Halloween Nails

 

 

I love painting my nails to coordinate with holidays. Since I was planning on painting my nails to coordinate with my Cotton Candy Costume this year, I decided to keep it simple.

 

Left hand, Coral by American Apparel with Cassandra by Shimmer Nail Polish on top.

Right Hand, Black Crème by Wet N Wild with Cassandra by Shimmer Nail Polish on top.

 

I really like this look, and I plan on trying it out with other color schemes!

 

Halloween Make up Look - Cotton Candy

This year for Halloween, I went as Cotton Candy. I went to a couple different Halloween parties on different nights, so I had slight variations to my make up and hair.

On all three nights I wore the same eye shadow. Rimmel Scandal Eyes eyeliner in Light Blue topped with a matte baby blue eyeshadow (part of an old Sephora eyeshadow palette). With giant thick eyelashes of course.


This was the first party I went to. I wore Mac's St. Germain on my lips

 

 

This is the second party I went to. I made that hair fascinator out of tulle (it cost about $1). On my lips I wore Mac Gaga lipstick.

 

I used Spirit gum to glue on sequins. But each day I did a slightly different pattern. I can't decide which I like better. The sequins were just random ones that I had in my craft box (all purchased from Michael's).

 

On actual Halloween I wore my make up like this. I wore Revlon Lip gloss in Pinkissimo.

 

 

 

Here is a photo of my boyfriend and I on Halloween. Adam went as Guile from Street Fighter. I painted on the American flag using Mac "waveline" gel liner, nyx jumbo stick in "Milk" and a red lipstick. We bought yellow hairspray so he could look more like a cartoon, but it made his blonde hair look green for some reason.

 

  

 

 I had so much fun doing this type of make up application, I think I'm going to try something similar but more subdued for my New Year's Eve Makeup.

 

Happy Halloween!

 

 

Kiss Nail Dress- Nail Stickers

$6.99 at Rite Aid

 

As much as I love paining my nails, I have never tried one of these stick on nail appliques before. Since I had such good luck with the glue on nails, I decided to give these a try.

 

The kit came with 28 nail stickers and a mini file. I chose this snow leopard print with rainbow jewels. To be honest, this color option looks quite tacky in the box. But I really liked it on my nails.

 

The direction make it sound super simple, which it is, but it is also time consuming. All you have to do is clean your nails, place the sticker on and file off the edges. But it takes forever to file.

Here is a nail before I filed it away. It was easier to cut off the excess nail with scissors, and then file the remaining sticker.

 

As you can tell, my first few nails look like garbage. The closer to the real nail I got, the harder it was to file it away without filing my skin. My fingertips felt sore by the end of it all. It would have been less painful if my nails were longer. Which is funny, because I clipped them and field them down right before I started to apply these.

 

From far away, they look nice, but up close you can see bad placement of the sticker and extra sticker hanging off the side.

 

 

It being my first time with any type of product like this I found them to be a total pain in the butt. However, I loved the way they looked when I was done. I think it took me about 45 mins to apply them and file them appropriately. The next morning however, I felt like they still didn't look perfect so I kept filing away. As much as I did, I never felt like they looked perfect. But I got tons of compliments on them, and I enjoyed the overall look. They lasted a full 7 days. I think I could have gone a bit longer with them, but I was tired of them and wanted to change the color(I usually change my polish every 3 days because I get bored). Hopefully I will get better at applying this type of nail applique because I definitely want to try out other colors because they are just so cute on the nail.

 

Overall:

Time consuming, and they don't look perfect, but they are super cute so it might be worth it if you are into nail designs.

 

 

 

Vita E Brushable Hold Professional Hairspray

$6.49
Sally Beauty Supply

 

I felt like I had been on the hunt for months looking for a great flexible hold hairspray that wouldn't leave my hair feeling gross if I didn't wash it the next day. Duh, Sally Beauty has like a hundred hairsprays to choose from, and I finally found this one. It is EXACTLY what I was looking for.

 

 When I wear my hair natural and wavy, I always put it up in a high pony tail in the morning. I slick back my hair with hairspray and a soft brush and leave it like that for about an hour, then I let my hair down. This always helps with fly aways and frizz for the rest of the day. With medium to heavy duty hairsprays, I would always get crusty hair when I would let my hair down. And the next morning my hair would be funky from the hairspray(I wash my hair every three days, so I always need my hairstyle to last). So I tried light hairsprays, that felt nicer in the hair, but they didn't hold my frizz down. 

 

Then I found this Vita E Hairspray! It does it all for me. I love it so much. I can even spray it all over my hair from root to tips, without crunchy or flaking. I can't believe I went so long in my life without it. I have been using this for about six months now and it is my favorite hairspray. I was inspired to write a review on it because my sister has started using it and is in love with it too. 

 

It has medium hold that is completely brushable, moveable and feels soft in the hair.It also leaves no funky hairspray residue behind in your hair. I have used it to set styles done with a curling iron or because it isn't a very "wet" hairspray. It has little to no scent.

 

 Just so you know, this will not replace a more heavy duty hairspray for up-dos and styles that you want to be indestructible like for special events. But for everyday use, this is a WINNER!

 

The only thing I don't like about this hairspray is the packaging. It has this old, 1970's vibe to it. But I can get over that.

 

These photos were taken without the white cap because my sister lost it. But the cap is nothing special, its just plain and boring.

Moon's Harvest Bath Melt and Bath Bomb

Bath Melt-a-way in Fairy Dust $3.85

Bath Bomb in Rain $3.85 + $0.75 for butterball

 

 I usually only take baths in Fall/Winter because summer in California is way too hot for a bath. But now that I am living in Washington, freezing my butt off, I have been hopping in the tub a lot more. Here are two of my favorite bath additives I have been using lately.

 

Moon's Harvest website here.

 

Moon's Harvest is a bath company that sells bath bombs, soap, lotion and more. I think of it as a cheaper, better version of Lush, but with out the skincare. I have ordered from them a few times, and each time I am very impressed with the quality and quantity of product.

 

 

Fairy Dust : This Melt-a-way can be used by crumbling over the runningbath water. It makes the water a light pink color and makes my skin feel nice and soft. These bath melts can be hard to rinse out of your hair because they are so moisturizing. The scent lingers for about 10 minutes, but I can still smell it on my skin when I get out to dry off. It smells gorgeous. The site has a really long fragrance description:

"Fairy Dust- Fresh lemon peel creates a sparkling accent for the sunny fruit accord that opens this fragrance.  A rich fruity floral signature balances night blooming jasmine with fresh cassis, while hints of ozone create a shimmering effect.  Complex musk tones intertwine with rare woods and a hint of vanilla at the base of the scent."

Ok so I don't know all about that, but the best way that I can describe this scent, is that it smells like a Lush store. That kind of everything all at once smell that is amazing. Which is why this is my second favorite scent from Moon's Harvest that I have tried.

 

 

 

Rain : Is a huge bath bomb (30-50% bigger than a Lush bath bomb) that is almost the size of a softball. I recommend chopping it in half and getting two baths out of it. You have the option on their site to add a butterball, which is basically an extra dollop of moisturizer in the center of the ball. I almost always add it because I have dry skin. And it really works. My skin is sooo soft after a bath with this. The bath water was a a light grayish blue color. The scent, Rain is amazing! It is my favorite scent from here. I originally received it as a sample size lotion and fell in love with it and started buying it in another items. The website's scent description is:

"Rain-A fresh, crisp, moist scent. Refreshing and green, strong and uplifting!. Inspired by the scent of rain, this scent combines lush greens & sweet muguet with a slight woodsy bottom note..."

To me it is the best version of a clean rain or ocean scent I have ever experienced. It smells cool and fresh and clean. I know it is weird to describe a smell like that, but that's the best I can do :) I feel like the bath bombs pack more punch when it comes to scents.

 

 

Glue On Nails

Pretty Woman Advanced Nail Care
$6.99 at Rite Aid

PRO Professional Nail Glue $2.49 at Rite Aid


I had been itching to get acrylic nails but didn't want to commit to them so I started looking around the nail aisle at Rite Aid. I tried a pack of these glue on nails when I was in high school and they popped off within a day. Ever since, I have never thought twice about trying them again. But with nail décor so popular right now, there are tons of these on the shelves and they have been really hard to ignore recently. So I thought, what the hell, let's give them a go. I didn't trust the glue that came with them, so I bought some.

I chose this matte purple with metallic silver tips. It came with 24 nails, and I think both tiny and jumbo nail beds could find a match.

 

 

 

 The whole process took about 15 minutes. I covered my entire nail with the glue and then pressed the nail down for about a minute. Each one worked great, except one of them cracked a little towards the cuticle. I couldn't believe how quick and easy it was! The next morning I woke up and I was missing a pinkie nail :(  But it was on my pillow. Just what I expected, but I glued it back on anyways, thinking my experiment was over. But it wasn't!!! I ended up being so SURPRISED. All the nails lasted 5 full days before another one fell off(while putting on a seat belt). I glued that one back on and then on day 7, three flipped off, and I decided to take them all off. I pretty much just tore them off with tweezers. Some came off easy, some were difficult to get off. One of my pinkie nails would not budge. It took another day to get that one off. The nail glue left behind some residue for about a week, even after I tried using acetone and buffing to remove it.

 

 

I absolutely loved the way these came out. And I got SOOOOO many compliments on them. I was able to save six of them when I tore them off, and since there are another 14 still in the box, I plan on getting 1-2 more uses out of them. I might try to be more careful next time when I take them off to preserve more of them.

 

Have you ever tried glue on nails? What did you think?

 

Revlon Top Speed Nail Polish "Lily"

$5.99
Rite Aid

 

I have had this nail polish for a while now, and I love it. I for some reason thought it was a spring time limited edition, but I've seen it a few different places so it must be permanent.

 

 

 

 

As we have already been plunged into Autumn, I have been noticing all the deep vampy shades of nail polishes (wine, emerald and navy) everywhere. However, I am still digging pastel nails. Sure, they always look better with a tan, but I'm just gonna keep on rockin them!

 

As lavender nail polishes go, this one is really good. Lavender polishes tend to be thin and streaky, requiring upwards of 3-4 coats just to get solid opacity. "Lily" by Revlon is great, two coats is all you need to achieve the look in the pics. I own quite a few pastel purple polishes, and this is by far the best. Easy to apply and it lasts 4 days on my nails before chipping(I am extremely rough on my nails). When I run out, I will most definitely re-purchase!

 

 

 

 

Revlon ColorStay Under Eye Concealer

$9.99

Light/Medium

Ulta

 

As a long time lover of the Revlon Colorstay Foundation, I don't know why it took me so long to try this concealer. But I finally did, so here goes the review!

 

I wear a 240 in the Revlon Colorstay Foundation, so I thought Medium would be the right shade, but I usually buy a shade lighter for my under eye concealers, so that's how I ended up with Light/Medium, which is perfect for me. The packaging for this concealer is like a Stila Lip Gloss, you have to click up the product by twisting the bottom. Sometimes this can be annoying because it is hard to control how much product comes out. The sponge tip has a soft texture, but it is hard and doesn't feel nice rubbing it under your eye. You really need a light hand not to hurt yourself with it. The concealer itself is very thick and creamy, but once it sets, it become very dry.This makes it last all day. I have to make sure that I wear eye cream when using this or the concealer will crease and get all dry. If you have oily skin, this will work really well. If you have super dry skin, I'd say just stay away from it all together.

I tried using it to cover blemishes and worked pretty good. I actually applied it over my foundation, applied powder, and then put a second coat of concealer on. And it didn't budge ALL day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I look really pale in this photo, but I've had the concealer on for 8 hours and you still can't see my dark circles.

 

Overall:

I really like this concealer, I just wish the sponge tip was softer (more like the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Concealer). Other than that, it is a really good heavy duty concealer.

 

Raccoon Mittens

$7.99 at Kohls (Originally $12.99)
"So" brand? That is what's on the tag in the first pic.

These aren't really a beauty or a crafting item, but they are just so cute, I had to share them on here.
So I just moved to Washington from Southern California two months ago and I can't believe how cold it is already (and it's only Fall). So I am on the hunt for anything and everything warm, it's just a bonus if it's also cute. These gloves came in about a dozen different animal motifs, bunny, fox, owl, penguin...

 

Walgreens Lip Balm - EOS DUPE

$2.50 (or $2.79 I can't remember, sorry )

Walgreens

As far as I can tell, this is the only flavor they are currently offering.

 

 

Here it is! The first dupe for the EOS Lip Balm that I have seen. I would have just looked right past it, however the thing that actually made me stop and buy it is the scent, Watermelon. I love watermelon but I really love love love love love watermelon candy. It's weird but I actually prefer the weird artificial flavor or scent of watermelon rather than the real thing. So I had to have this, and it did not disappoint. It smells like watermelon candy - YUM! And the packaging is so cute, it's green on the outside and pink on the inside just like a real watermelons

.

Okay, so other than the shape of the package, it's not really similar to the EOS balms. It's made out of this super cheap feeling plastic which is smooth, making it hard to get a grip on and open. The EOS balms have a nice slightly rubbery feel to them and they are super easy to open. The dome of product is smaller and there is a bit of a plateau. The texture isn't like the EOS balms at all, it's more creamy and slippery, whereas the EOS are a bit more waxy. Which makes the EOS a better candidate to be worn under lipstick.

 

 

 EOS Strawberry on right for size comparisons.

 

 

 

Overall:

 -Formula = I like both formulas for different reasons, but I think if I had to choose, I would go with the EOS.

-Flavor =  I love this watermelon flavor and the EOS balms have been hit or miss with me (I hate the tangerine but love the blueberry and mint). 

-Packaging = Cheap and bunk.

 

 

 

 

~

 

 Wait, that's not right ha ha. They actually don't fit together...

 

but these do! Isn't this cute, I swapped the lids for my Strawberry and Blueberry EOS lip balms. 

 I just did it to be silly, but I like it so much, I might start carrying them around like this!

Sally Hansen Invisible Lip Liner

$6.99

Rite Aid

 

This is exactly what it sounds like, an invisible lip liner. Ok so I had two thoughts when I first saw this:

A. This is AMAZING!!!! I MUST BUY NOW!!!!

B. It must be a gimmick because if this is so amazing then why would there be any other lip liner in the universe?

 

 

Ok so its a twist up pencil (I hate sharpening make up pencils!) and it is completely clear on all colors of lips. It has the consistency of a lip balm, but is considerably more dry then a lip balm. It feels a little bit lighter on the lips than your average lip liner. It can in fact be worn with any shade of lipstick. However, it seems completely pointless under a super shiny or creamy lip stick. So you are probably wondering how well does it work. It works okay. Nothing to write home about, but it is a great pencil to keep in your purse so you can always be covered. But the main problem is that because it's clear, it adds no dimension to your lips, which is something about lip liner that I love. Also, you know how lip liner can make you look super sleek and chic because your lips look perfect, this doesn't achieve that type of look either. But it does work well to help hold the outer rim of your lipstick on. I tried applying all over my entire lips to see if it would be an awesome lip primer. It seemed to add a little bit of extra texture to my lips, that I'm sure nobody but me noticed. But it did work well to hold my lipstick on for a bit longer (nothing compared to Urban Decay Lip Primer, but it definetly added it least 2 hours to a lipstick). But the problem with that is the surface area of the tip of the product is silly for full lip application. I think Sally Hansen should re-package this lip liner and sell it as a lip primer in the form of a lip stick.

Overall:
 I don't use it everyday, but I like having it. When I run out, I will probably not re-purchase.

Wet N Wild Fergie Lipsticks

$3.49 each

Walgreens

Fergie Daily, V.I. Pink and Fuchsinista

(left to right in first photo)

 

All three of these are part of the new Wet N Wild Fergie Collection. There are around 10 shades of lipsticks. I chose these three because they are right up my alley. Each swatch is one swipe across my hand.

 

 

 

~ 

 

 This is Fergie Daily, a gorgeous creamy nude. I LOVE THIS LIPSTICK! It reminds me of Revlon "Nude Attitude" but not matte. It feels amazing on the lips as it glides on so smoothly. It has instantly become one of my all time favorite Drugstore Lipsticks. Wearing power isn't all that great, it last about 3 hours. But because of the color, it's easy to re-apply, even without a mirror. There is a slightly darker nude shade offered in this collection call Bebot Love, if you think Fergie Daily is too light for you.

 

 

Swatch photo has left swipe of color multiple times, and right swipe just once. 

 

 

~

 

 

This is V.I.Pink, an opaque medium bubblegum pink. It is nowhere near as creamy as Fergie Daily. It needs a lip balm to be applied underneath or it is just not nice to put on.

 

 

 

This color is almost a dead on dupe for Mac Snob, both in color and consistency. 

The swatch is V.I.Pink on top and Snob on bottom. They swatch ever so slightly different, but I'm telling you, on the lips they are identical. I have had Mac Snob for a while, and I can never seem to use it up because I don't like the texture. So I was bummed with V.I.Pink being a dupe for it. Don't get me wrong, I love the color of both of these, but the texture is just so ughh.

 

  

 ~

  

This is Fuchsinista, a gorgeous magenta with a slight purple sheen to it. It's texture is somewhere between the other two shades listed above. So it still feels good when applied, but it lasts longer on the lips. This color really suits me, and I found it complimented my complexion. I have noticed a trend with me lately that I have been buying nothing but magenta lipsticks. So I have about 5 dupes for this (all more expensive I might add). But I like it a lot anyways.

 

 

 Overall:

Fergie Daily is a MUST for all nude lip lovers.

V.I. Pink is poop, unless you are looking for a Snob dupe.

Fuchsinista is pretty, but by no means unique. But the price makes it a good option for magenta lips.

 

Muah!