Favorite Products of Summer 2011

With all the Back-To-School ads and even Halloween stuff in stores, I can't help but feel like summer is already over. So I thought I would post my go-to products that I've been using on almost a daily basis for the past couple of months.

In no particular order:

Poppie Jones across the shoulder fringe purse in brown suede that I bought about 3 years ago from DSW.

Jade and Bamboo Necklace from Island Dancer Jewelry (a gift). Sorry, Island Dancer Jewelry website is not up at this time

Bath & Body Works body cream in Country Chic.

Maybelline Shine Sensational lip gloss in Pineapple Paradise

No brand name sunglasses (gifted to me) with animal print

Gold and turquoise cuff from India, I bought this from a local festival

NYX Ultra Pearl Mania in Yellow Gold Pearl

Bath & Body Works Body Spray in Hello Sugar Whole Lotta Lemon Going On (sadly discontinued) - this really complimented Country Chic.

OPI - My Chihuahua Bites, I've been wearing this on my toes all summer long.

Icing Mood Swing Color Changing Nail Polish in Confident/Cheery

Pur Minerals Eye Pencil in Black Amethyst - This has been truly waterproof/sweat proof in my opinion. Not so great for the waterline though...boo. But I still love this eyeliner.

Loreal Infallible 6hr Never Fail Lipgloss in Rebel Red - Red lips was my favorite thing this summer. And this is probably my favorite lipgloss of all time. Really pigmented and had long lasting wear...even while eating and drinking. Fabulous.

Gold Peacock Long Necklace - I think I bought this at Charlotte Russe a year ago?

Revlon Molten Metal Liquid Shadow in Platinum Pinup - Sadly also discontinued.

Cateye Black sunglasses from Target, I believe they were on sale for $12.99

Lancome Color Design lipstick in Red Haute - BEST MATTE RED LIPSTICK EVER! I never had a red lipstick that I liked on me until I found this beauty. Even the packaging is sleek. Wear time is really good too. After it fades, your lips still have a red stain on them.

Vintage looking flower ring from Pier 1 Imports - It was less than 3 bucks and it's adjustable.

And this was my favorite product of the summer:

 LA Splash Liquid Eyeliner in Royal Blue - I bought this on clearance at Ulta awhile back. As a liner it was ok. Gives a great pop a color and a great alternative to Urban Decay liners in the same colors. Definitely not sweatproof or waterproof. As a liner this really needs a primer and a sealer. But then I started using it to tint my lashes and I fell in love! It looks gorgeous paired up with gold eyeshadow that really popular to wear in the summer.

LA Splash Liquid Eyeliner in Royal Blue layered on lashes

I don't think the picture does it justice. You can definitely tell your lashes are blue in real life but there not a neon sign above your head announcing the color of your lashes either. TONS and TONS of compliments wherever I went. I applied my usual mascara like usual and once dry, I layered the liquid liner on top of the mascara. You can also use a disposable wand to apply the product. I just didn't have one.

I kept hearing all summer that THE nail color of the season was a toss up between yellow and orange. So when I saw the Mood Swing polish in Cheery/Confident, I thought "Why not wear both at the same time?"

WARNING: Manicure was 5 days old!

Warm hand

Dipped in Ice Water



After a few minutes

Few minutes more

Back to warm temperature

 I highly recommend this nail polish.

As much as I love these products. I'm not sad to see summer go. I've been melting in this summer heat. And as I type this, the area where I live is on the cusp of being hit by Tropical Storm Don. I much prefer the fall. But I will miss seeing these lovelies in my backyard:

What was your favorite product this summer?

Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe Dupe?

I was at Icing the other day looking for some of the awesome holos they had debuted with their Charlie Sheen theme (I found one leaky bottle) when something caught my eye:

Now I absolutely love Deborah Lippmann so I kinda feel like a traitor posting dupes of their fabulous nail polishes, but sometimes a girl needs to save some money to buy herself a Clarisonic Mia to shrink her large pores!

Force of Love is part of their Duality nail polish duos. It has a navy blue sheer jelly base with aqua and green hexagonal glitter and silver micro glitter. I don't have Across the Universe to do a complete comparison but from what I've seen online, Force of Love has more micro glitter than Across the Universe.

This formula was not my favorite. It was very chunky and gloopy. My bottle definately needed some thinning. I also needed about four coats to reach opacity. And because I needed so many coats and the bottle is mini, my bottle is now half empty. You can layer this over a navy or black cream but unless you have more than one coat, you will lose a the depthness that mulitple coats gives you. Case in Point:

Here is Force of Love layered over Sally Hansen Navy Baby on the Left and the other polish included in the duo Magnetic Attraction layered over Color Club Black. I was able to get rid of the chunkyness here by adding a coat of Gelous and then topping that off with a coat of Seche Vite. Even though you lose the depthness of Force of Love when layered over a cream, it's still really pretty. I even prefer it this way.

Now as for Magnectic Attraction...I simply love this lacquer. LOOK AT ALL THOSE COLORS!!  It has a sheer grey base with micro holo glitter and larger hexagonal holo glitter. The base is simply to sheer to be worn alone (but I have to admit, I haven't tried). As you can see from the swatch above, it has so many layers to it! It looks like the galaxy on my nails without even trying.

All in all, I don't feel comfortable calling Forces of Love a dupe of Across the Universe but it is pretty gosh darn close. And it has satisfied my lemming of Across the Universe for the time being. Maybe I'll ask for it when my birthday rolls around.

My Fairy Name is:

Polish Insomniac posted her fairy name after getting it from a generator and I thought it was a small fun random thing to do. So I decided to post mine as well. If you go to this link you can get your own fairy name (and elf, fantasy, mermaid, Star Wars, Unicorn, Vampire, Witch, WoW names). Here's mine:

My fairy name is Moth Demonglitter
She is a playful mischief maker.
She lives close to caverns and stalactite grottoes.
She can only be seen in the light of a shooting star.
She wears dresses stitched with crystals and has red wings like a brightly coloured butterfly.
Get your own fairy names from The Fairy Name Generator!

I love my fairy name. And it's so appropriate. Almost want to change my blog name to it. :-) Thanks Polish Insomniac!

What was your fairy name?

My Favorite Nail Artist - Sophy Robson

I was super excited a couple days ago when I opened my email from Sephora announcing the lastest fashion trend - NAIL ART. And to my surprise my favorite nail artist Sophy Robson had curated some designs for Sephora.

I've been following Sophy's blog for quite some time now and she was the one who really opened up my mind to this cult art. Check out her designs in the video's below (I love her simple white nails in the videos. I think I might have to paint mine the same color.). And you'll see in the Distressed Metal tutorial that Sephora is coming out with their own line of crackles. Surprise Surprise.

Which nail art look will you be trying?



Cherry Blossom Tutorial:


Wild Giraffe Tutorial:


Punk Cheetah Tutorial:


Distressed Metal Tutorial:


Glitterati Tutorial:


LOVE YOU SOPHY!!

July 2011 Birchbox

EEK! I just got my Birchbox in the mail not more than two hrs ago. I snapped these quick pics to show you all what I got.

Birchbox had famed fashion designer Cynthia Rowley curate this month's box. First off, look at the beautiful box sleeve she designed. I know it's just a box sleeve and I'll eventually throw it out, but it's so pretty and such an unexpected surprise. It looks like liquid quartz.



Click on the above pic if want to read the card

Instead of their signature magenta tissue paper, they instead opted for this summer friendly aqua color. Gosh, even the border on their card is pretty.  And here are the lovely items inside:

From Left to Right:
Renken Shine Flash - It's a weightless shine spray. Can't wait to try this. I love shine sprays.
Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-usage Dry Oil - I wonder how this compares to Josie Maran's Argan Oil.
Zoya Touch Collection Nail Polish in Pandora - I'm loving the mini size of the bottle. I'm not sure how it will look with my skin tone. First impression....it looks like it might be too pink based and frosty. I'll post pics once I swatch.
Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleaner - I've always wanted to try this but was never given the opportunity. I think this is my favorite of the whole package.
Kind Fruit & Nut Almond & Apricot Bar - According to the wrapper, it is all natural, gluten and wheat free, low glycemic index index (48), 5g of fiber, non GMO and no trans fats, dairy free, very low sodium, no sulphur dioxide. Sounds boring and healthy. Looks delicious!

I was planning of reviewing the products that I received in June (and never posted) but for some reason I can't find any of the pics I had taken and I've lost the information that I had. Once I locate all that, I will post my reviews.

For more information on Birchbox or if you would like to sign up, click here (referral link).

Watermelon Nail Art

Note to self: When photographing your nail art, DO NOT enlarge picture. It will just enlarge your imperfections.

For once I was really happy with a nail art design that I did. I had seen some watermelon nail art around but I never really wanted to do it until I got Essie's Watermelon nail polish. This polish is perfection. The color is beautiful magenta and does lean a little more red on the nail than it does in the bottle. And because it's really opaque (coverage in one coat) and dries within minutes, it's perfect for nail art. That's why I decided to do this:

Used:

Essie  - Watermelon

Sally Hansen - Chartreuse Chase

OPI - Don't Mess With OPI

Color Club - Black

The hardest part for me (as you can probably tell) was making the seeds. I still don't have the hang of it. I was still really ill when I did this. 

Anyway, thought I'd post this pic before I take it all off and start practicing my Harry Potter inspired mani for the midnight showing this Thursday.

SayAnythingBr00ke's Charity Giveaway

I hope you have all had a better weekend than me. I've been stuck in bed with a really bad cold (all thanks to the boyfriend) since Friday. The only thing I have to look forward to is watching the new episode of True Blood tonight.

But I wanted to get out of bed and post about the most amazing giveaway I have ever seen. And it's all to benefit a good cause. Youtube makeup guru SayAnythingBr00ke is giving away over a $1000 worth of great makeup. Including: A complete set of OCC vegan friendly brushes, OCC lip tars, OCC nail polishes, Mac Ripe Peach Blush, China Glaze OMG nail polish, and much much more.

All she asks in return is that you donate to the animal shelter she has chosen for her giveaway. You don't have to donate, but she strongly encourages it.

Go here to donate: http://sayanythingbr00ke.chipin.com/animal-shelter-inc-sterling-ma
To enter, you must be subscribed to her channel, and you must leave a comment. That's it! Giveaway is also open internationally and will end Friday July, 29 2011. Video below will give you more detailed information:



Watch this video and be amazed at all the jaw dropping makeup she's giving away. I would be happy just to get Ripe Peach. Which is your most wanted item?  Make sure you spread the word around so we can make a difference.

Items I used up during the month of June

We always see people blog about their hauls, but what about the stuff that we actually use up? I got inspired by 15stepsblog.  She started blogging about this and I thought it was genius. I do have to warn you. I used to work at Bath and Body Works years ago and I still have boxes of items that had been retired due to repackaging. I'm trying my hardest to work through them before I buy more BBW merch. Here are the items I've used up this month in no specific order:

1. Two Faced Lash Injection Mascara
Pros- It was very thickening and really gave my lashes a lot of length. The brush was very thick and large.
Cons-  I don't know if I just got unlucky and picked out an old tube, but the formula was very dry and it stopped working about two weeks in.
Will I purchase this again? No, there are too many mascaras out there that I would like to try before returning to this one.
What I'm replacing it with- Clinique's High Impact Mascara

2. Bath & Body Works The Perfect Autumn Pear Shower Gel
Pros- I LOOOOOVE this scent. When it first came out (2006) I stocked up on the lotion, shower gel, and all the scent ports and candles that I could find in this scent. Sadly, this is my last of my Autumn Pear collection. The bottle says it has scents of Asian pear, melted caramel, warm spices, and ground vanilla bean. BBW, please bring this back! Pretty pretty please!
Cons- Sadly discontinued.
Will I purchase this again? No, it's been discontinued.
What I'm replacing it with- Bath & Body Works Exotic Coconut

3. One 'N Only Aragan Oil Restorative Mask
Pros- I didn't really like this when I first used it. But as I continued to use it, I noticed my hair was much more manageable, shiny, and was no longer dry. I use hair masks in lieu of conditioner and this is just great.
Cons- Wasn't to keen on the scent, but it's not unbearable. And its worth the results.
Will I purchase this again? YES!!

4. C.O. Bigelow Restorative Hair Mask
Pros- I loved that this one came in a travel size.
Cons- I didn't see the difference between this and any other regular conditioner. I was hoping it would have similar results to Fekkai's Glossing Conditioner since it says it contains Olive Oil and honey extract. Sadly, it does not compare.
Will I purchase this again?  No, not worth the price.

5. Marlies Moller Hair Tip Care Hair Mask
Pros- I could definitely see that my hair was much stronger than usual with this. I also couldn't find any split ends while I was using this. Coincidence?
Cons- The packaging has this hair mask in a tub that comes with a spatula for scooping out. I didn't like that mostly because water would seep into the packaging while I was trying to apply to my hair. I also wasn't crazy about this scent either. Even my boyfriend didn't like the way it smelled. Bad deal.
Will I purchase this again? No, the smell really bothered me.

6. Fekkai Shea Butter Hair Mask
Pros- This really hydrated my hair the first time I used it. I loved the way it smelled and even left my hands really soft.
Cons- After a while, I noticed I was getting major build up in my hair. That may be because I use this more as a conditioner rather than a typical hair mask.
Will I purchase this again? Yes, but not right away. And I will use it as it is intended to be used next time.
What I'm replacing ALL of the hair masks with? Another tube of One 'N Only Aragan Oil Restorative Mask!

7. Bath & Body Works True Blue Spa Shea Butter Like Butter Shower Cream
Pros- I used this as a shaving cream instead of a shower cream. I shave my legs and then go back over it with more product before I rinse off. It was more hydrating on your body than your typical shaving cream. I even liked this better than the True Blue Spa shaving cream that they have in their line. 
Cons- Didn't like the bottle. Although it is a good sized bottle, it was really hard to squeeze the product out.
Will I purchase this again? Yes, but not right away. I have many more shower creams and shaving creams to go through before I need to buy another one.
What I'm replacing it with- Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa Be More Pacific with Monoi Oil Shower Cream.

Things I'm tossing because I just didn't like them:
1. CND Solar Balm - I picked this up at Ulta in the clearance section for $0.99. Ugh, deeply disappointed. I thought this would be slightly reminiscent of  Solar Oil. It was not. It had that gross smell that tells you it had turned bad. And when I put it on my cuticles it was just a greasefest. Nasty.

2. ELF Cream Eyeliner - This is another item that might have been old (I have the worst luck apparently). It was hard to pick up with my eyeliner brush and was just not smooth in applying. In the trash bin it went.

Top of My Wish List

I have had the same wire eyeglasses for the past ten years. I know I've needed to upgrade for quite some time but when my Optometrist said my prescription has not changed over the years, I didn't see a need to buy new frames. I've taken great care of the ones I already have. That is until I saw these:

EEK! These Francis Klein Eyewear frames are fabulous and totally appeal to the naughty librarian in me. I'm actually returning to school in the fall to get my masters in library sciences and these would be great to start off the semester.

BUT these seem to only be sold in their boutique in France. Last I checked I wasn't planning any trips abroad in the near future.  And since I cannot find a price on these, that usually means theses are way out of my budget. Boo. Tears. Sadness.

So if anyone knows of 1. where I can find these in the states, 2. know of any affordable versions of these, please contact me ASAP. My vision will thank you for it.