So Cheeky!

Hello, Fireflies!

I never used to pay that much attention to blush.  I had naturally rosy cheeks, and because I didn't wear foundation for a long time, I never really felt the need to add more color.  But, age and makeup have leached the color from my cheeks, and lately I can't get enough of the different colors and kinds of things I can put on my chubby cheeks.  Highlighters, blush, bronzers, I want to try them all.  I've got swatches of a few of my most recent acquisitions to share with you today!

NYX Prismatic Eyes

Hello, Fireflies!

I saw a few swatches of the new-to-me NYX Prismatic Eyes Collection, and I knew I had to have a few of these metallic beauties!  I bought four of them, and I may need to get more.  MOAR!

Green Shimmer and Suede

Hello, Fireflies!

When NYX had their 25% off sale, I went looking on their site and saw this palette I'd not heard of.  So, I'm not sure if it's just new-to-me, or new, but I had to have it.  Suede!

These are shimmery colors with a rather unique texture.  I guess they're like cream-to-powder? They're not full-on creamy, but they're not a powdery texture, either.  They're very soft, and moderately pigmented.  They don't have names, only numbers, and I've swatched them in order on my arm (without primer, but apparently over my arm hair.  How embarrassing.)

The first two weren't that pigmented on my arm, but they showed up just fine over Urban Decay primer on my lids and under the brow.  I used the greenish ones in the crease.  

I decided to revisit some of the makeup I'd used in the past, like this bottle of Olay CC Cream (check it out, I almost finished it?!) I was using before I got the Cover FX. 

Um, I don't like that Olay any more.  Felt like it didn't cover *anything*. Basically, it's a tinted moisturizer.

I finally got to try the DHC Premium Lipstick GE, and I really like them! This is RD109.  I believe it's also known as Velvet Red? It's a very soft red, muted, but still pigmented.  Totally worth trying if you love lippies!

The stable of makeup: IT Cosmetics Radiance Palette, NYX Suedes Collection, Olay CC Cream, Rimmel ScandalEyes, Tarte Maracuja concealer in light, IT Cosmetics brow pencil, UD primer, the DHC RD109, and Ulta liner in Dublin.

I love shimmer on my eyes and nails!  Look as this awesome copper shimmer in the olive green goodness that is Rescue Beauty Lounge Turn It Around.

Ermagerd! Shimmer!

 Have you tried these NYX Suedes?  What do you think of a cream-to-powder formulation?

Ipsy-stravaganza! March and April box review

Hello, Fireflies!

I'm excited to show you TWO months of Ipsy bags!  I love Ipsy.  For $10 a month, you get to try all kinds of cool new stuff.

Let's start with March's bag.  First off, the BAG.  It's mega-cute, and designed by a new artist that they're giving some exposure to.  Which, if I could have remembered to save the tag, I would share with you.  Oops.

This was a great makeup month! Lots of goodies.  First up, the Pixi Primer, with a little bit of shimmer to it, for that luminous glow.  In the third pix, you can see how it shimmers.  I'd pair that with a nice BB/CC cream and let the glow come through.

Probably my favorite item this month was the Marvelous Moxie deluxe lipstick in Get Ready.  This is a perfect 'your lips but better' pinkish-nude shade.  Great formula, too.  I used the code to order something from their site and got a sample of the mascara and free shipping - and, because they said they were having some problems with their site, they gave me a code for some more freebies.  It was awesome.

I wasn't that excited about the NYX palette, not because it isn't good, but I have a ton of neutral palettes, and I probably won't reach for this one as often.  Then Chella liner is a gorgeous bright blue.  I didn't have any problems with my swatch, but I understand that other bloggers had problems with application and the tip skipping.

Here's all the swatches - Get Ready lippie across the top, the three eyeshadow shades from the NYX palette, and the Chella liner on the bottom.

But wait, there's more! I also have April's bag to show you.  Another cute bag! Beauty Rocks!

When subscribers found out that the Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Black Velvet was included in this bag, it drove everyone into a tizzy - and rightly so.  It's awesome.  Nice, soft black, easy to apply and wear. 

The Elizabeth Mott shadow is a nice color that everyone can use - and everyone probably has a bazillion pans of.  It's a nice shimmery champagne color, great for highlights.

I have some Cailyn products, and I really like the packaging - the applicator brush is part of the top! So far, I've enjoyed my two gel eyeliners from Cailyn, and now I love this tinted lip balm in Apple Pink, too.  Another great color.  It's a balm, so it's not going to last for long - but it's so much fun to reapply.

Here's swatches of those three products - U/D Black Velvet, Elizabeth Mott Champagne, and Cailyn Apple Pink.

I haven't tried the Dr. Brandt exfoliator yet, but I've heard it's pretty awesome.  I have been experimenting with a couple of different physical exfoliators lately, and I didn't want to overdo it with a chemical one, too.

I have a roll-on perfume in Sea Salt from Demeter, and I love it, so I was excited to get this one in Jasmine.  It's a really strong, clear jasmine scent.  Very pretty, but not very complex.  I think this would appeal a lot to people who like to layer their scents to create something unique.  If you like bath products with a jasmine scent, this would be great to apply after a bath to make it linger a little longer.

Have you checked out Ipsy yet?  Personally, I don't think there's a better subscription for the money.  If you're interested in subscribing and sending a few Ipsy points my way, click through my affiliate link HERE.

My #NailArtForNubs post goes live at 9am Eastern - it's a cool half-moon mani featuring Aly's Dream Polish!

Disco ball vs. Disco ball

My husband doesn't always understand my nail polish obsession, and ever since I got into glitters, he just can't seem to tell the difference between them.  So, he calls all glitters 'disco balls" which I think is so cute.

Today, though, I have two glitters that even I am having trouble telling the difference between!

The base for both glitters is Finger Paints Beach Bound, a bright purple creme.  It's actually a little brighter than I was able to capture.. you know, cameras and purple. What are ya gonna do, right?

I thought that the purple base would bring out the purple gltter in Funky Fingers Sand and Stilettos, which has a lilac tinge in the bottle.  I love this combo!

NYX Disco Inferno is more silver-toned in the bottle, but over the purple base, it looks exactly the same to me as Sand and Stilettos.  Lots of great holo glitter in both of them!

I suppose if these were layered over various different bases, I might see a slight difference in the lilac base of S&S versus the silver base of the NYX, but I don't know if it would be noticeable to the layperson.  They're both beautiful, but I don't think you need both.  But, what do I know?

4th of July Fireworks!

This is a mani I entered into Ms. Lizard's patriotic mani contest. I've never done fireworks before, but nothing says July 4th to me more than a fireworks show.  I didn't win the contest, but I still really like my mani!

I started with NYX 103.  Have no idea if it has a name.  It sounds like a radio station, not a nail polish.  It is a gorgeous cobalt blue jelly.  Jelly!  I only did one coat, and you can see that it's not opaque, but I covered it with glitter, so it's all good.  The glitter is one coat of Girly Bits Into the Night.  Doesn't it look like a twilight sky?

I made the fireworks using a bunch of cheapie stripers I got from the dollar store.  I didn't take any more pix along the journey, which is so unlike me!  To make up for it, here's the mani, EXTRA LARGE!  so you can look at it longer.

 Can you see the glitter from Into the Night behind the fireworks? 

Here's another patriotic mani I did for one of my fave blogs -  Nouveau Cheap's Independence Day Roundup.  I like the index finger best - watching the fireworks with my sweetie. 

And, another mani for Genia Be Me.  First time using laser strands - they don't bend so easily to my nubbies!

How are you celebrating the USA Independence Day?  Beer, Apple Pie and some sporting event on the TV?

Purple Haze

This year, I can't get enough of the soft, shimmery nail colors.  This is Purple Haze from Ulta.  It's not a duochrome, but there is a shimmery quality that evokes pink in this polish.

I've been practicing my stamping.  I wanted to try this stamp, which is a full-nail stamp, just on the tips.  I had a few problems, but I think with practice, it could look really cool.  This is Sinful Colors Black on Black.

 I wanted to add a splash of glitter, so I dabbed on a few coats of NYX 169 Super Funk.  It' a pretty magenta hex glitter, but you have to go fishing for almost every piece.  I liked how it looked with this, though.

Right hand:

And then, because I couldn't leave it alone, I tried a matte topcoat.  It didn't change it that dramatically.  Maybe if there were more glitter..

Sea Spray Waves

Have I said how much I love blue polish?  I'm discovering the pastel blues this spring.  Not all pastels are chalky, streaky messes.  Meet Sea Spray, from China Glaze.  2 coats.

Take a color, any color, make it a dusty, greyed-out version of itself, and I like it.  I think the nail polish companies have found my weakness.

I knew I'd be stamping.  I used the plant-like stamp from Mash-17 and three different colors to make this pattern.  First, I used NYX Girls in 103, a royal blue.  This was good for stamping - I got a clear stamp every time.  Next, I used Zoya Robyn, a bright blue.  I didn't put it right on top of the other stamp - I experimented with different placements.  Finally, I wanted to use a chrome polish because I didn't like it on its own, and I read they were good for stamping.  This is China Glaze Metallic Muse.  It was more opaque than I thought it would be.  I liked it a lot for stamping.  Next time, I might use it first, to create a metallic shadow behind the other colors.
 

Really liking the subtle metallic shimmer and abstract look from multiple stamps of the same pattern.
 

Right hand:

I see mostly full-nail stamps on the nail blogs, but I think the small stamps also deserve some love.  And, for people like me with small nails, you can create some interesting patterns.