Mini Nail Polish Haul/Gushing About my Favorite Gold Polish

So I was traveling a few weekends ago, and happened to be passing a town on my way, which I happened to know has an Ulta...so of course, I wanted to try to plan a detour.

I looked around for a while, and didn't find what I *really* wanted--a rollerball perfume of Marc Jacobs Honey. I smelled it in Sephora and loved it, but passed up on it, only to regret my decision later.  Ulta didn't have a rollerball of the scent, so I made my way around the store pretty aimlessly, only to find myself at the back in the nail polish section.  AKA, I found the Zoya.

I got a Zoya polish in one of my Ipsy bags a bunch of months ago, and was super excited to try it.  I ended up loving it, and I always end up gazing longingly at them when I encounter any displays.   I try to keep most of my nail polish purchases on the cheap side--after all, why shouldn't I, when there are so many awesome colors, textures, and brands available so inexpensively?  But Zoya, they have some pretty cool colors and I decided to treat myself a little.

I also shopped the clearance polishes and suddenly realized I needed a new bottle of my favorite gold polish, so I walked away with 3 brand-spanking new sparkle for my fingertips!

• Zoya Professional Laquer in Faye--This is described by Zoya as "A bronzed mauve with purple and brown undertones flooded with bright gold sparkle."  It's a light purple with gold, almost bronzey shimmer to it. It's super pretty and because it has those metallic colors in it, I can see it being worn all year round.
• Layla Nail Polish Ceramic Effect in...CE 61, aka "Ipanema Girl"--This is a super shimmery green with almost a yellow sheen to it.  When I put the first coat on, I was disappointed, but after a few more, the color really came out and the polish is soo pretty.  I haven't been too lucky with green polishes, but this one was so pretty in the bottle, and I was not disappointed!
• Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Golden-I--This is my absolute FAVORITE gold polish ever.  It's cheap as heck, super pretty, wears well, and goes on smoothly without any drying out or clumps! This is my second bottle, and I have had the first one for a really long time.  I was glad it hadn't stopped being made! I recommend it sooo much, and converted my little sister into a Golden-I lover as well. :)

After one coat!
(Ipanema Girl, Faye, Golden-I)










After two coats!
(Ipanema Girl, Faye, Golden-I, Faye again)




After I swatched, I decided the colors all looked pretty rad and shiny together, so I just painted the remainder of my nails in Faye and called it a night.

All in all, I now know that I will continue to lust after Zoya polishes, and hopefully not break my bank to get the entire line.

Shimmer and sparkle! I'm outskies.

September 2013 Ipsy

This month's theme for the Ipsy Glam Bag was..dun dun dun....Classic Beauty!  Now, I don't consider myself a classic beauty at all, but I think there were a few staples in this bag that could come in handy.  However, not all of the products ended up actually being what they claimed to be...read on, good people!

Here's what I got in this month's bag:

• Tinted Lip Balm by Cailyn Cosmetics in Big Apple--I think this is a great product, I love the color and the pigmentation is fabulous...but there is no way in heck that it's a "tinted lip balm."  Unless you use lip balms that are drying and have a super matte finish.  This would be much more likely to fall under my "super awesome lip tint" category.  It's got a nice color, and the coverage is great, and it's a very classic, very nice, red lip color.  The packaging is a little bulky, but it's because it's a pot that comes with a lip brush hidden in the lid (in fact, the packaging is the same as the Cailyn gel eyeliner I got a few ipsy bags ago).  I will definitely use this, I was just taken aback for a minute that they were calling it a lip balm!  PS--my sister "borrowed" this and totally fell in love with it.  Thanks for the Christmas gift idea, sis!

• It's So Big Volumizing Mascara by Elizabeth Mott (in black, I think)--I honestly haven't even opened this yet.  I use one mascara at a time (right now I've been using Covergirl Clump Crusher), and was fully not impressed with the Pixi mascara that came in the last ipsy bag, so I decided I would wait to open this one.  If I like it, I will let you know.

• NYX Single Eyeshadow in Pure Gold--I have been wanting a nice gold shadow for a while, and just haven't gotten around to looking for one, so this was pretty serendipitous.  I have tried other colors of this eyeshadow, and I like it!  The shadows are soft and blend fairly well.  This gold is more of an antique gold than a bright gold, which I like because it seems to be more neutral and wearable, and that's what I tend to move toward.  This color went especially well with the "Classic Beauty" theme.  When I think of old Hollywood starlets, I always think of gold shadow, a dark black liner, and a red lip.

• Obsidian Kohl Eye Pencil by Starlooks in Obsidian--I have to play around with this, but from swatches, I don't know that I was that impressed.  It's not very soft, and kind of tugged on my skin when I put it on the back of my hand...which made me worry how it will be on the more delicate skin of my eyes.  The color is nice, and it's a staple product, so I will probably use it for the top lash line if I want to do a smokey eye.

• Facial Paper Masks by Freeman Beauty in Rose, Blue Agave, and Starfruit--I haven't tried these yet, but what do you know--I actually came across these in my local Walmart and bought the Starfruit one!  Hope I like it, because now I have two.  I have used Freeman masks before, and have found that I like them a lot, so hopefully these will be nice.  I have a little bag in my bathroom almost fully dedicated to the little mask pouches, so I'm always glad to have more to add to my collection!  I haven't tried a paper face mask yet either, so I'm looking forward to it.  Maybe tonight, who knows?

NYX Single Eyeshadow in Pure Gold--in the pan and swatched on the back of my hand!

Starlooks Eye Pencil in Obsidian, swatched next to the Cailyn Cosmetics "tinted lip balm" in Big Apple.

All in all, this bag had a good theme and definitely stuck to it.  I can get a perfectly classic look with the items I received, and although I was obviously more excited about some of the items than others, I think that this bag was a pretty good one.  Keep 'em coming, Ipsy!

Pumpkins and apple-picking! I'm outskies.

Teeny Tiny NYX "Haul"

Recently, I was alerted by one of the beauty blogs I read that NYX was now being sold at Target!  I was super excited, and immediately went to the store locator on the NYX website to see if my local Target was one of the stores they were talking about....only to find that, of course, the closest branch participating is about 35-40 minutes away from me.  Luckily, I had to drive near to that location recently, and so I just *had* to stop and check out what they had gotten in!

• Jumbo Eyeshadow Stick in Milk--I am super excited they had this!! I have been looking for this for a while, and every location I had previously gone that sells NYX products were sold out! I can't wait to try this on a night out to use as a base for some of the eyeshadows in the Urban Decay Ammo palette--this white is going to make them really pop, and I think it will look amazing.  I also think I could get away with using this as a brow highlight, and maybe even put it in my inner corners to brighten a look.

• Soft Matte Lip Cream in Antwerp--I have the worst luck with lip colors.  Since you can't really swatch in the store, and the colors of the tubes in real life don't look anything like the swatches I looked up online, I got this color based on a review that it was a good everyday color.  However, I have a light, cool-toned skin tone, and I don't think peachy colors ever end up looking that good on me.  I tried this on the first day I got it, but I was in a rush and wiped it off without really getting a good feel for the color.  I do like these Lip Creams though...they kind of feel like you are wiping frosting on your lips, but they have a very good color payoff and they don't feel too drying.  (I know that in the swatch below, this doesn't look matte...but that's because I was overexcited and took the picture before it dried...woops!)

• Matte Lipstick in Summer Breeze--I chose this color because I don't really have any bright lighter pinks in my collection, and I thought that this might be nice, since it is a slightly more neutral-looking color.  Again, I tried this on quickly and didn't get too much of a feel for the color on my lips, but the lipstick is buildable and I think this could work nicely as a more wearable color if I can figure out a way to tone the pink down a little.  I love bright lip colors, but it's taking me a while to get used to wearing them, as they are definitely more obvious, and a far cry from the everyday, more natural and MLBB lip colors I tend to gravitate toward.  

Matte Lipstick in Summer Breeze...........................................Jumbo ES Stick in Milk and Antwerp SMLC.

Bubblegum and starfruit! I'm outskies.

**Knitting Update**

Now that it's getting closer to the Autumn season, I've been itching to start knitting again.  So much so that within the last two or so weeks, I have knit a mug cozy, a pair of guy's socks, and I'm currently working on the second sock in a pair meant as a Christmas gift...for last Christmas.  I got a *little* case of the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome, and I'm just now getting to finish the pair up.

Mug and French Press Jacket by MK Carroll

Thuja by Bobby Ziegler 

Maeva by Stefanie Bold

I've also decided to finish everything on my Rav page that's either in hibernation or in progress...which means I have (after I finish the Maeva socks) a pair of socks, a lace shawl, and an Icelandic sweater to finish before I will let myself start anything new.

May the odds be ever in my favor?  I'm outskies.

August Favorites!

I've decided, that if I find I use something enough in a month that I'm noticing I'm using it often, I will do a monthly favorites post.  When I did wear makeup this month, I found that I used a few things more than once!

• theBalm Down Boy blush--I know I've talked about this a lot, but I LOVE this stuff! Literally gives me the perfect natural blush and it's sooo pretty.  I love it.
• The combination of:
• Clinique Acne Solutions Concealer--This is the lightest color, I'm not sure of the the shade number.  I got this a while ago, and it's usually my go-to concealer. However, it's really not easy to blend and it dries really quickly.  It is also the slightest bit light.  However, I am putting it on acne, so I wanted something that (hopefully) won't break me out.
• Hard Candy Glamoflauge in Medium Light--This is a tad bit too dark, so when I layer it on top of the Clinique concealer, it matches my skin much more.  Also, this stuff is creamy and a total dream to blend!  The combo of these two is really great, and doesn't make me feel like I'm going to break out like crazy after.
• NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Yogurt--I bought this on a whim.  I had been looking for the Shadow Stick in Milk, but then I saw this and thought it was really pretty! And it is.  It's a shimmery champagne color that is soo nice.  I have used it both under other shadows as well as just by itself.  When I wear it by myself, after a little bit of wearing it, it melds with my skin color and is such a pretty color. It's creamy and blends well, too!

• The Urban Decay Ammo palette--Especially the colors Sin, Chopper, and Smog.  I love using these with the NYX Yogurt shadow, and doing so gives me a glowing, coppery eye look. I haven't raised the courage yet to really use any of the colors in this palette, but they are all really nice and the consistency is so buttery and smooth.

• The combination of:
• theBalm Staniac in Beauty Queen--this is a really nice gel stain.  It goes on sheer, but you can build it to a darker color.  
• Korres Quince Lip Balm--this on top of the Staniac is sooo pretty! It's a my lips, but more refined look, and it's good for everyday wear!  

So that's what I used often this month!

Bollywood and Hollywood! I'm outskies.

Happy Birthday to Me! (Aka, What I Got Myself for My Birthday)

Hey hey hey!  Last week it was my birthday! So I made the trek to my nearest Sephora to claim my Beauty Insider gift--this year, it was a two-pack sample size of Benefit's "They're Real!" mascara and a "Watt's Up?" highlighter!  I do realize that I could have gotten both of these in an online order instead of traveling an hour to get to Sephora, but I hate not being able to swatch things in case I don't end up liking them in real life. While I was there, I decided to get a little somethin' somethin' for myself, to celebrate!  

The first thing I decided on was the Korres Lip Balm in Quince.  I have seen it so many times in different Youtube videos and when I tried it on in the store, I loved it.  It gives you a natural tinted look and it's soooo smooth on your lips.  I normally don't go crazy with lip balms, but I decided it was nice enough and felt like treating myself. :)

So in addition to the Sephora gift and the lip balm, I picked up a Creaseless Cream Shadow by Benefit.  The color is Bikini-tini, which the Benefit website describes as an oyster pink, but I think is a shimmery nude/champagne color.  I had originally seen these in the "World's ____ Nudes" palettes, and had really liked the R.S.V.P. and My Two Cents.  When I swatched them, though, I thought I could do better getting a more neutral/lighter color so that I could use it in more ways!  So I got Bikini-tini, and it's really pretty! The consistency is almost gel-like.  It's a cream, but it's not thick.  It feels almost slippery when you touch it, but it goes on the eye well and stays creamy, which is good for layering shadows on top!

              "Bikini-tini" in the pot....................................................and swatched next to "Watt's Up?" on left.

 Plus, can we talk about how cute the packaging for this is? All art-deco and what-not! I love it!

Bikinis and Martinis! I'm outskies.