Shine on…or not!

Lately, everyone has been all about matte finishes! I have been dying to try a matte finish polish but I haven’t been able to find one when I remember to look. Julep just so happened to send me a matte finish in my box this month and I am ecstatic! They also sent me a gorg deep purple so here is what I came up with 🙂

First I painted my nails with Trina, my purple color. I only did one coat, but you will see that the matte finish emphasis’ the strokes so two coats is probably best.

Then I cut scotch tape into strips and just randomly placed them across my nails to create some geometric shapes. Make sure that your nails are completely dry because if they aren’t it will pull the polish off your nails.

Then I took my matte finish and did one quick layer over everything. It dries really quickly which is nice. then you can peel off the tape and you will have a slight contrast between sections. Clean up the edges with some remover and there you have it! It’s a subtle look but I think it is so interesting and unique.

Needless to say, matte finish lives up to all the hype for me. I love it and the possibilities are endless!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake!

Ok this has nothing to do with pineapple upside down cake! But it does have to do with upside down hair…Sorry about my neglect to post yesterday. I was handing out candy to trick-or-treaters after my 10 hr work day and was too exhausted to make my fingers type. Some call it lazy, I call it exhausted.

Anyway, of course, everyone knows that braids are hot this fall! They were all summer too. But, sock buns have also been hot. So what better than a marriage of the two….the pineapple upside down cake! I’m just going to call it that from now on. It’s a thing now.

The best thing about this hairdo is that you don’t even have to leave your bed to do it! The first step is to hang your head over the edge of your bed and let all your hair hang upside down.

Next start to french braid your hair just like you would if you were french braiding the top, but start at the nape of your neck. This takes a little practice but don’t try to make it perfect. Messy is totally ok too!

   

Go until you can feel it on top of  your head. Then wrap it all up into a ponytail.

Then you will put the sock around your ponytail. SIDENOTE: If you don’t have a sock for your bun basically all you do is take a tall sock, one similar to your hair color is probably best. White is what I had lol. Cut the toe off off and roll the sock up like a donut.  You can actually buy “bun makers” now but a sock is cheaper 😉

Pull the sock all the way up to the end of your ponytail and wrap the ends around the sock.

Then start rolling the sock back down to the base of your tail. The more layered your hair is the harder this is going to be. Just make sure to keep tucking the ends around. Once you get rolled a little the ends will stay. Again, neatness is not important.

Once you get it all the way rolled tight to the base, even out your hair to make sure your sock is covered. Gel down any fly-aways and there you have it. Yes I got out of bed. I thought bed pictures might be a little creepy. But you could totally do this whole thing from bed! 🙂

  

 

Goodies Box! In love!

We finally, after about 2 months of waiting, got our first Goodies box! This is another foodie box that allows you to branch out and try new things without going through all the work of finding them! That can be expensive and disappointing, but not with Goodies box.

  

This box is still in beta so of course there will be some kinks to work out, but not this month! I am happy as a clam 🙂 I have never really even known what that meant. ANYWAY, get this! ONLY $7!!! So crazy cheap. I was expecting to not get anything good with it being so cheap, but I loved most of my products. So here they are…drum roll please!

First, and my favorite in the box, Sheila G’s Chocolate Chip Brownie Brittle! This is absolutely amazing and so addicting. Tastes exactly like brownies, it’s crunchy and yummy. Great idea and a great find! Not as unhealthy for you as real brownies 😉 A bag of these goes for $3.99 and they have 2 other flavors. A toffee brownie and a walnut brownie.

My sister was really excited about the Nutella & Go. We have had these before and they are really good. Great portable snack. A 6 pack of these is $8.94.

We also got Juicefuls, which reminded me of Gushers. I used to eat them all the time when I was little. If you are unfamiliar, it is basically a fruit snack with a little bit of liquid or gel in the middle. Nothing too spectacular, but still tasty. The website says a pack of 2 is $3.98? 

My other absolute fav, and a definite repurchase, was the Dang Coconut Chips. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s not what you would expect when you think of shredded coconut. It more like shaved coconut that has been toasted. And it is ahhmazing. I know I am being a little dramatic but that is how much I love it! ha I ate it plain, my mom tried it in some yogurt. It would be good in cookies, on top of muffins, in ice cream…anywhere really! This is $4.99 a bag.

There was a pack of Smartfood’s Multigrain Chips in Cinnamon & Brown Sugar flavor. These disappeared before I got a chance to try them 😦 but once I found the perp, I was told that they tasted like a less sweet version of Taco Bell’s cinnamon twists. Sounds like a winner to me! A 2 pack is $6.98.

Lastly, and my least favorite, was the Mayesa Cacao Orginial drink. Not good at all. I don’t even know how to describe it. My sister said it was like “cold, watered down hot chocolate, with a hint of cough syrup”. That wasn’t exactly what I was getting but it was gross. Very bitter. A pack of 6 is $11.94.

So overall I am so excited about this box. I am not going to go into value because that is not why I get these boxes. I get them so I can find new foods that I love. There were 3 items that I completely love and will definitely repurchase. 2 items that were good but I probably won’t repurchase. And only 1 item that I just absolutely didn’t like! That’s pretty great especially for $7.

As far as the Goodies box service goes. It took them a while to get their first round of shipments out, but like I said, they are in beta so I am ok with that. They allow you to rate and shop for the products on the website. They also include all the nutritional facts and recipe ideas! You can also earn points towards rewards, from doing reviews! The cost is unbelievable! Basically, I have nothing bad to say as of now and I am so excited to get my box next month!

Birchbox: consider it can cancelled.

So Birchbox was the first subscription box that I signed up for and my October box will be the last one I receive. I am thoroughly disappointed. Here is what I got this month and then I will go into why I am cancelling. I opted for a “goop” box hoping that it would be better than the other boxes I had gotten. Goop.com was founded by Gwyneth Paltrow and it is basically a site that gather all the hottest fashions, products, trends, recipes…ect, all in one place.

So the first thing I noticed was the DDF Brightening Cleanser. It’s a really big sample which surprised me for Birchbox. It is more than half the full size product, making the value $20.16. I used this for over two weeks and did not notice any brightening effects. I also was very put off by the smell. It is not something I want to be slathering on my face. It goes away pretty quickly, but there is nothing fresh and clean about it. I am going to finish out the bottle but I would not purchase more of this. I was also really annoyed that this was in here because people have been getting this from Birchbox for months, so obviously it’s not a special goop pick!

I also got a Lip Perfection Gel in the shade Melrose from per-fekt Beauty. The sample is tiny, which annoyed me. Virtually valueless. The color payoff wasn’t great. It was literally just like a nude gloss for my lip color.

Caudalie included a Vinoperfect Radiance Serum. It is supposed to brighten your skin tone and fade dark spots. Maybe if I had enough to use it for awhile I could tell you, but for the one application I got out of my sample, I noticed no change. It has a very faint smell to it that is pleasant and it didn’t feel too heavy on my face either. This was worth $5.26. 

I was excited to see Orofluido’s Beauty Elixer. It is a hair oil but there is no directions on how to use it. Is it supposed to be heated up? Are you supposed to leave it on for an extended amount of time? Is it just to help with frizziness? Hell if I know! So I haven’t used it. It smells incredibly yummy though. Value of this is $1.50. If it turns out to be something crazy awesome, you will be the first to know.

The last thing that was included, which has been included in a lot of boxes lately is herbal tea from Mighty Leaf Tea. It is really delicious. I love tea so I was happy to see these. These are worth about $2. 

So overall the value was great, about $29. So why did I cancel? Well, first of all, they tend to give me samples that I can’t make a good judgement about in one use. Annoying! They also, normally, give me a lot of foil packs. I have yet to get something that I want to purchase. Overall, I just feel like my money would be better spent on a different subscription. Especially after I got my Ispy bag, which was such a better value.

One or the other TAG

So I was “tagged” by one of my lovely readers who is from the UK, poundlandprincess, for a One or the Other tag. I love reading her blog to see what kinds of products they have over there because they do have some different products and colors than us.  It’s pretty self explanatory so here we go!

 

Blush or Bronzer?  If I had to choose just one, Blush

I never really wear bronzer alone, so I would have to go with blush. You can wear it year round.

 

Lipgloss or Lipstick?  hmmm…Lipgloss

Like most people, I like to wear my gloss over my lipstick. I rarely, wear lipstick alone. So I would say lipgloss because it’s versitile and can be used for everyday or a night out!

 

Chapstick or Lip butter?  Definitely Chapstick

No question on this one! I am addicted to chapstick. I have like 4 in my purse, a couple in my car, one on my desk at work, one for my coats, a couple in my bathroom, one by my bed! They are everywhere for real!

 

Matte or Sparkle Eyeshadow?  Only for the everyday use of it, Matte

I love shimmer shadows but I don’t wear them on a regular basis. I would say if I could only have one or the other I would take matte.

 

Gel, Liquid, Cream or Pencil Liner? Normally I would say Liquid, but lately I would have to say Cream.

My cream liner applies so smoothly with an angled brush and it dries faster than my liquid. So lately I am loving my cream liners.

 

Foundation or Concealer? Foundation

I have said before that I hate when people do all their other makeup but don’t start with a good foundation. I honestly feel like leaving out your foundation can ruin a whole look! So definitely foundation on this!

 

Liquid or Powder Foundation? Liquid of course

I like to have really good coverage, and powder foundation just doesn’t do that for me. Liquid all the way.

 

Neutral or Statement eye? Statement

Of course I would do natural on a regular basis but I love to make a statement and experiment with my eye shadow! If I had to choose one or the other I would be totally ok with making a statement everyday.

 

Pressed or Loose shadows? Pressed

Loose powders just make a mess and I feel like they have a lot more fallout when applying. Pressed all the way on this one!

 

Waterproof or Non Waterproof? Non-waterproof

I don’t feel the need for waterproof mascara so I always go non-waterproof.

 

Brushes, Sponges or Fingers? Brushes

I love my brushes. I don’t think I could give them up!

 

Powder, Cream or Liquid Highlighters? Cream

I have only recently started using highlighters and so far I prefer cream.

 

I would love to tag:

therosysnail

Satine89

Mandi93

 

Purple Haze

So I invested in some new makeup for my sugar skull look and I thought I would do a purple smokey eye look with what I got. Purple is my favorite eye color to wear. This is a pretty dramatic look but you could definitely tone it down for an everyday look.

Start by applying your favorite primer. I like using E.L.F. Mineral Primer. 

Next apply a black cream shadow all over the lid. I just got a HardCandy Eyeshadow Duo pen and it works really great!

Apply a grey or gunmetal color over the crease. This is going to allow us to create an ombre look. I used the grey Maybelline Color Tattoo shadow. I have been dying to try these and they definitely live up to the hype!

Now time for the purple. Also another Maybelline Color Tattoo. Apply this over the whole eye stopping just above the crease. What I love most about these Color Tattoo’s is that they blend so well!

Now take a lighter shimmer, I used a off white shimmer from my Smashbox palette, and blend it from the edge of the purple, up to the brow bone.

Now for the liner. You can’t do a dramatic look like this and neglect to put on liner. I used a cream liner, and made a thick line all the way across my top lash line and carried it straight out to create a wing. I used my E.L.F. Cream Liner for this.

Then I took a smudge brush and smudged a layer of grey and a layer of purple over that, under my lower lash line.

I did my liner the same on the bottom lash line, carrying it out again, parallel to my top line.

When you carry a black liner all the way across your lower lash, it’s important to line your waterline with black liner as well to fill in the look.

It’s also a good idea to fill your brows when doing a dramatic look like this as well. I just used a small angled brush and a dark brown from my Smashbox palette. You’d be surprised the difference your brows can make. They can really pull a look together.

And of course you need to finish it off with mascara. My new favorite is LashLove from MaryKay. False lashes would also be great if you are going really dramatic.

And there you have it! A purple smokey eye 🙂 Ready for a crazy night out!

  

Here is a picture of my sugar skull makeup that I did for a Halloween party this past weekend. I used the same basic eye shadow routine for this but obviously carried it all the way up to my brow for my sugar skull look.

Fingerprint Friday: Glitter nails!

So if you follow my blog you know that I got some glitter in my October Julep maven box. I have been trying to come up with a way to use it and this is what I came up with. It was pretty simple as well. They look better in person! ha

  

                          Step 1) Base coat                                                                         Step 2) Top clear coat

  

  

Step 3) While the top coat is still sticky, dab glitter on it using a stiff paintbrush. Less is more with the glitter   Step 4) Another top coat

Have a good weekend!!

3 Steps to Sexy Bedhead!

So I am all about easy, low maintenance hair styles. One of my favorites is sexy bedhead. I have a thing for messy hair! So here’s how you can achieve a natural looking, messy, bedhead look, without rolling around in your bed 😉

First of all you will need:

your second day hair (I also have a thing for not washing my hair everyday)

dry shampoo

some texture powder

and a curling wand or straightener (I use the biggest barrel)

  

STEP ONE: Spray your roots with dry shampoo. Dove is my favorite because it works AND it smells awesome! This, while soaking up some of your second day oils, will also give your roots some lift.

STEP TWO: Pour a generous amount of texture powder into your hand. Rub your hands together and then scrunch your hair up to your roots, like you would scrunch curly hair. This new texture powder I got from the got2be line is awesome and definitely does what it says!

 

STEP THREE: Which is actually optional, is to curl your front strands away from your face. I use the biggest barrel because I don’t really want curls, I just want that windblown look.

AND VIOLA! You can wear it with a center part, which is really on trend right now. Or you could do the whispy flip which gives even more volume and texture!

 

You can do this with freshly clean hair as well, it just doesn’t seem to work as well. Try using a thicker texture wax instead to dirty up that clean hair. The wax will hold better than a powder.

So next time you don’t feel like doing something to your second day hair, don’t throw it up into a boring ponytail! Take the extra 5 minutes to make it look like you rolled out of bed this freakin sexy!

Love With Food

For those that don’t know, Love With Food is a box subscription that sends tasty, gourmet, healthy food. The really great thing though is that they donate a meal to someone in need for every box delivered to subscribers. So far they have donated almost $17,500 meals! And it’s only $10/month.

So let’s get into what I got this month.

The first thing I grabbed was my Cranberry Orange Cookie, from Natasha’s Health Nut Cookies. I scarfed this down immediately. Needless to say I was starving when I opened this box. lol This cookie was so good. For as “healthy” as it was, it actually tasted really good. It was really soft as well, which is my favorite. I was so surprised that this didn’t have sugar in it. I couldn’t even tell. It really still tasted like a cookie and not a cracker.

Next I noticed the Applesauce from GoGo-squeez. For some reason, eating things out of tubes or pouches. I never liked gogurt either. So I was not excited about this at all. However, my sister has seriously been begging my mom to buy some of these for her. She said that it was “amazing” and she loved it. Probably a little over exaggeration on her part. lol

I also got some Acai Strawberry Sesame Strips from Mrs. May’s Naturals. These were surprisingly delicious. They weren’t too dry and they had a nice sweetness to them.

There was also a big box of tea. Organic Pu-erh Tea from Numi. Hot tea is on the rise lately and I have definitely joined the masses. I love tea. These were black tea blends and we got a few different flavors. The really unique one was a chocolate variety. I made my sister try it because I was a little nervous. According to her it was like watered down hot chocolate. So, not the best of the flavors! I have drank a few of the other one though. I actually had the jasmine blend with one of the Blackberry Blossom Honey Straws from Nature’s Kick, and it was so tasty! That little bit of honey was the perfect amount of sweetness.

  

Snikiddy included All-Natural Cheddar Cheese Baked Fries. These are a great alternative for Cheetos. I am a Cheetos addict, but of course they are terrible for you! So this would be a good substitution.

The last thing I got was Mountain Mambo Mix from Enjoy Life Foods. This is free of the 8 most common food allergens! So this trail has sunflower seeds, apples and chocolate chips. It was good. Nothing too special but it’s great for people that have food allergies!

Overall, I am still really happy with this box. The price is great. The cause is even better. And who doesn’t like getting exciting snacks in the mail every month?!

Fingerprint Friday

Sorry it’s a little late. I got busy Friday and didn’t get a chance to post this. Anyway, this week I did spider nails. I stamped the spider with my M.A.S.H set that I have blogged about. Then I drew the webs freehand. I tried several different tools. First I used my dotters and they were just really hard to use because they left a drag line. Then I tried a really thin short paintbrush but it didn’t give me much control. Lastly, I used my nail tees. They look like pointy Q-tips but they are stiffer. So as long as you have a lot of paint on the tip it works pretty well! So here is the finished product 🙂