The Best Nail Deals on Amazon

So I went shopping on Amazon for a set of nail brushes and a dotting tool kit. Long story short- I spent the afternoon searching for the best price. And I found it. For $4.16 I got 5 double sided dotting tools, and a 15 piece brush set. They did raise the price of the brushes since I've purchased them, but only by about 50 cents. 

This is the link to the dotting tools: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FJQQMC/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00 

This is the link to the brushes: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006L1DNWY/ref=pe_175190_21431760_M2C_ST1_3p_dp_1

The only downside of these is that they ship from Hong Kong so I have yet to take a real life picture or write a review on them :( I just wanted to show you all where to get the best deals while the prices are low! 

I can't wait to try them out and see what I can come up with :)
See you soon! xx

Sephora's Nail Polish Remover

I came across a new favorite!
This was the second time I went into Sephora. This nail polish remover was around $6.00, but this was the smallest size. It works like magic! One swipe on a cotton round and all the polish is gone. And the scent it leaves on your fingers is amazing. It smells like regular nail polish remover in the bottle, but completely different on the hand. I also noticed that it didn't dry out my skin at all. I will definitely re-purchase this, and I recommend it completely!

See you soon! xx

Why is your water marbling not working?

Hey everyone! I've missed you all! School is really taking a toll on me :/
It's really hard to get back into the groove of things, and I really don't have a lot of free time.

So I was searching around the web and I found a lot (More than usual) of questions on things that are happening with water marbling. I thought it might be helpful to compile a lot of those questions here. Let's get right to it!

Why does my polish sink to the bottom?
Two reasons. Either your water is the wrong temp, or you're dropping the polish too high. Hold the brush just above the water, but not to the point where you're touching the water.
What type of water do I need?
Regular tap water. Nothing fancy.
What temperature of water works best?
Room temperature! Try getting as close to room temp as you can, and let the water sit for an hour or two.
How can I get my polish to spread around evenly?
You can shake the container a little after dropping it in, or you can run a toothpick on the outside edges of the bowl. This pulls the water, pulling the polish with it.
Why isn't the polish spreading?
Sounds like the wrong temperature of water. Also, the formula plays a big role. You'll see that thinner polishes spread a lot faster, but are very sheer. Thicker polishes take a while to spread but they have good coverage. You have to experiment! See what works best for the look you're going for.
What are some good color combos?
Pastels with white look very nice, Also mixing colors that are opposite the color wheel give a very interesting effect. My go to color for marbling is white. It looks great with anything!
What topcoat do you recommend that doesn't smear colors?I use the generic air dry topcoat from Sally's Beauty Supply.
How do you avoid getting your fingers messy?Tape! Tape around the cuticle and on the sides of the nails. Clean up is a breeze!
How do you get rid of air bubbles?Before you even want to dip your finger, pop any air bubbles that are already in the water.


My last tip is to work quickly! Polish dries very fast in water. Have all your bottles open ahead of time, and all your tape cut already.
Hope this helps!
See you soon. xx 

Water Marbling Technique- Tips and Tricks

I finally did it! I successfully water-marbled my nails. I know I'm a little behind on the trend but I might as well start sometime. I experimented with it for a while, and this is the best process I found.

Prep:
First thing you need to get it some water in a dish that's big enough and deep enough to dip up to two fingers at once. I found that using room temp. water was the best- Start with more cold water and let it set for a while.
Color base coat- You will need to apply one coat of the lightest color you are marbling. You'll find that the marble itself will be very thin and your nail might show through.
Get all your polish ready and opened! It's such a pain to have to open each bottle before you need to drop it in.
Tape- Cut all the tape before you even start. You will need two pieces for each finger. One to go under the cuticle, and one to wrap around the sides of the nail and over the tip.

Dropping the Polish:
Don't go for a metallic polish, they won't spread very easily and it will be very thin. Starting with the first color, let it fall off the brush but keep the brush very close to the water. Don't touch the water with it, but if the brush is too high the glob of polish will sink right to the bottom. You can blow or shake the water a little bit to help the color spread. After that color is done spreading, continue the same process with the other colors you want to use, dropping it in the center of the other drop. There isn't a limit on how many drops you need, or how many colors you use. Once you have the amount of drops you want, swirl it around with a tooth pick.

Dipping the nail:
Tape your nail however you want- mainly to make the cleanup a lot easier. I like to dip two nails on the same hand at the same time, since this is such a waste of polish this will help use more. Anyways, put your nail in horizontally, leave it there for a few seconds, and with a dry q-tip swirl all the extra polish that isn't on your nail out of the water, grabbing it with the q-tip.

Peel off the tape and clean up your cuticles! It will probably take a few practice tries at first, but once you get the hang of it, it can be easy.

See you soon! xx

An Update

So...my first two days of school are done! I am soooo exhausted. The first day I  came home I immediately fell asleep! I sure wish I could make posts like I used to. I think once I get in the habit of being awake so early I won't be as tired and I'll come back to this regularly. So far school has been great! The only anxiety I had was on the first day in new classes, in the hallways, and when I had to get up and introduce myself in front of the class. Today was great though. I managed to talk to a few people in my classes without a problem. What really helped me is the thought of 'What's the worst that could happen?'
In other non- school news, I need to redo my nails tonight! I'm definitely doing water marbling. The only downside is it's such a waste of polish:(
I'll post tips and tricks when I get the chance.

Now- off to do homework.

See you soon! xx

And so the anxiety begins...

So as most of you know, school starts this Tuesday.
And on a more personal note, my anxiety starts this Tuesday also.
The first day of school is always a hard day for me. I worry too much about what I'm going to wear, what i'll look like, and how people perceive me. (The list goes on.) The days leading up to school are usually spent in bed, packing my school bag, and watching tv trying to figure out ways to get my summer back. But I guess there really isn't a way to stop time.

My anxiety feeds off the thought that people are going to judge me. I really don't like looking people in the eye when I'm walking by, or talking to people out of my comfort zone. Also, if I happen to need to drift out of my comfort zone, my face will start to turn red and i'll stutter or try to talk too fast and worry that I'm making a fool out of myself.

This year, I'm planning on changing all of this. I wan't my last two years of high school to be something I will want to remember when I'm older. This means I will have to endure drifting slowly out of my comfort zone by talking to new people, looking them in the eye, and walk with my head up. I know most of these things seem so harmless to most people, but the feelings are amplified for me. It is a physical struggle for me every day to stop looking in the mirror wondering if I look okay. Because truth is- not everyone is going to like who I am, how I act, or how I look; and that's something I'm going to need to accept.

I thought I would change all of this by first starting to say Hi to people I normally wouldn't talk to. This is such a small step for most of you, but a very hard one for me. After I feel comfortable doing this I might be able to hold a conversation with someone.

I'll be sure to share my process with you guys, and I hope I can help some of you if you are feeling the same as me.

See you soon! xx

The Perfect Pump for Revlon Colorstay Makeup

So as you all know I love my Revlon Colorstay liquid foundation. But it doesn't have a pump! I was desperate to find something that would work. I found the PERFECT bottle.

http://www.amazon.com/Silver-Airless-Treatment-Pump-Bottle/dp/B005KC1H5K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346442369&sr=8-1&keywords=airless+pump+30+ml

This link will bring you to the exact bottle that I bought. It holds the exact same size as a new bottle of foundation, but it has a pump!
The cool thing about this is it's an airless bottle. It works by pumping out the air as you go, pushing up a disk from the bottom of the bottle. You really do not waste a drop of foundation! It comes with a silver cap, clear body, and a white pump.

I paid $6.50 for the total order.

But don't make the mistake I did! I only bought one, but I wish I would have bought four! I can imagine having these for everything. They are so compact, easy to travel with, and they work with any consistency, or any foundation. You can easily peel the label off your current foundation and put it on the new bottle.

I would highly recommend these! Don't worry- I did all the research, this is the cheapest site to find these bottles.

I hope you try some before they are gone!

See you soon! xx

First World Problems at Buckle

In my mall there is a store called Buckle. I haven't ever been in it before until today when I was finishing up my school shopping. And I probably won't be going back! First- whenever I saw a cute shirt I wanted, they didn't have it anywhere on a rack! They only had it on those cheap plastic things that hang from the very tops of the racks. Second, they had a really weird sizing for jeans. You have to know your length and your width. So I had an employee help me find the right size of jeans, and she was glad to help! (which was nice.) While I was trying on the pair, she went ahead and picked out three more for me to try on. I didn't ask her to, but I appreciate how willing she was  to help. It got a little weird when she showed up at my fitting room with a few shirts and two pairs of shoes to try on. Now I'm all for helping a customer with finding products, but she wasn't really helping; she was choosing things for me! Basically I had a bad experience because she was pushy and I felt really awkward when she would bring me all these items that I didn't want! Plus, they were a bit pricey. ($78 for one pair of jeans!)

Long story short- I didn't leave that store with anything.
Anyways, this trip concluded my school shopping! I'll get a post up about everything as soon as I can. Again I'm very busy- Last weekend before school :(

See you soon! xx

An Update

It feels like I haven't posted in a while! Yesterday I spent the night with a friend, and I have been really busy getting ready for school and studying for a chemistry test I have the first week.
Anyways, I have so many reviews to write! Recently I bought a lighted makeup mirror, 15 nail art brushes, Jergens natural glow lotion, a new foundation bottle, and tomorrow I'm going school shopping again!
Expect some reviews tonight :)
And yesterday I tried water marbling for the first time! Surprisingly it worked really well for my first time, and it looks really cool with the micro beads for an accent nail. I'll post some tips on how to do it correctly once I'm done with all the reviews. It's a little tricky! 
See you soon! xx

Microbead Accent Nails

For my first time, I think it turned out quite nicely! Honestly, I did not have the patience to do this on all of my nails. Good thing I started with this one! It's very tedious work.

How I used them:
I put a glob of base coat on a paper plate so I could dip the toothpick into it and then dot it on my nail where I wanted the beads to go. I only used base coat because I didn't want to waste my top coat. After that all you had to do was pick up the beads with the toothpick and put them where they needed to go. Wait for them to settle before you put on top coat! I learned the hard way that if you put top coat on too soon they move all around. But they're very easy to push back :) Finish with two layers of top coat and you're finished!
I really had fun working with these and I can't wait to do it again :)

See you soon! xx

I just did my nails with micro beads for the first time! Surprisingly they're pretty sturdy, but very time consuming. I wouldn't recommend using them if you have little patience.

Pictures will be up soon! 

My Back to School Makeup!

Hi everyone! I'm back from my beautiful vacation :( I have been waiting to post this! These are all the new products I got for back to school. Enjoy!

Rimmel Stay Matte translucent finishing powder. I haven't ever used this before, but I didn't have enough money to get the powder by Revlon so I settled for this! It was $3.97 at Walmart.

My FAVORITE Revlon Colorstay foundation! I get the normal/ dry skin formula. $9.98 at Walmart.

Neutrogena Skin Clearing Concealer. I've used this for a long time and I love it! $8.97 at Walmart. (I thought it was a lot cheaper than that!! I should have looked at the price before I got it.)

Maybelline Age Rewind Dark Circle concealer. I haven't ever used this before either! $7.49 at Walmart.

NYC Primer. I have a feeling this isn't going to work so well; I've never used it before. The formula is a bit liquidy, and it smells like sunscreen. I'll give it a shot though! $3.57 at Walmart.

Maybelline Eyebrow pencil. There was only one shade for blondes, but it fits! $5.97.

After I've had a chance to use all the products, I will post separate reviews on all of them. I'm really excited to try them :)

See you soon! xx 

Caren Original Lip Treatment review

While I was shopping around in South Haven I walked into a store that sold all of the Caren products. I didn't have much money left but I felt I needed to try something! I chose the lip treatment for around $3. I really love it! It smells a little like play-dough, but it tastes great. It goes on very smoothly, and it moisturizes, protects, and it long wearing. I'm really excited about the aloe that's inside of it because there's the proof that it moisturizes. I love to put it on before I go to the beach because it feel as if it creates a barrier between my lips and the sun. Since I've used it my lips haven't peeled, or dried out completely at night. My lips feel soft, smooth, and they aren't sticky :)

Below i'll put a link to the website that sells all the Caren products, and I'll also put one that links to the exact product I bought.
I really recommend this and I can't wait to try all of the other products!

Click this to see the Lip Treatment: http://www.carenproducts.com/products.php?product=Lip-Treatment

Click this to see the Caren home page: http://www.carenproducts.com/

See you soon! xx

**These opinions are my own and I am not affiliated with Caren Products in any way.

Hi everyone! I wish I could be posting every day but I just don't have the time! 
A quick update: Yesterday I was walking through the stores they have downtown here, and I stumbled upon a wheel of nail art micro-beads!!! I'm so excited I don't have to order anything off ebay anymore. It was at a random toy store, and I couldn't resist! I'm coming home in two days and since my nails have been un-done all week I can't wait to use them. I will probably post a picture of the wheel with my phone (I forgot my camera) later in the day.
The stores in South Haven are great! I think they're mostly family owned. Some of them can be a little pricey, including my favorite sea glass store. I had to take my little sister there because while we were walking on the beach I found a small piece of sea glass and she had to have one too. :)
When my trip is all over I will be sure to post pictures of everything I bought here :)

And another update: I got all my back to school makeup shopping done here, too! I spent around $50 on primer, foundation, concealer, under eye concealer,  powder, and an eyebrow pencil! When I can get to my camera there will be lots more details about all of that later! Look forward to it on Saturday :)

See you soon! xx

Dove Beauty Bar

Hey everyone! I managed to find some wireless internet, and a product I really loved! Long story short- I forgot to bring soap on vacation. :(
I thought this was a good time to try something new anyways. So I chose the Dove Beauty Bar! 

It might be a little weird to see a review about soap, but I thought it would be nice to share my first impression on it. Anyways, my skin really needed help from that body wash I used a while back from the dollar store. (There's a review on that, too.) I heard good things about this soap and at Walmart it was like $5.00 for two bars.
I really like it! It's 1/4 moisturizing, and you can really tell. Even as your rinsing you can feel how luxurious it is. It made my skin feel so soft, and brought back natural moisture. A plus side is that it comes in many different scents. It also lathers very easily. I really can't explain how much I like it! I will definitely purchase this again! 

Sorry this was short but I don't have much time! It's time to go shopping :)
See you soon! xx 

Most Worn Things Tag

Well I have a few minutes before I have to get my day started, and I found this tag on YouTube yesterday. I wasn't tagged, but I thought it was a unique tag and I wanted to try :)
Here we go!

1) Most worn nail polish
I Need A Refresh-Mint by Wet and Wild. You all should know that :)
2) Most worn hair product
Matrix Total Results Silk Wonder. I made a review about this a while back, but basically it's my heat protector and smoothing oil. And the smell is great!
3) Most worn bag
I don't carry a bag, only a small wallet from Target. Soon though it will probably be my back pack :(
4) Most worn shoes
Plain black slip-ons! They go with everything and they weren't to expensive. As I said before in my back to school shopping list, I don't like to own a lot of shoes. Just a few pairs that can go with anything.
5) Most worn accessories
I really don't wear accessories over the summer...But if I picked one it would be the blue necklace my boyfriend got me! 
6) Most worn clothing item
This might sound weird but it's for sure the tank-tops from Wet Seal. I wear them under everything P:
7) Most worn foundationIf I even wear foundation over the summer, it's my favorite Revlon Colorstay for normal/dry skin.
8) Most worn blush and/or bronzer
I don't wear either :)
9) Most worn lip product
EOS lip balm! The little egg shaped things you can find at drugstores. 
10) Most worn mascara
Avon smooth minerals
11) Most worn eyeshadow
I bought a pallet from Walgreens for like $7. I don't think it has a brand but it's very pigmented and the only colors I used from it were neutrals and the highlights. Of course I'm really not into the bright blues and greens that were included in it.

Now it's time to go pack for vacation time! And i'm sure there will be lots of shopping; expect some smaller posts from my phone about what I got.
See you soon! xx

Glitter Gradient Idea

I was just playing around and I came up with this :)
I did a regular gradient technique with a cosmetic sponge and layered the glitter about 3 times. On the last layer while it was still wet, I took a cotton swab and dipped it into some loose glitter, and then patted it onto the wet polish. I did not wipe off the excess. On top of the loose glitter I put a few dabs of topcoat, and with a toothpick I added the larger sparkles. When it came time to fully add the topcoat I sort of swiped up the excess loose glitter to fade it out, enhancing the gradient. I love the purple and the silver! Next time I might try gold; this does seem a little bit winter-y.
I'm sorry this was a short post! I have to pack for vacation and get everything ready to go.
See you soon! xx

Announcement!

I Just wanted to let everyone know that this Friday I am leaving for vacation with my family! From now until then I will try to post a tutorial and some reviews if I have time. The rest of this week will be very busy for me though. I will be gone for a whole week; and i'm only able to post with my phone. So I will be posting some, just not as much as I normally would! It's defiantly going to be a long week :(

I will see you soon! xx 

Easy three step stripe manicure!

I figured I shouldn't do any more polka dots, so I tried stripes! This is actually very easy, but a little time consuming. You need patience and a steady hand :)

I started off with a very summery coral base. I preferred the shimmer because the stripes were going to be matte and the gold stripes are sparkly. And as always wait until it's completely dry.  

Taking a white, I just used the thickness of the brush to make the stripe. It doesn't matter how even the edges are because you'll be covering them with a smaller stripe anyways. Again it's important for the base to be dry or else it will smear into the white. I went out and bought a gold polish with a detail brush, but if you don't have that then you can take a clean detail brush and mix some gold glitter with a topcoat until you get the right consistency.


And that's it! Again it's very simple but perfect for summer.
See you soon! xx

8/13/12

First session of school shopping is done :) I think when I get the second done that's when I will photograph everything.
Just a quick update on what I got:
I went to JC Penny and this year it was really disappointing. They were doing construction or something so everything was all moved around and I couldn't find anything I wanted! I ended up leaving with two tops. Then I went to Wet Seal. Today they had a 30% off entire store sale and from my last trip I got a 10% off each item discount card, so my entire purchase was 40% off :)
This is really the only store where I can find jeans that fit me perfectly, and I left with two pairs! Also; 5 tanks, a jacket, and a lace cardigan.
Then I went to target for the shoes. I got a simple black pair like I said I would. :)
Again pictures will be up when i'm completely done with all my shopping.

And I just did my nails last night to expect a tutorial later today!
See you soon! xx