Nail Polish Review: Taupe Nails

It's the dead of winter and the east coast just got 2 feet of snow dumped on us. This makes me want to wear black on my nails (or really dark colors that end up looking almost black on my nails.) The last two weeks that is exactly what I did. Then yesterday, my weekly nail day, came around and I just wasn't feeling the darkness. I dug out my not-so-mini nail polish collection looking for the perfect winter color. I stumbled across a muted gray purple color.. Taupe.

Taupe is such an understated color that I sometimes just forget about it in my collection of berries, hot pinks, and glitters, but boy am I pleasantly surprised everytime I dig it back out. It looks classy and sophisticated because it is a neutral, but more interesting than a plane nude. Best part - ANY skin tone can pull this color off.

There are different shades of taupe, but the one that I personally like is the one that leans more purple. The one pictured below is Forever 21's Love and Beauty nail polish in Taupe (pleasantly surprised by this line and will do a review in the future.) I think this color is discontinued, but there are many dupes on the market currently. 

- Michelle

Nail Polish Review: Essie Find Me An Oasis

This nail polish is a beautiful pale baby blue shade. At first glance you might almost think it's white. If you are trying to experiment with new colors but aren't ready to go neon blue yet, this is a good way to wet your feet. The pictures below feature the polish in natural daylight without (left) and with (right) flash.

How it applied:

In the pictures below I have on a base coat, there coats of the Essie polish, and a fast drying top coat. Typically I only like to apply two coats of polish which is exactly what I did the first time I wore this polish. The first coat was streaky, but the second covered it up and looked solid and opaque. However, this time some of the nails looked streaky after two coats (which I think was my fault because I applied the first coat too thin.) I didn't mind adding the extra coat this time because it dried flawlessly.

How it wore:

I typically wear nail polish for a week at a time and this was no exception. I had no problems with this chipping all week. On the last day my pinky chipped, but I didn't mind that because I was getting ready to change my polish later that day. I have no complaints with how this polish wore!

Retail price:

$8.50

Rating: A- (minus because it can be a little streaky with 2 coats)

-Michelle

https://instagram.com/p/6-tbmIp4lM/

Makeup: Every Day Smoked Eyeliner, Minimal Shadow

Happy Labor Day everyone! I wore this look on Saturday during the day when I met with a couple of friends for lunch (never need an excuse to stuff my face with sushi!) It is a very simple, every day look that can be achieved fairly quickly. If I am running to work in the morning I would probably skip the eyeshadow and mineral foundation and just smudge the eyeliner and apply some mascara. Shouldn't take more that 5-10 minutes. However, I had some time to play on Saturday so I did some extra steps and enjoyed the way this looked turned out. If you are interested in how to achieve this look then keep reading!

Products I Used:

• Revlon Colorstay concealer in 03 Light Medium
• Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Ivory
• Bare Minerals Original foundation in W15 Light
• Estee Lauder Deluxe All-Over Face Compact (used all of the colors, more details below)
• e.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer
• Lancome Color Design eyeshadow in Latte
• Lancome Color Focus eyeshadows in Scene and Horizon
• Sheer Satin Shadow Hypoallergenic eyeshadow (I am not sure the name of the color, but it is a sheer olive green color, looks like a shimmery champagne on the lid)
• Estee Laude Pure Color Intense Kajal Eyeliner in 02 Blacked Cocoa
• Make Up Forever Smoky Extravagant mascara (mine doesn't say a name of the color, but it's black)
• Estee Lauder Sumtuous mascara in 01 Black
• Estee Lauder Pure Color lipstick in 62 Pink Parfait
• Estee Lauder Pure Color gloss in 09 Rock Candy

Steps:

1. Apply Revlon concealer on any blemishes (pimples, scarring, redness, etc.) on the face and blend into the skin with your fingers. Avoid the undereye area.
2. Apply the Maybelline concealer under the eyes and any other area of the face that you would like to highlight. Pat, don't rub, into the skin with your ring finger as it has the most gentle touch to the delicate area. You can also use a brush or damp beauty blender, but I find that this is the quickest method.
3. Buff a light amount of Bare Minerals powder foundation all over the face. I used this to set the concealer under the eyes as well because I did not want a stark highlighted effect.
4. Prime lids with the e.l.f. eyeshadow primer.
5. Bronze the skin with Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess bronzer in 02 Medium.
6. Apply a mix of Pure Color blush in 08 Peach Passion and 02 Pink Kiss. I just dipped my brush back and forth in both before applying to my cheeks.
7. Apply Pure Color blush in 10 Lover's Blush to the highest points of the cheeks and a little over the blush you just applied for a very subtle highlight.
8. Blend the Lancome shadow in Scene all over the crease, from outer to inner corner, with a fluffy blending brush. This is a neutral, light brown transition shade.
9. Blend the Lancome shadow in Horizon into the crease. Focus this color more on the counter corner and don't bring it in as far as Scene. Keep this color towards the middle of the crease. I used the same fluffy blending brush, but you can use a smaller brush for a more precise application. However, don't forget to blend. If desired, blends a little of this color onto the lower lash line for some more definition.
10. Apply the Sheer Satin Shadow all over the lid of your eye. Use the blending brush to make sure that the crease and lid color blend at the edge of the crease.
11. Apply the Lancome shadow in Latte to the brow bone and inner corner of the eyes for a matte highlight.
12. Apply a dark brown eyeliner to the upper lash line. Thicker at the outer corner and tapering off towards the middle of the eye. Smudge the eyeliner with a brush, q-tip, spongy brush, etc. until it is a seamlessly blended.
13. If you curl your lashes, you would do that at this point. I go back and forth, but for this look I did not curl them.
14. Apply one coat of the Make Up Forever mascara to the top and bottom lashes.
15. Apply the Estee Lauder mascara to the top lashes only as the second coat of mascara, as desired.
16. Finish the look off with some lipstick and lipgloss.
17. ** If you normally fill in your eyebrows, go ahead and do that. I only do this if I am going out and doing a full face of makeup usually so I didn't touch them for this look.

 

This is a quick look that isn't too done up. You can always switch out the shadow color for something more vibrant or sultry for night time and it will look like a completely new look. Hope you enjoyed the look and have a fun Labor Day celebration!

https://instagram.com/p/7VhhsyJ4mu/

-Michelle

Makeup: Bronzed Goddess Tutorial

On Friday I attended a surprise party for one of my friends. It was an outdoor, end of summer type of dinner with a fire pit and s'mores. I decided that I would go with a neutral smoky eye for this occasion. I used mainly bronze colors. It was a cute night time look, but not too much for a BBQ style dinner. I finished the look off with a sheer berry gloss. For a step-by-step explanation of what I did to achieve the final look (pictures on the bottom) keep reading.
I apologize for some of the pictures. They turned out a little discolored. The final pictures are true to color, however!

Products I Used:

• Physicians Formula Mineral Wear powder in Natural Beige
• Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Fast Fix concealer in Medium
• Elf blush/bronzer duo in St. Lucia
• Bronzer does not show up muddy or orangy on the skin
• Blush is a pretty peachy coral color with subtle gold shimmer
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in 05 Too Cool
• Smashbox Eye Wish Palette
• Came out as a limited edition palette for the 2010 holiday season.
• For this look I used to bronzey/golden shades. They are numbered so in the step-by-step description, I will be referring to the numbers that I used to make things a little easier.
• Wild & Crazy Eyeliner in Coco Brown
• Eyelash curler
• Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes mascara in Very Black
• Stila Lip Glaze Stick in Berry.

Steps:

1. First do your face makeup as you normally would. I covered up any blemishes with my concealer first and then applied a light layer of powder foundation all over my face. I like this in the summer because it is light and absorbs any oils and perspiration on your face so you won't look shiny.

2. Contour your face using the bronzer side of your Elf duo. Focus this product in the hollows of yours cheeks (make a fish face if you have a hard time identifying your hollows), your temples and hair line, your jaw line, and a little down your neck.

3. Smile and apply the blush color to the apples of your cheeks. Blend out towards your temples.

4. Apply a thin, even layer of the Color Tattoo all over your lid as a primer. This is a white base so it will make your eyeshadow pop and be more vibrant. (You could use a bronze shade to make the lid more intense if you'd like.)

5. Using a fluffy angled shadow brush, brush on a non-shimmery color a little lighter than your skin tone (I used number 3 in the palette) to your brow bone.

6. Pack a bronze color onto a flat shader brush (I used number 5). Sweep this all over your lid over the area where you applied the Color Tattoo.

7. Dip a creese brush into a darker bronze shade (I used number 9) and put it into your outer corner. Bring it into your creese about half way. Start off with a little and then add more. It is easier to add more than to take it away.

8. Using a clean blending brush, blend out any harsh edges.

9. Pick up a gold shade (I used number 1) with the tip of your flat shader brush and dab it into the inner corner of your eyes for a highlight and to brighten that area up.

10.  Using a brown liner (you can use black, but I thought that brown wouldn't be as harsh and would go better with these shadow colors) line your upper and lower waterlines.

11. Curl your lashes and apply a coat of mascara to your upper and lower lashes.

12. Finish the look off with applying the glaze to your lips.

Here is what the finished eye look should look like:

This look does not require you to use a lot of colors and it did not take me much time to accomplish this. You will look put together and it is a nice way to work with neutrals. I tend to reach for these colors a lot all year round!

If you have any requests for specific looks/colors, leave a comment and I will be glad to come up with one for you!

- Michelle

August Favorites

Hellooo! Yes, we are a few days into September, but I thought that I would write a post on my August favorites! This is my first "favorites" post so I'll explain what they will usually include: beauty, hair, nail, and random products normally in no particular order. Let's get into them!

Beauty:

• eos lip balm in summer fruit. This smells AMAZING! It is so fruity and I literally want to eat it. It is also good at making my lips feel nice and soft.
• Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti. First off, the product is aaamazing. It is so creamy and moisturizing to the lips and the colors that I have tried out are all really pretty and pigmented, especially for a lip butter. This shade has been my favorite this month because it is a bright orange and perfect for summer and into the fall even. They aren't super long lasting (middle ground between a lipstick and a gloss), but I don't mind it at all.
• Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Loose Powder in Natural Beige. I don't like wearing a lot of makeup on my face ever, but especially in the summer. I only wore this when I went out this month and it evened out my face and looked natural. It absorbed any oils or sweat which is a plus.
• Elf Contouring Blush & Bronzer Powder in St. Lucia. They used to only have this in one color, but they recently added 2 new shades so the original one is now called St. Lucia. I love both of these colors and this is the only blush and bronzer that I used this month. The bronzer is neither orangey or muddy. Great for contouring. The blush gives your cheeks a nice peachy golden flush.
• Urban Decay 24/7 Electric eyeliner set. This came out in the later months of 2011 and was limited edition. I did buy this set around June or July in my local Nordstrom Rack and I recently saw that they still have them so yours might as well! My favorite colors this month have been Woodstock (hot pink), Ransom (purple), and Radium (aqua). I have been wearing these on my upper lash line for a pop of color. Check out my Daytime Colored Eyeliner tutorial to see how I like to wear them.
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in Too Cool. This is a frosty white color that I use all over my eyelid as a base to brighten up shadows. Stays on all day without creasing.

Hair:

• In the summer I mainly only scrunch my hair. This month I have been using Suave Mousse Max Hold. It defines my curls without making them crunchy. It gets the job done and I like how it makes my hair look.

Nails:

• Sadly, I do not know the name of this nail polish, but it is an electric blue color from Forever 21. It came in a 4-pack with the blue, a purple, a red, and a hot pink, but the individual colors did not have names and I don't think that the pack is sold anymore. That color has been my favorite this month, though. Looks great on the toes.

Random:

• Archer Farms Simply Balanced Freeze Dried Strawberries are delicious. I have been eating them all month either out of the bag or I put it into my cereal. Healthy, yummy snack.
• Lay's Kettle Cooked Jalapeno chips. I love spicy foods and these are sooooo good! I am not big on chips, but I can't resist these once in a while especially when they sell them at work. :/
• Keurig <3 My parents bought one a few weeks ago and lets just say that I am addicted to it. I am saving so much money by not buying coffee at work anymore which is a MAJOR plus. The coffee is also delicious and I can mix up the flavors and brands and everyone can make a cup of whatever coffee, tea, etc they want one after another. I have become a huge fan!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my favorite products and I hope that you comment and let me know if any of these are also your favorites. Also, let me know some of your favorite. I love discovering new products!

- Michelle

Makeup: Play On Plums Tutorial

Let me start off with this: work is draining! I hate going out after work because all I want to do is lay in bed while reading or watching tv and then go to sleep. However, last week my friends and I all gathered together for a end of Summer dinner before everyone went back to school on Monday. Who doesn't like a reason to get to do their makeup, right?

I decided to go with a pinkish/purplish eye which wasn't too overwhelming. This was a simple going out look with very few products. You don't have to use these products, but this is what I used and the steps that I took to achieve the final look.

Products I Used:

• Physicians Formula Mineral Wear powder in Natural Beige
• Lightweight powder foundation that looks natural on the skin
• Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Fast Fix concealer in Medium
• Elf blush/bronzer duo
• Bronzer does not show up muddy or orangy on the skin
• Blush is a pretty peachy coral color with subtle gold shimmer
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in 05 Too Cool
• MAC mineralize eyeshadow in Play on Plums
• Came out with the Electroflash collection in 2008 and was repromoted in 2010
• peachy golden bronzey pinky color on one half and a bronzey purple burgundy on the other
• MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder (plain rich black color)
• Eyelash curler
• Smashbox Lash DNA mascara in black
• MAC lipglass in Cha Cha
• Came out with the spring 2010 Color Forecast collection
• Pinky coral color with gold and pink shimmer

Steps:

1. First do your face makeup as you normally would. I covered up any blemishes with my concealer first and then applied a light layer of powder foundation all over my face. I like this in the summer because it is light and absorbs any oils and perspiration on your face so you won't look shiny.

2. Contour your face using the bronzer side of your Elf duo. Focus this product in the hollows of yours cheeks (make a fish face if you have a hard time identifying your hollows), your temples and hair line, your jaw line, and a little down your neck.

3. Smile and apply the blush color to the apples of your cheeks. Blend out towards your temples.

4. Apply a thin, even layer of the Color Tattoo all over your lid as a primer. This is a white base so it will make your eyeshadow pop and be more vibrant.

5. Mix all of the colors on the lighter side of the eyeshadow duo onto a flat shader brush. Once the color is packed on the brush, apply the color to your entire lid.

Tip: Apply it using a patting motion, not a sweeping motion to avoid any fallout.

6. Swirl a crease brush in the darker side of the shadow duo mixing all of the colors together. Pat your brush into your outer-v area of the eye. Then sweep the color into your crease.  Wipe off your brush and blend the two colors until they smoothly transition into each other.

7. Using a small pencil brush, apply some of the darker shadow onto the outer 1/2 of your lower lash line.

8. Using a fluffy brush, pick up some of the champaign color (it's okay if a little light pink gets on the brush) on the lighter side of the shadow and sweep it across your brow bone as a highlight. Blend it with your crease color for a smooth transition. Also apply some of that color to your inner corner to open up your eyes.

9. Apply a thin line of black liner (I used pencil, but you can use pencil, liquid, gel, etc.) to your upper lash line. Follow the shape of your eye. You can make it a little ticker toward the end of your eye but keep it think near the inner corner.

10. Curl your lashes and apply two coats of black mascara to your top lashes and one coat to your bottom lashes.

11. Finish the look off with applying a layer of gloss to your lips.

You will look look you put a lot of time and effort into this effortless look. It is a natural look using colors. It will also make green eyes look super green! Purples and pinks have that effect. I think this is a perfect look for a dinner with family/friends/a date or just hanging out at night.

- Michelle

Makeup: Daytime Colored Eyeliner Tutorial

On a day to day basis I am not one to wear a ton of makeup. My daily look usually consists of a little bit eye liner, mascara, and lip gloss. Considering it being summer right now, I enjoy switching up the usual black or brown eye liner for a colored liner. This is look is EXTREMELY simple. Here are some tips to wearing a colored liner.

Products I Used:

• Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Woodstock
• Smashbox Lash DNA mascara in black
• Stila lip glaze stick in fruit punch

Steps:

1. Using your favorite colored liner (pencil, gel, liquid, etc.) draw a thin line on your upper lash line. Don't overdo it. You want a pop of color not a colored in lid.

2. Curl your lashes and apply your favorite mascara to your upper and lower lashes.

3. Since this is a day look and you have a pop of color on your eyes, don't overdo the lips. I used a sheer pink gloss stick to wrap the look together.

This is a super quick look that won't take up much of your time in the morning, but it makes you look fun and put together. If you have a little more time, you can put on a light wash of pink blush to your cheeks.

Michelle