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11/30/12

Urban Decay Brow Box product review

Happy Friday!
As promised, I finally have a review for Urban Decay's Brow Box!
I received this little beauty for my birthday awhile ago,
and it was much needed (it still is) since my eyebrows are hazardous!


This is UD's Brow Box in 'Honeypot'.

The Brow Box is a compact little box with two shades of brow color, an angled brow brush, tweezers, and wax. 'Honeypot' is meant for blonde or lighter colored hair, 'Brown Sugar' is meant for darker hair. I colored my hair recently to a much darker color than before, so 'Honeypot' is a bit too light for me right now :P


REVIEW

Pros
- Everything you need to clean up your brows- all in a tiny package! 
- Easily fits in your purse or clutch
- Tiny yet super effective tweezers
- 4 different shades to use and blend as you need
- wax! Which is great for people like me who have an unruly cowlick.

Cons
- Bit of a hefty price tag- $29 on UD's website
- If you have red hair, i'm not sure how well the 4 shades will compliment or match you :/



ALL IN ALL

If you have unruly eyebrows that are hard to maintain (like myself),
I definitely recommend this product. Even if you just like to keep them looking nice and like to pluck here and there yourself, the Brow Box is a great choice. It contains all the necessities and will easily fit in a purse/bag/clutch, etc. However, the $29 price tag is a little hefty. Though I think the average person could definitely get some could use out of this, some cheap tweezers, a brow brush, and brow shadow from Walmart or the drug store is probably just as good :)


That's it!
Do any of you have this already?
What are YOUR thoughts?
Was this review helpful?
Let me know, please!
:)

11/29/12

Candy Canes!

Hey!
I've finally got some nail art for you.
It's been forever since i've done any (and i'm not that great at it to begin with),
but I had a go at some candy cane inspired nails the other night.
I actually really liked how it turned out!



Tada!
For my unsteady, shaky hands- i'm rather pleased with this.
Festive and bright! :)
Clean-up is rather messy,
but this mani took me forever so i said screw ittttt :P


I used:
China Glaze 'Ruby Pumps'
Sally Hansen 'White On'
striping tape
Stripe Rite striper in silver



I felt more festive just wearing it :D
What do you think?
What's your favorite Christmas nail art?

11/26/12

Makeup Geek swatches!

Hey guys!
I'm excited about today's post.
I often use Urban Decay cosmetics,
switching it up every now and then with Sugarpill, ULTA, SYN Cosmetics, and various drugstore cosmetic brands. Lately, though, I've been wanting to try some new brands,
so I purchased a few samples from Makeup Geek- which i've heard loads of good things about but never tried.

So the 3 I bought arrived (super promptly, might I add) the other day,
and here they are!
The first swatch is over Too Faced's Shadow Insurance, the latter is the shadow by itself.


Razzleberry- 


Burlesque



Sea Mist

As you can see, Sea Mist looks different depending upon the light.
Either way, I love it!


Can't wait to create some looks with these beauties! :)


11/25/12

Glitter & Glitz!

Happy Sunday!
Tanner and Layla are coming back to me this today after me being alone for the best few days, and i can't wait to see my baby girl! Although, the alone time was kind of nice. I got some decorating done, gorged myself on chocolate pie without no fear of judgement, and strutted around the apartment with no pants or bra. Boom. Livin' on the edge.

ANYWAY,
here's my fun and festive mani from the other day :)



This is 3 coats of Color Club's 'Ho Ho Holly', and then 2 coats of China Glaze's 'Pizzazz' on my ring finger.
'Ho Ho Holly' is a cheerful green/gold foil from Color Club's Winter Affair collection. The gold is most apparent in the second picture. Application was great, and the brush was perfect for my nail size. It 's almost opaque in 2 coats, but 3 coats guarantees it- along with bringing the color to full fruition. I LOVE IT. Just look at all that glitz!

'Pizzazz' is a clear base filled with multi colored pastel glitter from their Holiday Joy collection. Application was easy enough, but unfortunately, this is a polish we've ALL seen before from SOMEONE (OPI, DL, BL, Finger paints, NOPI, etc.). However, I really love the combo of the glitter with the green foil. Just bright and cheery :)


What are your thoughts?
Do you have either of these polishes?
Thanks for reading :)

11/24/12

Berry Naughty ;P

Happy weekend! :)
I actually made it through yesterday without a hitch,
so today shouldn't be bad at all :D

I have a lovely Essie polish that i'd been eyeballing for awhile.
I've already stated how i'm obsessed with anything cranberry- colored lately,
so when I saw this polish- i wanted it :x

Here's 'Berry Naughty'.

'Berry Naughty' is a deep cranberry (jelly?) that's almost opaque in 2 coats. It had really great consistency, which can't be said for all Essies. This is lovely Fall or Winter polish and is seriously awesome! Definitely think it will be another great base polish for Christmas nail art/stamping!

11/23/12

Jingle Jangle, Ya'll !

Happy Black Friday!
I'll be opening Pier 1 on this insane day,
so let's all take a moment to mourn the absence of my sanity today.

...


Anyway, being that today is the first day after Thanksgiving,
it's the day that I get my tree and start REALLY decorating for Christmas!
In honor of that,
I have a festive Christmas indie polish for you today :)


Here is 1 coat of Kawaii Nail Lacquer's 'Jingle Jangle' over 2 coats of Sally Hansen's 'White On' and 1 coat of Zoya's 'Gaia'.
* apologize for the mess! These pics are pre-cleanup bc I ran out of time & daylight :(


'Jingle Jangle' is a clear base with tiny green & red glitter, medium green, gold, and red hexagonal glitter, and some scattered bar glitter- and it part of her Winter Collection. I was very pleased with the consistency of this baby- not too clumpy (as often happens with these top coats) and not too runny. 

Sally Hansen's 'White On' was a complete disappointment, but that's to be expected I suppose, as cheap as it was. It was super thick and balded horribly. I just needed a solid white base to use 'Gaia' over, so i made it work. 'Gaia', though hard to see in these pictures, is a beautiful, sheer white with gold shimmer. It's lovely!

All in all, the combos of both whites made the mani way too thick and it chipped/peeled easily
(even after a coat of SV).
You can already see some of that here, right after I painted them.
However, this was NOT 'Jingle Jangle's fault :)
I'm anxious to use it again over a different base.


I purchased 'Jingle Jangle' and 3 others from Kawaii Nail Lacquer's Etsy site,
but I believe individual polishes are sold out right now.
You can still buy the entire collection as a whole, though!
So far, so good :)


11/21/12

Holiday nail mail/haul!

Hey everyone!
Today is my last day of class before Thanksgiving.
I have to work Black Friday so I don't get much of a break,
but it's better than nothing.

Better yet, all my nail mail arrived today!
I've been accruing some of this for quite some time in anticipation for Christmas,
since it's my favorite :)
It's mostly nail polish, but a couple cosmetics in there as well.



These indie beauties from Kawaii Nail Lacquer!



These polishes from China Glaze Holiday Joy collection!



A few polishes from Color Club's Winter Affair collection:



A few from CG's new Cirque Du Soleil collection!



Lastly, UD's Optical Blurring Brush & NYX Jumbo liner in 'Milk'


11/19/12

My All-Time Favorite Color!

Helloooooo!
So in case you didn't know,
my favorite color is red.
I love all red,
but today's polish is my FAVORITE shade of red.
When I saw this polish I knew I had to have it :L


This is the first of many posts coming up that feature polishes from China Glaze's Holiday Joy collection!

Here's 'Cranberry Splash'.

<3333333
'Cranberry Splash' is a deep, ruby- red shimmer. It looks darker than my pictures in certain light, but for the most part I found this polish to be much brighter than a typical cranberry color... but whatever :P
Since this is my absolute favorite color, i'm of course in LOVE with this polish.

I used 2 coats here to reach full opacity. Formula was great, and I already know this is going to be a great base for some Christmas nail art :)


Do any of the rest of you have this, too?
Do you love it as much as I do?!
Thanks for reading :D

11/18/12

Autumn Sunset :)

Hellooooo.
Hope you all are having a great weekend :)
I've got a Fall look for you today using some of my newest SYN Cosmetics shadows!!
The colors reminded me of a sunset, thus the title.
Here it is!







I used:
Too Faced's Shadow Insurance
SYN Cosmetics' 'Synfused' - inner corners
SYN Cosmetics' 'Trace', 'Blaze' & 'Entice' -blended in middle of lid
SYN Cosmetics' 'Ruthless'- outer corners
SYN Cosmetics' 'Passion'- crease
L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara
Covergirl Line Exact liquid eyeliner



What do you guys think?
I LOVE the color combo together.
They were even more pigmented in person; my camera just doesn't do them justice.
This is definitely something I may wear on Thanksgiving :)

So far, my experience with SYN Cosmetics' shadows has been great!
These all blended together so effortlessly,
and i'm such a sucker for shimmer in eyeshadow that they are right up my alley.
This is probably one of my new favorite looks :D
Thanks again to SYN Cosmetics for sending me these amazing beauties!

11/16/12

A Little Bit of Lust Never Hurt Anyone...

Helloooooo.
Happy Saturday :D
I've got another splendid UD polish for you today.
Without further ado,
here's 'Barlust' !


'Barlust' is a warm, whiskey-brown with brown and teal shimmer. You can juuuuust baely glimpse some of the subtle teal shimmer in the picture below.


'Barlust' is part of their Holiday 2011 Collection,
and, BIG SURPRISE, I loved it.
It reminds me very much of a same colored metallic brown from Kleancolor's Techno set,
but I don't know what it's name is :x
Anyways, here i've used 2 coats and easily reached opacity.
I love this!
Great Fall polish :)



Make sure you stay tuned for a look with new SYN Cosmetics shadows in my next post!

ALSO,
Ends Dec. 5 & open to international followers!
:)

11/15/12

NEW SYN Cosmetics Fall Shadows!

Hey guys!
Really excited about today's post.
SYN Cosmetics was kind enough to send me some new Fall shadows,
and I've been anxiously awaiting for them to get here...
and now they're hereeeeeee.


Let's get to it!
NOMZ!! :D


Here are swatches of these babies WITHOUT primer! :)

I love the variation they sent me.
I've got a few super bold shades mixed in with a few neutrals.
I wear neutrals for my everyday look,
so I definitely see 'Trace' and 'Down' being used daily.

A full size jar of the above shadows is just $6.50 :)

SYN Cosmetics sells loads of GORGEOUS shadows on their site,
as well as nail polish, glitter, lashes, primers, etc.
So make sure you go check them out!
I'm actually thinking about trying their nail polish next since their shadows are so awesome.


Stay tuned for some looks! :)




11/14/12

Wrapped in Rubies

Hello!
Happy Wednesday! :)
I've got a GORGEOUS Fall/Holiday polish for you guys today!
I bought this forever ago,
but for some reason just now got around to wearing it, wtf.

Here's 2 coats of Essie's 'Wrapped in Rubies'!

NOMZ.
'Wrapped in Rubies' is a beautiful, deep, ruby-red with gold shimmer. I believe it was part of Essie's Winter 2007 collection? Anyway, I know it's old- and it sat on my shelf almost a year before I ever used it once, and formula was still perfect!

My only issue was the tip wear which is obvious in the pictures,
and happened after wearing it just a few hours.
However, i love this polish enough that i don't currrrr.
It's amazing!
Do any of you have this?
What do you think?

Thanks for reading! :)

11/13/12

Simple, Wearable, Golden Smokey Eye

Hellooooo.
I've been meaning to post a wearable smokey eye on here for awhile.
Now that the holidays are upon us,
many people have holiday parties, events, etc to go to,
so I wanted to post my recent favorite, wearable smokey eye look!




The eyeliner on the left eye is a little wonky, but i was too lazy to fix it :X
I really like this. It's easy and is a good wearable nighttime look for anyone to do :)


I used:
UD's Primer Potion
UD's 'Blitz' as base
UD's 'Jagged' in outer corners
UD's 'Black Market' in crease
L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara


'Blitz' is a gorgeous gold shimmer, and 'Jagged' is a chunky olive shade with gold glitter. Though 'Jagged' is gorgeous in the palette, it didn't transfer quiiiiite as well as i'd hoped on my skin because it was fairly gritty. It also had terrible fallout and was a pain to keep cleaning up, but I like the combo enough that I don't care :P 'Black Market' is similar to 'Blackout' and 'Black Dog' by UD, but it just has a touch more brown in it than the other two. All three shades blended great together!


What do you think?
Let me know :)



*** IF you haven't entered my giveaway yet,
do so here!! Ends Dec. 5!

11/10/12

IMPORTANT- things you ladies NEED to know

Hey everyone.
I saw this on a fellow blogger's blog and had to re-post.
This issue is close to my heart because- my freshmen year of college I was sexually assaulted by an older college guy at a small party. I always tried to never put myself in positions where such a thing could happen... I went with several girlfriends, didn't drink, and didn't leave their side- until I HAD to go pee. I went alone. An older college guy (who's part of a popular Knoxville band) followed me into the bathroom, forced me in, and locked himself in after me. He then proceeded to hold my throat and me against the wall while he drunkenly tried to kiss me and get my clothes off. I had taken several self defense classes, but in that moment, I froze. I couldn't speak or scream or move for a full 5 minutes or so. Eventually my wits came back, and he was drunk enough that I was able to get out form under him and get out of the bathroom. I immediately left the party without looking back.

I don't like to tell this story and many of my friends do not even know about it,
but I'm hoping to raise awareness that as women, we have to take as many precautions as possible to protect ourselves. PLEASE read the following. I know it's long,
but it may save your life someday.





”THROUGH A RAPIST’S EYES” (PLS TAKE TIME TO READ THIS. it may save a life.) Reblog this!
  
It seems that alot of attackers use some tactic to get away with violence. Not many people know how to take care of themselves when faced with such a
situation. Everyone should read this especially each n every girl in this world. THOUGHT THIS WAS GOOD INFO TO PASS ALONG…

FYI - Through a rapist’s eyes! A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:

1] The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle.
They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun! , braid, or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2] The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who’s clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around to cut clothing.

3] They also look for women using their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.

4] The number one place women are abducted from / attacked at is grocery store parking lots.

5] Number two is office parking lots/garages.

6] Number three is public restrooms.

7] The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don’t have to worry about getting caught.

8] If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn’t worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9] These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas,or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.

10] Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you’re not worth it.

———————————————————————————————————————————-

POINTS THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER:


1] If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk:
can’t believe it is so cold out here, we’re in for a bad winter. Now that you’ve seen their faces and could identify them in a line- up, you lose appeal as a target.
 
2] If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they’d leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would 
not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

3] If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yelling I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

4] If someone grabs you, you can’t beat them with strength but you can do it by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and
armpit or in the upper inner thigh - HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it really hurts.

5] After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy’s parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you’ll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our
instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause him a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he’s out of there.

6] When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using
much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

7] Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don’t dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel
little silly at the time, but you’d feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

——————————————————————————————————————————-

FINALLY, PLEASE REMEMBER THESE AS WELL ….

I know you are smart enough to know these pointers but there will be some, where you will go “hmm I must remember that” After reading forward it to someone you care about, never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.


1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do it.

2. Learned this from a tourist guide to New Orleans : if a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you…. chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or
purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping,eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON’T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side,put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU CLOSE the DOORS , LEAVE.
 
5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
a. Be aware: look around your car as someone may be
hiding at the passenger side , peek into your car, inside the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. ( DO THIS TOO BEFORE RIDING A TAXI CAB) .
b. If you! u are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
c. Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)
 
6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked “for help” into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
  
Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it’s better safe than sorry.


If u have a heart or compassion reblog this post.
‘Helping hands are better than Praying Lips’ – give us your helping hand.
 
REBLOG THIS AND LET EVERY GIRL KNOW
ATLEAST PEOPLES WILL KNOW WATS GOIN IN THIS WORLD.
So please reblog this….Your one reblog can Help to spread this information.
I hope you all will Reblog. Lets See how many of you really care for this.
DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT NOT REBLOGGING THIS! IT COULD ACTUALLY SAVE A LIFE.

Hot Mess... Ain't Nobody Got Time Fo' That

Hey guys!
Quick post today.
I'm finally continuing the swatching of my little UD polishes,
and here's the next in line!

First of all, let me apologize for these crappy photos.
I was in a hurry and didn't do hardly any clean up,
then the polish started peeling so I didn't have time to do it all over again.
I'm so sorry! Please forgive this crap job.
It will be better next time :)


Here's 'Hot Mess'!
(excuse the tip wear!)
*shade*

*sunlight*

'Hot Mess; is a super bright fushia metallic-shimmer with fushia microglitter. As you can see from the second photo, it sparkles SO much in the sunlight that the camera didn't even know what to do. It's awesome!

I used 2 coats here, and application was flawless, as with other UD polishes.
'Hot Mess' is almost exactly like Zoya's 'Gilda', but differs juuuuust slightly.
I know this is more of a summery polish, but I just feel so fun and flirty wearing it.
Definitely recommend :)

That's it for today, guys.
Next post will be better- promise! :)

11/9/12

7 Deadly Sins Tag

Hey everyone!
My only Friday class got cancelled today so i'm a happy camper.
I haven't felt much like blogging or doing any looks lately for some reason,
but I did decide to go ahead and do this fun little tag i've seen going around.
I feel like a lot of these are actually interchangeable because of the way whoever created this defined them... but whatever :P

I won't tag anyone specific in this,
but if you decide to do it,
leave me a link so I can go look!
:)
Here we go:



1) GREEDY
Which polish is the cheapest from your stash?
Pretty sure that all the PureIce polishes I own were like $1 :)
They're pretty good, considering, too!




2) WRATH
What polish do you have a love/hate relationship with?
I have a love/hate relationship with 'Too Schmexxxy' from DarlingDivaPolish & 'Be Brave ' from ORLY, because- though both look AWESOME in the bottle- I HATED how they looked on my nails. The first was way too clumpy, while the ORLY looked like pubes :/




3. GLUTTONY
What polish have you desired ever since you saw it?
One of the first nail websites I ever perused was Llarowe, which of course has tons of amazing holos. I was immediately drawn to this baby from Glitter Gal!

I was initially DYING to get 'Connect the Dots' from Lynnderella, but it soon became clear that it was nearly impossible to score any of her polishes. SO, I began looking for an alternative. I feel like there are tons of black & white glitter topcoats out there, but 'Salt n Peppa' from Lush Lacquer adds more of a twist with tiny holographic micro glitter mixed in. I LOVE IT.

The very first brand of nail polish I was ever interested in (aside from the basics like CG, OPI, etc) was HITS No. Olimpo collection. This is Hermes, and it's uh-mazing.





4) SLOTH
What polish do you hate wearing because of the hassle to apply or remove it?
Though I love how both OPI's 'How's It Snowin?' & CG's 'I'm Not Lion' look- they are a PAIN to get off- even with the foil method. But that's the price you pay with glitters!



5) PRIDE
Which polish are you most proud to own?
'Across the Universe'- my only DL polish! They're so amazing but just so pricey, so the one I have, I cherish!

'The Walking Dead' is not only one of my favorite shows, but also an amazing polish from one of my all time favorite indie makers, All That Glitters. Proud to own it!

'Black Knight' is one of 3 BL polishes that I currently own,
and look how yummy it is! Proud momma :)




6)LUST
Which polish makes your nails look sexy?
Obviously, I'm a fan of red. I think if any nail color were to make my nails look sexy- it would be red. Seen above are BL's 'Knees Up', OPI's 'It's Always Oktoberfest', & Zoya's 'Kimmy'! :)


7) ENVY
What polish is your biggest lemming? You envy those who have it.
Is it cheating to saw I envy ALL the polishes from their Ornate collection...? :x