So I have a lot to catch up on. I've been feeling really down/depressed/uninspired lately so I've been slacking off on other parts of my life.... like the laundry.... and cleaning the house.
So for you guys today I have not one but four things to show and critique.
On to it then....
First off: Magnetic polishes.....
I've been eyeing these for a while but was too stubborn to get them online. I finally found them at Sephora and I must say that I am in love!
At $16 a pop they aren't cheap. The bottles are the same size as the other Nails Inc. colors and the magnet is attached to the cap that comes off for easy polish access. The polish formula is great! It's not too watery and not too thick. You're able to apply a thick coat on for the magnetic layer without the polish pooling in your cuticles.
The colors are beautiful as well. These colors totally fit my inner goth but at the same time Trafalgar Square (chrome) is subtle enough to be work friendly and play nicely with neutral shades.
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| Trafalgar Square |
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| Trafalgar Square |
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| Trafalgar Square without and with magnetic effect. |
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| House of Parliment (as accent nail on ring finger). Sephora by OPI in 212 for other nails. |
You can get these here or go to your local Sephora and ask for them.
Second on the list: Nail Stamping!
I got a Konad stamping kit in a MUA swap and the person was so generous it's beyond words. She is also a fellow blogger that you can find here. Plus her name sounds like that of a super hero's alter ego.
After playing around with the kit I created a surprisingly pretty and fairly simple mani. I used L'oreal Owl's Night as a base color.
Suffice it to say I love my stamping kit very much and will love it forever. It's really just the best way to make beautiful designs without paying out the booty for a salon.
Some tips though.... make sure you have polish remover on standby to clean as you go. The basic no frills one is fine. Scrape the plate well and as soon as you can, pick up the image with your stamper. If the designs start to turn out funky then use acetone or polish remover and clean off all tools, stampers and plates before continuing. Dirty plates don't transfer designs as well.
Also you need to have a little patience when you begin. Start with small designs and work your way up.
I also like to add a thin coat of seche vite or any other topcoat in between stamping layers so just in case I mess up I have a better chance of not having to redo the entire nail. Some people have gel nails that work great with stamping since you can wipe it clean as much as you like using non-acetone remover.
Last Up: My Pinky Paradise Order!!!!!
So I ordered a few lenses from them and got them in the same week with express shipping. When ordering, to get the free cases and random beauty items you can't use code frmheadtotoe anymore. This code will instead give you 5% off. So if you don't care about random beauty items then take the 5% instead. I believe cases are included with each pair ordered since my friend ordered from them and didn't use a code but still got the cases.
I got 4 lenses: Bubble Green, Sakura Candy Red, Princess Pinky Twilight Blue and Pincess Pinky Twilight Brown.
Forgive the shots, it was late at night and I wasn't going to put make up on for contact lense shots. Also I got a mole removed from my face a couple days before so that's why the bandage is in the shot.
First off, The Princess Pinky lenses.
From the description I thought these would be similar in effect to the much debated gold and diamond contact lenses. Though they are very noticeable I was expecting a little sparkle or something. These instead play with different brightness of color to get a "glittering" effect.
As far as comfort, these are not comfortable at all. They aren't painfully thick or anything but I always feel like rubbing my eye with them in and can't wear them without putting in Rohto Hydra to add moisture. Without it my eyes dry out like crazy and I can't see with them on.
I can feel them throughout the wear as well. Most contacts I don't notice after a while but these I feel until I take them off. Also when I take them off I find that they stick to my eye making it harder to remove.
Enlargement is negligible. If you wanted an enlarging lens then look somewhere else. This contact is mainly marketed for the effect it brings to the eyes. If you can handle the discomfort then go for it. But don't say I didn't warn you......
Sakura Candy Red
These lenses are red. Much more noticeable than my other candy lenses. They also are surprisingly comfortable, on par with candy lenses. They do look creepy but also subtle since the red fades into the inner iris. The limbic ring makes for good enlargement as well.
Overall I'm very happy with these lenses and love the effect it gives my eyes.
Bubble Green
I've been wanting to try these for a long time. I first saw blue and pink but by the time I wanted to order I saw the green one and felt it would be best to stick with a more neutral color.
These lenses are great! They are big and feel kinda squishy when I put them on. Comfort is amazing and I feel that I could sleep in these lenses if I wanted to. Enlargement is very noticeable and the lack of a limbic ring makes the irises look huge.
Only down side is that the color doesn't blend that well into the inner iris. It looks fine from far away but up close you can see the spikes of color trying to emulate how color would blend in the eye naturally. It has a harsh fade which takes it down a notch.
If they improve on the color scattering this may be one of my favorite lenses of all time. But for now it's a firm above average.
Side Note:
So I also bought the $25 palette from Ulta. With an extra $5 off this was one of the best $20 buys I've had in a long time.
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| Smoky eyes: MAC on the right eye and Ulta on the left eye. |
The colors are smooth and blend very well. Actually the quality of the palette is remarkably good considered that it's made in China. The powders blend smoothly, the lipstick are creamy, the glosses aren't sticky and the liners are smooth.
Two things for those that are used to professional cosmetics:
One: The color payoff isn't a great as with some professional brands. The shadows are less pigmented as is the gloss but I find that it makes them more error proof and building color is easy enough.
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| MAC on the right eye and Ulta on the left eye. |
Two: You will need primer because the lasting power is not the greatest. I was getting raccoon eyes a couple of hours later after playing with smoky eye looks. If you're using lighter colors then you might be okay but for looks where you want the color to show and stay, a primer is a must.
All in all, if you can find the kit then I highly suggest you get it. So worth every penny and isn't as annoyingly tiny as the Sephora palette.
Confection:
I have a quick one from Trader Joe's. It's a raspberry cream cake sandwiched between two macaron layers.
This is super yummy, light and too sweet. I feel like a princess eating this cake, even though I look far from one when eating this cake.
Definitely look for this in the freezer section next time you're at Trader Joe's.
So that's all for now. Thank you all and have a great weekend!
