Orange Is The New Black

Billion Dollar Brows is a Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

When I discovered the warm neutral palette, the skies parted, a light shone down, and the angels sung.  I know, I'm *supposed* to wear cool tones, and purples with my brown eyes.  But there's something about a peachy-pink orangey look that just steals my heart.

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!

It (Cosmetics) Girl With An Urban (Decay) Edge

Cover FX Blemish Concealer is a Press Sample.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Have you ever been convinced that you weren't going to purchase something, and then you ended up being seduced by it and having it win you over?  That's what happened with me and the Gwen Stefani x Urban Decay collex.  It's so neutral, yet edgy! I paired it with some It Cosmetics I love, and a fun nail art look today.

Old Urban Decay with New It Cosmetics

Hello, Fireflies!

I didn't even know that Urban Decay was coming out with their XX Vice Ltd Reloaded palette, but when I saw it, I knew I needed it!  I came kinda late to the UD game, so I was pretty excited to try some of these older colors.  The day I put my eye look together, I happened to receive my It Cosmetics New Year, Most Beautiful You set in the mail from QVC, and couldn't wait to try some of those, so I paired them together for a FOTD.

Swatchfest Saturday!

Hello, Fireflies!

Today, I reach back into the vault and pull out some polish swatches!  Some were used for group challenges, some for nail art that didn't survive photographing, some were polishes I just *needed* to wear that moment.

Raspberry Butterfly

 Hello, Fireflies!

Sometimes, I love being all matchy-matchy with a look.  I wore a raspberry shirt with a butterfly pattern, and matched my makeup and my nail polish to the colors and patterns!

Purplicious Look for Face and Nails

Some press samples; some purchased by me

Hello, Fireflies!

These days, it seems like I am all about the purples!  I've re-discovered some old favorites and incorporated some new loves into this total purple look!

Oscar-Ready For The Red Carpet! #BorgheseBeauty

Product sent for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

Have you been enjoying this season's award shows?  Sunday is the big 'un, the Oscars!  Borghese sent me a few little treats to help me get Couch Ready Red Carpet-Ready!

Ageless Derma Oil Free Purifying Facial Cleanser Gel #agelessderma

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

How do you clean your face?  I never knew there were so many choices, but I'm having fun picking textures, scents, and systems that work for me - and may work for you. 

I Adore You, Too, Teadora!

Products provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I am all about the bold lippie.  Mattes, stains, creams, brights, vamps, you name it.  Most of these, I have to remove with makeup remover.  And then, there's the drying weather.

Let's not forget the smooching, either.

My lips are in need of some rehabbing, and when I got to try Teadora's Nourishing Lip Butter, I was excited.

But, but, it's a pot.  I don't *do* lip stuff in pots.  Or, shall we say, I didn't.  I will for this stuff.  It's the most unique lip stuff I've come across.  It's almost the texture of a shea butter - hard, and a little gritty in the tub.

But if you rub your finger over it, it melts and then you can apply it to your lips.  For more exfoliation, scrape a little bit of the balm out, and you'll get a more gritty texture that melts away after a few minutes.

I've been using this for weeks now, and I've barely made a dent in the tub.  For $15, it's a bargain!

The products at Teadora are made with their proprietary Elixirs - Rainforest Youth, Hydration, and Restoration, each containing ingredients to target a specific purpose.  What's also important is what their products DON'T have - no parabens, synthetic fragrances, silicone, gluten, Phlalates, sulfates, harsh chemicals, or animal products.  Their products are 100% vegan, and they do no animal testing.

Not only does the lip balm feel great, taste amazing, and is made from great ingredients, Teadora is committed to doing business in a socially responsible way, by using ingredients that are fair trade sourced, sustainably harvested, carbon reduction focused, recyclable and biodegradable.  They are also involved in efforts to help preserve the Amazonian Rainforests.

Teadora Lip Butters come in two versions - Rainforest at Dawn, and Rainforest at Dusk.  The Dawn Lip Butter is in a flavor they call Laranja, and is a light, sweet orange.  It is DELICIOUS.  Totally addictive.  Dusk's flavor is called Acai-Acu, and is a berry-chocolate blend.  Yum.

As always, you know I'm loving something if I'm inspired to do nail art!  I based this on their logo - in color on my middle finger, and the black and gold version on my thumb.  To do this nail art, I used Milani Black Swift, Sally Hansen/Revlon white, Sephora X Enriched, A Rhyming Dictionary Polish Show and Tell, China Glaze Metro Pollin-tin, and Urban Decay Bang.

If you'd like more information about Teadora, which means, "I adore you" in Portuguese, or to purchase any of their butters, oils, cleansers, or other skin care products, you can find them on their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.

How are you taking care of your lips?

Leftover Halloween Candy? Or Fall Pumpkins?

Hello, Fireflies!

Have you recovered from the festivities of yesterday?  Whether you indulged in black cocktails, or chocolate candies, there's always a Halloween Hangover.

The best part? Bags of candy go on sale!

One of my fave Halloween candies is the mallowcreme pumpkin.  This mani is an homage to that pumpkin, but it's also a sign of fall in general. The mani I was inspired by was a Fall Pumpkin mani by Plump & Polished.

I used OPI Glints of Glinda for the whole nail, then painted the pumpkin with Urban Decay Bang, and made the stripes with China Glaze Metro Pollin-tin.  The stems are painted with a metallic green striper.

I remember, as a kid, sitting with my brother and emptying out our bags of candy and trading.  Mom would always come in and take the candy she wanted.  Mostly, I didn't mind, because she liked all the coconut ones I didn't like as a kid.  But, she never traded for anything!

Hey, mitts off my candy!

Are you going to buy discounted Halloween candy favorites, or are you happy to put all the sugar aside until Christmastime?

Jack O'Lanterns

Hello, Fireflies!

I got a little ambitious with my nail art today.  Every now and again, I think I can do something... well, let's just say that I need a little more practice with this one!

I was inspired by these awesome Jack O'Lanterns from Kayla Shevonne.  I started with a sparkly black background.  I love KB Shimmer Stark Raven Mad.  It's the blackest black holo ever.

I started painting the faces in with white, and then used yellow, yellow-orange, and then pumpkin orange to fill in the white.

They look like Clown O'Lanterns. LOL.

Bottle shot:  KB Shimmer Stark Raven Mad, Orly Hook Up, China Glaze Metro Pollen-tin, Urban Decay Bang, and a white striper.

Ok, maybe next year, I'll go as a Clown O'Lantern.  Start a trend!

An InLinkz Link-up

Witches' Hats

Hello, Fireflies!

Welcome to another challenge from the Challenge Your Nail Art group!  This month, it's all about the spooky and scary... and cute.  I like cute Halloween.

Today's prompt was to use the classic orange and black colors of the season.  I was inspired by this nailart I found on Pinterest (and again, couldn't find the originator of the art.  Bah.)

I used a couple of Indies to make the background - Polish Addict Jellyfish and Cuttin' Edge Pug Ugly with a little more Jellyfish dabbed on top.

Then, I used my black striper to make the hats, added a stripe of Urban Decay Bang, and stuck on a little jewel for flair.  Witches' be blingin'.

Bottle shot:  Polish Addict Jellyfish, Cuttin Edge Pug Ugly, Urban Decay Bang, and my black striper.

My husband was ever so amused that I was painting pointy witches' hats with a pointy striper.  Isn't that adorable?

An InLinkz Link-up

The Nightmare Before Christmas - Jack and Sally

Hello, Fireflies!

For my last NCC Stripes challenge of the month, I wanted to incorporate stripes and one of the most popular Halloween traditions - watching The Nightmare Before Christmas.

This mani was inspired by one I saw on Pinterest, but I cheated and used a 3-D charm for Jack's face.

I painted all but my middle finger with Revlon Spirit, and then used a black striper to freehand the black stripes.  The middle finger was painted with Milani Black Swift, and then the charm was applied.

Bottle shot:  Revlon Spirit, Milani Black Swift, and a black striper.

What's Jack without his girl?

 This was inspired by a mani done by The Nailasaurus, but it reminded me of Sally.

I started off with a white base to make sure that the colors were bright.  Then, I used striping tape to mark off the different sections.  Even thought it would be nice to paint one color at a time, it dries too quickly for that - and dry polish gets pulled off with the striping tape.  So, do one nail at a time.  I painted over the white lines with black polish and made the stitches, too.

Bottle shot:  Revlon Spirit, Nails Inc Bond St., Wet 'n Wild Pleasure Pier, Urban Decay Bang, Finger Paints Go Van Gogh!, and a black striper.

Wouldn't it be neat to have one hand done like Jack, and the other like Sally?

Orange Windows.. or beetle wings?

Hello, Fireflies!

I have been having computer problems alllll day long, and I haven't been able to get a post up! So, here at literally the 11th hour, is a little bit of pseudo-Halloween nail art for you!

I got the idea from a NOTD post over at Nailblog.net, only she used a pastel color, and I went more Halloween with a bright orange, played by Urban Decay Bang.

I took advantage of the sale where they had a bunch of polishes for $5 - and I almost didn't get Bang, but I needed just a few more dollars to get free shipping.  Boy, am I glad I got it, because you'll see it in almost all of my Halloween nail art this year! It's a great bright pumpkin orange.

After painting all my nails with Milani Black Swift, I painted a V-gap with the Orly Point Blanche.  It's designed for French tips, so the brush is a little smaller, which is good for nail art!  I painted Bang over the white, and then capped the tips off with more of the Black Swift.

Bottle shot:  Milani Black Swift, Orly Point Blanche, and Urban Decay Bang.  Love the skulls on the top of Urban Decay bottles! So appropriate for Halloween manis.

I have a whole bunch of Halloween-y nail arts coming up for you in the following days leading up to the big day!  Are you a fan of Halloween?

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?