Baking

July 4th Mani using Salon Express Stamping Kit and NYC French White Tip and my Firecracker Cake

9:24 AM


Hope you all had a nice 4th of July, if you were here in the states celebrating.  Yesterday morning my son and I got up early and made a "firecracker cake" compliments of Betty Crocker (and Pinterest).  I don't usually go for the box cake deals, but this was just too cute to pass up.  If you are interested, here's the recipe, which can obviously be adjusted to fit the colors you would like. 

Four the 4th, I decided to with a simple manicure.  I actually had purchased the Salon Express Nail Stamping Kit (now available at Big Lots for $6) at CVS before Christmas last year, and realized there was a plate in the kit that looked similar to fireworks, so I used the SE20 plate.  I had actually purchased a Konad kit on eBay months ago, and it came with their red and blue stamping polish, so that worked out really well.  To do this look, here is what I did:

NYC French White Tip - 2 coats
Ring Finger: SE20 stamp (red then blue)
Iridescent Glitter - lined as French tip and dotted on ring finger

In retrospect, I probably wouldn't have lined the glitter on the tips like a French manicure, but oh well!  It's for one day, right? 



This was super simple, and not too over-the-top for the day.  What did you do for your patriotic mani?

Nicole by OPI

My Patriotic NOTD - NYC "French White", Nicole by OPI "OMB", Nicole by OPI "Me + Blue" and NYC "Starry Silver"

8:00 AM


So, I'm posting this about a month late, but I guess it's better later than never!  For the July 4th festivities, I decided to play around with my manicure and get Patriotic!  Here's what I did:

First I applied 2 coats of NYC French White.  I then used some scotch tape to line off a "straight" line to apply the blue.  The blue is Nicole by OPI "Me + Blue", which is from the Justin Bieber collection.  This is a bright metallic cobalt blue with just enough holo micro glitter strewn throughout.  Unfortunately for me, this picture doesn't do it justice, so I might just have to put a mani together on this particular color alone.  I then used a fine brush from the art store to apply 2 coats in a streak of Nicole by OPI "OMB", also from the Bieber collection.  This is the most gorgeous color, and you can see a mani of it here.  On a side note, this to me was one of the prettiest colors from that collection...one of those shades you have to see in person.  It's a bright cherry red metallic with a sort of duochrome effect.  It's beautiful in person!  The last thing I did was apply 2 coats of NYC Starry Silver to add some glitter. 


Talk about a lot of polish - this one was a doozie to remove!  I have to say, it was a lot of fun to do.  I just wish I had more time and patience to play around with more nail art and decor.  Some day...

EOTD Smokey

Rimmel Glam Eyes "Night Jewel" and EOTD: Rimmel Night Jewel, Milani Lilly White and Milani Silver Charm

7:23 AM

Back at the beginning of the year, Rimmel put out some new displays for their Glam Eyes sets and singles.  There were eyeshadow quads and single shadows, like Night Jewel (shown above).  I'm typically pretty happy with Rimmel's products, although I have rarely used their eyeshadows, so I thought I'd give this smokey pewter color a whirl!

Night Jewel is a deep pewter with almost iridescent shimmer strewn throughout.  This is a very frosty-frost, and the pigmentation is quite nice as well.  There are two pictures below - one with a flash and one without.  I think you can see the various iridescent shimmer in them below, especially if you click to enlarge the photo.

with flash
without flash

I swatched this shadow without any primer, using the sponge applicator in the package.  Like I mentioned above, this is very pigmented.  The color is creamy and smooth, as well, not chalky at all, making blending and application a breeze. 


Seeing as this shade is a frosty pewter color, what better to do than a smokey look.  Something quick and simple below, using the Rimmel "Night Jewel", Milani's Baked Eyeshadow in "Lilly White" and "Silver Charm".



What I used:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Milani "Silver Charm" - inner corners
Rimmel "Night Jewel" - outer corners, crease
Milani "Lilly White" - highlight
Physician's Formula Gel Eyeliner Trio - black
NYC Show Time Mascara - black

So, have you tried any of these Rimmel Glam Eyes shadows?  Which is your favorite color?




Mascara

N.Y.C. The Show Time Volumizing Mascara

10:27 AM


"If you take one thing with you on your big night out let it be this: new NYC New York Color Show Time Volumizing Mascara. It gives up to 8 times instant and extreme volume for your most dramatic eyes ever. There's no drama in the price though. So get ready, because tonight is showtime!"


I recently have discovered the great value that is N.Y.C., specifically with their nail polishes and lip gloss.  The other day I saw a newer mascara called Show Time Volumizing Mascara, so I thought I'd give that a whirl.  Retail runs between $2.99-$3.99, depending on where you shop, which is well below a majority of the hyped volumizing mascaras right now. 



I tried to get a good snapshot of the wand because I think it is what sets this mascara apart from the other inexpensive drugstore brands out there.  When I pulled the brush out, it instantly reminded me of the Tarte "Lights, Camera, Lashes" brush.  A thicker brush, made with thick bristles, which are not the typical pipe-cleaner type bristles, nor are they rubber.  The formula on the mascara is thick, not overly drying, and with the help of the wand, pulls through the lashes and lengthens while it volumizes.  I did not experience any clumping, flaking, or smudging with this.  I think the clumping thing is a huge "pro", as well.  take a look at the closeup of my bottom lashes below - it's truely an elongation of my natural lashes, which is amazing.  I will definitely be using this as my everyday mascara once I run out of my Tarte.  The price to value is fantastic, and the quality really is there.  My only complaint is I would like to see a blacker-black.  This is a little smokey in color.


A "before" and "after" shot...






What are your favorite products from N.Y.C.?

Bare Escentuals

FOTD - Dark Smokey Eye

9:23 AM

I have to say that recently with the dark, gloomy and cold weather, I haven't been motivated to do a whole lot with my makeup. I decided to change that and try and dark and smokey look with a charcoal color sweater I had. I found this look to be so extremely simple, yet definitely a bold look, and perfect for any night out! The three colors I used were Fyrinnae "Shinkirou" pigment, NYX "Midnight" eyeshadow, and Bourjois Wet/Dry eyeshadow in "Gris Delicat".






To achieve this look, I used:

UDPP as a base
Bourjois Wet/Dry "Gris Delicat" - inner corner and lower lashline
NYX "Midnight" outer corner into outer crease
Fyrinnae "Shinkirou" as highlight and blended into crease
Mary Kate & Ashley Liquid eyeliner "Black"
NYX Dolleyes Lengthening Mascara - Ultimate Black




For the rest of my face I used Bare Escentuals "Fair" Foundation, Bare Escentuals Tinted Feather Light Mineral Veil, Nars "Lovejoy" blush, and Bare Escentuals Buxom "Ruby" lipgloss.


NYC

N.Y.C. Color Chrome Face Glows

9:53 AM

I charged my camera so I could upload the pictures of the NYC Color Chrome face glows. I think these are stunning, especially for the price (not to mention, the are HUGE!).




Below are closeups of each of the face glows. First up is Moonstone, a beautiful shimmery pink.
(NOTE: For some reason the blog is cropping my pictures - please click to see a larger image)

Secondly is Sunstone, a beautiful warm coral with lots of gold and mauve woven through:



The swatches are below. I definitely had to use a heavey hand on the Moonstone to get the color to pick up, but it is a great color. I found that when I use my Bare Escentuals angled blush brush, I have the best success with this because it picks up ALOT of color.


The eyeshadows and shimmers are to follow!





NYC

NYC Color Chrome Color - Lip Gloss - 24KT

8:00 AM

So, the other day I finally came across the NYC Color Chrome Face colors that I have been reading about online so much.  The colors, especially the face colors, are very similar to the MAC Mineralize blushes and shadows, so I was anxious to find it here locally.  I looked at Walgreens, which I had read as carrying the brand, but ours didn't have them.  Instead, I found the colors at our local Meijer grocery store.

Below is one of the lipglosses, called 24KT.  This is a beautiful, sparkley, yet not too pigmented gold.  I really liked it on its own, but I could definitely be used as a layer over lipsticks to enhance the color.




You can see the swatch below - notice how it just adds a hint of color.  This would be beautiful with all the warm browns of fall!

FOTD Brown

Review & FOTD: Sally Hansen Carmindy Foundation

9:53 AM

As I mentioned earlier this week, I ran into a CVS and found the Sally Hansen Natural Beauty by Carmindy line (finally!), and purchased the foundation and translucent powder below:


Now, I must preface this with I am a mineral makeup (mmu) lover through and through. I have not used liquid foundation in over 6-7 years because of my addiction to mineral foundations. I figured, being that the foundation was buy one get one 50% off, it was worth the try!

I was so pleasantly suprised when I used the foundation. It is extremely smooth and has great coverage. The color actually matched fairly well, especially considering the line has a minimal selection of colors to work with. The translucent powder sets the liquid foundation and gives a smooth and matte finish to the skin, which makes application of blush and eyeshadow so much simpler.

I used the following products, along with the Carmindy foundation, with this FOTD.





Retail Price: $12.00 USD

Where to purchase: Click here

Product: 5 out of 5
Price: 4.5 out of 5
Packaging: 5 out of 5
Overall: 4.5 out of 5

Would I purchase again? Overall, I would definitely buy this product again - it's great, especially being that it is a drug store brand!

Dupes

NYC Liquid Lip Shine "Sungold Pink"

8:44 AM

I was in Walmart a few days ago, and made a pit stop over in the cosmetics isle to see if there was anything I had to have. Once there, I remebered a few mentions on MUA as well as other boards about a couple great NARS Orgasm lipgloss dupes, so I thought I'd see if ours had any of them.


One in particular was the NYC Liquid Lip Shine in "Sungold Pink". I've picked up bits and peices of the NYC line over the years because for the price, it's fantastic! At a price of $1.99 per gloss, you just can't beat it.
I wish I had a picture of the Nars side by side with the NYC lip gloss, but unfortunately I don't own the Nars itself (hopefully someday!).

I have worn this the past few days, and it is an absolutely beautiful gloss for the price. I would highly recommend that you pick this one up if you are by your local Walmart, or anywhere else that carrys NYC for you!

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