It's Been Educational

MEGA Beauty Haul

2013-06-30T23:03:00.001-07:00

Oh yeah you heard right. I went all out these past couple of weeks and took the plunge in buying a couple of beauty product I have been eyeing for a while now. My wallet weeps.. So let's get started!

***

NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base $24
Heard about this for months from Ingrid or MissGlamorazzi on YT. She has extremely oily eyelids like me and this will hopefully be the answer to my eyeshadow creasing woes. It starts out white and dries onto the eyelid clear.

OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous $8
A dark grey-blue with shimmer

OPI Happy Anniversary! $8
A white with shimmer
OPI Which is Witch? $8
Reminiscent of Teenage Dream but has larger holographic particles and of course is grey.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel (smaller size) $14
My only holy grail nighttime moisturizer. Little goes a long way so this smaller size will go a long way and is way more travel friendly than the bigger, bulkier version.

Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer (smaller size) $18
I have heard GREAT things about this primer and is seen as the top of its class which made me even more excited once I saw that it came in a smaller, cheaper size at Sephora.

LORAC Baked Matte Satin Blush in Plush $12 (originally $24)
Okay this Lorac VIP sale, that started a couple weeks ago, was the beginning of my spending freefall. But how could I not resist?! Lorac was having (and still having!) a great deal on their products. This is the kind of sale that a money saver like myself waits for.

Plush certainly does not have a "matte" finish as the title implies but it is not overbearing and is a beautiful peachy shade. Perfect for the summer on my warm medium skin.

LORAC Blush in Rose $10 (originally $20)
Of the other blush colors available on the LORAC website for sale, Rose just looked the most flattering as you can see from the photo.

LORAC Eyeshadow in Spice $6 (originally $19)
I'd describe this as a taupe brown with shimmer. Unfortunately, as of now, it is sold out.

LORAC Eyeshadow in Serenity $6 (originally $19)
A light bronze with shimmer. Just to let you know, this color looks better in person than what is shown on the website. As you can see from the photo, Serenity looks more pink in person and looks like a good dupe for Stila's Kitten eyeshadow!

LORAC Eyeshadow in After Party $6 (originally $19)
A plum with a deep purple shimmer

LORAC Eyeshadow in Bronze $6 (originally $19)
A bronze (brown that leans toward red) with shimmer

LORAC Face selfTANtalizer $0
This was a free sample that came with my purchase.

***

I'll be back with part 2 tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by!

Flower Makeup & Nail Polish Review

2013-03-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

So I heard Drew Barrymore was coming out with a line of makeup and didn't think too much about it. Lets be honest here, whenever a celebrity comes out with a line of makeup it usually is less than stellar and the range of items in the collection can be lacking. In a nutshell, it's hard to take celebrity makeup lines seriously.

That's what I unconsciously thought about the upcoming Flower Makeup line.... that is until I saw the display at my local Walmart for the first time..... Ready for this? 3....2...1....

Ta-Dah!

O.O Oh shit.

Holy makeup, Drew Barrrymore! The display... it's HUGE. That, ladies and gentlemen is about the size of what a normal makeup line takes up in a makeup aisle. Just by looking at the great variety of products, packaging, and bright display, it's obvious that Drew and her peeps put a lot of effort into this so I thought I'd put some effort into trying her makeup. Let's dive right in shall we?

***

An important note about Flower Beauty cosmetics is that their products are "Proudly made in the USA" and "Never test on animals" as an added bonus.

Flower About Face Foundation in LF6
I'm going to come right out and say that I love this foundation and it has replaced my "220 Fit Me Foundation" as my everyday foundation. The foundation is on the dewy side with light/medium coverage that is build-able. There were 14 shades available at my local Walmart with great color selection. One of the reasons why I love this foundation is that they have my exact skin color. I have very yellow skin that is right between the light and medium shades which is frustrating since other foundation selections have too much of a contrast of color between the darkest yellow-y light and lightest yellow-y medium, skipping my in-between skin color. Therefore, even the closest matching foundation I have with real yellow undertone (my 220 Fit Me) comes off a tad dark. In a good way, however, like I have a natural tan, it still matches my skin undertone perfectly.

The con with this product is that it does not last long on the oily parts of my face, specifically the cheeks and forehead. So I'll notice after about 5 to 7 hours later, the natural redness of my cheeks can be seen while everywhere else holds up a bit better. Compare this to my Fit Me foundation that will last longer.

comes in a glass bottle with pump

Flower Color Play Creme Eyeshadow in Wild Geranium
Wild Geranium is a beautiful shimmery rose gold creme eyeshadow that is extremely pigmented and a little goes a very long way. You have been warned. Because it's a creme eyeshadow, this would work great on people with drier eyelids. I, unfortunately, have pretty oily lids so to make this last I suggest a trusty eye primer with a light wash of the eyeshadow on the eyelid, not within the crease. With that in mind, I would still recommend the creme eyeshadow based on the great pigmentation and the gorgeous shades available. I will definitely be picking more up next time.

Nail Lacquer in Gorgeous Gerbera
Now onto the nail polish. You know me, I LOVE nail polish and the color selection had me sqeeing with delight. Gorgeous Gerbera is a pale peachy pink, leaning more pink than peach. The color goes well against my medium skin. As far as the quality, I would give this nail polish an overall definite thumbs up. The opacity is wonderful, only taking one coat to show up in all its pale glory. A negative for this nail polish was that I felt that the dry time was a bit long after applying the second layer which is no bueno for an impatient nail person like me. However, once everything was set in stone with my trusty Seche Vite top coat, this polish lasted the entire full 2 weeks with barely any chipping on the front edge of the nail. Yes folks you heard right, if you are interested check this polish out! Of the two nail polishes I bought, this one is my favorite.

Flash - 14th day

Natural light - 14th day

Nail Lacquer in What's the Daffodilly-O?
What's the Daffodilly-O? is a more intense coral pink color that would be a great pop of color for the spring time. I have another similar color in my nail polish collection called I'm Wired from the Sephora by OPI but found it to be too bright and intense of a hot pinky color against my skin tone. So I was slightly hesitant to get this one but caved anyway. Thank goodness I did because I ended up really liking it. In comparison to Gorgeous Gerbera, this color seemed to clash a little against my skin but was a hell of a lot better than I'm Wired so I kept wearing it and found that Daffodilly-O grew on me. In terms of the quality, everything that was said about Gorgeous Gerbera's quality goes the same with this color as well. Opacity is great with only one coat, slow dry time but held up like a champ for 2 weeks with a good top coat. I'm not in love but I still see multiple uses from it.

Flash - 14th day

Natural light - 14th day

***

So to recap....
About Face Foundation - great selection with slight dewy finish, natural, but weaker staying power
Color Play Creme Eyeshadows - extremely pigmented color that can last with a good primer
Nail Lacquers - great opacity, little chipping, great lasting power, longer dry time

If I had to go back I repurchase every single item I picked up. Two thumbs up!

Btw, from what I saw, the collection has liquid foundation, stick foundation, BB cream, powder, blush/bronzer duos, nail polishes, lip glosses, lipsticks, eyeliner, eyeshadow quads, cream eyeshadows, concealers, and the list goes on... @.@ so there is plenty to choose from.

Drew Barrymore's Flower Beauty can found in Walmart or online.

Thanks for stopping by!

What I’m Loving - Fall & Winter 2012 (Nov&Dec)

2013-03-10T15:48:00.001-07:00

BEAUTY
Urban Decay Build Your Own Palette ($18)
“Walk of Shame” matte light beige
“Free Love” luminous golden peach
“Chopper” luminous copper with silver micro glitter
“Last Call” luminous plum burgundy-purple
“Roach” luminous deep burgundy brown
“Toasted” luminous burgundy taupe

Natural Light: WOS, Free Love, Chopper, Last Call, Roach, Toasted

Flash: WOS, Free Love, Chopper, Toasted, Roach, Last Call

Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadows in “Scratch”, “Shag”, “Underground”
“Scratch” shimmery rose gold pink
“Shag” shimmery copper
“Underground” shimmery earth-toned brown

Deluxe packaging

Natural Light

Flash

Wet n’ Wild lipstick in “918D”
My fav because it is one of the few affordable deep dark reds without a hint of purple in it. Only $1.99, this lipstick miraculously does not dry out my lips and is without patchiness = more bang for my buck.
TIP: Use Revlon’s Red Velvet on top of or underneath 918D to make the lipstick feel less dry and give more of a hydrating creamy look and feel.

Revlon Lip Butter in “Red Velvet”
Red Velvet doesn’t have the same punch of color that W’W918D does but then again it’s not meant to be a lipstick. It’s a great buttery wash of color that can be worn by itself or combined with matte (W’W918D) or patchy (Revlon’s Black Cherry) lipsticks.

FILM
Hunger Games (DVD) I already gave a mini review of the film here.
Home Alone 1&2 (DVD)
Finally purchased these movies during the Holiday season because.... well, duh.
Frankenweenie
Had a lot of heart and the overall creepy black and white feel of the movie really stuck with me.

MUSIC
Bat for Lashes -The Haunted Man
      fav tracks - Laura
                        - Lilies
                        - Marilyn
                        - A Wall
                        - Deep Sea Diver
                        - Daphne

Bat for Lashes is an indie musician who is slowly gaining more and more followers since she started in 2006. She had my heart when my art teacher showed her music video “What’s A Girl To Do” to our class in my freshman year of college in 2008 and I've been purchasing her CDs ever since. She has collaborated with Beck, did an amazing cover of The Cure's A Forest, and did a song with Band of Horses featured in The Twilight Saga: Eclips movie. Check her out.

Thanks for stopping by!

2013 Oscars Live Blog + Mini NOTD

2013-02-24T16:32:00.001-08:00

3:54pm Hey peeps. Live blogging the Oscars again this year so let's get to it.

3:56pm Already I’m noticing from all the fashion here on the red carpet, that THE color of the night so far is beige. Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, and Amanda Seyfried.

3:58pm Yay, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Sally Fields. I love how they are interviewing together with her hand is wrapped around his arm. Very Cute.

3:59pm What?! JGL, Daniel Radcliffe, and Seth MacFarlane doing a skit together? Love this scoop I’m getting watching E!News.

4:01pm Oh no. I’m not liking Melissa McCarthy’s hair or dress. First fashion dud of the night for me :(. Looks like something out of Dallas. Best dressed so far? Amanda Seyfried for sure.

Credit: Popsugar

4:05pm Another color I’m seeing a lot on the red carpet is blue. Jennifer Hudson, Reese Witherspoon, Quvenzhané Wallis, and Amy Adams.
4:40pm What a surprise, Jennifer Aniston with her hair down. She looks so happy with her bf but I expected more fashion wise. Then again, she isn't nominated for anything so I won't hamper on her too much.

4:46pm Adele looks great in her classic black outfits, but has a bit of sparkle. Also, I NEED her makeup person.

5:27pm Ok, so quick thoughts before the show. Judging from all the red carpet interviews, it sounds like there is going to be a lot of musical numbers with most of the Les Mis stars singing. As for the actual awards, I am actually hoping Life of Pi gets some awards.

5:30pm Ah, I see the theme is actually Music in Film. Makes sense.
5:33pm Some of the jokes are falling flat but hey it's only been 3 minutes. Also I kinda saw this coming since he's not known for stand-up.
5:40pm Aww Channing and Charlize dancing was ....unexpected but nice.
5:42pm Haha the sock puppet Flight reenactment was actually funny. And I detect Jay Paroh from SNL as Denzel Washington.
5:43pm Yup, JGL and Daniel do a song with Seth. Too bad they weren't given much to do. Boo.
5:49pm Waltz wins another oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
5:56pm Is it just me and my love of beards or does Paul Rudd look sexy tonight? Just me.
5:58pm Man I felt sorry for Melissa and Paul. They were barely getting any laughs with that bit.
5:59pm BRAVE?! Brave?! Seriously Brave? Ok whatever. I feel like the voters just penciled it in just because they saw it was from Pixar. *Sigh* Sorry Paranorman.
6:02pm So looks like they are grouping up 3 Best Films nominees at a time instead of showcasing each of time at a time.
6:06pm Haha, this RobertDJ roasting is hilarious.
6:07pm Life of Pi wins Best Cinematography!!!! Alright, I thought Skyfall would have it but this is a nice surprise. :)
6:09pm This Avengers bantering is great. Sam Jackson knows what he is talking about.
6:10pm Another Life of Pi win for Best Special Effects! I like this, let's keep this Pi-ball rolling. Also, I just love listening to the theme music every time they win.
6:12pm Aww he didn't get to finish! The Oscars putting the Jaws theme to signify impeding doom was actually a nice touch though.
6:17pm Channing waxes? Makes total sense with his exotic dancing past lol.
6:19pm Les Mis wins for Best Makeup/Hair and Anna wins for Best Costume.
6:23pm Halle Barry looks extremely fashion forward in presenting Years of Bond.
6:25pm Wow, Shirley has still got it after all these years singing the Goldfinger song.
6:32pm I know Jamie was probably trying to be serious with the whole importance of Shorts but I couldn't help laughing. He sounds like he's delivering a line on SNL.
6:36pm Yay! Inocente wins. I remember seeing this Short on MTV and crying like a baby. Who says MTV isn't good for anything anymore. Good for her.
6:45pm Searching for Sugarman wins Best Doc. I remember hearing his story on 60 min.
6:46pm Best joke of the night so far, "The cast of Prometheus tells us what the hell was up with that".
6:51pm Amour wins Best Foreign Language Film. I think we all saw that coming from a mile away.
7:02pm Yes......yes....YES! One More Day, this is my shit! I'm totally singing long! Even though they shortened the song down considerably. The recent stage version is still my personal favorite version of the song.
7:13pm Les Mis wins for Best Sound Mixing. The Ted bit is actually pretty funny. Doesn't overstay its welcome.
7:15pm A tie for the award. Too bad I don't remember the name of the award, just the very audible gasp from the audience when there was a tie announced.
7:21pm Anne Hathaway wins Best Supporting Actress. And I actually liked her speech too.
7:33pm Argo wins something! Film Editing.
7:35pm The Skyfall song by Adele is literally the best part of Skyfall, hands down.
7:48pm Oh I always get goosebumps whenever I hear the Harry Potter theme. And Kristen Stewart looks like she needs to fart, big time.
7:49pm Lincoln wins for Production Design.
8:09pm Best Musical Score goes to....Life of Pi! Yes! Score another one for the Pi.
8:13pm Best Song goes to ... Adele for Skyfall. Trust Adele to have a great short speech.
8:23pm Best Adapted Screenplay goes to Argo. I honestly thought it would between Argo or Life of Pi.
8:27pm Best Original Screenplay goes to Tarantino! Pleasant surprise seeing how people were thinking ZD30.
8:32pm "Cocaine trees" That is all.
8:35pm Ang Lee, bitches! Life of Pi wins Best Director.
8:40pm I have to say that Seth's jokes are getting better and better as the night rolls along.
8:42pm Best Actress is Jennifer Lawrence! Oh and she fell >.< Haha but she handles it like a champ. Finally SLP wins something.
8:48pm Oh and Phenoix is not having it. He's eating, looking down, and slightly shaking his head in shame.
8:50pm Best Actor is Daniel Day Lewis. I for one would have loved to see him play Margaret Thatcher.
8:52pm All hail Michelle Obama's bangs. O.O I am not worthy.
8:56pm Argo wins Best Picture? Don't get me wrong, I thought Argo was good but not THAT good. Oh who cares! Good for you Ben Affleck!
9:03pm And the show ends with a loser song to plug in a couple more jokes. Too bad the music was too loud. I couldn't hear what they were saying half the time.

Ok, so overall i liked the show. Seth had a rough start with his jokes but he got better and better as the night kept going. I think my favorite joke had to be the Von Trapp gag with Seth's reaction. It was so hilariously stupid.

"Sir, they're gone!"

I was pleasantly surprised with some of the winners. For days, all I was hearing was Lincoln, Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, DJango Unchained, and Silver Linings Playbook. And in the end these films barely got any awards. Argo got like 2 to maybe 3 awards at best. But each of the real big awards were evenly distributed between these films. Life of Pi definitely has something to celebrate by winning most of the awards and Ang Lee totally deserved his win. The man spent four years creating this film. That's devotion. I'm happy with the results and I hope next year will be even better!

***
Mini NOTD: China Glaze - Fast Track

flash

One of my absolute favorite nail colors OF ALL TIME. I am not kidding. Consider this a sneak peak of the full length NOTD I have planned for this baby. Definitely appropriate for live-blogging the Oscars.

My First Time (Ep3) - Nail Stamp Art

2013-02-22T15:21:00.000-08:00

Today I thought I’d post about my *cough* shitty *cough* first experience with a relatively new and seemingly fun trend in the nail world called nail stamping art. I first heard about it a year or two ago when a lot of beauty Youtubers were using Konad’s nail stamping kit with beautiful results. It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that I finally bought this ‘Salon Express’ version at a Marshalls here in San Diego for 6 dollars so I thought “what the hell, lets give this a go”.

***

Here is a photo of the packaging for those of you unfamiliar with what it looks like. Seems easy enough with the simple steps shown visually on the back.

And here is a picture of main the contents of the Salon Express stamping kit, excluding the two nail polishes shown that are actually from my own nail polish collection.

Double-ended stamper (for larger designs and smaller designs)
Scraper
Plate holder
Metal plate(s)
Mini instruction booklet

The kit comes with 5 metal stamping plates with a range of about 6 to 7 designs on each plate. The stamp I’m using is the one with the zebra print (SE 22) but I was sad to see that of all the designs, there was no leopard print design. *Sigh* That was a bummer but that was a design I could do free-hand anyway.

As for nail polish, I used Essie’s “Carry On” as a base color for all my nails and used a light lavender color, Sally Hasen’s “Lacey Lilac” for the zebra design.

***

So here it goes >.<

Metal plate with zebra design ready to go on the plate holder

Placed a nice layer of "Lacey Lilac" on design

Scraped excess nail polish

*I should have scraped this design vertically not horizontally*

I couldn’t photograph this part since I had to work quickly but I firmly laid, but quickly lifted the larger side of the stamper on the design.

Ta-dah! ..... Yea, needs a bit more work.

I think with this nail stamper kit, it just takes patience and practice to get your nail designs to look flawless. Also, apparently it just depends on the nail polish you use because I know that for the Konad kit, specific nail polish is to be used to work well with the metal plating.

Overall, I don’t quite love it yet aka you wont see it in my Winter favorites post. I really just need to get my hands on some nail art polish at Sally’s Beauty Supply and I'll try again!

NOTD - OPI's Warm and Fozzie

2013-01-26T12:53:00.001-08:00

Today's color is from the Muppets Collection that came out in 2011 along with the movie (which was a hilariously cute movie btw) and is called Warm and Fozzie. Of course, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that this color is inspired by Kermit the Frog! ...... Oh. It's Fozzie Bear? Wacka wacka!

Warm and Fozzie is a warm bronze color with bright, golden-yellow shimmer that gives it an overall metallic look. At times, the color goes from its golden bronze shade to a slight hint of a pinky bronze shade.

PROS:

The formulation in excellent. The color and shimmer evenly spread out on the first swipe and is very easy to work with.
Each layer of this color, I find, dries quickly.
Warm and Fozzie reaches opacity in just 2 coats.
Indoors, within the shade, Warm and Fozzie's darker bronze color really shows more than the shimmer. Outside, in the sun, the lighter yellowy shimmer completely takes over, looking lighter and brighter. In the sun is when Warm and Fozzie truly glows.
This color looks great just sheer or opaque. One sheer layer gives your nails a bit of a light shimmery bronze color without looking dark like the opaque swatches below. The sheer look was so beautiful I almost just left my nails the way they were after one layer. You might even be able to pull this neutral polish off at work....might.
Due to how warm the color is I would definitely see this color be very flattering on warmer skin tones.

CONS:

Since Warm and Fozzie is a shimmery color, it would be one of the harder nail polishes to remove with just normal nail polish remover.
I do not know if this color would necessarily be flattering on really cool, pale skin since Warm and Fozzie is a contrasting warm color with a shimmery finish to boot.

In Flash


In natural bright lighting.

Even though this collection is not available anymore, you can still easily find this on Amazon. Just type in "Warm and Fozzie by OPI" and there you go! Thanks for stopping by!

What I got for Christmas 2012

2013-01-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

(Click any images to enlarge)

As I’ve gotten older, the plentiful amount of gifts under the Christmas tree has come down to about two or three, which makes sense since I don’t need all those toys anymore but only few functional gifts. This year I got two great gifts, a Clarisonic Mia and a kitten calendar! Yes, you read that right. A kitten calendar. It’s actually come to be sort of a Christmas tradition here in my family. Its the go-to gift that we all use and since I’ve been extra cat crazy this year, my parents thought the theme for this calendar would be appropriate. And I screamed in girly delight.

The Clarisonic Mia 2 was something I’ve been thinking about getting for a while now but was surprised by my mom who got it for me before I could. And I’ve heard about this non-stop on YouTube and on other blogs. It’s like the Urban Decay Naked Palettes, they never go down in popularity and, along with the Clarisonic, are becoming a beauty classic with numerous copycats still popping up years later.

Lets dig into the contents shall we?

Clarisonic Mia 2 - What sets this version apart from the original Mia are the two settings it has instead of just one.
Clarisonic Cover
Clarisonic Charger
Instruction booklet
fresh Soy Face Cleanser - I’ve heard plenty about this brand but this would be the first fresh product I have ever used.
Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Collagen Booster - I’ve never heard of this brand so I’ll just take this as a new skin adventure. Judging by all the fantastic reviews online, I’m excited to try this baby out.

What I Learned this Christmas: I learned that I really miss the old traditions of Christmas and want to make things different next year. Other than watching a bunch of Christmas movies, I barely did anything Christmas-worthy. Here's hoping Christmas 2013 will be a bit more festive.

Happy Holidays.

2012-12-31T02:18:00.002-08:00

Happy Holidays Blogger & Blog-viewing peeps! I’ll see you soon with a new post. I'm pretty excited to blog with the new blogger post settings which makes posts much easier to create. Here's to the new year! See you in 2013.

What I’ve Learned This Year:

I now feel like a I am sort of a Disneyland expert with the amount of times I've gone this past year.
Congress sucks.
Nursing is becoming more of a definite reality.
I learned how to guide children and why I like being around them so much.
I learned the origin of the word, OK (Thank you, Silver Linings Playbook).
I know the highs and lows of having a kitten after taking care of 3 abandoned ones for a couple of weeks.
But I learned that even with all the hard work involved, I'm a fully realized cat lover and want to give one a permanent home with me in the near future.
With the many people who have tragically died this past year, whether in my family or on the news, I truly feel I've gotten the concept of how short life can be and to just enjoy it to the fullest. Don't sweat the small bullshit and just keep doing you.

NOTD - China Glaze's "Argo" (Hunger Games Capitol Colours Collection)

2012-04-01T17:02:00.009-07:00

Today's color is from the Hunger Games Capitol Colour Collection that is called Argo. I've heard that this color is inspired by District 11, which specializes in agriculture.

Argo is a dark, forest-y, olive green with micro shimmer that gives off a metallic finish.
PROS: You only need to apply one layer of this gorgeous green polish to get the same desired results as the photos below.
CONS: The only con I could see with Argo is that the brush strokes can be visible at times, however, but I didn't find it distracting enough to not recommend this nail polish.

This is one of my personal favorites from the collection for sure!
Thanks for stopping by!

Hunger Games Nail Polish Haul + Mini Movie Review

2012-03-29T20:00:00.010-07:00

THE NAIL POLISH
I'm in the midst of my Spring Break and I'm back in a big way. With a huge Hunger Games nail polish haul. Above is a photo of the 8 out of 12 Hunger Games nail polishes by China Glaze. I genuinely love this collection. The collection is mostly filled with neutrals and glitters, which I am in love with as you can see, hahaha. I am considering buying one or two more since these China Glaze polishes are on sale at Sallys, making them cheaper than similar colors from Essie or OPI.

L to R: Luxe & Lush, Smoke & Ashes, Stone Cold, Argo

L to R: Well Dressed, Fast Track, Electrify, Riveting

MOVIE REVIEW
I’ve read the first book and am about to start the second, Catching Fire.

Regarding the film, I liked that the romance/sort-of love triangle is played down even more so than in the book. The film could have easily given in to “Twilight tween audience” and given us a played up cheesy romance between Katniss and Peeta but it didn’t, even if it is fake for television. At its heart what this film/book series is is NOT about romance but a commentary on our society. Its a cautionary tale on how “entertainment” like reality television and extreme government control can go too far and make life miserable.

I really liked this movie for being able to have the PG13 rating yet tried to please all audiences and not just the tween demographic that’s usually associated with many subpar, cheesy movies. Those who came into this film not expecting much, like my boyfriend, were pleasantly surprised. And I’m very glad.

As for the “shakey” cam, this honestly did not bother me nor did I even notice until the actual Hunger Games portion of the film. This is probably because we sat in the very last row where the entire screen is easily visible. The only time it got me was during the climactic fight scene unfortunately.

Overall, even with some story changes and the deletion of some scenes from the book, I thought the film did a great job.

Thanks for stopping by!

2012 Oscars Live Blog

2012-02-26T16:53:00.018-08:00

Long time no post. School has definitely ruled my life lately but I'm here with my set-aside free time to watch and blog the Oscars like last year....So, here we go!

4:20(ishpm): I'm watching E!'s Live on the RedCarpet and am greeted with Ryan Seacrest being drenched with Kim Jon Il's "ashes" by Sacha Baron Cohen's Dictator character. Nice. As Tina Fey stated, "you were a victim of comedy" and Ryan was a good sport about it.

4:25pm: And now I'm feeling sorry for the poor lad getting yelled at by security to clean the "ashes" up.

4:40pm: I'm switching back and forth between ABC's Red Carpet and E!'s Red Carpet. I'm sticking with E!. More personality and are doing a better job examining the fashion.

4:57pm: Earlier, there was a poll for E! viewers on who should win Best Picture. And of course, The Help came out on top with 34%, but that's only because it's the only film a lot of E! viewers even saw. My money is definitely on The Artist. It's actually a good film guys.

5:03pm: On ABC, Bradley Cooper is being interviewed sporting a thin mustache. Kinda looking like Burt Reynolds. Sexy. AND doing a decent Chris Walker impression haha.

5:27pm: And now it's about to start, I'm jumping with excitement...... yeeeeeaaah, I hoping the Oscars don't become a complete bore-fest like last year *crosses fingers*

5:30pm Oh nice. They are doing the MTV-style bit but with the films all integrated much better and FUNNIER! Thank you!!

5:33pm OHMYGAWH Billy Crystal in blackface as Sammy Davis Junior

5:37pm "We're here at Chapter 11 Theater" Oh poor Kodak, advanced technology has ruined you :(

5:44pm "Hugo" wins Best Cinematography & Art Direction. Completely agree, it's a beautiful looking film.

5:45pm The winners are so cute in their Italian accents.

5:47pm The downside to watching the Oscars on the only HD TV in the house? Having my dad insert his comments, constantly, as you try to enjoy the show.

5:52pm "Your name here" theater. And the Kodak hits keep on coming, ouch.

5:54pm "The Artist" wins Best Costume Design.

5:59pm "The Iron Lady" wins Best Achievement in Makeup. I was rooting for "Albert Nobbs" or "Harry Potter" but "The Iron Lady"? Really? Comeon now.

6:05pm Oh Sandra nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. That dress is so ill-fitting! Thankfully her Chinese presentation makes up for ....No I just can't do it. The dress ruins it. :/

6:09pm Oh yes. Christian Bale is oozing sexiness tonight. Nice trimmed facial hair. Hair length is perfect. Totally my style of man.

6:12pm Octavia Spencer wins Best Supporting Actress! Gosh she's so surprised and frantically trying to get through her speech in the allotted time. She's adorable, good for her.

6:22pm No Billy. Those actors were not funny. Seriously who wrote that skit? I didn't even smile.

6:23pm Thank goodness for Tina and Bradley getting at least a chuckle out of me.

6:24pm "The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo" won Best Editing. Haha those editors really didn't expect to win. They literally had nothing to say but say thank you and babble nonsense for a couple of seconds. Glad to see "TGWTDT" get at least one award this evening.

6:26pm Aww, "Hugo" wins for Best Sound Mixing. I wouldn't mind but that was "Drive"'s one and only Oscar nom. That film deserved so much more from the Academy.

6:29pm "Hugo" wins again! Well its better that it won all these technical awards because it deserves those but that's pretty much it.

6:34pm Yay the Muppets always makes me giddy.

6:35pm LOVE this Cirque De Soleil performance. It was too short though, I want way more of this kind of entertainment in the Oscars.

6:41pm RDJ totally knows how to liven up the few minutes he ever gets on these award shows.

6:45pm Chris Rock's jokes were pretty funny. "Rango" wins Best Animated Film. Wasn't really feeling "Rango". It looked AMAZING but the story was cliche and the characters didn't keep my interest at all. Blaaaahhh.

6:53pm Emma Stone's dress is definitely a nod to Nicole Kidman's dress from a couple years, it's gorgeous. "Hugo" wins for Best Visual Effects. Yea .... it was either Harry or "Hugo" but I personally would have gone for Harry.

6:58pm Melissa Leo's dress looks like she bought it from Ross. Christopher Plumber wins Best Supporting Actor. He was great in "TGWTDT" and great in "The Beginners".

7:11pm One of my favorite section of awards, for music. Original Score award goes to The Artist. Unfortunately, I have not gotten around to listening to "The Artist"'s score so I have no comment. :/

7:16pm Yes! Zach and Will were the funniest BY FAR. And I'm shocked! There were only TWO original song noms! "Man or a Muppet" wins for Best Original Song. Double YES! I couldn't stop singing that song since I bought the soundtrack last year.

7:25pm "The Desendants" wins for Best Adapted Screenplay while "Midnight in Paris" wins for Original Screenplay. Wow I'm glad to "Midnight in Paris" won something.

7:40pm "The Shore" wins for Short Film while "Saving Face" wins for Short Doc. "Saving Face" was so heartbreaking, but great. Gotta give love to the small films. "Fantastic Flying Books" wins for Animated Short which I have to check out because I heard it was fantastic.

7:51pm "The Artist" wins for Best Directing. No surprise here.

7:57pm Montage Montage Montage. Its like when the producers don't know what else to fill the Oscars with, they put in a montage.

8:03pm Wow that rendition of "What A Wonderful World" was absolutely beautiful. *tear*

8:13pm OHHH! No wonder! It was Esperanza Spalding. I had a feeling it was her. That performance proved that she earned that Best New Artist Grammy award.

8:18pm Jean aka the actual Artist wins for Best Actor. The "I love your country" comment was great.

8:27pm Colin Firth's Mamma Mia joke with Meryl was awesome

8:30pm Meryl Streep wins Best Actress. Was rooting for Rooney Mara but Meryl is the veteran. Yeaaaaaa...... great speech though.

8:35pm Yes! "The Artist" wins Best Picture! Much deserved, "The Artist" truly is a wonderful film so check it out for anyone reading this this.

Well that's that! The 84th Acadamy Awards. Overall, the show was better than last year's, way better. However, the show was still a bit on the safe side which made it a bit boring as usual but what can you do. It's the Oscars, where the old white men strive to keep things very traditional as possible.

Thanks for stopping by! I shall return with a new nail post this week.

December 2011 Outings - Disneyland/The Grove + NOTD (pic heavy)

2012-01-20T15:29:00.000-08:00

DISNEYLAND

(click any image to enlarge)

Let me get this out of the way.... NEVER go to Disneyland on those 5 days after Christmas/ before New Years. You will regret it. Disneyland was packed, which was unfortunate since this was the first time in years that we as a family, the four of us, had gone to Disneyland. These past couple of years, it has usually been my mother and I or my boyfriend and I who have made trips to Disneyland/California Adventure.

First ride of the day, the newly renovated, Star Tours! The last time I visited Disneyland, it was the day after Star Tours reopened. Therefore, I was not able to go on the ride due to the 160 minute wait, and the fast passes had been sold out since early that afternoon. This time around, fast passes had sold out again but there was an 85 minute wait. This was the best we were going to see the line all day so it was the first ride we rode. It was worth it. During the ride, we ran into Darth Vader, invaded the Wookie planet, and almost got eaten by a sea creature. And that is one of the many possible ride experiences you could have as there are 54 different ride experiences.

The Star Tours ship is redesigned with red stripes and no fake damage like before.

3-CPO has been re-polished to blinding perfection.

A new LCD screen that shows the flight statues and video.

Spotted the old pilot robot from the old version of Star Tours.

I thought this was a funny little touch to the bathroom signs in Tomorrowland.

What you see here is a portion of the line to Pirates of the Caribbean ride. I say "portion" because the people in the roped area are in the line while the rest are people passing by, walking around the park. It was bad. Just to put things into perspective, the line for PotC is usually 15 minutes. The wait this day was 45 minutes, but thankfully, it went by pretty fast.

The Christmas tree in Disneyland Main Street.

Disneyland Main Street at night.
The Christmas tree in California Adventure.

View of the California Adventure pier where the World of Color show takes place.

Overall, even though we spent the entire day switching from Disneyland and California Adventure On any normal day, a family with hopper tickets would have time to at least go on every major ride from both parks once. But because of the tremendous amount of people, that was impossible. Some of the rides such as Screamin' and Haunted Mansion closed early while the rides that remained open, such as the Indiana Jones ride, had wait times up to 100 minutes. I'm thinking of getting an annual pass for 2012 for sure.

_____________________________________________________________
THE GROVE
(click any image to enlarge)
The next day was our family's visit to The Grove. It's a well known shopping center with some high end and common stores that go in a short loop. In all honesty, it was nothing to write home about. There weren't as many stores as the malls I go to in San Diego or in other parts of LA. It's just mostly the decoration that makes it stand out to me. Also, the movie theater sold matinee tickets for $11 ... that's a deal? I'd suggest going to the Del Amo mall in Torrance, CA or the Fashion Valley mall in San Diego, CA.

Right next to The Grove is the Farmers Market.

Probably one of the only redeeming things about The Grove is that Extra is filmed here where there is always a celebrity guest.

______________________________________________________________
NOTD - TEENAGE DREAM
(click any image to enlarge)

And finally, A NOTD! "Teenage Dream" was what I wore during the December outings. It is apart of the Katy Perry OPI collection. As if I need to go into much detail about this extremely popular nail polish. It's beautiful!

The sparkle on this nail polish is fantastic and I love the actual color of the nail polish which is a pale pink. Having "Teenage Dream" be a pale pink helps to keep the polish from being too loud since that is what the hologram sparkles are there for. "Teenage Dream" is surprisingly wearable and goes with most anything.

The only cons are what is expected for these type of polishes. First off, it is a NIGHTMARE to take off. And second, you will have to shake very well in order to keep the hologram sparkles from settling towards the bottom.

Two coats + One top coat of Seche Vite

Phew! That was one long post! Thank you for bearing with me as I got all my thoughts and experiences out for the last month of 2011 outings. Stay tuned for more.
Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Lovin' - Fall 2011

2012-01-12T20:33:00.000-08:00

(Click on any image to Enlarge)

Fall 2011 officially ended on December 21, 2011. So it's better late than never to post my Fall 2011 favorites which does not include any Christmas gifts for obvious reasons.

BEAUTY
1 Dove Go Fresh Deodarant in "Rebalance"
3 B&BW Twilight Woods Triple Moisture Lotion
11 B&BW Strawberry Sparkler body lotion
12 B&BW Jingle Bellini body lotion

13 F21 Love & Beauty nail polish in "Bronze"
14 Sally Hansen Xtreme in "Red Carpet"

15 Covergirl lipPerfection in "Sultry"
16 Revlon Lip Butter in "Strawberry Shortcake"
17 Revlon Lip Butter in "Fig Jam"

18 Revlon Lip Butter in "Creme Brulee"

19 Palladio Herbal Eyeshadow quad in "Copper N Chic"
20 Burberry "Body" perfume
21 L'Oreal Project Runway Limited Editon blush in "Sultry Raven"

HOME
2 B&BW Foaming Hand soap in Iced Gingerbread
- This smells exactly like warm gingerbread and the smell lingers on your hands
4 B&BW candle in Autumn
5 B&BW candle in Fresh Balsam
6 B&BW candle in Apple Crumble

STYLE
7 F21 Necklace - Bronze three speared necklace
8 F21 Ring - Silver spiked ring
9 F21 Ring - Bronze ring with amber-like stone
10 F21 Ring - Silver ring with intricate, tribal designs

FILM - I don't have many film favorites since all the good releases came at the start of Winter
The Muppets
Hugo

MUSIC (songs below link to their own OFFICIAL music video on youtube)
White Stripes - Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
Two Door Cinema Club - What You Know
Richie Spice - Youths A So Cold
LMFAO - Sexy And I Know It
- This song, and especially the music video, is so silly and over the top that I don't know why people take it seriously enough to hate it
Maroon 5 - Moves Like Jagger
Arcade Fire - We Used To Wait
FloRida - Good Feeling
The Cure - Watching Me Fall (Underdog Remix)
Cliff Martinez - Drive Score
Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx - Nightcall
Karen O with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - Immigrant Song

WEBSITE/YOUTUBE
http://nouveaucheap.blogspot.com/
- One of the only blogs that I ALWAYS click on her posts since they are very informative on all the latest makeup deals. And she lives in San Diego, my hometown.
http://www.youtube.com/user/clothesencounters
- A youtube channel run by two girls who have very unique senses of style and beautiful professionally done videos, check them out.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrArturoTrejo
- Like Shaytards? Well this family is even funnier. "Arturo" is the funniest and his son "JoseLuis" is absolutely adorable.

Two Free Zoya Nail Polishes.

2012-01-08T21:37:00.000-08:00

I said I would post about these free Zoya deals so here it goes. Last week, Zoya announced a new code (HERE) to get 2 free of their polishes from their site. All you have to do is pay for shipping. This is a great deal! You're getting $16 worth of nail polish for $6.95. I have yet to decide which polishes I'm getting and am searching through the sea of colors to which I want. I'll definitely do a haul post once they arrive in the mail.

Water Marble Nail Art, Take #6!

2011-12-24T12:11:00.000-08:00

(Click Images to Enlarge)

Here is the Christmas water marble art I have been wanting to sport ever since I got Zoya's "Ivanka" this past July. I made two different versions on each hand. On the left hand (my first attempt) I used "Ivanka" in conjunction with "Ruby Red", a bright matte red. And on the right hand (my second attempt) I went ahead and paired "Ivanka" with "Red Carpet", a glittery red.
Each came with different results which I will get discuss further.....

Refer back to my original Water Marble Nail Art post for steps and other pictures.

Nail polishes I used (I only used 2 on each nail):

Sinful Colors in “Ruby Red” (left hand nails)
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in “Red Carpet” (right hand nails)
Zoya in "Ivanka"

(L to R: “Ruby Red”, “Red Carpet”, “Ivanka”)

I would like to get this out of the way by saying that Zoya's "Ivanka" was NOT a good nail polish to water marble with. It's not impossible but its pretty difficult. I would not recommend for use if you are not an experienced water marbler.

In my first attempt of water marbling with "Ivanka" I decided to pair it with "Ruby Red" which is not glittery and therefore would make the glittery green "Ivanka" stand out more. Water marbling was a disaster. When I tried to use a pointed stick to make the design, the green went everywhere and would not stay in place for me to make a decent design for my nails. This explains why the edges of the colors on the close up shots look so muddied and not smooth. However, from afar, they look much better and I have actually received plenty of compliments from women while Christmas shopping.

(left hand; flash)

(right hand; flash)

Replacing "Ruby Red" with "Red Carpet" on my second attempt, on my right hand, fared a bit better while water marbling. My theory is that I used two glittery nail polishes instead of one and therefore balanced each other out better. And I have to say, I do like this pairing better. I especially love how both the colors sparkle in the sunlight. Absolutely gorgeous.

(left hand; sunlight)
(right hand; sunlight)

Have a Happy Holiday! Thanks for stopping by!

November 2011 Outings - LACMA & Getty Center (pic heavy)

2011-12-03T10:56:00.000-08:00

(click any image to enlarge)

November was a busy school month for me. This included an Excursion Project for one of my art classes. This project, however, was a very enjoyable one as I was able to re-visit two of my favorite art museums here in Los Angeles, CA, the LACMA and the Getty Center.

LACMA

Being the procrastinator I am, I was only able to visit the LACMA at night for only an hour. The plus was that I attended on the second Tuesday of the month, in which admission all-day is free. Also, because I was there for only an hour, parking was free too!

The famous Urban Light by Chris Burden.

Views from the third floor of the Contemporary Arts Building.

I had to sneek in the following photos since photography is not allowed within the contemporary art exhibits. These are just SOME of the art.

Andy Warhol, Rorschach (Third Floor)

Robert Therrien, Blue Plastic Plates (Third Floor)

ASCO Exhibit (Second Floor)
This specific exhibit took up an entire floor and is comprised of the entire artwork collection of ASCO, a small group of Chicano artists, from the 70s and 80s.

_____________________________________________________________
THE GETTY CENTER

The next day was spent at the Getty Center, which is the bigger of the two Getty museums in Los Angeles. Admission is free but parking is $15. I recommend both Getty museums as great date locations. The art is beautiful, there is both a fancy and casual restaurant, there are PLENTY of views, and many sit-down areas to talk, eat or just take it all in.

By the way, if you ever have the chance, visit the Getty Villa in Malibu. That one specializes in more Greek and Roman classical artwork and is just as beautiful. Admission is also free.

Getty Center from the 405 freeway.

Of course I had to take a picture.

The exhibit I wanted to see, Narrative Interventions in Photography.
One of the MANY sit-down areas.
The Getty Center garden.

A finally, these next photos make up the entire skyline view of Los Angeles taken from the back of the West Pavillion Building.

Hollywood mountains. You can even see snow.

In the distance you can see downtown Los Angeles.
The 405 freeway.
Palos Verdes (the mountain), Santa Monica, and Malibu.

To post my entire collection of photos from just the Getty Center would be insane so I hope that these photos gave a sweet little sneak peek into what the LACMA and the Getty Center have to offer.
Thanks for stopping by!

Nail Of The Day - Essie's "School Of Hard Rocks"

2011-11-17T19:23:00.000-08:00

Click on any image to enlarge

(flash)

(natural light)

"School Of Hard Rocks" is apart of Essie's 2011 Winter Collection. This is a color reminds me of a military color that looks more green or blue depending on the lighting. Under flash photography, this polish shows up more green. But under natural lighting, the polish leans towards blue.

As for the formulation, "School Of Hard Rocks" is creamy and opaque. Like most nail polishes, it only takes two coats to achieve the color from the bottle. And I placed a coat of Seche Vite on top for a high gloss shine.

Out of the whole Essie Winter collection this year I feel this color was the most unique since the rest were similar to nail polish colors I already have in my collection. I especially love how it stands out against any of my black wardrobe.

Essie can be found online or in Target, Walmart, or RiteAid stores.
Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Nails #3 - Harry Potter Nails Tutorials (pic heavy)

2011-10-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

(Click any image to enlarge)

The final Halloween Nail Tutorial!
This time, as promised, I created a nail design involving my Halloween costume. This year, in honor of the final Harry Potter film, I did not 1, not 2, but 3 nail designs. As you can see from the photo above, I did three different base/background designs and made an appropriately colored lightning bolt for each. You can choose which ever design you want for your nails, I am just showing different options. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I am not a professional nail artist and do not claim to be one. This is my first time doing this design. Given my experience with this design, I hope that those of you who don’t think you can do will be inspired to at least give it a try!

TIPS:
Practice drawing a lightening bolt on a separate sheet of paper before attempting on your nail.

For Design 1 (red & yellow water marble)
What you will need: - What I am using:

red nail polish - Sinful Colors in “Ruby Red”
yellow nail polish - Sinful Colors in “Pull Over”
shimmery gold nail polish - Stripe Rite in “Gold”
clear top coat polish - Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat

For Design 2 (black & red water marble)
What you will need: - What I am using:

red nail polish - Sinful Colors in “Ruby Red”
black nail polish - Sinful Colors in “Black On Black”
shimmery gold nail polish - Stripe Rite in “Gold Metallic”
clear top coat polish - Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat

For Design 3 (red & yellow checkered)
What you will need: - What I am using:

red nail polish - Sinful Colors in “Ruby Red”
yellow nail polish - Sinful Colors in “Pull Over”
shimmery gold nail polish - Stripe Rite in “Gold”
clear top coat polish - Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat

(L to R: “Gold”, “Ruby Red”, “Pull Over”, “Black on Black”, “Gold Metallic”, “MegaShine”)

The colors red and yellow are meant to represent Gryffindor and the black is the color of the student's robes.

For Design 1 (red & yellow water marble)
Step 1:
I’ve already done a water marbling tutorial. To keep this post from being too long, here is the water marble tutorial. Follow the same steps but using the red and yellow nail polish instead. Here are some photos of how I did this design.

Step 2:
Using my Stripe Ride in “Gold” or any shimmery golden nail polish that will stand out against the water-marble background, I created a lightening bolt. Practice on a piece of paper before attempting on your nail. I started with the horizontal center of the lightening bolt. Then, I fee-handed the rest of the lightening bolt.
Step 3:
Wait until design is completely dry and use a top coat. Finished!

_________________________________
For Design 2 (black & red water marble)
Step 1:
I’ve already done a water marbling tutorial, click here for the tutorial. Follow the same steps but using the black and red nail polish instead.

Step 2:
Using my Stripe Ride in “Gold Metallic” or any shimmery golden nail polish that will stand out against the water-marble background, I created a lightening bolt. Practice on a piece of paper before attempting on your nail. Step 3:
Wait until design is completely dry and use a top coat. Finished!

_________________________________
For Design 3 (red & yellow checkered)
Step 1:
This checkered design is supposed to mimic the Gryffindor crest, with the checkered background. Start by penciling in the 4 squares on your nail. Then, start with either the red or yellow nail polish and fill in the appropriate squares, as seen in the first photo. As you can tell, I did mine free hand.

Finally, use the other nail polish color and fill in the appropriate squares.
Step 2:
Finally, it is time to draw on the lightening bolt. After having practiced on a separate piece of paper, I used the “Gold” Stripe Rite nail polish to draw a lightening bolt, starting with the horizontal center of the lightening bolt. Then, I fee-handed the rest of the lightening bolt.
Step 3:
Wait until design is completely dry and use a top coat. Finished!

Here is a photo of my nails before drawing the lightening bolts. They still look great without the extra detail, so I guess this would count as my Water Marble Art, Take 5?

I hope you enjoyed my final nail tutorial this year and will try this design on your own.
Thanks for stopping by & Happy Halloween!

Halloween Nails #2 - Hello Kitty Frankenstein Nails Tutorial (pic heavy)

2011-10-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

(Click any image to enlarge)

Time for another Halloween Nail Tutorial!
This time, I wanted to involve a character that I am sure many of you love, Hello Kitty! This is a French Manicure style of design, to make it a little more chic I guess you could say, either way it looks feminine and adorable. My roommate could not stop complimenting me on a job well done. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I am not a professional nail artist and do not claim to be one. This is my first time doing such a detailed design so don't be too harsh on me >.< Given my experience with this design, I hope that those of you who don't think you can do it will be inspired to at least give it a try!

TIPS:
Take your time with this, especially when using the nail art pen for the small designs.
Practice, Practice, Practice, on a sheet of paper before drawing the design on your nail.

What you will need: - What I am using:

green nail polish - Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in “Green With Envy”
light purple nail polish - Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in “ Lacey Lilac”
yellow nail polish - Sinful Colors in “Pull Over”
small, pointed brush - A double sided lip brush from a lip palette
a nail art pen - Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in “Black”
piece of paper
Q-tips
clear top coat polish - Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat

(L to R: “Green With Envy”, “Lacey Lilac”, “Pull Over”, “MegaShine”)

Step 1:
Apply the green nail polish half way on all your fingers. Wait until completely dry. This will be the color of Hello Kitty’s face.

Step 2:
Use a Q-tip and dip one side into some nail polish remover. Use wet Q-tip to wipe away excess nail polish and create a straight line on each nail. Note: Give yourself some room For the design and let the green nail polish take up a third of each of your nails.

Step 3:
Using the nail art pen, lightly dab onto your nail, both of Hello Kitty’s eyes. Note: If you are using a nail art pen for the first time, practice the design on the piece of paper first so you are less likely to make a mistake.

Step 4:
Using nail art pen again, create a small bow for Hello Kitty. This will be an outline for the purple nail polish and will be mostly covered. Don’t worry if it looks messy for now.

Now, use your pointed brush and take a bit of purple nail polish onto the brush tip. Color in Hello Kitty’s bow. Wait until completely dry.

Step 5:
Using the pointed brush, dip the tip into the yellow nail polish and create Hello Kitty’s nose. This usually only take a light dab to do, probably the easiest step.

Step 6:
Almost done! Now, for the last part of the design, you will need the nail art pen. Using the pen, outline the outside of the dry purple nail polish to create a complete and neat bow for Hello Kitty. Also with the pen, draw on some stitches on each side of Hello Kitty’s face to make the design truly Frankenstein- looking. Wait until completely dry.

Step 7:
STOP! Have you waited until the design is completely DRY? You do not want to see all your hard work smeared away with one swipe of top coat.

Once DRY, gently add on a layer of any top coat of your choice to protect the design and you are done!

(flash)

(natural light)

(artificial light)

I hope you enjoyed my nail tutorial and will try this design on your own! I may just come back next week with a different Hello Kitty Halloween design.
Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Nails #1 - Bloody Nails

2011-10-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

(Click any image to enlarge)

It's October! And Halloween is just around the corner! I thought I would kick things off with a Halloween nail design I got from the lovely AndreasChoice on Youtube. It was a great design so I had to share it with any of you who have not seen the video.

What you will need:

dark, red nail polish
clear top coat polish
dotting tool
piece of paper

Video tutorial (not mine) is included down below.

(right hand, natural light)

(left hand, natural light)

(with flash)

(w/o flash)

I will try to do a couple of original Halloween nail designs and do a picture tutorial for each one this month, including one that has to do with my Halloween costume! Stay tuned & thanks for stopping by!

Credit goes to AndreasChoice for the video.

Nail Of The Day - Sephora by O.P.I. "Because I Said So"

2011-09-23T22:42:00.000-07:00

Click any image to enlarge

(flash, white background)

To celebrate the start of Fall, I wanted to change up my nail color to something darker and with a bit more sparkle, which is more my style anyway. I decided on "Because I Said So", a color from the Sephora by O.P.I. collection.

This polish is a dark burgundy color. This isn't the type of color that looks almost black when you apply more than 1 coat. It also has a bit of sparkle that gives "Because I Said So" good depth. It's noticeable but not in your face.

(flash, black background)

The best part about this polish is the formulation. Unlike my last NOTD, Zoya's Bela, this polish was not goopy in the slightest. No matter how many fresh coats I used, the nail polish is still easy to work with and put on.

(natural sunlight)

Sephora by O.P.I. can be found at any Sephora location.
Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Lovin' - Summer 2011

2011-09-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

I noticed I have not done any "What I'm Lovin'" posts all summer long. And seeing how that Fall officially starts for us here in the United States tomorrow, Sept. 23rd, I thought this would be the perfect time to post my favorites from the entire summer here in one gigantic post. Farewell Summer 2011, see you in 2012!

BEAUTY

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer

- Concealer used to never be enough until I purchased this one. Now I can use less makeup and have GREAT coverage for all my flaws. It's one of my holy grail products.

Murad Oil-Control Mattifier Lotion SPF 15

- Another holy grail product I found this summer. I got this for free as a sample size but I WILL purchase the full size. It does exactly what it says and does not break me out. Hallelujah!

Revlon's Grow Luscious Plumping Mascra

Loreal lipstick - Opulent Organza

NYX Nude On Nude Palette

- A perfect, and cheaper alternative, to the Naked Palette.

Essie - Mamba

Essie - Sand Tropez

Essie - Absolutely Shore

Zoya - Bela

Zoya - Willow

Zoya - Charla

B&BW Body Cream - Signature Vanillas in Berry

Neutrogena naturals fresh cleansing + makeup remover

HOME

B&BW Candle in Flower Shop

B&BW Candle in Strawberry Patch

FILM

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part II (my love letter)

Fright Night

Drive

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Attack The Block

Bridesmaids

X-Men: First Class

Thor

TV(Basically the shows I've been catching up on before the Fall Season)

Sons Of Anarchy

Modern Family

Parks & Recreation

Breaking Bad

MUSIC

Katy Perry's Teenage Dream Album

Harry Potter Movie Scores (Yeah, I'm a Harry Potter Nut that way)

JLo Ft. Pitbull - On The Floor

Enrique Iglesias - Tonight

Afrojack - Take Over Control

TLC - All Their Classic Songs. I fell in love all over again.

BOOKS

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

- Had to read it before the American film adaptation comes out this Christmas

Nail Of The Day - Zoya's "Bela"

2011-09-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

Three Light Coats + Seche Vite Top Coat

(with flash)

Today's color is a sheer nail polish color from Zoya called "Bela". It is a milky, creamy, baby pink color that just looks so adorable. And Bela is a star nail polish in its own right. It was featured in one of my favorite films last year, Black Swan. Here is the screenshot.

(with natural light)

As I mentioned before, this is a sheer color with one light coat so Bela works great as a french manicure color. Bela is also build-able to be opaque with two thick coats or three light coats. And as always, with one coat of Seche Vite, my nails dried within minutes.

And look, Bela is the exact same color as my Ipod cover. It was meant to be...

Click here to view and purchase from Zoya's website.

Thanks for stopping by!

Free Target Beauty Bag. Hurry!

2011-08-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

Just earlier today (Sunday, 8/28), Target posted a new Beauty Bag available that comes with free beauty products. I'll forward anyone reading this to DrugstoreDiva's post about it since it contains more detail and is where I heard about this free beauty bag. All you have to do is fill out a short survey and your address and they will send it to you, for free. You will have to hurry over beauty because this beauty bag runs out quickly.

NOTE: The Target site is running very slow but try anyway.

Hope you get a free Beauty Bag!

Nail Polish Haul - 8/20/11

2011-08-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

Ahh!!! It's finally here! My order from Zoya! From now on I'm going to report on any of the new Zoya deals that involve getting free nail polish. It's the only time I order from Zoya.com. This time, I was able to get 3 Zoya nail polishes for the price of one (price includes shipping). Since I was able to freely choose each and everyone of these nail polishes, I can not wait to do a NOTD for each of these this fall.

(Click Images Below to Enlarge)

Here are the nail polishes (from left to right)^:

Cynthia - A dark, smoky peacock teal with light shimmer. The first fall color I saw and had to have.

Marina - A blue-grey color with a metallic finish. I definitely do not own a metallic shade like this!

Bela - A milky, creamy, light baby pink color. Oh Bela, you are adorable. And having been featured in Black Swan (Don't believe me? Here's a pic!), I had to have you.

(A closer look; with flash)

For a closer look at any of these nail polishes, just click on their names. This will redirect you to their page on Zoya's website. Thanks for stopping by!