Steph's Beauty Addiction

FOTN - 04/07/12

2012-04-11T22:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went out to a comedy show, where they had a DJ afterwards at Kimbal's Carnival.
Here's what I did for my makeup:
I used Urban Decay's Naked Palette for my eyes. Toasted all over the lid, Hustle on the outer 1/3 and in the crease. Sin was my highlight and just a tad in the inner corner.

On my cheeks I wore Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed

And on my lips I used NYX lip liner in Natural all over my lips & MAC lipstick in Blankety.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Oakland Athletics Opening Day Makeup

2012-04-10T23:52:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend and I went to the A's Opening Day last Friday, We were lucky enough to come across AMAZING seats.

Here's my FOTD: For my eyes I wore team colors yellow and green. I picked Sugarpill's Buttercupcake from their Burning Heart palette all over the lid & SmashBox Serpent from their Photo OP Mega Palette all over my crease, blended down into the yellow. Elf liquid liner and Clinique mascara finish off my eyes. For blush I used just the tiniest amount of Korres blush in Natural. For my lips I used ELF lipstick in Nicely Nude (which is more pink than the name would imply)

Hope everyone who reads this had a great weekend as well!

The A's didn't win but we still had fun. LETS GO OAKLAND!

Purple Ombré

2012-04-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick post on my current mani.. Well it was current last week. Sorry, we just got internet in our new house! I was deperately needed one. Seeing as my choice of polish before that, was paint (renovating our new house).

I decided to go with an ombré look, which is where your nail gradually go through different shades of one color. I was just short one purple color, easy fix. Just doubled up on the lightest shade.

Avon Lavender

Have a beautiful day!!

Sally Hansen Color Quick CHROME

2012-03-02T19:11:00.001-08:00

Most Sally Hansen products are found at your local drug store. These run for around $3.64. It claims to be fast drying and give you a "manicure in minutes".

It's actually a "pen" that you click 5-7 times for the product to initially come out. It was given to me a few weeks ago & I just finally tried it. I got the color 08 Red Chrome. To me this actually looks like more of a pink chrome, but I'm a fan of the color regardless of the odd name choice.

After that I found 1-2 clicks was enough for each nail. Here's the result of 2 coats:

The formula is very streaky but settles somewhat while it's drying. If you have any ridges on your nails, unfortunately this product will show them. Even, exaggerate them. Probably easily corrected with a smoothing base coat.

I did find that it was very fast drying and therefore cut my manicure time way down. But I'm not overall ecstatic about this product. I may purchase if other colors are "amazing" and try to make it work with a different base coat. I don't have time very often to do my nails, so I like formulas that last long. Even if the cost is a little more.

after 2 days of wear

Unfortunately, it doesn't last very long. So the convenience of fast drying time is cut short by it's staying power.

*I always use a base and top coat, just FYI*

Valentines Season Nails - NOTD

2012-02-06T15:06:00.002-08:00

Here's a quick post on the colors I'm wearing now. Inspired by valentine's day of course :)

I have NYC Pink Promanade & China Glaze Hey Sailor on my ring fingers. I really like subtle difference between these two colors. It helps the one ring finger not look totally crazy. Hope you enjoy :)

Have a fantastic day!

REVLON COLORBURS LIP BUTTER - Review & Swatches

2012-01-31T22:06:00.000-08:00

I found these at my local Target for $6.49. I picked up the color 050 Berry Smoothie to try out. I was looking for something easy to throw on everyday for work when I'm in a time crunch.

Its just a bit brighter than my natural lip shade. There's also some very subtle shimmer in this shade. I usually don't like shimmery lips but it works this time.

No primer, one swipe

The consistency of this is amazing! Similar to that of a tinted lip balm. I have really dry lips and usually only wear lipstick when I exfoliate my lips prior. Translation: When I have tons of time to get ready. So this was a perfect fit.
As for wear, it lasted me about 3 hours before I wanted to re-apply. The glossy appearance disappears after the first hour or so, but the color remains in tact. The formula wasn't drying at all. It actually eliminated the need for Chapstick during the day. Which is amazing for me, to say the least.

No product

Just applied

2 hours wear

I'm going back to get more shades soon.

Face of the Night

2011-12-12T19:22:00.001-08:00

Here's a quick post on the make up I'm wearing out tonight for our date night.

I have Buxom Barcelona on my lips, and Wet n Wild's Bruleé, Buck & Sin by Urban decay on my eyes. For blush I went nude with exposed by Tarte.

SEPHORA Nail Patch Art: How To & Review

2011-12-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody! This post will be about a nail trend I tried recently. The SEPHORA Nail Patch Art has only 5 designs to choose from. I opted for the pink cheetah.

The stickers come in an air tight package that they urge you not to open until your going to apply them. I assume they will most likely dry out otherwise. It comes with 8 various sizes to fit against your nail bed. I found one perfect for each of my nails. I would even imagine I could find matches for a pedicure.
I matched my nail size to the stickers as I went along. I recommend doing the same finger on each hand, then move on the the next. This way you don't lose its matching partner!

OK, onto application.. I started with clean, buffed nails.

First you remove a transparent sheet on the top of the nail patch.
Next, hold the silver tab in order to place the patch at the base of your nail bed. This step was rather hard for me. The polish isn't sticky at all so I had to hold the patch on the actual design to get it place just right.
Push firmly all over nail to stick the patch securely.

4. You can remove excess length buy pulling gently over the tip of nail. If the nail is too large of a width you can use an orange stick to remove excess.
5. Finish with a top coat and your done!

Review:
I had to keep pushing all of the edges down around my nails to finally get them to stick. Also, my nails would get stuck in my hair sometimes, because of edges that were coming up. I must say I'm pretty disappointed with how long these lasted for me. My mani only lasted about 4 days. With other sticker polishes they lasted 7 days! They were very cute when I first put them on but overall they're more trouble than their worth.

after 2 days Day 4

Smokey Eye Using NYX Shadows

2011-12-07T21:14:00.000-08:00

Here is a smokey eye look I created using Black & Rust from NYX.

First, be sure to prime your lid with a primer or concealer will work fine. Then I used a blending brush to put Rust just above my crease. Next, I used a flat shader brush to pat Black all over the lid up to the crease & made a "V" shape on the outer corner of the eye.

Dab just a tiny bit more of Rust on the blending brush and blend into the crease (don't want the color to get lost with all the black). I Highlighted the brow bone with Brulee by Wet n Wild, blend into Rust color to keep a smokey look. Also out a tiny amount of Brulee into the inner corner of the eye.

Last, line the water line with a black liner and add your best black mascara. Enjoy!

TIP: I had a bit of fall out from the Black shadow. You should do your face make up after or hold a tissue under the eye to prevent black specks on your face :)

Benefit "They're Real!" Mascara

2011-11-15T19:45:00.000-08:00

This mascara claims to "lengthen, curl, volumize, lift, and separate". I'll comment on how each of these qualities actually measure up. I have been using this mascara for about a month now. It is described as a jet black, and it is. I love a black mascara so this was perfect for me.

Lengthening: I would say is lengthening but not to an extreme. I have somewhat long lashes already so it didn't bother me much.
Curling/Lifting: Yes! I don't know how, but this mascara does lift and curl the lashes. Making them appear more open. It may be due to the brush (more on that later in this post)
Volumizing: This definitely adds on some volume to your lashes. But because of this, a second coat makes lashes appear "spider-like". I just pile it on wet, rather than letting it dry before the second coat and that seems to help. But even then, if you put too much the spider effect can still happen.
Separating: This one is 50/50. If you only do one coat than it does an amazing job. BUT any more than one coat the lashes start to have the opposite effect, clumping to each other. As for me, its hard to resist a second coat of mascara.

Now for the brush. The last time I used a mascara brush with plastic teeth I was underwhelmed, so I was skeptical about using this one. To my surprise this brush works very well. It seems to really help in lifting and curling my lashes. It has teeth rounded over the tip to reach each and every one of you lashes or use for lower lashes. When you first take the brush out of the tube there is an excess of mascara on the tip. Unfortunate, since its meant to use on fine lashes and that would only create clumps. This could easily be fixed by wiping it off on the tube before use.

(One coat - did not use eye lash curler)

My over all impression of this mascara is that its a good one but not fantastic. Especially for the $22 price tag. It's waterproof so its also hard to get every last bit off. As for repurchasing, I think I can find and equivalent or better at the drug store.

Sugar Lip Polish by fresh.

2011-11-10T10:50:00.000-08:00

This is a sugar scrub for your lips by fresh. It claims to leave "your skin incredibly soft and smooth". And let me tell you they're not lying! Plus it smells delicious, like brown sugar.

Retailing for $26.00 for 0.6oz, this product does not come cheap, As a matter of fact, I must have got this on sale. No way I would be able to spend that much money on this little jar I had never tried before. BUT with that being said, I would most defiantly buy this again. I have very dry lips and this works perfectly. It's my go-to for when I'm having a really bad lip day. This one jar has lasted several months, each use only reqires a tiny bit of product.

(how much I use)

First I massage the lip polish in small circles into my lips for a few sconds, just long enough to get some on my entire lips. Use a washcloth with warm water to clean lips and finish with a think lip balm or vaseline(surprisingly moisturing). And you've got incredibly soft lips!

Its best to do this first and start doing your hair or makeup after. This way your lip moisturizer will have time to soak in before you apply any lip products.

Bottom line - This product this is money well spent. One of my favorite products.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure

2011-11-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

For my first blog I decided to review the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure. At $7.99 I was hesitant to buy this product. If I were to spend that much money on nail polish I want OPI or some other high end brand. It claims to have "5 Steps in 1 Bottle: Base Coat, Strengthener, Growth Treatment, Color and Top Coat". I still opted to use a top and base coat out of habit. I chose #660 "Pat On The Black". A deep burgundy, almost blackish shade.

This polish was completely opaque after two coats, which is good to me. I found that this polish lasts much longer than some other even more expensive polishes. Here are a few photos of the wear and tear.

DAY 4

DAY 6

I am on day 7 and this mani still looks half way decent. No chips at all and I noticed I don't have any of the usual wear on the corners of my nails. A much longer last than all of my other polishes. I would defiantly repurchase and recommend

Welcome To My Blog

2011-11-06T19:58:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone interested in reading my blog. I plan to write about beauty & makeup products, shopping and much more! Have a wonderful day!..Or night for me :)