe I can find somewhere to place them where it'll not be completely seen but still cute. We'll see about it. I'm still on the fence for this one. They are cute though, don't get me wrong. I like the leaf ones. 

And saving the best for last, Tarte Maracuja Bronzing Serum! This is amazing that Boxycharm sent this! Take a moment here, its $47. I probably wouldn't have bought it on my own. This is why I love Boxycharm, the fact of trying things you wouldn't be able to. Okay, let's talk about how good it is. I like it! It comes in a really cute packaging and the dispenser is a dropper so easy application. It says 2-3 drops is all it takes. And then immediately watch your hands so there isn't any discoloration on them. It does have a sticky feeling at first but dries fast on the skin and the stickiness goes away. The only down fall is the smell. What was Tarte thinking? I can't even describe it, I just can't. It's weird, but I can over look it cause I really do like it. Does the bronzing color work, not sure just yet actually. I've only used it about 4 times. I'll have to do an update. 

February Boxycharm! 

The theme is obviously Valentine's Day, Kisses from Boxycharm. This box will have to be a first impressions, because I haven't been able to use anything yet. All together, I think it's a pretty good box so far. 

Modern Minerals Duo Fiber Mini Round Brush. It is very soft and feels good. Who doesn't need more brushes? I'm happy with it.

Mullein & Sparrow Mini Facial Mask. This one isn't full size, it's deluxe size. But I don't think the size is really going to hurt, it's something you'll use once a week. It'll take some time to get through it. Look, at that bottle! So cute. I'm pretty excited to use this one. 

ncLA Nail Lacquer in "Heart Attack". Okay, ehh...it's a nail polish with a bunch of hearts. The kind that you used back in the day where you fished the shapes out you wanted on your nails. It was also for Valentine's Day, clearly. I just don't think there will be much use in it for me. I did put one heart on my index fingers while my nails were painted. They actually stayed on for a good time. 

Jing Ai Velvet Shine Lip Jewel. I really like this! The color is a pink and it's just pretty. It is pigmented. Also it claims to never need sharpening, very cool. I'm really hoping that the claim is true. 

Mistura Beauty Solutions C-2-P Complexion Concealer. What a long name. I was worried when Boxycharm revealed this, I wasn't sure if it was gonna match my skin color. However, it goes pretty good with my skin and blends good. It is very creamy so it feels good on the skin. I think I would use it on just small spots on my face as a concealer. It comes up like a lip stick.   

Nail Update and "Raving Hot" Rage

Hey guys!

I know it's been a while since my last post, but there's a good reason. I promise.

I found this brilliant red color on sale at Ulta the last time I went, and being in an "Agent Carter"-I-need-bright-red-nails sort of mood (after binge watching most of Agent Carter, as you do), I wanted to use it.  I was also aware that most of the time that I use a red polish, my nails always get super stained, and nobody's got time for that.  I decided that, as well as my Sally Hansen nail hardener base, I would try another base coat on top to see if that would stop the stain.

Long story short? It didn't.  And then the unimaginable happened. THE POLISH STARTED BUBBLING. Little tiny bubbles in the red, under the top coat. How frustrating is that? So before I blogged about the color, I wanted to try my normal routine without the added base to see if that was the cause of the bubbles.  It wasn't. Ugh.

The color in question was Covergirl's Glossy Days glosstinis in "Raving Hot".  I wanted to like this so much.  It's very thin.  I ended up both times using three coats and I could still see the free edge of the nail.  The color shows all sorts of imperfections in the brush strokes.  The red is fabulous despite all this- a brilliant color, just too thin on application.  And then there's the bubbles.  I'm sure it's probably user error, but two different top coats and base coats with the same result? I don't know, y'all...

One Coat

Three coats

Now, a couple weeks ago I did a post on cuticles and nail shape and I wanted to give you an update.  I've been using cuticle oil and lots of lotion and not picking at the undersides of my nails, and I really think I've been seeing an improvement, especially on my index and middle fingers.  They are starting to get that nice rounded shape at the edge of the quick.  I'm excited and will give another update soon.

Do you think I should give the "Raving Hot" another chance? Throwing it out to you guys.  What am I doing wrong, or is it just the polish itself? Help!

-Megan

I Caramel About You and For Gold Times Sake

Hey! I decided to paint my nails for valentines but not in the traditional red, more purple and gold. 

I learned the importance of using a base coat from Megan. I just use a cheap base coat from Wet N Wild. The purple I used was Nicole by OPI in I Caramel About You and the gold, glittery color was also in Nicole by OPI in For Gold Times Sake. I love OPIs' bottle names. They're also random and creative to the colors.my top coat is no chip by Sally Hansen. Love any top coat from Sally Hansen. 

Disclaimer: Yes, I need to totally slow down and really work on painting my nails. 

Over all I love this combination and will be painting my nails like this again, slowly. Lol. 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Xoxo. 

Zoya "Marney" & Two New Faves

Hey guys!

I WENT TO DALLAS THIS WEEKEND AND IT WAS AWESOME!! I got my first pedicure while I was there, with a hot stone massage... It was glorious as well as gloriously expensive.

But of course, as soon as I left Fayetteville, my old mani started to flake off. Ugh, I hate when that happens.  As soon as I got back last night, I immediately took the old polish off and was off to Ulta for a new color. None of my other ones looked appealing.

I picked up Zoya's "Marney" lacquer.  It was on sale, and looked like a rosey purple in the store, but on my nails it looked more mauvey, chocolatey in color.  It definitely changes in different lighting.  I am in love with it either way.  Here's a picture of how it came out looking last night.

Zoya "Marney"

While at Ulta, I also picked up two other products that I'm going to rave about for a bit.  I've been seeing a lot of posts about nail polish remover pens. THEY ARE AMAZING, and everyone should get one.  It was seriously the best $5 I have ever spent.  It came with several replaceable tips, and it's great for cleaning up the edges around cuticles. The tips are angled just for those hard to reach areas.  I'm still working on the steady hand while painting, and this cleans my mess perfectly.

Ulta Quick Touch Nail Polish Remover Pen

The next product I'm going to rave about is this four sided nail buffer I picked up at Ulta, the "Ms. Manicure Block Party" four way smoother.  Each side is numbered so you know where to go with each step.  I used it last night after removing my nail polish, and it smoothed my nails out so well, it looked like I was wearing a clear coat! No lie, I am in love.  I am also in love with the price.  At Ulta, you can get it for a dollar.  Yes, that's right $1! Now, you can't get a lot of major work done with the file side, but once you've done your major shape work, this is great to give that finished look to the nail. 

Ms. Manicure Block Party

Look at those smooth, shiny nails. LOOK AT THEM.

-Megan

PS. When I was getting my pedicure in Dallas, I almost fell asleep because the place also served wine with the pedicure. Talk about your relaxing pedi... Everyone should try it at least once.

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

Hey guys! I decided to do a look tonight using my Elf beauty book Disney Snow White. That's a long title for sure. 

Okay and here comes a fun fact about me. I'm obsessed with Disney basically. My family and I went to Disney World this past year and it was amazing. Trip of a lifetime. We had a blast and are already planning on going next year. :) 

Here's a picture of my family and me! (I'm the one in the ears) 

Okay on to the good stuff that you wanna know! Elf cosmetics is super affordable, if you already didn't know that. If I'm thinking about trying a new makeup item out that I'm not use to (example fake eyelashes), I go with Elf. Something's work and then there's the things that don't, it happens with every brand. Hit and misses.

So Elf has came out with some other Disney beauty books but I went with the Fairest of Them All because...I am the fairest of all. Yeah, not really, actually I'm super pale and love one of the eyeshadow colors in it. 

What's in the book? Three highlighting eyeshadow shades, four eyeshadows, eye primer, black eye liner, blush, and lip gloss. 

I love the names of the eye shadows. How cute are they? But my favorite color has to be One Song. The red is just so pretty looking! 

Top left: cover. 

Top right: inside page with step-by-step guide for fairytale makeup look

Bottom left: mirror 

Bottom right: the goods

Swatches of yodel, one song, enchanted forest, and my prince. 

One song, isn't so red looking now...

My look. I only used what was in this beauty book, besides applying foundation and face primer. For eyeshadows, I used yodel in the crease, one song on the lid, enchanted first as eyeliner, diamond mine in the inner corner, and I'm wishing as a brow highlight. 

What do I think about the book? Honestly...I hate to say this but eh....I would love to love it but I don't. The eyeshadows are super glittery and there's fall out. I've worn the makeup for about three hours now and there is glitter all over the tops of my checks. I usually apply eyeshadow first then do my face to prevent the appearance of fall out but it didn't work very well. The eye primer isn't very good, my eye lid just looks greasy and oily. The blush has a little bit of glitter/simmer in it, it's okay. The lip gloss was the only thing not in the picture. It was a pinkish red color. It didn't last very long. Altogether, will I use it again? No, most likely not. I'm more to use it on my little sisters who wanna play with makeup instead on myself. 

NYC Enamel "Plaza Plumberry"

On Saturday I went with a friend to her work's banquet via the best friend pact- when you don't have a date to a fancy function, take your best friend haha. For that I wore a pretty gold polish that I got a while back from Ulta.  The thing was, it was glittery so removal for a new color was... difficult.

Ulta "High Roller"

When removing glittery nail polish in the past, I'd always just scrubbed with acetone, a frustratingly slow process.  Glitter is crazy hard to get rid of!  I decided this time to try what Pinterest has been going crazy about: wrapping tin foil around acetone soaked cotton on your nail.  All the tutorials I looked at said leave it on for a couple minutes, but I found that I had to leave mine on for around four or five minutes.  Not being able to use my hands for five minutes was a real pain, but it definitely removed the glitter easier than normal.

After five minutes, no gold glitter!

Tired of the light gold I'd had for the past few days, I chose a deep purple.  It's cheaper than my last few colors I've used, and one that I've had for a long time.  Definitely a fave.  It requires two coats.  One coat is definitely too light, you can see through it and see brush strokes, but two coats blends perfectly with great coverage and opacity.

One coat

NYC Long Wearing Enamel "Plaza Plumberry"