Sunday Funday: Candy Lacquers!

Hi ladies! I am so excited for this post! Like, Christmas morning as a seven-year-old excited, because I love this brand. If you follow me on twitter, you might have seen me excitedly tweeting about these as I swatched them last week. I stumbled upon these accidentally when I saw a post that Candy Lacquer's shop was open and checked it out. I was able to snag three:

As soon as they came in, I was in love! I love the labeling and the polishes themselves. Below the cut I have swatches of these three!

NOTD: Love-ly Weekend

Hello hello hellooooooo! What are you all up to this weekend? I'm away... again! This time I'm away with my boyfriend for my birthday, which was last month but we're celebrating now. We were planning on the beach but, like last weekend, it's predicted to rain so we're going to be in Boston exploring Harvard and stuff. He's adamant that we will be walking the beach in the rain and to be prepared. Rain boots? Flip Flops? Barefoot? I'm uneducated on rainy beach wear!

Anywho, today I'm showing you my weekend mani! It's really simple but it conveys what I was hoping for! I used two (or was it three?) coats of Essie French Affair, which, according to the sound of the name, should be a French mani type polish but is definitely opaque pink. While the top coat was drying, I added hot pink holo hearts to the accent fingers (ring and thumb) and then two coats of Gelous on top.

Low light

In artificial light

I got a little help from my friends on this mani: Alaina, Robyn, and Amanda all helped me via Twitter to decide which base and which color hearts looked best. They didn't know it was all mushy-gushy-lovey-dovey-weekend-with-my-boyfriend themed, but they helped nonetheless ;)

xoxo,
Amanda

Facial Moisturizers

Hi girls! How's your day going? I hope it's going pretty well.. this is actually a scheduled post and I'm writing this a) the night I got my new kitty and b) in the middle of an anxiety attack in an attempt to calm my nerves (it's working!). Hopefully when I re-read this or when you read this, I'll be much better ;) but anywho, today I'm continuing my Face Friday posts (until I run out of products to test, and then we're in trouble.). I have some of the moisturizers I've tried on my face. I also used a Ponds-like face cream but, man, that's not even worth posting because it's so old-ladyish and it was too thick so I gave it to my boyfriend for his rosacea. ANYWAY. I'm queen of the off-track tonight.

From Polyvore.com

Clean & Clear Oil-Free Morning Glow
Pros: cheap; easy to find; nice scent; contains SPF; fun commercial pops in my head whenever I use it ;)
Cons: the microbeads were kind of weird to apply; the cream was kind of lumpy and strange on my skin; realized upon reviewing this that they test on animals :(
Overall: Not bad, good for a basic moisturizer if you don't have any special skin needs (moisture, rosacea, acne, etc.) but a MAJOR flaw for me is animal testing!

From Neutrogena.com

Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturizer (Combination Skin)
Pros: cheap; easy to find; good texture (not too thin but not thick); pump makes it easy to use
Cons: no SPF; tests on animals :(
Overall: I liked this product until I looked up the animal testing portion, now it'll be a no-no for me as other products are available that I like that don't practice this!





CVS Brand SPF 15 Moisturizer Compare to Neutrogena's (no picture available online and it's at my boyfriend's! Oops, no pic! Sorry!)
Pros: liked this *more* than Neutrogena's; absorbs well; good texture (comparable to Neutrogena); cheap (even cheaper than any of the other options listed); easy to find; CVS is not on the "does test"; list from Peta.org; contains SPF
Cons: None that I can think of!
Overall: Great product, this is one I'd re-purchase.

From MakeUpForLife.net

Murad Anti-Aging Moisturizer with SPF 20 (sample included in Anti-Aging Acne Kit)
Pros: absorbs well; SPF 20; made for people with acne so it seemed good with my skin; not listed on the "does test" list
Cons: high price point
Overall: I love this moisturizer, but not sure I can justify the price point when CVS seems to be a comparable replacement

Exuviance Night Renewing Hydragel (included in Acne Introductory Kit)
Pros: *excellent* overnight moisturizer; amazing scent (to me, anyway); felt really lightweight; absorbs well and good texture; not on the "does test" list
Cons: high price point
Overall: I ADORE this product, truly. If it wasn't so darn expensive, I'd buy it. But right now I'm a no-buy especially for things like this where I don't need it and can buy alternative daily moisturizers instead. Someday, it'll come home with me again.

Overall, my favorites were Exuviance and CVS. CVS remains at my boyfriend's as my daily moisturizer until Neutrogena runs out here, then I'll buy a replacement bottle. Exuviance remains at Ulta, waiting for the day I have coupons or a splurge-excuse ;)

Have you tried any of these? Any suggestions or favorites of yours?

xoxo,
Amanda

On Wednesdays We Wear Pink: Zoya Renee

Hello hello! How is everyone's week going? I'm noticing my makeup and jewelry posts aren't viewed or commented too often; I've heard you loud and clear! LOL I'm going to include them from time-to-time but I'll be more focused on nails from here on out... or at least I'll do my best as long as my nails cooperate :)

Today I have for you a very lovely crelly polish by Zoya: Renee! I got this on clearance at Ulta way back when and there were literally three nearly identical colors and my ex had to help me narrow it down to pick just one, which was Renee. I just got around to wearing it recently and here she is in all her glory (my cuticles, though, are in no glory. Ignore those scene-stealing jerks.)

I only have one photo of this lovely because a) it was nighttime so there was no natural light to speak of b) I have no room in my apartment for a lightbox and c) it was the only one where I wasn't completely dissatisfied with my photography skills. Okay, I'm done with my self-criticism.

Here I used two coats and no top coat. I ended up going back to add another coat and TC because I just wanted to make sure it was all even and perfect. This is a crelly type finish; it was more opaque than a jelly, but not quite creme and very squishy looking IRL. It's much more magenta IRL as well, this makes it look like a mauve-y pink.

What do you ladies think?

FYI: Nail Documentary

Hi girls! Happy Monday (?)! Quick post today because I just wanted to share something my friend Julia showed me which I'm sure will be near and dear to all of our hearts. She shared with me a trailer for a documentary about nail art! I haven't seen this yet but thought it was really cool and is just another way that nail polish and art are becoming more mainstream. Here's the trailer:



There's one screenshot I took of a board of nails, one with a bunch of bows and it inspired me! I want to try this soon - and hopefully, it can inspire us all to try out our artistic side since we can only get better with practice! Nail wheels are a great way to try stuff out, which is shown on lots of nail wheels in the trailer. Let me know what you think! I didn't create this, but it seems really apropos :)

xoxo,
Amanda

Jewelry Trend: Stacked Bangles

Hello! How's everyone's day going? I'm writing this with cramps but with my kitten next to me... so it all balances out! As you're reading this, I'm away for the weekend with my BFF at the beach on Cape Cod, so I guess I can't complain, even though I just did.

I recently put up a poll (vote if you haven't already, please!) about whether people would like to see posts about jewelry or fashion. Right now, it's pretty split with people saying "yes, once in a while" or "absolutely not" so I'm going to go with "yes" for now... especially since some of my twitter friends encouraged me and, hey, who writes this blog anyway?! ;)

Today I want to show you one of my favorite trends lately: stacked bangles. If my IRL friends Julia and/or Sarah are reading this, they might be thinking: ARM PARTY! And yes, it's basically that.

Don't worry. I don't wear all of these all at once, I promise.

 I got these all over the place, but mostly from etsy. I'm obsessed with etsy and I have to stay away so I'm not going to link you to any of the sellers, and also because they were all one-of-a-kind sets and it'd be mean to tease you that way (here's a link, but you can't buy it because I ALREADY DID. muahahaha). However, I assure you, there are hundreds more out there for you. I did not buy all the bangles, try as I might.

These are probably my favorite, from Alex and Ani. My sister got me these for my birthday and I love them so much. The bangles themselves are made from recycled materials and are expandable/retractable to fit your wrist. They're pricy (about $24-28 each) but I love them! These are becoming more and more popular (in my area anyway) and I suspect they may be the next Pandora bracelet, but who knows. (If I'm right, you have to tell everyone where you saw them first. Promise?)

Next, these are another set of my favorites that I bought from etsy. There's three separate silver bangles each with its own golden charm: a pearl, a bird, and a leaf. I love these. I probably wear them the most and they're so simple and cute that when people notice the detail, they seem especially special. Especially.

So, there you have it. My recent obsession, possibly rivaling nail polish, but only because I'm only interested in indies right now and I can't keep up with restocking and all that nonsense. What do you think? I have one more jewelry post planned, but let me know if you like them so I know whether to keep going or not!

xoxo,
Amanda

Foundation Primers

Hi pretty ladies! Continuing my Friday Face tradition (for now) is my review of the primers I've tried. This is by no means an extensive list, but I think it's a good start for a makeup n00b like myself ;)

Image from BeautyTidbits.com

Murad Skin Perfecting Primer Acne & Shine Control
Pros: filled in pores; gave a good, clean finish; seemed to last a while but not the full day
Cons: tinted, might not work for all skin types; felt kind of heavy, as though I was applying foundation
Overall: 3/5 - nothing spectacular, but I'd buy it again if it was on sale or it came in a kit!

Image from DermStore.com

 

Exuviance Matte Perfection
Pros: good coverage; easy to use
Cons: not marketed as primer so people may not know its purpose; didn't last very long; did not really "matte-ify" my skin, which isn't even oily
Overall: 2/5 - not the worst out there, I'm sure, but needs work IMO.

Image from Kaboodle.com

Pur Minerals Correcting Primer 
Pros: lightweight; covered easily; absorbed quickly; good base for foundation/makeup
Cons: somewhat greasy, strange feeling on my fingers while applying; not sure it helped diminish pores
Overall: 4.5/5 - one of my favorites that I've tried, but the price point keeps me from buying until I try others to make sure it's the best product
 

Image from TheMineralMakeup.com

Bare Escentuals Prime Time
Pros: less costly than some other options; filled lines; long-lasting; good base for foundation
Cons: very thick, felt like applying some sort of clear face mask to my skin
Overall: 3/5 - it was okay, but not one I'd choose in the future.

Image from MusingsOfAMuse.com

Physician's Formula 3-in-1 Correcting Primer

Pros: convenient brush; easy to apply; filled pores to an extent
Cons: brush (I use my fingers to apply primer, so it was a con in my book); did not notice any "correcting" features; not especially effective for me; felt like I had to use much more product than any of the others to achieve results
Overall: 2.5/5 - not the worst, but could use some improvements for me, didn't find the brush helpful nor the product especially useful.

Image from Sephora.com

Tarte Poreless & Tarte Flawless
Pros: affordable for a high-end brand ($9 for the trio!); effective; liked the variety of primers; didn't need a lot of product to be effective; filled pores well (especially Poreless)
Cons: the "Brightening" one (Flawless) didn't really do much brightening and had a pretty strong citrus smell
Overall: 4/5 - I loved Poreless and Flawless was decent, would recommend the trio for girls to try it and it was a good value for sure! (Disclaimer: I haven't really tried the Eyeshadow Primer, and cannot vouch for that as I haven't tried others to compare.)



Bottom line: I'd choose the Tarte or Pur Minerals. The rest seem gimmicky or have major cons, in my eyes, especially since they are pricy, high-end brands (probably with the exception of the Physician's Formula which was about $10-12 even as a drug store brand).

Which primers do you use? Recommendations or warnings?

xoxo,
Amanda

Fail and Unfail: Orly Snowcone & Depend 243

Hi girls! Here's my first NOTD since returning, kind of nervous! Please be kind, my cuticles are still... um, awful. But I've maintained my painting technique so hopefully that's redeeming.

My original idea was to do Depend 243 on my nails with accent nails of Orly Snowcone, and then do opposite dots of each. But, it doesn't always work out. Here they are pre-dots:

Orly Snowcone is a perfect blue creme. Seriously. This was one coat, and no top coat. Look at the shine and perfection! It was also really easy to control (this picture is no cleanup!).

I got Depend 243 from Dolores in a swap, and it's a really pretty purple with gold shimmer (or microglitter, I can't really tell, TBH). These swatches are two coats and no topcoat. This one was also really manageable.

Here it is once I added the dots...

 Disasticure 2012. For some reason, I hate the way Snowcone looks dotted. So I took it off and gave up on the accent nail idea, and this beauty was born:

This is actually my first full dotticure (hehe) and I kind of love it! I need to do this more but for some reason I always back down.

Oh, also! I used my Chick Nail Polish top coat here, and I love it! Look how shiny this mani looks! I got it free with a promo way back when but never really got around to trying it. It works well especially when I'm taking my time and not using a quick-dry necessarily :)

What do you guys think? Disasticure? Cute? Was I right to switch from accent to full mani?

xoxo,
Amanda

Comeback Giveaway! Ends 8/24/12 *CLOSED*

 Hey guys! As a 'welcome back' gift to you guys for me coming back to blogging (seems like a weird occasion now that I type it out, doesn't it?) I'm doing a giveaway! It begins August 6 and ends August 24 at 12:01am Eastern time. US and Canada only due to shipping restrictions. Three prizes as listed in the widget: China Glaze BFF, OPI Rainbow Connection, and OPI Mamma Mia! All three were either purchased directly by me brand-new or swapped for, brand new. :) Winner will be picked on August 24th and they will have 48 hours to respond or I'll pick someone new. Be sure to include your email so I can contact you!

I've decided to do something a little different for this giveaway. There are the normal entries for following on twitter, tweeting, etc. but I've also added a Scavenger Hunt: find answers to my questions on blogs, via twitter, or emailing (but please don't share answers with each other because it ruins the fun!). This is optional, so you can enter just by being a GFC follower and letting me know the order of which prizes you want most.

Happy entering! <3

a Rafflecopter giveaway

xoxo,
Amanda 

Review: Pur Minerals 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup

Hi girls! I'm back to blogging, but unfortunately not with nails (yet!) since they're still growing out. Instead, I'm sharing with you a very special product to me that I've been loyally using for a few months now and has done wonders for my skin. I'm starting this as "Face Friday" even though I'm a day late but bear with me, okay? I have the next two Fridays scheduled already and I think that counts for being a day late this time even though it's the first time. Right?

You may not know I've had acne since I went off birth control about a year or two ago, and nothing has helped (even being on birth control again). I've been on a journey to find a combination of things that work for my skin to control breakouts, and this is one of those products (the rest are coming soon - on Fridays, duh).

It all began one day when I was getting a facial and my aesthetician suggested I try a makeup with benefits for my acne and skin. I told her I used Bare Escentuals and she explained that it wouldn't hurt my skin, but wouldn't help, either. She suggested another brand but I forgot which one, so an Ulta associate helped me find Pur Minerals. I bought the Start Now! kit, in Light, which was on sale at that time for $29.

The benefits of this set included SPF 15 in the foundation, shea butter (organic, too!), vitamin E, is paraben-free, and natural. No dyes, chemicals, etc. but most importantly, no alcohol to dry out your skin, which is an ingredient common in facial care, especially among cheaper brands. I was really drawn to it when I saw the brush, primer, and mascara were included - a whole makeup kit in one box! Since I'm not a huge makeup snob, I was happy I wouldn't have to find a coordinating brush and could try out the primer and mascara, too.

Image from OurKidsMom.com

This kit included the primer, brush, foundation, a highlighter, and their mascara. I loved all of the products, although the brush sheds bristles constantly. I usually have one on my face daily, but it still works well. The primer is one of my favorites of all time (more on that in another post), the foundation covers beautifully, and the mascara was actually awesome considering it was a tiny tube and I didn't expect the brush to work very well (which it did!). I still have the highlighter because I rarely actually use it, except on occasions where I want to highlight my cheekbones. I haven't even made a dent in the small pot, but it seems strange to me that it was the same size as the foundation!

Eventually, I outgrew the small kit, ran out of the primer, mascara, and foundation, and decided to buy the foundation separately. I now use the next color up, Blush Medium, since it's summer and I've gotten a little tan. The foundation is $27 (currently) on Ulta.com. I'm on my second pot of it, although the first isn't really finished; I just leave it at my boyfriend's now that it's starting to run down and I can see the bottom. It lasted about 4 months, I'd say, and is still useable for at least a couple dozen more uses.

Image from OutBlush.com

The foundation applies like a powder, but on my face it feels more like a liquid or mousse foundation. It definitely leaves my face feeling soft and is a pretty good concealer. I use the 'swirl, tap, buff' method taught by Bare Escentuals and it works really well with this product as well.

My only complaint about this product is that as you use it up, it seems to be less effective. I notice my older foundation is much more powdery than the newer one I purchased, which could just be an effect of time, exposure to air, etc. I admit I should probably also clean the brush more frequently.

Overall, I'd absolutely recommend this product. It's a little expensive, but lasts a while and works really well (for me, at least). It's available through Ulta, Pur Minerals, and probably other sources as well but these are the two I trust and would recommend to my readers.

xoxo,
Amanda