I am a recent, and enthusiastic convert to the Cover FX brand. I just love that they are about makeup that is also skincare, and about helping people look and *feel* their best. I was given the opportunity to test and review their stable of primers, and I'd love to share with you what I thought about them!
Today's Adventures In Stamping challenge is to commemorate the 4th of July, which is our Independence Day here in the U.S. of A - which means it's time for Red, White, and Blue! Stars and Stripes!
I started with what is becoming my favorite classic, tomato-red, OPI Over And Over A-Gwen.
OPI 7th Inning Strrretch is part of a baseball-inspired collection, and what's more American than baseball? Why, a baseball-themed polish, of course!
Or not. I think OPI is a French company... but the French did give us the Statue of Liberty, so it's all good.
Revlon Spirit and Winstonia W110 for a cute star pattern!
Yeah, I know that on the US Flag, the stars are on the blue part, and the stripes are on the red. Artistic license.
Oh, that Grand Ol' Flag, oh that high-flying Flag, I have butchered your likeness on my nails...
Bottle shot: OPI Over and Over A-Gwen, OPI 7th Inning Strrretch, and Revlon Spirit.
Are you planning to do, or have you done a patriotic nail art or makeup or fashion look for your country's Independence Day?
I'd never heard of Paula Dorf products before, and then I started hearing some buzz about them in the polish groups on Facebook. This brand was popping up in TJ Maxx/Marshals, and folks were raving!
So, I found some in a blog sale, and I have to say - they were right! This is Paula Dorf Blue-tiful, a dark, navy-ish blue jelly.
I then took Paula Dorf Model, a wine-purple shimmer and did a dabby-gradient about 2/3 up the nail. Without the bright light, the colors blended better. Blue-tiful appears darker in natural lighting.
I stalked Llarowe when these Color Club flakies came out. I still haven't seen them anywhere else, but if I do, I'm buying backups. This is Color Club Violet Twilight, a blue jelly with red/green/gold flakies. It came in a set of 4.
I have not yet reached saturation with flakies! As much as I love holos, I can look at some and feel I own something similar *enough*... but not as much with flakies.
Someone needs to make me a signature flakie polish. In a gallon jug. KThanks.
Bottle shot: Paula Dorf Blue-tiful, Model, and Color Club Violet Twilight.
Have you had a signature polish made? What did it or would it look like if you did?
I have been *obsessed* with masques lately. Face masques, and hair masques. I love them. I love that feeling that comes with pampering myself.
I was fortunate to get to try Kimble Beauty Brazilian Nut and Acai Berry conditioning hair masque through BrandBacker.
Kim Kimble is a celebrity hair stylist, salon owner, star of LA Hair, and now the creator of her own line of products. Her parents were hairdressers, and she's been doing hair most of her life. So when she got to do it her way, I think she got it right!
The very first thing I noticed and loved was the dispenser. First of all, it was safety sealed, which I like a lot. Secondly, it's not a jar!
So many hair masques come in jars, and then they get all full of hair, and the jar gets slippery, and it's a mess. This is clean and nice, and the product looks fresh every time. The texture is thick, with a gel-like consistency. It has a subtle nutty fragrance.
I also received this *totes adorbz* shower cap, which is sold separately. It's really roomy, and fit all my hair, wasn't too tight on my head, and had structure to it. I've only really used thin, floppy shower caps before. I don't wear curlers, but this cap would definitely fit a set of rollers under it if you had your hair up but needed a shower.
I feel glamorous... flossy, flossy!
Right now, I haven't had a hair cut in a long time, so my ends really are damaged. It's just a part of having curly hair - it tends to be dryer and prone to breakage. Also, the curls break up light waves, so it doesn't look as shiny as straight hair.
I put on the masque, covered my hair, and gave myself a mud spa treatment while I waited for the conditioner to do it's thing. After about 10-15 minutes, it rinsed out easily and cleanly, and my hair felt light and soft!
I lusted after Sally Hansen Sugar Coat in Royal Icing and finally found it in a blog sale. And you know what? It's really, really sheer. I love the pink shimmer, but it's fairly worthless on its own.
So, here, it's already under Sally Hansen Sugar Shimmer Work Of Tart, an aqua, glittery texture.
And on the tips, OPI Get Your Number, a medium blue sparkly Liquid Sand texture.
These are some of the earlier generations of texture polishes. I love them best with a little sparkle.
They really take on a new life when they're topcoated, too.
Bottle shot: Sally Hansen Sugar Coat in Royal Icing, Sally Hansen Sugar Shimmer Work Of Tart, and OPI Get Your Number.
Ok, so it's not sponged or blended out to a true gradient... it's good enough for me! I like these colors together. And, I still like texture, too.
I'm such a rebel. What kind of makeup 'rules' do you like to break?
It's the last Black & White NCC challenge this month! Who knew that Black and White nails could be so much fun?
I started this with one of my new fave black holos, KBShimmer Stark Raven Mad. It's got a beautiful rainbow, and it's not grey or brown, like so many 'black' holos are.
Simple white bubbles with Revlon Spirit and stamping plate Mash-43.
But then, the stamp goes from this... to this!
I matched different sized clear rhinestones to the circles for a fun, blingy-beyond-blingy look.
I actually started with just a ring accent finger... but I couldn't help myself. It was too fun to stop.
Bottle shot: KBShimmer Stark Raven Mad and Revlon Spirit.
Have you ever wanted to do a type of nail art, but found yourself lacking in the materials to make it? I wanted to do a feather mani, but didn't have what I wanted. So, in those ancient words of wisdom, I decided to fake it 'till I made it!
I started off with my nude color, Zoya Jacqueline. Pretty almond color, lumpy, patchy formula. Jackie is kind of a b!tch.
I may have found the perfect summer coral color in China Glaze Mimosa's Before Mani's. Thank goodness the color is amazing, because its punctuation is atrocious.
Completing the colorful faux-feather look is Takko Lacquer Nirvana, a turquoise creme with gold flakies. These little takkitos are hard to get! She restocks once a month, and the polishes last about 3 seconds.
Doesn't this pattern remind you of feathers? From like a really weird bird? Maybe if you squint and walk away from your monitor a little.
A little more...
Keep going...
I knew you could see it. You're so creative. Mr. Rogers was so right about you.
Oh, that coral. I'm in love.
Bottle shot: Zoya Jacqueline, China Glaze Mimosa's Before Mani's, and Takko Lacquer Nirvana.
Do you fake it in your creative endeavors? Cooking, crafting, performing?
Last week or so, my handlers let me out of my cage, and I met up with some of the Beauty Bloggers of Central Florida for a complimentary salt room experience!
Today's Adventures In Stamping challenge was music, inspired by World Music Day. When I did a Google image search, this was one of the images that came up, and it helped inspire my mani!
If you saw yesterday's post, you may remember how completely ga-ga I was for Celestial Cosmetics Meteoroid. I am equally enamored of this polish, Celestial Cosmetics Galaxy Field, a deep emerald-tealish linear holo. Another amazing formula, too!
I used Essie No Place Like Chrome and Wet 'n Wild Black Creme double-stamped with the same stamps from this large YH809 plate that I bought off Ebay. I'm not sure who the maker is.
Swirly bars of music!
If this were a real piece of music, it would be in the key of F. As in WTF.
These little metallic notes have been in my stash for at least a year, waiting patiently for their time... and back they go. They wouldn't lay flat. Kinda messed up my mani.
Bottle shot: Celestial Cosmetics Galaxy Field, Essie No Place Like Chrome, and Wet 'n Wild Black Creme.
What kind of music would you listen to to celebrate World Music Day? I'm an 80's girl myself! Lately, though, I have had Crowded House playing over and over in my brain. Earworm!
I recently discovered a new-to-me Indie called Celestial Cosmetics, out of Australia. Can I just say, LOVE!
This is Celestial Cosmetics Meteoroid, a multichrome holo that morphs between gold and green and bronze. It's really hard to pin it to one color! The formula was *amazeballs* too. Just flowed onto the nail.
This set has flowers AND butterflies, so it's perfect for today's challenge!
I thought it might be risky putting these reddish pink flowers over Meteoroid, but I love how they look together. Hubby wasn't so sure it was going to work, but he ended up loving it.
I love proving him wrong. One of the basic building blocks to our successful marriage, really.
This kinda makes me think of Japanese art.
Such a short Challenge Your Nail Art challenge this month! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
