Monday, September 26, 2011

Frankenpolish + Crackle Polish

I've tried to make nail polish with eyeshadow multiple times before, but it always ends up clumpy!
I know, I know, the solution to that is to add polish thinner, but I don't own any! lol

After not trying this for awhile, I decided to give it a try again.
I used an eyeshadow palette by Profusion that I got from Ross for around $6 that I never use.
They're all shimmery shades, and there are some beautiful shades, but the eyeshadow really stinks! lol I just don't like it, and the the colors are sort of hard to blend.

So I scraped some powder loose and mixed it with clear polish and stirred, and here's what I got:

This is the franken polish next to the original eyeshadow. You can see the purple duochrome from the eyeshadow actually translated onto the nails- I was excited for that!
But, it was pretty clumpy.

Here's a better picture of the nails, and all their clumpy glory!
Apparently this color is very similar to an Orly polish and, it's almost identical to the new breast cancer OPI Pink Shatter.

So after having this on my nails, I picked up a gold crackle polish by Color Club at Rue 21 for $4. I threw it over my pink nails, and this is how it looked:
The Color Club crackle was very hard to work with, as it all clumped up in the top of the bottle as I was trying to use it, but it did have good results. I saw online that Color Club's gold crackle actually has a name- "Tattered in Gold," but my bottle is unnamed. (Because it's from Rue21?)

So then I tried to franken a second polish, with the same palette.
Since I Had such a clumpy mess the first time, I tried adding some nail polish remover to my franken to thin it out, but that just made the polish dry really weird- and it was still clumpy.
So, I just threw the gold crackle(shatter? whichever.) over it!

Have you tried making your own polishes before?
The palette I have is pretty large, so maybe I'll finally get some polish thinner so I can try out all the pretty colors on my nails, that don't work so well on my eyes.

P.S.
-It has been raining here for the past 4 or 5 days, and it's not supposed to stop for another 3 or so days. So gloomy!
-Starting this week, I have to get up for work 3 times a week at 5:30 am. It's like school all over again, but hey! that's life!

Happy polishing!
-Posh


Sunday, September 25, 2011

Kitten Heel

If someone were to ask me what my favorite eyeshadow color of all times would be, I would consider answering with:
Lacome Kitten Heel eyeshadow.
I've had this tiny sample sized eyeshadow quad for almost 4 or so years now, that I had taken from an old box of things my mom no longer used. I think she had either gotten it as a free gift with a purchase somewhere, or she got it at TJ Maxx, I can't remember.
But it's one of the colors in the palette.
I've looked at buying this eyeshadow multiple times, but I just can't bring myself to spend $18 on single eyeshadow! I have seen the eyeshadow in a quad on Amazon for around $9, so I maaaaay buy that. (maybe lol)
This is what it looks like. It's a gorgeous pink tone with a gold sheen.
It just looks great on my skintone, and works with any crease color- black, brown, purple, etc.

So, I recently realized, maybe I do have a dupe for this in my collection after all.
ELF Essentials  Natural Radiance Blusher in Glow
and for comparison purposes, I added in ELF Studio Single Eyeshadow in Sunset, because it has a similar gold sheen like Kitten Heel does, but it has a different base color.


Left to right:
ELF Studio Single Eyeshadow in Sunset, ELF Essentials Natural Radiance Blusher in Glow, Lancome Color Design Sensational Effects Eyeshadow in Kitten Heel

As you can see, Kitten Heel certainly outshines the others with a golden sheen. After seeing Kitten Heel up against Glow, I've noticed KH has a lot more of a plum base than I originally thought, and Glow has a brighter pink base.  But I have to say Glow is rather close to Kitten Heel! Not an exact dupe though, probably sisters! :) Sunset is like a cousin. :)

On a side note, my ELF Essentials Glow blush busted everywhere the first time I opened it, so I dumped it into an empty minerals container I had. I'm definitely going to try this on my eyes tomorrow and see how I like it in comparison to Kitten Heel.

I've heard that Millani Powder Eyeshadow Singles in Illusion is a dupe for Kitten Heel, but I haven't gotten my hands on that yet!

Have you tried any of these items?
What's your all time favorite eyeshadow?

Monday, September 19, 2011

Top Coat Confusion!

I've been using Nail Life's Speed Demon Quick Drying Top Coat every time I paint my nails. It's finally getting down to the last bit in the bottle, and what's left got so thick I couldn't use it.
Also, I noticed after about 2 days of painting my nails, my polish peeled off in sheets.
So, I made myself use up the top coat, until I couldn't use it anymore!
I did some research and decided the next quick dry top coat I was going to try was INM's Out The Door.
But here's a little tip at how I came to this conclusion:

I wanted to buy Seche Vite. I really did. BUT since the main ingredient is TOULENE (ew!), which is known to cause cancer in the state of California- I'll pass!
I actually had a dream last night that they reformulated Seche Vite to be Toulene free- YEAH RIGHT!
My subconscious didn't even want me to use a nail polish with toulene in it!

So I came across this lovely blog post, which was SO INCREDIBLY helpful in helping my choose a top coat.

http://www.just-nice-things.co.uk/2010/10/25/quickdry-topcoat-comparison/

I headed to Sally's and had it narrowed down to China Glaze Fast Forward, and INM Out The Door.
OTD was on sale for $5, retails for $6, while FF was $6, so I picked up OTD this time.
Let's hope it works as well as I'm expecting it to!

Happy painting, everyone!

P.S. Shout out to my newest follower?! Was it you, Sam? I can't tell who the newest follower is!
Thanks for following!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Comparison: ELF Studio Blush in Gotta Glow vs. ELF Studio Single Eyeshadow in Buttercream

These two products from ELF are very similar. They both retail for $3 from Eyeslipsface.com.
The blush is a lot larger in size, but the packaging is otherwise the same.
But how do they compare?
Well, I'll start out by saying this is the second Gotta Glow that I have owned. I feel like the first one was more of a very pale golden color with gold shimmer, while the second one's base color is more white than the first one.

Gotta glow is a whitish gold with gold shimmer. Buttercream is a pale gold with gold shimmer.
I like to use these both on my browbone and/or as a cheek highlight.
I used to use Gotta Glow every day, but since the second one I purchased wasn't as beautiful as the first one-(Did I get a bad one or did the formula change?), I've been using other products I own for highlighters. 
I definitely reach for Buttercream more often. I apply it with the ELF Studio contour blush under my brow bone. This is my favorite brow bone eyeshadow shade that I own. It just works very well with my skin tone, and it works with every eyeshadow shade.
For the price though, since you get more product, Gotta Glow is the better buy. I prefer Buttercream though because it is just more of a golden glow when applied.


Without flash: Gotta Glow on left, Buttercream on right.
You can see the base colors very well here. Gotta Glow is a very pale gold, where Buttercream is a warmer gold. Therefore, Gotta Glow might be best for cool skintones, whereas Buttercream might be best for warm skintones. Ultimately though, one product was meant for eyes whereas the other was meant for cheeks, but they are both versatile products.

With flash: GG on left, BC on right.
See how similar? Yet Buttercream still comes off slightly more golden than GG. 
(Ignore my feetsies in the pic!)

Buttercream on left, Gotta Glow on right.

 Buttercream on top, Gotta Glow on Left.

Do you own either of these? Which one would you buy?
I love Buttercream because it's so small and compact, it's easy to travel with. I use it quite often, as it's interchangeable with any lid and crease color.

(Side note: I purchased Gotta Glow on Eyeslipsface.com, but I SCORED Buttercream at a Dollar Tree while out of town a few months ago for $1-they now have them at my local Dollar Tree, so scope yours out for it, as it retails for $3!)

Friday, September 9, 2011

FOTD

Face:
Rimmel Clean Finish Foundation in Soft Beige
Elf Studio Complexion Perfection
Hard Candy Fox In A Box Blush in Skinny Dipping
Elf Essentials Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Luminance
Elf Studio Contour& Blush Duo- Bronzer only
Elf Studio Concealer Pencil & Brush in Fair

Eyes:
Elf Essentials Eyelid primer in Pearl
Wet and Wild Color Icon Trio in I'm Getting Sunburned- Gold Shade only, applied wet.
Elf Studio Single Eyeshadow in Sunset
Elf Essentials Brightening Eye Quad in Luxe, First and third shade.
Elf Studio Cream Eyeliner in Copper
Elf Studio Volumizing & Lengthening Mascara in Black

Brows:
Elf Essentials Mascara and Brow Gel in Crystal
Elf Studio Brow Kit in Dark-Gel side only

Lips:
Elf Studio Minty Lipgloss in San Diego.

A friend of mine on Facebook asked what "FOTD" meant, (on a makeup group page I'm a member of), and another member replied, "Fuck Out The Door??"
I found this quite hilarious and needed to share it with you beauties. I replied and said a Fuck Out The Door is what you do when you have <5 minutes to apply your makeup and get out the door!
If you're young, excuse our potty mouths! :)
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Monday, September 5, 2011

August Favorites

Want to know which products I've been loving lately?!

ELF Essentials Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Mascara
I use this on my brows daily. After it dries, I apply the gel side of the ELF Studio Brow Kit in Dark. This stuff lifts my eyebrows, keeps them in place, and makes my eyebrow arch more visible.

ELF Studio Golden Bronzer
This really isn't a bronzer, I use it as a highlight. It's really pretty! I like how there's four different shades, or the the swirled together shade. You can use this as a highlighter, or use the different shades on the eyes.

ELF Studio Cream Eyeliner in Black
My super watery eyes are no match for this liner's staying power!

ELF Studio Matte Lipcolor in Coral
This is such a GORGEOUS shade. The pencil is a lot bigger than it looks online too.

Rimmel Clean Finish Foundation in 240 Soft Beige
LOVE this foundation! and it's sooo cheap! $4 for 1 oz!
I apply this with:
ELF Studio Powder Brush

Hard Candy Fox In A Box Blush in Skinny Dipping

This blush is AMAZING! It's so pigmented and smooth. I love the unique color, it looks great on my skintone.

Revlon Top Speed Fast Dry Nail Polish in Royal
This is SO MUCH PRETTIER than this picture shows. I didn't want to steal anyone's swatch pictures, so seriously, go google this! 

LA Colors Nail Polish Remover Pads

I have these in Peach and Melon. I found these at Family Dollar a few weeks ago. (After hunting every other store around for them. I bought six when I finally found these!) I recently saw them in The Dollar Tree though!