Nail of the Day

I tried something different with my nails, and this is my first time doing this double color look.  It was really easy, but there were a few mistakes I made that ruined the perfect edge between the two colors.  Here is how I did it!

1.  Find two opaque colors to use.  You don't want anything sheer because when you layer them over one another their true colors won't show up and the colors will blend too much and not be distinct.  Here I chose a bright orange shade and a pink.
2.  Paint your nails with one of the colors.  Here I painted all my nails with the pink first.  Now here is where I made one of my mistakes.  I didn't wait long enough for the pink to dry.  Make sure the pink is entirely dry on your nails before the next step.
3.  Take some tape and put it diagonally (or however you want it) on your nails using the straight edge of the tape to create the diagonal.  The first polish needed to be dry or else the tape will leave marks and ruin that first layer of polish.  Make sure you tape down all edges so the next layer of polish doesn't seep through and blend in with the pink.
4.  Take your next color (which in my case was the orange) and paint it over the part of the nail you haven't covered with tape.
5.  My next mistake was removing the tape to quickly.  If you remove it before the polish has dried then it will start spreading into the first layer of polish and ruining the straight edge between the two colors.  Wait for it to dry a little bit before removing.

Then put a topcoat and you are finished!

CCO Purchases

I recently was in a Cosmetics Company Outlet (CCO), and made a few purchases.  I like going there to find limited edition or discontinued MAC products that I missed out on.  I didn't feel like this CCO had as many products as I have seen in others, but here is what I got:

This is a MAC Msf in the color Refined.  I like to use this as a face highlight because it's too shimmery to be used as a blush.  It has a very pretty mix of corals, pinks, peaches and bronze shades.  This makes it a universal highlight to be paired up with almost any blush.  It has so many beautiful colors and you can choose whether to dip your brush into the more golden shades or the peachy side of it.  It's a very pretty color for the Summer and I love how the colors make it a universal shade that can match any blush.

I purchased this slimshine lipstick in High 90s which is a gorgeous creamy bright coral shade.  I love slimshines because they have a great color pay-off with a beautiful glossy shine to them.  I don't know why MAC discontinued their slimshines but whenever I go to a CCO I always look out for these. One swipe of this is all you need to get great color and shine.




I heard a rumor that matt^2 eyeshadows by MAC were going to be discontinued.  I personally didn't own any until this one which I had been eyeing for a while.  This color is copperplate and I love the consistency of this shadow.  If all matt^2 eyeshadows are as soft and pigmented as this one, I'm going to have to check them out because my collection is lacking in matte colors.  This is a cross between a grey and a brown shade which could be used as a crease color for a smokey eye when built up or as a subtle crease color for a neutral eye look.  I have recently been using this just under my lash line to create a smokey effect. This is a pretty versatile shadow and I would be sad if they were discontinuing it!

Bourjois Volumizing Mascara

So from a recent post, you all know that my all time favorite mascara is from YSL, but it is too expensive to purchase every 2-3 months when it dries out.  Since then I have tried Fairy Drops Scandal Queen mascara from Sephora and this one from Bourjois.  I really didn't like the Fairy Drops mascara only because no matter how I applied it, black always ended up on my lids and ruined my eyeshadow.  It was nice because it was water resistant and I loved how it curled and separated my lashes, but it was too much of a hassle to apply.

This is a two step mascara which I was hesitant to try out because I have tried MACs Haute and Naught Lash mascara which is also a two step mascara and I wasn't impressed at all.  When I first used this mascara I hated it because it had a very wet and watery consistency.  I put it aside for two weeks before reaching for it again in hopes that it would dry out a bit which it did, and now I love it.  The first step of this mascara separates my lashes while the second step makes them dark and long.  I really like this mascara because it creates dramatic lashes very easily and lengthens my lashes as well as separates them.

May Birchbox

The Birchbox theme this month revolved around the idea that mother knows best so the box was filled with elegant products.  I was really excited when I opened my package because before unwrapping anything the sweet smell of citrus started to escape the box.  Here are my first impressions of what I found inside moving from left to right:

Tiny Prints Card:  This months treat was a greeting card from a site that allows you to customize your own cards.  I love to send handwritten messages and have a slight obsession with stationary so this was an exciting surprise.  It is very good quality paper, and on top of that they gave us a code to visit their site and receive a free greeting card of our choice and any additional cards for half off.

Oribe Shampoo and Conditioner:  As an extra, I got two packets of Oribe shampoo and conditioner that maintains and hydrates color treated hair.  I would say that each packet can be used twice and I'm excited to try these products out. These are also great to keep around to take for vacations.

Archipelago Pomegranate Soap:  This brand sounds familiar, I'm not quite sure where I have seen it before, but this soap smells soooo good.  I'm not a big fan of using bar soaps, but this smells so good I can't resist.

Bvlgari Mon Jasmin Noir:  This perfume is the first one I have received in my Birchbox that I actually like and would wear.  It says that it smells like fruit and jasmine.  I'm not the best at describing scents--all I know is that I'm loving it.

Stila eyeshadow in 24Kt:  I received a full sized Stila shadow in gold.  Gold is one of my favorite colors of shadow to wear so I was excited that I got a color that I would get a good use out of.  It came in the pan which was upsetting because they are too large to fit in a MAC palette and I don't have any other magnetized palettes.  I believe they sell the containers at Sephora so I might have to check that out to make this shadow more convenient to use.

Erno Laszlo Night Serum:  This is a firming serum to be used at night.  It says that it is "a wrinkle-fighting wonder," and at $190 per oz I sure hope so!


Overall I was really happy with every product I received this month and can't wait to start using them!

Urban Decay Cult Eyeshadow

I was really excited for this eyeshadow because I barely own any matte shadows and my collection is mostly neutrals so I thought this purple would be great for the collection.  I love this deep purple shade.  Urban Decay claims their matte line is buttery and smooth, which is true.  To the touch this shadow feels really soft.  My problem with it is that it is really powdery.

You couldn't really see it in the first picture I took, but when I swatched it on my hand you can see the powder/chalky appearance of the shadow.  Even when I dipped my brush into the shadow to apply it, it went onto the brush clumpy and powdery, just like the way it looks swatched above.  I'm still going to use it because I love the color, I just do not like the formulation of this product at all.  I don't know if the rest of their matte line is the same, but I do not plan on purchasing any more of Urban Decay's matte collection of eyeshadows.  I love their eyeshadows in general, just not this one.

Nail of the day #5

This is a nailpolish by Essie called One of a Kind.  This is a beautiful coral color, which leans more red than orange.  For some reason, this Essie polish does not apply thick and goopy like some of the others ones that I own, but it was very easy to apply.  It is very creamy and opaque.  You could apply only one coat of this polish if you like and it won't look streaky, and the color will be even and bright.  This is a great color for the Summer!