4th of July Party Nails!

Big. Blue. Sparkles.



Fancy, huh?


Yay!

Kinda loving it



I used the Savvy as a base, then two coats of the Sinful glittery blue!



The shades


I just bought this topcoat because my friend recommended it,

and it seriously dried my nails in two minutes.




You guys like them!? I wanted to do a fun/crazy party nail for 4th of July weekend! I've been favoring wild nails lately, so I figured this glittery blue was perfect for the holiday.


I bought all of these polishes at Target on a whim (I know, surprise surprise, right?) I'm doing a few fun things for the long weekend - going to the vineyards for wine tastings, relaxing at the pool and going to a BBQ. I'm really happy with the way they came out, they remind me of little fireworks!


Hope everyone has a great weekend!!



Eye Makeup Remover FAILURE

NO.



Goodbye, FOREVER


This Almay makeup remover seriously BURNED my eyes so badly! I usually use Neutrogena makeup remover, but this one was closer so I thought...oh, well all makeup removers are probably the same so what the hell, right? WRONG.


I used this to remove my mascara and shadow, and was unpleasantly surprised by an awful stinging in my eyes. I ended up having to flush my eyes out with water, but even then they were beat red!! I don't have super sensitive eyes usually, but this one really got to me. I do hate writing negative reviews, but this remover just KILLED my eyes. I used it once and there it is in the trash can haha.


Guess i'll still to Neutrogena...


What makeup remover do you guys like?







Do You SMOKE?

Your eyes, that is. SMOKEY eye (I know, HA - HA right?)

I'm looking for eye shadows to create the perfect smokey eye look. I've used many different shadows previously to achieve this look, but I'm looking for the BEST. So I have to ask...

What are your weapons for the "perfect" smokey eye? I know you guys have some secrets, so share them with us!!


Best Blog Award & Other Bitchin' Blogs!


A big THANK YOU to Jessica Riviera for nominating me! (click here to check out her blog).

She is a new follower of mine and she kicks ass!
Her blog chronicles her exciting journey as a makeup artist,
and shares her work through photos and fun makeup videos.
Check her out!!


Here is the tag that goes along with the Best Blog Award, and below are blogs I choose to nominate!

7 things about me:

1. I have unopened makeup items and still feel the need to buy more.
2. I have an 18 year old brother - he's 7 years younger than me and about a foot taller than me!
3. I'm slowly trying to wean myself off of reality TV, but I think I need rehab
4. I love to bake for people, but rarely taste what I make
5. In college, I had a beta fish named Vincenzo who lived in a giant martini glass
6. I just started using an eyelash curler last year, and still can't get over what a difference it makes
7. I recently took my gel nails off after 3 years. My nails feel naked! However, I am enjoying experimenting with all different nail polish shades.

-Favorite Color: To wear: Black. For other things: Red

-Favorite Song: Any Motley Crue song.

Your favorite dessert: CUPCAKES.

What is pissing you off: Being inside at work. It's gorgeous out today!

When you're upset, you: Are bitchy

Your favorite pet: A giraffe.

Black or White: to wear? Black

Biggest fear: Clowns.

Best feature: HAHA oh who knows

Everyday attitude: Work hard, play hard

What is perfection: happiness with yourself

Guilty pleasure: Star Magazine

Bitchin' Blogs You Should Be Reading:


Puff Puff...Pout

Some seriously glittery lippy





Juicy






Nom nom nom


Bonnie Bell Kiss this Gloss







Peachy/pink sheer color




I picked up this gloss in Ulta because...well...do I really need a reason? I'm an addict, it's what I do. This gloss is very glittery and punchy, and is very silky on lips...translation: this is not sticky AT ALL. Bonnie Bell has been around forever, and is usually associated with chapsticks and whatnot. I took a gamble on this item and it turned out nicely.










SUPER pout =)




Break Out Your Boombox...

A ridiculously 80's makeup post. I was born in the eighties, so I was unfortunately too young for cobalt blue eye shadow and teased hair. My version of the 80's was Nickelodeon, fuzzy stickers and Nintendo. I was in awe of the painted eyes and lips of women in my family and wondered if I too would one day look like that. I was fascinated by the colorful makeup, and can only look back on some of it and laugh at how ridiculous it looked. In honor of the 80's, here are some of my favorite (and funniest) makeup looks:

I love this album. The eyes not so much haha


I actually wish that I could pull off blue eye shadow like this.

80's glory. Candy lips and rainbow eye shadow. Woof.

Oh, Madonna. The hair..

Cyndi Lauper in some seriously 80's eye makeup

Motley Crue
Favorite band. They can do no wrong. Even dressing in metal drag.

Remember when Brooke Shields looked like this?

YES YES YES

So pretty and so tacky all at once.

Billy Idol is the man!
Guess he is not makeup related but he is definitely 80's related

What's your favorite 80's memory? Share, I love reading what you guys think!


MAC Viva Glam Campaigns Over the Years

The announcement that Johnny Weir will be the face of MAC's Holiday Campaign got me thinking of all the great celebrities that acted as spokes models for MAC's Viva Glam Campaign - which most of you know 100% (yes, 100%, ALL) proceeds go toward fighting AIDS. Here are some of my favorites from previous Viva Glam Campaigns!


Ru Paul
Think she was the first MAC girl for Viva Glam?
Either way, WORK those red boots!


Xtina
Ohhh Xtina...from the Dirrrty days.
I miss those days.


Pam Anderson
This is certainly an eye-catching ad, huh? =)


Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper
I loved how MAC paired these 2 together
Old and new pop royalty coming together for a great cause
And the ad is just too cute!


Boy George
Giving his very best lippy for the camera
I love the contouring they did on his face!



Lady Gaga
Round 2! She was the first model to be used twice in the Viva Glam campaign,
since her first lipglass was so successful!


Fergie
I love how they dressed her, she almost looks like a robot!


Dita Von Teese
No doubt she is beautiful.
I like that they photographed Dita in a burlesque pose, perfect!



A few of the Viva Glam shades that are sold in MAC Stores

Who's your favorite? =)


Design Easy Face Painting


At my daughter’s first birthday party, I was fortunate enough to have a cousin who is an artist and she whipped out her face painting kit and paint the older kid’s faces and whole upper torsos. My nephews were completely done as the Hulk and Aquaman, the girls had their faces painted up as princesses and small cute butterflies and balloons. Kids love face painting, they are fascinated by seeing others get their faces painted and wait in anticipation to see their face design. My daughter’s fifth birthday is approaching and I was desperately, wanting a crash course on how to do it myself, so that I wouldn’t have to hire a face painting artist to do my party.

Design Easy Face PaintingThe key is to start with easy face painting designs. The face designs should easy enough to be able to use small sponges cut into circles, triangles, rectangles, diamonds, dab them into the face paint and place it on the skin, leaving a base design that you can build upon or finish off with a little highlight, lowlight, or shading. Use a different sponge for each color; you will need multiple sponges in the same designs for each of the colors you are using.

Design Easy Face PaintingA great time to practice face painting designs is at Halloween. On a night of horrors, the little odd wavering of a line will be hidden in the dark of trick or treat. If you are unsure of your ability practice on your own hand, close your hand into a fist and paint the top of it. Halloween is the most popular time of the year for face painting. The face painting design include, vampires, ghouls, witches, and ghosts.

Design Easy Face PaintingFace painting ideas should be simple, fun, and something you have practiced. The more you practice the faster you become and the more faces you can paint.

Face painting design supplies should consist of good paintbrushes. Good paintbrushes will have the bristles securely fastened into the brush end, otherwise, the bristles will fall out and become part of the face painting design. You will spend several minutes pulling bristles out of the design. Good brushes cost between $3-10, and they will last you a long time. Invest in sponges and cut them into different designs like circles, stars, triangles, rectangles, ovals, and any other shape you can imagine. Remember to disinfect all items between faces to keep things sanitary. All face paints should state on the labels that they are face paints and they are okay to use on the skin, start out with two or three paint brushes, and a small range of colors, the basic palettes have white, black, green, red, yellow, purple, and orange. Other fun items to use with the face paints are glitter, stick on gems, stencils, and face painting stamps.

Great items for amateur face painters are stencils and face painting stamps. The face painting stamps are made of rubber and you place in on your face painting paint pad and you have an outline of the design, then you fill in the stamp design with color.

Stencils are outlines of shapes; they are picture version of the ABC’s your child might use to learn to hold their pencils in nursery school. You mix and match the designs and use a base color and dab the small areas of the stencil or the entire stencil. Next, you put on the highlights and final touches. Hint, girls love glitter and body gems after all they are princesses!

Where can you put your new talent of face painting to work? Your child’s next birthday party, the next fundraiser at your child’s school, fairs, Fourth of July, parades, festivals, or you can start your own business.

Practice your simple face painting designs, and you are ready for your first party. Start out with your child’s birthday, kids love their faces painted and will be uncaring if it’s not perfect. Use thin first layer, wait until it is fully dry before beginning final designs. Hint: to pop the designs outline your design with a thin line of black around the face designs.

Starting a face painting design business begins with volunteering your services at charity events, your child’s birthday parties, and very shortly, it will morph into a steady business with a line of kids waiting their turn to get their faces painted.

Face painting at charity events allows you to work on your face painting designs and develop your painting speed. Once your speed increases, begin by setting up a small canopy on the Fourth of July or Good Friday at the fair and paint away. The best way to advertise your new face painting design business is word of mouth. Build your face painting design portfolio with testimonials and photos of face designs of which you are especially proud.

When you are ready to graduate from charity events to paid business, you now need to research your area and find out, how much are face painters paid? Is a face painting design booth less money per face then private parties? Do not price yourself out of the market and remember it just might help to have lower prices to bring in clientele. Have your business cards ready to give out to anyone who asks if you do private parties. Business cards can be made at home with the help of Avery products.

Another avenue for face painting is at restaurants, as they might have a kid’s eat free night and have special entertainment throughout the meal. Children’s museums and creative art facilities or a community center will be a great place to begin looking for business. Another avenue for marketing could be at your significant other’s corporate picnic or event.

If your community offers summer camps, where kids are, face painting will be a hit! Your child’s school, fundraising events, and carnivals are great sources of income. Craft Shows are great place to have a booth. Bookstores sometimes want to launch a child’s book and a great way to draw children to children’s books is to hire a face painter. Theme parks and cruises ships are also great places to look for new business and the latter will give you a free exotic vacation too!

My cousin, who brought out her face painting kit on my daughter’s first birthday, is a real artist and she is sells her paintings at our local galleries, however, she uses her artistic talents to make money through face painting. Or perhaps you are a stay at home Mom who wants to make money and be available to her kids after school is out, face painting could be for you.

Whether you are looking to learn face painting design for your child’s next birthday or as a new, fun way to have some pocket money, remember, face painting is fun and you can make wonderful memory’s for your own child and someone else’s too.



Johnny Weir New Face of MAC Holiday Campaign





Fierce! Remember when Johnny Weir was a figure skater? Ever since then, he has exploded into the fashion industry doing photoshoots, walking red carpets and appearing on TV and talk shows. So who better to be the new face of the MAC Cosmetics Holiday Campaign, right?!

Johnny performed at a special MAC conference in Miami, and it was later announced that he will be the face of their holiday program! I love that MAC exercises their mantra "all ages, all races, all sexes" and uses awesome spokesmodels (Gaga, Elton John, even Ru Paul) to represent the brand.

Can't wait to see the collection! xo


Laura Mercier Baked Eyeshadow

Laura Mercier Baked Eyeshadow in Black Karat



Oh so lovely...

Left side is the shadow dry, the right side is the shadow wet


Totally different look, right?

A bit blurry but I loved how it came out!



A sultry bathroom pose in the bar bathroom...classy huh? ha!


So I know i'm a bit late on this, but I finally bought a baked shadow from Laura Mercier. When this baked dry/wet shadow initially came out, it seemed like every company was coming out with a similar product, therefore turning me off to the idea of paying $22 for it. It's my first product from this brand and I have to say...I can't believe how nice it is!! The color is so pretty and smokey, and has gold flecks in it. I have hazel eyes, so it brings out the green in them.

I was shopping with my mom, and she picked up a Laura Mercier lipstick. While at the counter, I started playing with the baked shadows, prompting me to buy Black Karat. The color is so versatile, I've worn it dry to work with a bit of mascara and it didn't look overdone. I've also worn it wet while painting NYC red (as seen above) and I loved the sultry/smokey look. When wet, it almost looks like paint and has great color payoff. I used the shadow with a black liquid liner on the top lid, a black eye pencil on the bottom and tons of MAC mascara. It stayed on all night without bleeding, creasing, flaking, etc.

I always use Urban Decay Primer Potion before I do a heavy eye - it's a MUST if you want the color to stay in place for longer than 20 minutes, especially in the summer. This shadow might become my new go-to for smokey eyes!

Girly NOTD




Nicole by OPI & Savvy Femme Couture NOTD. I love the little hearts, so cute! xoxo