This was really fun look to put together! It's easy to apply and actually very wearable... for a night out, probably not to work or school! I used my Urban Decay Naked Palette because it's something a lot of people have. I love watching tutorials that use a common palette so I don't have to purchase a lot of new product to try out a look!
Primer:
Urban Decay Eden Primer Potion
The shadows used from Naked Palette:
Sidecar: All over the lid
Virgin: Inner corner and brow bone
Gunmetal: Middle of the eye
Creep: Crease, outer "V" and lower lash line
Eyeliners:
Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner in Charcoal
Urban Decay 24/7 Pencil in Zero
Lips and cheeks:
Emani Lip Gloss in Blush
Bare Minerals Blush in Secret
Rhinestones can be purchased at any beauty supply as nail gems or any craft store.
I wanted a mail order makeup subscription that was somewhat similar to Birchbox, but that had full size products. I found a couple different sites, but MakeupMonthly.com seemed to fit best into my budget and it had some brand name products that I wanted to try. Some of the other sites that I looked at:
YellowBoxBeauty.com - Every month they focus on a particular brand and you get full size retail products. Prices start at $35 plus $8 shipping. The reason I didn't choose this particular box was because the price and I want to try products from multiple brands, not just one. Maybe I will try this one at some point, but it was a little more than I wanted to spend at this point.
TestTube.NewBeauty.com - This company sends you samples 4 times a year. They send samples plus a magazine which is a nice touch. The cost is $30 plus $9 shipping (I swear when I originally looked it was closer to $50 total, maybe they are having special?). You get to write reviews about the products that you try. This one really appealed to me, but the fact that they only come out 4 times a year was kind of a turn off. This might be great for someone one a strict budget!
Glymm.com - I just found out about this website. Seems like they have some really nice products, but it's really similar to BirchBox.
MakeupMonthly Pros and Cons:
Pros-
Flat $30
Brands I wanted to try: MAC, Urban Decay, Cargo, Nars, Etc.
Choice of nails, cosmetics or skin care
No extra charge for shipping
Cons-
Store isn't open just yet
I'm not sure if the products I'm getting are old or not
Tips and Tricks don't always apply to what I'm doing
Questionnaire isn't all that great.
Overall Opinion:
I'm excited to see what I get next month and I'm hoping that I will get more products that are relevant to me. At this point I want to try a different makeup subscription and I'm really considering Test Tube. I've read the New Beauty magazine and I really like it.
I love glitter and love wearing if for a night out, but damn, does it make a mess. Keep in mind that it will stick to everything and you will probably be finding glitter in all kinds of unexpected places for days after you wear it... That being said, this tutorial will help you apply it easily and keep in place until you take it off! Taking it off can be quite tricky, try something thick like Pond's Cold Cream. You will still end up with glitter in your eyebrows, hair and all over your boyfriend!
I'm really excited to do this giveaway! I purchased a two sets of feather hair extensions. They are fun and easy to apply!
Please enter this contest for your chance to win:
4 individual solid purple feathers
5 individual stripped turquoise feathers
10 beads
The Body Shop Bronze Honey Lip Nectar in Honey Beige
This contest is open internationally and you must be 18 older. If you are not 18 or older, you must have your parents permission to enter and give out your address.
You must be a subscriber on youtube to enter this contest!
Please comment on the video for your first entry. Please tell me your favorite beauty product for summer!
You also get one entry for the following:
Following me on twitter (because some user names on twitter will be different for youtube user names, please leave a your twitter user name in a comment below, so I know its you!)
Follow my blog (again you will need to leave a comment below with your blogger or email/user name, so I know its you!)
The giveaway will close on THURSDAY, JULY 7th and the winner will be announced JULY 11th.
Each entry will be given a number and random.org will chose the winner! The winner will be selected at random and will be notified via Youtube message after the announcement video has been posted. You have 24 hours to respond with your shipping address before another winner will be selected.
Thank you to everyone for the support and following! I can't wait to hear your suggestions!
I am absolutely loving UV cured gel systems. I think they are quite possibly the greatest thing since sliced bread! I have been using two different systems that both work with my UV lamp, OPI Axxium Soak Off Gel Lacquer and IBD Gelac.
Nail polish has never lasted very long on my nails. My nails have been sensitive and peeling lately which does not make for a good platform from nail polish. It would often chip in the first 24 hours, if I didn't mess them up while they were wet! I was really skeptical when I first heard of CND Shellac, but did some research and they seemed great. When I finally made the decision to purchase a system for myself I decided to go with the OPI Axxium for a few reasons.
OPI Axxium has a lot of colors to choose from and they are replicas of our favorite OPI nail lacquers. I chose Axxium over Shellac because Shellac has so few colors to choose from. I am not a large fan of nude, pink and red colors. They are lacking fun purple, blues, and brights that Axxium has. There are downsides to Axxium as well. The colors are slightly more translucent than their lacquers and don't always match the lacquer exactly. The My Private Jet is slightly lighter, but still beautiful. I have to apply 3 coats of color to get an opaque finish. The Axxium system has one major difference from Shellac and that is that it comes in a pot and must be applied with a separate brush. Shellac comes in a bottle like a traditional lacquer.
I wanted to try a system that was in a traditional nail lacquer bottle, so I chose the IBD Gelac system. Their packaging has led some people to believe that this is a generic of Shellac, but it's not. Most of the Gel Lacquer systems came out around the same time and Shellac quickly became the front runner, mostly due to advertising, in my opinion. The Gelac System had quite a few colors that caught my eye, especially the Tanzinite and Freesia. I had heard all kinds rumors about all the systems, but I had to find out for myself.
I love both of the systems that I have, and hope that CND comes out with some more appealing colors so that I can try the system! :)
What are soak off gel lacquers? Soak Off Lacquers are a fusion between a traditional gel nail coating and a colored lacquer. "Gel nails" are much like acyrilics. They can be used with tips and must be filed off. And colored lacquer is well, traditional nail polish!
What is the difference between brands, like CND Shellac and Axxium Soak Off? There really isn't a whole lot of difference, mostly just the application. Axxium Soak Offs have more of traditional gel application. The product is also in a pot, instead of a nail polish jar like Shellac and other brands. It does make the system a little harder to use at home, but if you are good at applying nail polish in general you should be just fine!
Do they really last 2 weeks? Longer in some cases! Of course it is all going to depend on the individual, how well the nail was prepped and the product was applied, the health of the nail and how rough you are on your nails on a daily basis. I've heard of some people's not lasting long, or one nail peeling off within a week, but I've also heard that they last longer than 3 weeks.
Can I do them at home? Of course, but this is not something a novice should do. There are two reasons for that, the up front cost and the outcome. Gel polishes are not cheap, running between $15 and $25 a pop. You will need the top coat and base coat and of course a few colors. You will also need a 36 Watt UV Lamp. There is NO way around that one. The cheapest I've seen them is around $60. You will also need all of the prep supplies, including a cuticle stick, cuticle remover, cuticle nippers, 99% Isopropyl alcohol and nail dehydrator, to name a few. It can be very time consuming, and cannot be rushed. The outcome of the gel lacquer has so much to do with the prep of nail and application. If the nail is not prepped properly or the polish is not applied correctly, it will not last. I know this from experience. :)
Will they ruin my nails? While gel lacquers don't require you file down the nail as you would with acrylics or traditional gels, they are less damaging in that aspect. The removal requires that gel nails to be soaked in acetone for 10 minutes. Acetone can be extremely drying and I've heard lots of complaints about that. Some people just can help themselves from picking their nails... I'm guilty of it. The first time I wore Axxium Soak Offs I peeled them all off in less than 10 minutes. Once you catch a free edge they peel off in one big sheet. Peeling them off also peeled off the top layer of my nail. They did not look good or feel good. I would stick with soaking them off. I also feel like my nails are dried out after I remove the lacquer. I'm not sure if this is due to the actual lacquer or the removal process. In short, I don't think they do as much damage as other nail enhancements, but they aren't as harmless as nail polish.
Will the UV lamp be harmful to my health? I'm not entirely sure, but it's worth being concerned about. I'm not sure if the lamp is powerful enough to effect the skin, because I've never notice a burn or tan, but I can feel the warmth it omits. It's always best to do your research and see if it's worth the risk to you. I ALWAYS advise using a sunscreen before you place your hand in the lamp for curing.
I absolutely love my gel lacquer nails, I would advice you to give them a try.
Have you tried them either at the salon or at home? What do you think?
