Wow'ed by Wu for Lancome?

Ageless Derma Foundation is a Press Sample.  All other products purchased by me.

Hello, Fireflies!

I have an addiction to palettes, especially shadow palettes that also have a little color for the face.  When I saw this Jason Wu for Lancome palette, with the neutrals on one side, color on the other, and a blush and bronzer, I had to get it!

Colour Pop Tie Dye - To Die For?

Hello, Fireflies!

When I'm on the hunt for fun, innovative colors and formulas, whether in nail polish, or makeup, the first place I look is to the small, independent brands - or Indies, as they are affectionately known.  I've written before about some of Colour Pop's crazy pigmented (and some crazy colored lippies, like GREEN!) and some of their funky, bouncy, not-quite-a-cream, but not-quite-a-powder eyeshadows.  I recently picked up their LE Tie-Dye eyeshadows, and wanted to show you!

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!

One Direction Limited Edition Beauty Collection and Kits! #makeupby1D, #thelookscollection, #markwins

Product provided for review.  All opinions are my own.

Hello, Fireflies!

I have So.Much.Win to show you today.  Remember when I told you about the first One Direction kits?  These are so much better.  Buttery, soft shadows, UV-reactive glitters and lippies, and bright mascaras!  There's a lot of pictures, and swatches, too!

Something Different Sunday - Nuance by Salma Hayek

Recently, I was given the opportunity to go to a CVS Party where the theme was Nuance by Salma Hayek.  We were given several products to try.  Although a review was not required, I wanted to review some of the products for you.

Nuance My Favorite Nail Lacquer.  So, tell us how you really feel, Salma?  I liked this color ok, but it really isn't one I would have picked out, and it's not my fave.  But, the formula is really nice, this shine is without topcoat, and it dries pretty quickly.

I thought I would try my hand at some nail art that represented the white flower silhouettes on the bottle (and is on a lot of her packaging, in one form or another.)

Nuance Vapor.  Now, this one was *my* favorite.  Gorgeous, shiny, dusty plum.

I put some of Mentality Gold Flakie and Red Flakie on top.  I love flakies, and I liked this so much I wore it on both hands, to a party.  Yeah, I'm cool like that.

More after the jump!

I got leid!

Here in Daytona Beach there is a tourist trap attraction called the Ohana Luau. It is at a local hotel, and they have a dinner buffet and a stage show.  There are musicians and dancers, and they show different dances from different Polynesian islands, and even a fire knife dance.

Hubby and I went there for a (Groupon) date night, and I decided to do a soft coral look and a tropical mani for the occasion!

I used my Milani cosmetics.  I have to say, I love these eyeshadows.  Katrina here is showing you Gold Dust, Tickled Pink, and White Lie Eyeshadows, and Haute Flash Hot Flash lip gloss.  The eyeshadows have great consistency, and you don't need a lot to get great coverage.  They are pigmented enough if you want to go bold, though.

I will say that I haven't had much luck with Milani's baked, blended eyeshadow palettes, though.  I've tried one that was a bold green/turquoise blend and another that was hot pink, and neither transferred much color, and I couldn't figure out how to get the look I wanted.

The Haute Flash lipglosses have a lot of sparkle in them and are BOLD.  In this look, I basically lined my upper lip and spread that with my finger around the rest of my lips.  And, I got a lot of lips.  You don't need much Haute Flash to get a layer of color.

For my tropical mani, I started with Essie Navigate Her, a pistachio creme. 

 Then I did one-stroke(ish) flowers with Island Girl Sunset Beach and Sally Hansen Yellow Kitty.

One-stroke technique involves loading one flat brush with 2 colors (one on each side) and then painting so that each stroke lays down and blends both colors.  This doesn't work as well with polish as it does with paint, but I still like the technique.  I had to go over the flower again in some parts, and all the yellow needed a little extra polish.

Right hand.  I thought I was so clever using Island Girl polish for a luau.  What was cool though is that it glowed in the dark!  I wasn't expecting that.

I used Pure Ice Black Rage for the center of the flowers and the dots, and then decided to add a little sparkle with China Glaze Fairy Dust.

Look, I got leid! 

What's Black and White and Sparkly all over?

Me!

Dinner with friends and margaritas? Yes, please!

I used Milani eyeshadow in White Lie, Pitch Black and Just Perfect (a greenish, peacock color) on my eyes.  I am really impressed by these eyeshadows!  They are super-pigmented.  I only needed to lightly dab my brush in the black to get enough pigment to act as a liner and go in the crease.  And when I came home from an evening of drinking and laughing, my makeup still looked perfect.

 I have never worn black nailpolish on its own, but I got very close that night!  I rocked 1 coat of A-England Bridal Veil which is beautiful, but not as holographic as I was hoping for.  Two thin coats of Hits Zeus, and I was loving the look.  Dark, but not vampy, with a rainbow shine that wasn't glittery or chunky.  Very sophisticated.

ONE coat of Bridal Veil.  If you haven't tried A-England yet, you need to!

  With Zeus:

 Right hand:

And because I thought it looked like a galaxy, I added a star from the Bundle Monster wheel.  This set is awesome - different colors and shapes all in one place, with an easy-to-use dispenser.  It's like a box of Lucky Charms! Green circles, pink bunnies, yellow and purple flowers, silver scales, blue and red rhinestones, silver stars, and more!

One thing I didn't realize was going to happen through this blogging process was how I would start to expand my boundaries.  I am having such a blast trying new products, new looks, and meeting new people.  I truly believe that beauty is Lit From Within, and all of these products just help us find a way to express it in our own way. 

So, today, if wearing a rhinestone on your nails makes you feel pretty, do it!  Wear as many as you want.  If wearing a new lip color gives you confidence, embrace it.  Have fun changing your look.  Do it your own way.

All kinds of beauty - eyes, lips, nails

When I started this blog, I wasn't sure exactly what my focus would be, but I fell in love with nail art, and almost all my posts have been on that bent.

I have a mani today, but I also have a makeup review for you, too!  I was provided with some Milani products, and I want to share them with you.  I used to be a makeup counter snob, and bought exclusively from the department store fancy counters.  I've since bought a clue and found that there are all kinds of great finds in the drugstore makeup aisles.

My friend Fresa is showing you the products I used first:  Milani Shadow Eyez in Aquatic Style and Royal Purple, Baked Eyeshadow in Green Fortune, and Haute Flash lipgloss in In A Flash.

I decided to do a bolder look for me - 2 different eyeliners, green shadow.  But my way is a little more subdued.  You could certainly apply the eyeshadow wet for more saturated color.  This was a daytime look to go shopping, so I was going for fun, not bold.

I love the Shadow Eyez.  They are so easy to use, creamy, smooth, and they stayed on all day for me.  I did another look in Champange Toast and Brown Deluxe, where I wore the champagne color all over and the rich brown as a liner and in the crease.  The picture was lit weird, and I looked green - sorry, still learning - but I loved the look.

You can wear these as liners or all-over eye color, so they are perfect for travel, when you don't want to risk breaking a shadow palette.

You can see the green a little better in this pix.  I did apply color from all over the palette, but then tried to focus some of the blue in the corners. I had a little trouble getting the color I wanted from the crazy mix of colors, but I still liked it.  It's just not a look I would do every day.

I wasn't sure I was going to like the Haute Flash gloss - but I loved this color.  I originally tried the hot pink version, Flashy, but it looked too much like cotton candy.  I also tried the Golden Flash and Crystal lip gloss in Fascinante, both golden glosses.  I have a natural pink tint to my lips, and neither gloss looked good on me.  Like VNL on my nails, I get VLL on my lips with some colors, usually golden ones, and I don't like it.

This is the In A Flash, no liner.  Pretty, and long-lasting, with a light, pleasant fragrance.  I'll definitely wear this again.  Can you see the shimmer?

I paired my look with Del Sol Foxy, a color changing polish, that went from pink to purple.  I used a Claire mood polish on the tips and accent nail.

Pink:

You can see the color changing here.  The pinky is still pink.  The ring finger and tips are Claire's mood polish - which didn't change at all  - not in the sun, not in hot or cold water, nothing.  Very disappointing.

Full-on purple in the sun:

Some wild colors and color-changers for me.  It was a lot of fun to use makeup to go outside my comfort zone and try something new. 

I hope you'll try something new today!

These products (aside from the Claire's polish and my own mascara, which I purchased) were provided for me for review.  Nonetheless, the opinions stated are my own and are as unbiased as possible.

http://www.delsol.com
http://www.milanicosmetics.com/