FingerPaints Frosty Night

Moving over to the FingerPaints Merry & Bright Holiday Collection, first up is Frosty Night, your basic silver glitter in a clear base.  I made the mistake of thinking this was a silver base and decided to wear it over bare nails.  Oops.


I used a base of CND Stickey, 2 coats of polish and a top of Seche Vite.  Removal was typical of glitter but not very gritty with a top coat added.

Mostly sun!  You can see that obviously VNL is going to be shown as again, this is a clear base with silver glitter.

I do however like the coverage that only 2 coats provides.  You can see a bit of excess on my cuticles but the polish was really very well behaved.

Finally indoors with the flash and again - silver glitter... clear base.  :]  This would look lovely over a red for a subtle but fun kick on holiday nails.  


FingerPaints can be found in Sally's Beauty Supplies stores and online for $4.99 USD each.  They are a Sally's Beauty Supply exclusive brand, so you can follow Sally's on Twitter and like them on Facebook as well as follow their blog.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

Color Club Santa's Cinnamon

Christmas is coming up fast!  While I'm not sure I'd use this for a Christmas manicure, it's definitely in my running.  Color Club came out with Sally's exclusive scented polishes and I ended up grabbing Santa's Cinnamon because of the squishy glitter look and I love cinnamon.


I used a base of CND Stickey, 2 coats of polish and a top of Seche Vite.  Formula was quite good.  The smell was also pretty strong after the top coat dried (please make sure you let your top coat dry before smelling your nails).  I have a nail stick that I painted over a month ago and I can still smell cinnamon on it.

In the sun you can see it's a nice glittery red.  Nothing new to talk about.

Here in the shade - I love the squishiness of this color!

Same color?  Nope, this is Color Club Ruby Slippers.  Sure looks the exact same.

Back to Santa's Cinnamon indoors with the flash - very pretty color!  Removal was not an issue.

Color Club is located on several etailers, including Head2Toe Beauty which has it for $3.00.  You can also Like them on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter.

My Makeup Routine

Okay, so be gentle.


I'm not a makeup girl.  I own a lot of eyeshadow palettes, pigments, singles, and almost every 24/7 pencil by Urban Decay (eyeliner)... but when it comes to foundation?  Forget it.  I have pretty red skin (been asked several times if I have rosacea) that's also pretty dry.  I've tried 4 different kinds of "green" primer but I always feel like I look like the Hulk afterwards.  (For reference, I've tried Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer in Color Adjust, Make Up For Ever HD Microperfecting Primer in 1 Green, FusionBeauty Prime Results Anti-Redness Primer, & Pur Minerals Correcting Primer-Green.)


Before I even started wearing makeup, the only thing I'd put on was Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera gel.  Yep.  When I realized that it was making my skin look like it was peeling off during the day, I moved to Saint Ives facial moisturizer.  While it did the job of moisturizing, I was still left with very red skin.


My most recent trip to Sephora was also my determination to cover my red skin without looking like the Hulk, or cakey, or oily.  It took three associates and several brands before we finally found that this combination worked best for me.


First Aid Beauty Anti-Redness Serum - $34 for 1.7 oz
-One pump into the palm of my hand, apply to the entire face.


Sephora Collection Pro Foundation Airbrush #55 - $34
-This was the brush recommended to me for the rest of my makeup application.  I haven't had any bristle fall out from this brush and it does bounce back to its original fluffiness after washing.


Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF 15 - $52 for 1 oz
-One pump on the back of my hand, applied with the Airbrush starting in the t-zone and working over the face in small circles.


Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free SPF 15 in Ivory - $55 for 1 oz
-One pump on the back of my hand, applied with the Airbrush starting in the t-zone and working over the face in small circles.  Tap the brush only in areas that need extra coverage.


Hourglass Oxygen Foundation Mineral Powder in No. 2 - $46 for 0.46 oz
-Sweep Airbrush over powder, apply to cheeks, t-zone and chin.


Now for the results, right?


Here is my before, freshly showered, nothing on my face at all.

You can see how I have red cheeks and chin, a blemish on the right side of my mouth and freckles across my nose and cheeks.

After - my skin tone has been evened out without appearing overly cakey.  The blemish is less noticible and the freckles and redness are mostly covered.


The associates had suggested a cheek stain but I just wasn't ready for that yet.  It does kind of leave my face void of color but I tend to add eyeshadow/liner/mascara and some type of lip color or gloss.  Either way, I'm very happy that the redness is less apparent without me looking green!

Del Sol Sassy

While I was in San Antonio last month, on a segway tour (oh yes), I found out that there is a Del Sol store right in front of the Alamo.  I decided that I couldn't leave without going in and getting my first color changing polishes from this lovely little company.  


They were have a sale at the time of 3 polishes for $25 (I believe was the deal), so I picked my three and received a cute Texas gift box set packaging.  This is Sassy, which my boyfriend picked out.  It starts out as a light pink and then is supposed to change to an orange color.  Del Sol is very careful to point out on their website that the colors you experience may very depending on the UV-Index of the sun, the number of coats you apply and the temperature.  They do say they will replace the polish if it's not what you like.  I chose a relatively warm day to check out this polish.


I did not use a base or top coat and this is 4 layers of polish.

First this is the color in the shade.  You can see that even with 4 coats, you can still see my VNL on most nails.  It's a light pink with a gold almost shimmer over the nail.

Then I got in the sun and let the sun do its stuff.  While my bottle did not go as orange as shown on Del Sol's website, there is a definitely difference in the color.

I also grabbed one last picture in the shade before the color cooled down.  It's definitely a nice novelty item!


Del Sol may be ordered online for $10 a bottle with free shipping on orders over $50.  You can also find stores with their Store Locator.  For social media, Del Sol has a Twitter, a YouTube channel, a Google+ page and a Facebook page.

Sinful Colors Wish

Please enjoy the following press release from Sinful Colors!

SINFUL COLORS HOLIDAY 2011 - WISH

Bells are jingling, snow is glistening and merry tunes abound: It's the season of shimmer (aka: the holidays) and glamour, of course. And your nails deserve a little gift and loving too. Welcome the SinfulColors holiday 2011 collection, Wish, which delights and excites. The collection takes classic colors - like red, green, silver and blue - and kicks them up a notch to be fashion-forward and festive to ring in 2012.


The complete SinfulColors Wish collection for holiday 2011 includes:

Five gem-inspired shades of polish:
OUT OF THIS WORLD: a perfect silver with swirls of glimmer
MIDNIGHT BLUE: a bold, bright twist on navy
SUGAR SUGAR: a candy cane, red-hot tint
DADDY'S GIRL: a deep purple with a drizzle of shimmer and glitter
LAST CHANCE: an emerald with depth and allure


Two metallic shades of nail art:
FLOWER GIRL: a bronzy gold with tons of sparkle
FASHIONISTA: a glitter-laden pewter


SinfulColors surpasses the masses with more than 150 amazing shades of nail polish, including the above-mentioned shades. All hues are available for $1.99 at major drug and mass-market stores nationwide, by calling 1-800-448-0763 or online at www.walgreens.com.

No-Miss Country Christmas

Christmas is coming up fast - today my boyfriend said "Let's get a tree!".  I was kind of happy with my little tinsel tabletop tree, but maybe I need to get into the spirit and invest in a nice 6' to sit in the living room.  Maybe.  To help get me in the mood, I figured I'd bring out No-Miss nail polish in Country Christmas - a festive red and green glitter in a clear base.


I used a base coat of CND Stickey, 2 coats of polish and a top of CND Air Dry.  For white I used CND Brilliant White and for black I used nubar Noir.

For just 2 coats, this does cover well!  I don't prefer it on the bare nail or really over black but absolutely love this color over a white.

Same story in the shade.  Over black the colors just don't pop as well to me as they do over white.

Finally indoors with the flash.  If you're looking for a nice red and green microglitter, this is a great one to have.  There isn't any filler colors (silver/gold/blue) which I like and the glitter is a fine cut so it's not too big.  Removal wasn't terrible using the foil method which apparently I need to add a little tutorial for my non-nail polish loving friends who look at me like I have two heads when I say "Just use the foil method."  Coming soon!

No-Miss can be found in several health food stores like Whole Foods or purchased on their website for $7.95.  You can follow No-Miss on Twitter or like them on Facebook as well.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

CND Sheer 24K Sparkle

The complimentary "effects" in The Look 2011 by CND is Sheer 24K Sparkle.  It's a nice gold flakie in a gold base.


I decided to try this look over Dark Amethyst, Midnight Sapphire, CND Brilliant White and nubar Noir.  One coat of the effect was used on each swatch.

Here in the sun you can see that it's a bit hard to see this effect properly.  The sun really washes the color out which is sad because it's a nice color!

The shade is much better.  I love this gold because it goes perfectly for both my high school and college alma maters (black and gold for high school, blue and gold for college).  Over white, however, this color doesn't work at all.

Finally indoors with the flash - again this color doesn't stand out as well as it should.  It almost gets lost over the purple as well which is sad because the colors do compliment each other well.  I'm still very in love with the effects line - from the way it changes the colors to the opacity of the polish itself!  Pair it with CND Stickey and CND Air Dry and you definitely have a winner!


CND is available for $9 per colour, and $11 per effect and you can find locations to buy here.

TransDesign and Head2ToeBeauty has the colours for $4.50 and effects for $5.50.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

Pop Beauty Blog

If you're into Pop Beauty, you'll definitely want to read the following release!


Pop Beauty creator, Sara Strand is giving readers an all-access pass to everything that is Pop – introducing:

Please click to see original size

On her new site, Sara will discuss inspirations behind the Pop brand, what drives her creatively, as well as her flares, tastes and passions in all that is POP culture. These musings in fashion, makeup, art and music will be updated monthly, sharing an in depth look into Sara's taste-making style.


To join the fun subscribe today at: http://saras-sonnet.blogspot.com/

Meow! by Katy Perry

Please enjoy the following release from B|W|R. :]

KATY PERRY DEBUTS HER SECOND FRAGRANCE

MEOW! BY KATY PERRY,

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY AT NORDSTROM

*IN STORES NOW*

New York, Los Angeles – Best-selling superstar Katy Perry has extended her fragrance brand with the launch of her second fragrance, “Meow! by Katy Perry,” which is available now exclusively at Nordstrom stores nationwide and Nordstrom.com.

In partnership with Gigantic Parfums, “Meow! by Katy Perry” is a companion piece to the recording artist’s first fragrance, “Purr,” which debuted a year ago. Perry created ‘Meow!” while on her “California Dreams” World-Tour promoting her platinum-selling second record, Teenage Dream. This rich sister scent is a wearable interpretation of the fun, sensual spirit of the tour–so fun, in fact, Perry felt the name of the fragrance needed an exclamation point at the end of it. While “Purr” marks Perry’s first foray into the fragrance world, “Meow!,” more than anything, embodies her energy.

“Meow!” commands a soft sexuality appropriate for use during any time of day. Its signature comes from a pairing of honeysuckle and pear with the backdrop of creamy vanilla, musk, and amber.

"Meow! is my second baby in the fragrance world. I created it during my California Dreams Tour, and I can't wait for people to be able to experience my intriguing, amusing, candy-land like fantasy whenever they spritz it! We have A LOT of fun on tour so there's a lot of fun infused in this bottle! Meow! It's simply the cat's meow!" explains Perry.

Perry has an affinity for all things feline, and so she carries this theme throughout her fragrance names and bottles. She used this inspiration when designing the bottle for “Purr by Katy Perry,” and now “Meow! by Katy Perry” reflects that vision as well—complete with similar jeweled eyes, metallic accents, but with a light pink coloring.

The eau de parfum, developed with Givaudan, is available at Nordstrom stores nationwide and Nordstrom.com in 1.7 and 3.4 fluid ounce bottles at a suggested retail price of $45.00 and $65.00, respectively. Gift With Purchase (GWP) products will be released seasonally, beginning with a holiday perfume solid locket at launch.

"We are thrilled to partner again with Gigantic Parfums on Katy Perry's second fragrance Meow! Our customers responded really well to the debut fragrance Purr and our teams loved selling it! Everything about the fragrance embodies Katy's fun, spirited energy and we hope customers will relate to the new fragrance's fruity floral notes with a sophisticated twist,” explains Cheri Botiz, National Beauty and Fragrance Director, Nordstrom.

“After achieving global success with “Purr by Katy Perry,” now available in 54 countries, the brand continues to positively gain presence in the market place. We see great potential with her brand and wanted to deliver a unique sister fragrance, Meow! to support and expound on that excitement,” said Isaac Lekach, CEO of Gigantic Parfums.

Katy Perry has cemented her status as a best-selling superstar with the global success of her second studio album, Teenage Dream, which debuted at #1 in 8 countries. All five singles released so far ("California Gurls," "Teenage Dream," "Firework," "E.T.," and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”) have hit #1 on the Billboard Pop Songs chart. Perry ties with Michael Jackson to become the second artist in the 53-year-history of the Hot 100 chart to produce five No. 1 singles off the same album and is the first female to set this record. This follows on the heels of her multi-platinum debut album, One of the Boys, which generated four hit singles: "I Kissed A Girl," "Hot N Cold," "Thinking of You" and "Waking Up In Vegas." She wrapped up 2010 in style with 4 Grammy nominations, including one for "Album of the Year." Katy kicked off 2011 with sold-out shows on the European leg of the California Dreams Tour, and has played sold-out shows around the world. Perry has just wrapped up the California Dreams Tour. To learn more about Katy Perry, visit www.katyperry.com

Nordstrom, Inc. is one of the nation's leading fashion specialty retailers, with 203 stores located in 28 states.  Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, today Nordstrom operates 115 full-line stores, 85 Nordstrom Racks, two Jeffrey boutiques and one clearance store.  Nordstrom also serves customers through its online presence at www.nordstrom.com and through its catalogs.  Nordstrom, Inc. is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol JWN.

Gigantic Parfums is a business venture whose products can be found in a variety of major retail and specialty chain stores in the United States and International markets.  Gigantic Parfums is headed by CEO Isaac Lekach and President Rudford Hamon.  Isaac Lekach was instrumental in identifying the potential of Katy Perry and Selena Gomez, who is set to debut her fragrance in 2012, as well as the Paris Hilton and Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier fragrances licenses. He was also involved with the marketing and development of Guess? fragrances for Parlux Fragrance and served as a member of the Board of Directors for the company from 2005 to late 2006.  Hamon brings over ten years of experience in the fragrance industry. From 2004-2007, he managed the International distribution of Parlux Fragrances.

CND Dark Amethyst

The other creme from "The Look" winter 2011 from CND is Dark Amethyst, a red-purple opaque creme.  While it's not my favorite purple that I own, I do love it - especially the whole "one coat" idea.


I used a base coat of CND Stickey, 1 coat of polish and a top of CND Air Dry.  Formula was fantastic.

Hello sun!  Lots of red tones to this purple - at least for me.  It's almost plummy?

In the shade I have fantastic lobster hands but also just a lovely purple color to match.

Last, but never least is indoors with the flash.  Love how opaque this is!  Coming up tomorrow - the "effect" from this line.  I definitely loved this little set from CND!

CND is available for $9 per colour, and $11 per effect and you can find locations to buy here.

TransDesign and Head2ToeBeauty has the colours for $4.50 and effects for $5.50.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.