Friday, November 1, 2013
Holiday Nails: Halloween 2013
A little while before Halloween this year my husband gave me the Kiss Nail Dress in Black Cat and since I had used one before that I had liked it and I am very bad at nail art I knew this would be a better way to do the Halloween Nails for this year.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Review: Rimmel French White Tip Pro 110 French White Nail Tip Liner
Nail Polish: Rimmel French White Tip Pro 110 French White Nail Tip Liner
Bottle on the far left. This is a thin tipped brush that I was never able to get a clear picture of.
Day Applied: 10/11/13
Cost: (Without any discounts) $1 due to CVS' semi annual clearance sale (normally $3.99)
Bottle on the far left. This is a thin tipped brush that I was never able to get a clear picture of.
Day Applied: 10/11/13
Cost: (Without any discounts) $1 due to CVS' semi annual clearance sale (normally $3.99)
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Review: Rimmel Lasting Finishing Pro 330 Posh Pink
Nail Polish: Rimmel Lasting Finishing Pro 330 Posh Pink
Bottle on the right end
Day Applied: 8/3/13
Bottle on the right end
Day Applied: 8/3/13
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Review: Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro 286 Rags to Riches
Apologies for how long this took to get posted, brain has been having a hard time reading my hand writing for a long time.
Nail Polish: Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro 286 Rags to Riches (middle polish)
Because this says it lasts up to 10 days I decided to wear it for 10 days instead of the usual seven.
Day Applied: 7/14/13
Cost: (Without any discounts) $1 due to CVS' semi annual clearance sale (normally $3.99)
Nail Polish: Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro 286 Rags to Riches (middle polish)
Because this says it lasts up to 10 days I decided to wear it for 10 days instead of the usual seven.
Day Applied: 7/14/13
Cost: (Without any discounts) $1 due to CVS' semi annual clearance sale (normally $3.99)
Monday, October 14, 2013
Unsealed Makeup: Why do people open stuff they aren't planning to buy?
This is actually more of a problem for me at drugstores than at the Dollar Tree, but this is a reminder that you need to check your makeup is sealed, or at least looks like it hasn't been used, very closely before purchase.
My husband bought this for me at Dollar Tree - Original Instagram of the purchase here - and generally we have pretty good luck at the Dollar Tree we visit that stuff is new and unopened. Sure there is the occasional, someone stole the item from the packaging problem, which if you have to steal $1 makeup you have bigger problems that need to be dealt with, but it is pretty obvious when that happens. On rare occasion though, we find something that has either clearly been used, or is already broken. If it is broken that could have happened at anytime and maybe some customer did it, or it happened during shipping, powder products break, and easily it seems so I try not to hold that against them. But very rarely, at least at our Dollar Tree, something was clearly used, before it was repackaged for sale at Dollar Tree, and my husband is generally pretty good at weeding those out. Unfortunately in this case it was an instant of it was already unsealed and clearly used, before being repacked for sale at the Dollar Tree, and because the packaging itself was dusty as well, my husband didn't catch it. He said this batch was particularly bad and he had put back several other eye shadows because they had been obviously tampered with.
My husband bought this for me at Dollar Tree - Original Instagram of the purchase here - and generally we have pretty good luck at the Dollar Tree we visit that stuff is new and unopened. Sure there is the occasional, someone stole the item from the packaging problem, which if you have to steal $1 makeup you have bigger problems that need to be dealt with, but it is pretty obvious when that happens. On rare occasion though, we find something that has either clearly been used, or is already broken. If it is broken that could have happened at anytime and maybe some customer did it, or it happened during shipping, powder products break, and easily it seems so I try not to hold that against them. But very rarely, at least at our Dollar Tree, something was clearly used, before it was repackaged for sale at Dollar Tree, and my husband is generally pretty good at weeding those out. Unfortunately in this case it was an instant of it was already unsealed and clearly used, before being repacked for sale at the Dollar Tree, and because the packaging itself was dusty as well, my husband didn't catch it. He said this batch was particularly bad and he had put back several other eye shadows because they had been obviously tampered with.
Friday, October 11, 2013
One Note…L.A. Colors Lip Gloss in Squeeze Tube
What the product is:
The L.A. Colors Lip Glosses in Squeeze Tubes are sold in two packs at Dollar Trees. I have two different two packs, but have only tried the ones shown above.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
One Note…ColorMates Eye Shadow and Blush Brushes
What the product is:
These four ColorMates Brushes, two blush brushes and two eye shadow brushes were bought at the Dollar Tree.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Empties: Makeup I Have Used Up: 10-02-2013
Monday, September 2, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
Current Most Regularly Used Brushes: August 2013
This is not all of my brushes, it isn't even all of the brushes I have used this month, but these are my most regularly used brushes because I am one of these people who, once I have something I know works, even if I eventually get something that is better, will keep using what I know originally worked, until it falls apart. I am sure that is a run-on sentence but I was terrible at grammar in school because they could never make sentences that made sense to me when they were trying to explain sentence structure.
I have been meaning to post this for a while, I mean these pictures were taken in late April and that was after I had thought about doing this for a while so sometimes it takes me a long time to figure out how to write something I want to write. My plan is to try and show these in the order I would actually apply my makeup, at least at the moment, this order could change at any time.
I have been meaning to post this for a while, I mean these pictures were taken in late April and that was after I had thought about doing this for a while so sometimes it takes me a long time to figure out how to write something I want to write. My plan is to try and show these in the order I would actually apply my makeup, at least at the moment, this order could change at any time.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Freebies: Influenster: Kiss
When I reviewed the Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure for Influenster I applied for the Brand Challenge as well. For this brand challenge they just had to see that I had completed all of the required steps, which I did. But you can still never be sure if you are actually going to qualify, they may not have gotten enough prizes to give to everyone who completed the challenge if they had an unusually high number of applicants and other possible reasons I am sure I could come up with if I thought long and hard enough about it.
I would like to thank Influenster and Kiss for these products and making it possible for me to receive them.
I would like to thank Influenster and Kiss for these products and making it possible for me to receive them.
Freebies: Influenster: Schwarzkopf Professional OSiS+
So when I reviewed the Schwarzkopf Professional OSiS+ Gelastic for Influenster I also applied for the Brand Challenge which meant I was in the running for some other free hair products fromfrom Schwarzkopf. But since I have very little hair thanks to scalp pain from unknown source when my hair gets longer than 1/2 an inch and I had tested the Gelastic on my husband, I didn't actually think I would be one of the people selected. So imagine my surprised when I got an email saying I had been selected to receive one of the limited number of prize packages.
I would like to thank Influenster and Schwarzkopf Professional for these products and making it possible for me to receive them.
I would like to thank Influenster and Schwarzkopf Professional for these products and making it possible for me to receive them.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Upcoming Review: Rimmel London Lasting Finish Pro and French White Tip Pro
During CVS's Semi Annual Makeup Clearance Sale my husband tried to get one of everything he could find that was 75% and unopened. Select Rimmel London Nail Polishes fit that requirement and I ended up with these three :-)
Empties: Makeup I Have Used Up: 08-10-2013
e.l.f. Nail Polish Remover Pads and Target's up&up Nail Polish Remover
I finished both of these at about the same time, but I got a lot more use out of the Target Nail Polish Remover than I did the e.l.f. Nail Polish Remover.
I finished both of these at about the same time, but I got a lot more use out of the Target Nail Polish Remover than I did the e.l.f. Nail Polish Remover.
Monday, August 5, 2013
One Note…Sheer Cover Duo Concealer in Light/Medium
Sheer Cover Duo Concealer in Light/Medium is the concealer I have been using and normally the only problem I have with it is that it will crease under the eyes if I do not set it right away. Admittedly I use it as a foundation most of the time and considering how long I have had this, it lasts a long time and you don't need a lot to cover redness. It does not cover scars/pimples very well, but general redness it does just fine for my purposes.
One Notes…A Bit of Info About Products I Don't Plan to Review
There are Reviews and there are Thoughts About, which both cover products I have used for the purposes of doing a review.
One Notes are for products, mostly face, that I never intended to review, but while applying the product, or over the course of the day, I learned something I felt the need to share/remember.
One Notes will included:
One Notes are for products, mostly face, that I never intended to review, but while applying the product, or over the course of the day, I learned something I felt the need to share/remember.
One Notes will included:
- What the product is
- How it was applied
- What I learned either in application or wear that I want to remember/share
Birthday 2013 (I'm 36 now)
My birthday falls in July and if you follow my instagram you will have seen lots and lots of posts of random makeup my husband has been buying me because he tends to work on the idea that the whole month of your birthday should be celebrated. The things in this post are products I was specifically given for my birthday which is why they weren't on instagram.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Keep In Mind: July
While I have enjoyed my makeup this month, nothing really leapt out at me this time as I tried to think about what I really loved. I have some new things that I was given for my birthday at the end of the month, but I haven't used them enough to really call it a favorite either.
If I had to pick something to do with makeup I would say I was fascinated by orange based eye shadows this month. Whether it be a straight orange, a light peach, or a brown with an orange undertone I could not stop staring at them even when I wasn't applying them. I don't know how many orange swatches I had on my hands and arms this month, but it was a multiple digit number.
But one thing I did find myself grateful that I had was my Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion so for this month I definitely want to keep this in mind.
If I had to pick something to do with makeup I would say I was fascinated by orange based eye shadows this month. Whether it be a straight orange, a light peach, or a brown with an orange undertone I could not stop staring at them even when I wasn't applying them. I don't know how many orange swatches I had on my hands and arms this month, but it was a multiple digit number.
But one thing I did find myself grateful that I had was my Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion so for this month I definitely want to keep this in mind.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Influenster Review: Colgate Total Advanced Pro-Shield Mouthwash
I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.
On July 9, 2013 I received my third Influenster box with a bottle of Colgate Total Advanced Pro-Shield Mouthwash, which I posted about the next morning on Instagram because we pick up the mail very late at night sometimes.
On July 9, 2013 I received my third Influenster box with a bottle of Colgate Total Advanced Pro-Shield Mouthwash, which I posted about the next morning on Instagram because we pick up the mail very late at night sometimes.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Review: ColorMates Nail Polish in Glitter Glam
Nail Polish: ColorMates Nail Polish in Glitter Glam
Day Applied: 6/25/13
Cost: (Without any discounts) $1.00 at the Dollar Tree
Coats until same color as the bottle: This is a glitter top coat so I do not expect it to completely coat the nail in glitter.
Cream
Shimmer
Glitter: Yes (Large and tiny glitter in Dark Pink, Orange, Green, Blue/Teal, and Silver)
Other
Drying time: Five to ten minutes for touch dry.
Day Applied: 6/25/13
Cost: (Without any discounts) $1.00 at the Dollar Tree
Coats until same color as the bottle: This is a glitter top coat so I do not expect it to completely coat the nail in glitter.
Cream
Shimmer
Glitter: Yes (Large and tiny glitter in Dark Pink, Orange, Green, Blue/Teal, and Silver)
Other
Drying time: Five to ten minutes for touch dry.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Holiday Nails: Independence Day 2013 (4th of July)
I get very sentimental about all things related to the United States of America its flag, national anthem, and anything else that I associate with this day. Do I think we do everything right, no, there are a lot of things this country has done that I am not proud of, but I am still glad I am from here and live here.
Flag and Fireworks for Independence Day
Flag and Fireworks for Independence Day
Monday, July 1, 2013
Keep in Mind: June
Not reviewed Keep In Mind:
L.A. Colors Lipstick in BLC12 Cherry Red
L.A. Colors Lipgloss & Lipstick Duo in BLC 824 Sensual
L.A. Colors Lipstick in BLC12 Cherry Red
L.A. Colors Lipgloss & Lipstick Duo in BLC 824 Sensual
Monday, June 24, 2013
Influenster Thoughts About…: NYC New York Color Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm
I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.
This is a Thoughts About because I am allergic to Avocado and so putting this on would not be a good idea. I did get my husband to try it once just so I could see what it would look like color wise but at the time he was working on a project for work and I wasn't going to keep interrupting him every few minutes to see how long the color lasted or how long the moisture from the balm lasted. I eventually gave this to my husband's mother so that it would not be wasted.
This is a Thoughts About because I am allergic to Avocado and so putting this on would not be a good idea. I did get my husband to try it once just so I could see what it would look like color wise but at the time he was working on a project for work and I wasn't going to keep interrupting him every few minutes to see how long the color lasted or how long the moisture from the balm lasted. I eventually gave this to my husband's mother so that it would not be wasted.
Influenster Review: Tastykake® Kandy Bar Kakes S'Mores
I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.
For this product the criteria are based solely on what flavors should be present in a S'Mores and whether or not the flavors are in a S'Mores balance. I did have my husband try this product because this is something I cannot eat and I am not sure I have ever had a S'More so I wouldn't know what it was supposed to taste like anyway. My husband on the other hand has had S'Mores before and is actually able to eat them.
For this review I asked my husband to try this and let me know the following:
Does it taste of chocolate?
Does it taste of graham cracker?
Does it taste of marshmallow?
Are the three flavors in balance the way they would be in a S'Mores?
If no, what is the over riding flavor?
Lastly, I did ask him if he liked it, which is solely an opinion question and may not be reflective of what you would think of the taste.
For this product the criteria are based solely on what flavors should be present in a S'Mores and whether or not the flavors are in a S'Mores balance. I did have my husband try this product because this is something I cannot eat and I am not sure I have ever had a S'More so I wouldn't know what it was supposed to taste like anyway. My husband on the other hand has had S'Mores before and is actually able to eat them.
For this review I asked my husband to try this and let me know the following:
Does it taste of chocolate?
Does it taste of graham cracker?
Does it taste of marshmallow?
Are the three flavors in balance the way they would be in a S'Mores?
If no, what is the over riding flavor?
Lastly, I did ask him if he liked it, which is solely an opinion question and may not be reflective of what you would think of the taste.
Thoughts About… Incomplete Reviews
Occasionally I will have something that I planned on doing a review of and had started the review process on, but for one reason or another I am unable to complete the review. When that happens the post is going to be titled "Thoughts About…" instead of Review: to indicate that it is not a full review. The reason the full review was not completed will be listed at the beginning of the post and will most likely reason will be because of allergies, but it is possible some other reason may all come up.
Thoughts About will not necessarily follow the same format as the standard review form, but I will try to be as complete with the review as possible to include as much information as possible.
Thoughts About will not necessarily follow the same format as the standard review form, but I will try to be as complete with the review as possible to include as much information as possible.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Influenster Review: Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure
I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.
For this product I had two criteria for I was looking for, one from the product claim and one basic use criteria.
The daily use criteria that I was looking for personally was, do the sizes of the nails actually match up to the sizes of my actual nails.
The claim on the front of the product is "lasts up to a week" *"when applied properly" according to the side of the packaging. So I will be also be seeing just how long the nails last on top of my nails as a manicure.
For this product I had two criteria for I was looking for, one from the product claim and one basic use criteria.
The daily use criteria that I was looking for personally was, do the sizes of the nails actually match up to the sizes of my actual nails.
The claim on the front of the product is "lasts up to a week" *"when applied properly" according to the side of the packaging. So I will be also be seeing just how long the nails last on top of my nails as a manicure.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Influenster Review: Schwarzkopf Professional OSiS+ Gelastic
I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.
This product was tested on my husband because I have almost no hair thanks to having scalp pain if it grows over 1/4 to 1/2 an inch.
For this product I had two criteria that I was looking for, one from the product claim and one basic daily use criteria that I would have if I were able to use this.
The daily use criteria that I was looking for personally was, will the hair stay looking clean after applying the gel. It doesn't have any specific claims on the finish it will give your hair other than "firm" which was on the card from influenster and that didn't really tell me a lot about how it was going to look.
The claim on the product was "ultra strong flex gel" with the add-on from influenster that it "provides all day definition and control". For this I was looking to see how long my husband's hair would stay the way it was set in the morning.
This product was tested on my husband because I have almost no hair thanks to having scalp pain if it grows over 1/4 to 1/2 an inch.
For this product I had two criteria that I was looking for, one from the product claim and one basic daily use criteria that I would have if I were able to use this.
The daily use criteria that I was looking for personally was, will the hair stay looking clean after applying the gel. It doesn't have any specific claims on the finish it will give your hair other than "firm" which was on the card from influenster and that didn't really tell me a lot about how it was going to look.
The claim on the product was "ultra strong flex gel" with the add-on from influenster that it "provides all day definition and control". For this I was looking to see how long my husband's hair would stay the way it was set in the morning.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Empties: Makeup I Have Used Up: 06-12-2013
Sheer Cover Mineral Foundation: Latte
Latte is the empty container, Buff is the full container that I will now be working on.
Latte is the empty container, Buff is the full container that I will now be working on.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Influenster Review: Secret Outlast Clear Gel Antiperspirant/Deodorant
I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.
So for this product I have three criteria that I am testing for, two directly from the product claims and one is the basic daily use criteria.
The primary concern is, does this prevent wetness and smell over the course of one day as that is how I imagine most people will use this.
The first claim of the product is "keep it clear" along with the claim on the influenster card that it "leaves fewer white marks on clothes than the next leading invisible solid" so I tested to see if there were any white marks on clothing.
The second claim of the product is "48HR" which is expanded on the influenster card of "48 hour odor and wetness protection" and I did go for 48 hours without showering to see if this would really handle that.
So for this product I have three criteria that I am testing for, two directly from the product claims and one is the basic daily use criteria.
The primary concern is, does this prevent wetness and smell over the course of one day as that is how I imagine most people will use this.
The first claim of the product is "keep it clear" along with the claim on the influenster card that it "leaves fewer white marks on clothes than the next leading invisible solid" so I tested to see if there were any white marks on clothing.
The second claim of the product is "48HR" which is expanded on the influenster card of "48 hour odor and wetness protection" and I did go for 48 hours without showering to see if this would really handle that.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Influenster Spring Fever VoxBox: Preview Post
I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.
As I have previously mentioned, I participate in the Influenster program, which, based on surveys completed, sends people products to test and review. These reviews can be completed on the Influenster site, occasionally other brand websites, and on your own blog or YouTube channel. Since speaking clearly is frequently not an option for me I went with writing blog posts.
This is going to be the first in a series of blog posts covering the different products received and what I think of them with possible feedback from my husband as well. In one case the review will solely what my husband thinks of the product due to it being a food item that I cannot eat. There is also one item in here that I am allergic to and my husband might be allergic to so I am not sure what is going to happen with that one.
This first post is the preview post and will list the products received and the descriptive text included for each product. In the actual review posts, any text included on the packing will be included before the actual review. Types of products that are not normally reviewed by this blog will also have explanatory text about what criteria were used when reviewing as they do not have standardized review forms.
As I have previously mentioned, I participate in the Influenster program, which, based on surveys completed, sends people products to test and review. These reviews can be completed on the Influenster site, occasionally other brand websites, and on your own blog or YouTube channel. Since speaking clearly is frequently not an option for me I went with writing blog posts.
This is going to be the first in a series of blog posts covering the different products received and what I think of them with possible feedback from my husband as well. In one case the review will solely what my husband thinks of the product due to it being a food item that I cannot eat. There is also one item in here that I am allergic to and my husband might be allergic to so I am not sure what is going to happen with that one.
This first post is the preview post and will list the products received and the descriptive text included for each product. In the actual review posts, any text included on the packing will be included before the actual review. Types of products that are not normally reviewed by this blog will also have explanatory text about what criteria were used when reviewing as they do not have standardized review forms.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Review: ColorMates Nail Polish in Spring Fling
Nail Polish: ColorMates Nail Polish in Spring Fling
Day Applied: 5/6/13
Cost: (Without any discounts) $1.00 at the Dollar Tree
Coats until same color as the bottle:
One coat probably would have been fine for getting to the color in the bottle because this is mostly shimmer so the color in the bottle itself is not that deep.
Cream No
Shimmer Yes
Glitter Maybe, only if you consider the super tiny shimmer to actually be glitter.
Other
Drying time:
Five to ten minutes for touch dry, although I waited an hour before I was willing to do anything else with my hands because I tend to smudge my nails a lot.
Image after one coat:
Day Applied: 5/6/13
Cost: (Without any discounts) $1.00 at the Dollar Tree
Coats until same color as the bottle:
One coat probably would have been fine for getting to the color in the bottle because this is mostly shimmer so the color in the bottle itself is not that deep.
Cream No
Shimmer Yes
Glitter Maybe, only if you consider the super tiny shimmer to actually be glitter.
Other
Drying time:
Five to ten minutes for touch dry, although I waited an hour before I was willing to do anything else with my hands because I tend to smudge my nails a lot.
Image after one coat:
Monday, May 13, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Eye Shadow Duo #6
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Eye Shadow Duo #5
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #16
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #16
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #16
Review: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #15
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #15
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #15
Review: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #14
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #14
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #14
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The Traveling Red Dress and The Bloggess
Near two year ago I learned about The Bloggess through a former co-worker who posted on Facebook a link to a post on http://thebloggess.com about Beyoncé, an enormous metal rooster, that I still call a chicken because that is what she called it on her blog.
And that’s why you should learn to pick your battles.
I immediately wished I could be so bold as to buy an enormous metal chicken of my own and set it in the yard because I know it would make me giggle like a five year old every time I saw it if I had one. But I am not a bold person outwardly. I feel bold and daring, and I keep telling my husband that if I had the body for it I would live in bikinis all year long, even though I know that isn't true because I once did have the body for it. While I would occasionally strut around the house in this amazing silver metallic looking one piece that criss crossed to cover only the needed parts, and pleather thigh high stilettos like I was some bad-ass chick in a Sci-Fi movie, because I have always wanted to be the chick that could beat up the bad guy, but know I would never actually be, if there was any chance someone would see me in that, even my husband, I would immediately change in to something more sensible. I really miss that swim suit and wish it still fit, or that I at least still had it, because it was awesome and made me feel so incredibly bold and daring.
At the beginning of 2012 The Bloggess posted about The Traveling Red Dress, with a link to the original post about it as well, so I read them in the correct order which I will link here.
The Traveling Red Dress
The traveling red dress revisited
I cried reading these posts and wishing I could be that bold, and that awesome. My husband had already gotten me the on clearance holiday gift set makeup after Christmas just the month before and that is when I started to try and see if I could use the makeup to help me feel more bold and daring in real life and not just in my head. The makeup was already helping me to feel less bored because I was able to kill an entire day just looking at eye shadow, and at the time there weren't that many of them, but considering that since then I have spent six hours staring at 10 bottles of nail polish while waiting in the back office of my husband's work so we could go to a doctors appointment that day, 15 eye shadows, 15 lip glosses, and 4 blushes (which is the contents of the first kit I received) was more than enough to cover my husband's entire work day keep my throughly entertained.
I decided to try and use the black eye shadow in the kit. Prior to these posts the only eye shadow colors I would actually wear were all from the brown family, and generally only the lighter ones, because brown is safe, and light brown that barely registers as darker than your skin tone is even safer. It worked, it was messy and didn't even look particularly good, but I smudged that black eye shadow all over my lid, sat on the floor in the bathroom in front of the full length mirror and had a massive laugh at myself. I then slathered on the red lip gloss and laughed even harder.
I found my makeup brushes from the first time I had been in to using makeup and started to practice, using the Kevyn Aucion books to help me figure out how to apply these colors that I would have never felt bold enough to wear before. I've always loved his philosophy when it comes to makeup, "there are no rules, when it comes to makeup" and I have always lived by the philosophy that so long as you like the way the makeup looks, then it is all good.
My husband slowly started expanding my collection getting as many colorful and bright eyeshadow palettes as he could find so that I would always have something interesting to look at and that is one of the many reasons I love him, because he understands how much makeup is helping me, and is more effective than any medicine I have tried and with no side-effects.
I have slowly learned over time what kinds of makeup makes me feel bold and daring, the way I would like to be. Red seems to be the color of choice for the nails, I always feel incredibly bold wearing red nail polish, and I feel okay wearing it out of the house. And while no one at the grocery store realizes it when they see me, I feel like I am strutting in that bikini looking like a million bucks when I wear it out of the house, even though really I am sitting in a wheel chair, over weight, and with a buzzed hair cut because if my hair is more than half an inch in length my scalp hurts so much I can't lay my head down on the pillow to sleep. I also love a red lip and would wear that every day if I could build up the courage to. I still am not quite so daring as to wear red lipstick out of the house, but I have managed some non-brown eye shadow choices, although I haven't yet gotten to a truly dark smokey eye.
So for me, makeup is my red dress. The Bloggess has said it didn't have to be an actual red dress, "The traveling red dress isn’t always red. It isn’t even always a dress. It’s anything you’ve always wanted but denied yourself because you thought it was too silly. It isn’t. Joy is always worth it."
The Bloggess is very right and I will always be thankful to her for helping me to find that which makes me feel bolder and more daring even though I am very far away physically from were I once was when I would strut around in that silver swim suit.
And that’s why you should learn to pick your battles.
I immediately wished I could be so bold as to buy an enormous metal chicken of my own and set it in the yard because I know it would make me giggle like a five year old every time I saw it if I had one. But I am not a bold person outwardly. I feel bold and daring, and I keep telling my husband that if I had the body for it I would live in bikinis all year long, even though I know that isn't true because I once did have the body for it. While I would occasionally strut around the house in this amazing silver metallic looking one piece that criss crossed to cover only the needed parts, and pleather thigh high stilettos like I was some bad-ass chick in a Sci-Fi movie, because I have always wanted to be the chick that could beat up the bad guy, but know I would never actually be, if there was any chance someone would see me in that, even my husband, I would immediately change in to something more sensible. I really miss that swim suit and wish it still fit, or that I at least still had it, because it was awesome and made me feel so incredibly bold and daring.
At the beginning of 2012 The Bloggess posted about The Traveling Red Dress, with a link to the original post about it as well, so I read them in the correct order which I will link here.
The Traveling Red Dress
The traveling red dress revisited
I cried reading these posts and wishing I could be that bold, and that awesome. My husband had already gotten me the on clearance holiday gift set makeup after Christmas just the month before and that is when I started to try and see if I could use the makeup to help me feel more bold and daring in real life and not just in my head. The makeup was already helping me to feel less bored because I was able to kill an entire day just looking at eye shadow, and at the time there weren't that many of them, but considering that since then I have spent six hours staring at 10 bottles of nail polish while waiting in the back office of my husband's work so we could go to a doctors appointment that day, 15 eye shadows, 15 lip glosses, and 4 blushes (which is the contents of the first kit I received) was more than enough to cover my husband's entire work day keep my throughly entertained.
I decided to try and use the black eye shadow in the kit. Prior to these posts the only eye shadow colors I would actually wear were all from the brown family, and generally only the lighter ones, because brown is safe, and light brown that barely registers as darker than your skin tone is even safer. It worked, it was messy and didn't even look particularly good, but I smudged that black eye shadow all over my lid, sat on the floor in the bathroom in front of the full length mirror and had a massive laugh at myself. I then slathered on the red lip gloss and laughed even harder.
I found my makeup brushes from the first time I had been in to using makeup and started to practice, using the Kevyn Aucion books to help me figure out how to apply these colors that I would have never felt bold enough to wear before. I've always loved his philosophy when it comes to makeup, "there are no rules, when it comes to makeup" and I have always lived by the philosophy that so long as you like the way the makeup looks, then it is all good.
My husband slowly started expanding my collection getting as many colorful and bright eyeshadow palettes as he could find so that I would always have something interesting to look at and that is one of the many reasons I love him, because he understands how much makeup is helping me, and is more effective than any medicine I have tried and with no side-effects.
I have slowly learned over time what kinds of makeup makes me feel bold and daring, the way I would like to be. Red seems to be the color of choice for the nails, I always feel incredibly bold wearing red nail polish, and I feel okay wearing it out of the house. And while no one at the grocery store realizes it when they see me, I feel like I am strutting in that bikini looking like a million bucks when I wear it out of the house, even though really I am sitting in a wheel chair, over weight, and with a buzzed hair cut because if my hair is more than half an inch in length my scalp hurts so much I can't lay my head down on the pillow to sleep. I also love a red lip and would wear that every day if I could build up the courage to. I still am not quite so daring as to wear red lipstick out of the house, but I have managed some non-brown eye shadow choices, although I haven't yet gotten to a truly dark smokey eye.
So for me, makeup is my red dress. The Bloggess has said it didn't have to be an actual red dress, "The traveling red dress isn’t always red. It isn’t even always a dress. It’s anything you’ve always wanted but denied yourself because you thought it was too silly. It isn’t. Joy is always worth it."
The Bloggess is very right and I will always be thankful to her for helping me to find that which makes me feel bolder and more daring even though I am very far away physically from were I once was when I would strut around in that silver swim suit.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Mascara Review Form
Mascara reviews take a long time, like until I finish the mascara long time because as a cream product that tends to dry out a little bit every time you open it, I feel like a complete review for me will have something to do with how long it lasts and how it changes over time.
This form may expand as I review my first mascara although I do think this will cover most things I want to include.
Mascara: Brand, specific type, # color
Date Opened: The day I opened the tube of mascara.
Date Closed: Last day I was able to use the mascara.
This form may expand as I review my first mascara although I do think this will cover most things I want to include.
Mascara: Brand, specific type, # color
Date Opened: The day I opened the tube of mascara.
Date Closed: Last day I was able to use the mascara.
Empties: Makeup I Have Used Up: 05-03-2013
This is not going to be a monthly post because I am lucky to use up one makeup product a year at the rate I use it, but I thought, if I use something up I will post about it.
These two things just happened to run out around the same time and since I knew the second was just about finished when the first one finished I thought I would post about them together.
These two things just happened to run out around the same time and since I knew the second was just about finished when the first one finished I thought I would post about them together.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #13
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #13
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #13
Upcoming Review: ColorMates Nail Polishes
I have three ColorMates nail polishes that I am pretty sure were all purchased at the Dollar Tree. The polishes to be reviewed, from left to right are, Hot Red, Spring Fling, and Glitter Glam.
When doing the Glitter Glam review, I will be showing the polish used as a top coat over a Wet n Wild's French White Crème from the Wild Shine line and Black Crème from the Wild Shine line in order to try and show the glitter contained within more clearly. I will do two white nails and two black nails. One set will have one coat of the glitter polish on them, the other set will have two coats of the glitter polish on them.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #12
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #12
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #12
Review: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #11
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #11
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #11
Review: Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color in 902 Polar Purple
Nail Polish: Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color in 902 Polar Purple
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Eye Shadow Duo #4
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Review: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #10
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few
months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this
series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future
purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #10
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #10
Friday, April 26, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #9
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few
months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this
series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future
purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #9
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #9
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #8
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few
months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this
series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future
purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #8
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #8
Monday, April 22, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Eye Shadow Duo #3
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #7
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few
months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this
series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future
purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #7
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #7
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #6
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few
months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this
series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future
purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #6
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #6
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Nail Polish in Hot Pink
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few
months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this
series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future
purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Nail Polish: Madame Milly Nail Polish in Hot Pink
Nail Polish: Madame Milly Nail Polish in Hot Pink
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #5
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few
months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this
series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future
purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #5
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #5
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #4
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few
months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this
series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future
purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #4
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #4
Friday, April 12, 2013
The Everyday Makeup: Things I Use When Not Testing
While I am too distracted to review anything because my husband is home on vacation, which means that we could leave the house at any time, and I don't want to be part way through a test of eye anything, then leave the house for a while with no idea of what it is going to look like in an hour. So I thought I would talk about what I do use when there is a chance of leaving the house. This does not mean everything I am using is what I will always use, some of it actually isn't that great, but I want to use it up and some of it I am trying to find a way to make it work before it moves into the night makeup container. I will probably do a brush post later depending on how many of them actually say what brush they are.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #3
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few
months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this
series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future
purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #3
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #3
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Eye Shadow Duo #2
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few
months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this
series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future
purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
This review took longer to complete because my tube of e.l.f. eye primer cracked the lid and now doesn't seal properly. A new tube has been purchased and was used to retest the lighter eye shadow to make sure it got a fair assessment.
This review took longer to complete because my tube of e.l.f. eye primer cracked the lid and now doesn't seal properly. A new tube has been purchased and was used to retest the lighter eye shadow to make sure it got a fair assessment.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #2
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few
months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this
series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future
purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly #2
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly #2
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Nail Polish Party with Nieces: April 5, 2013
The other day I volunteered to babysit our nieces while my husband and his best friend, their father, went for a hike. They are probably old enough to not need babysitters any more, but it was a good excuse to share in the nail polish I have amassed and I had been mentioning to my husband before that I thought it would be fun to have them over and let them paint their nails (with their mother's permission of course) so when the opportunity presented itself, I grabbed it.
Yesterday they came over and I had arranged a selection of my nail polishes for them to pick from and told them if they didn't see anything they liked we could look at the larger collection.
Yesterday they came over and I had arranged a selection of my nail polishes for them to pick from and told them if they didn't see anything they liked we could look at the larger collection.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Nail Polish in Red
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few
months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this
series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future
purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Nail Polish: Madame Milly Nail Polish in Red
Day Applied: 3/23/13
Cost: (Without any discounts) Kits at Kohl's range from $20 to $40. Kohl's does run regular sales so I always recommend waiting for one of those when considering makeup there.
Nail Polish: Madame Milly Nail Polish in Red
Day Applied: 3/23/13
Cost: (Without any discounts) Kits at Kohl's range from $20 to $40. Kohl's does run regular sales so I always recommend waiting for one of those when considering makeup there.
Keep In Mind: March
Having seen many YouTube videos where the makeup lover does a monthly favorites video I thought I would do something similar but in post form.
Each month I will list two "favorites" to Keep In Mind, provided I have two; one that is something I have not reviewed in the previous month and one that is something I have reviewed in the previous month. If I don't have anything that I considered something worth keeping in mind for the month, or if it is the same as the previous month, I will say so.
Needless to say, what I am starting off with that has not been reviewed is always a favorite so it is always something I keep in mind and will get more of when I run out.
Each month I will list two "favorites" to Keep In Mind, provided I have two; one that is something I have not reviewed in the previous month and one that is something I have reviewed in the previous month. If I don't have anything that I considered something worth keeping in mind for the month, or if it is the same as the previous month, I will say so.
Needless to say, what I am starting off with that has not been reviewed is always a favorite so it is always something I keep in mind and will get more of when I run out.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Holiday Nails: Easter 2013
White Nails for Easter
Basic white nails, there is a lot of shimmer to them, but the point was to make them look like hard boiled eggs and then do some nail art with a nail art polish my husband had picked out for me so that they would look like Easter Eggs. Unfortunately I have been having a really hard time with nail polish the last couple of day and this is quite possibly the 15th attempt to get the white on to the nails correctly. I know for sure it is over the 9th attempt because that is where I lost count but kept going; I have used roughly 1/3 of a bottle of white nail polish just trying to get this far.
This polish was done this morning, on Easter, on a whim, and this is probably the best I have ever painted my nails because there is very little polish actually on the skin. While it may not be what I had envisioned several days ago when I came up with my idea of Easter Egg nails, I am very proud of them.
Nail Polish used was Wet N Wild's Megalast Polish in 202A Break the Ice.
Thank you for your time.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Lip Stick Review Form
This form is almost exactly the same as the lip gloss one minus the fact that it says lip stick. This is because I tend to use these interchangeably although I will also layer a lip gloss over a lip stick if it isn't shinny enough for me.
Lip Stick: Brand Color #
Applied At: Time the lip stick is applied
Cost: (Without any discounts) See earlier review forms.
Lip Liner Review Form
Lip liner has multiple functions for me. I use them to help the staying power of some lip glosses that have a lot of color to them naturally but don't hang on to the lip well. I use a clear on to help keep lip stick in place. And I also use some of them as the lip color all by itself.
When I do these reviews the lip liner will get two chances. The first will be as a liner, just around the edge of the mouth to keep a lip stick in (provided I have one that would work with it) which is the typical function of a lip liner. The second chance will be as a full lip color where the whole lip area is colored in with the lip liner as some liners can be very dry and don't really work as a lip color and some for whatever reason cannot attach to the inner part of my lower lip even when others can.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Review: Madame Milly Lip Gloss #1
The kit this is from was purchased for me by my husband a few
months ago. I am not sure if the same kit is still available; this
series of reviews is intended to help with deciding whether future
purchases from this brand is worthwhile.
Lip Gloss: Madame Milly #1
Applied At: 3:00 PM
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