Nivea Lip Butter for a better pucker!

     Ever since I was a child I've always had a serious problem with chapped lips. All year round, but especially in these deep winter months, my lips would get really flaky (ew!) and sometimes even crack. Not only is chapped lips not a good look on anyone, it's painful and makes lipsticks appear cakey. 

        On my weekly trip to the drugstore, I scouted out these cute little Nivea lip butter compacts that had their own display near where the other medicated lip balms where. Of course I immediately wanted to go for one of their delicious scents/flavors like ' Vanilla Macadamia Kiss' or 'Graham Kiss' but instead I opted for the non-scented, non-flavored butter, 'Smooth Kiss' and I'm hooked! 

      As tempting as it is, especially with promises of 'Caramel Cream Kiss' kisses, I chose not to buy a yummy scent/flavor when sampling this lippy because I just know that within 5 minutes of applying it I probably would have licked my 'Caramel Cream Kiss' right off my lips! By choosing a natural, unscented balm, I'm avoiding the lip licking epidemic that leads to serious chap-stick dependency. Food or candy oriented lip balms and chap sticks immediately throw up the scam flag for me. Lippies like Nivea's 'Vanilla & Macadamia Kiss' or 'Raspberry Rose Kiss' actually make you lick your lips. Not only does licking your lips take all the medicated balm off (duh!), but your saliva actually makes your lips dry! Choosing the normal, unscented/unflavored option is a smarter choice for your lips in the long run if you have an ongoing problem with drying and cracking like me. 
 

     I swear that this lip butter is my divine savoir. I will absolutely never use a chapstick for my chapped lips ever again! Despite the name, deeming it a ‘butter’, the actual product which comes in the form of a pressed crème balm is actually light as air! I also love the feeling of applying it with my finger because I feel like I really get to massage my sore, winter scorned lips and get all the cracked corners and crevices. I especially like to use this at home before bed. Because I also suffer from allergies, I often have a stuffy nose and end up sleeping with my mouth open. Mouth open=chapped lips. When I apply ‘Smooth Kiss’ before bed, my lips stay moisturized through-out the night and I wake up with a rejuvenated pucker!
       
I also imagine these would be great for those suffering with colds this season! Buy one for yourself, or pick one up for a friend as a part of a ‘Get Better’ care package, they’ll totally thank you later. I got mine for $3.99 at Walgreens but I think they can also be bought at Walmart, Target, or really any drug store (CVS, Rite Aid ect…).

 You know what they say: “Happy lips, happy life!”
             Okay, they don’t really say that, but it’s true!.....
                
Sincerely,
        Lizzie xoxo

Leopard print, Gold, Pearls, what more could a gal want??

    Licensed nail techs that I follow on instagram are always posting photos of beautiful gel manicures decked out in pearls and gold. I adore how shiny and clean their designs are, for today's nails I was inspired by a mint colored leopard and pearl gel mani. To give it my own flair, I used shades of pink instead of mint.

I was so excited to finally use my nail art pearls! As my base pink (darker pink pictured) I used Wet 'n' Wild 'Candy-licious'. I had a mini bottle of 'Candy-licious' for the longest time and noticed that it was beginning to get really goopy and empty, I was siked when after some drug-store hopping I was able to find a brand new full-sized bottle. 'Candy-licious' is much warmer in real life and is a happy alternative to nude. The lighter pink I used in this mani is O.P.I 'My Very First Knockwurst', a polish that was a lemming of mine for the longest time: now that I have it, I'm quick to use it in any and -all- mani's possible! 'My Very First Knockwurst' is a pink-toned nude that is nearly opaque in one coat and a creamy dream!

 For extra sparkle (and we girls all know there is always room for extra sparkle) I added China Glaze's 'Fairy Dust' over my plain pink accent nail as well as the plain pink stripes and a micro-bead circlet in 'champagne' choice pearls. For the gold ruffian and stripes, my new bottle of 'Angel Wings' by China Glaze was broken in!!! I've been wanting this polish for the longest time and after using it here on this mani as a gold accent-er, I just know that we will be great friends.

Essie 'Butler Please' and Sally Hansen 'Pacific Blue' comparison

    Instagram was hit with a fresh storm of cobalt fever the other day and after seeing a few ladies complain about the formula of Essie's 'Butler Please', I decided to do a comparision to a 'Butler Please' alternative with a much easier application and better formula (in my opinion), Sally Hansen's 'Pacific Blue'

My experience with 'Butler Please' is a thick and rubbery formula that balds with each stroke and dries bumpy and weird. It took two healthy coats of Seche Vite to completely smooth out the nails I used 'Butler Please' on. Sally Hansen's 'Pacific Blue' is nearly opaque in one coat, smooth, and everything a cobalt blue creme should be. Visually, 'Butler Please' is just the tiniest bit darker than Sally Hansen's alternative, but knowing how ridiculously annoying Essie's blue is to work with makes grabbing 'Pacific Blue' a lot easier.

I think what Essie was trying to do here, was create a rubber-finish neon similar to CG's "creative fantasy" or Julep's "Nikki" and though the finish is sort of matte-rubber-like, the application is just way to cumbersome to pass up this Sally Hansen dupe, which is also three bucks less.
What do you think girls, would you trade up your Essie for 'Pacific Blue'? Did you have difficulties with 'Butler Please's forumla? Discuss!

Boy Oh Boy!

I still have five or six O.P.I mini's laying around from their Top Ten collection I ordered a while back, and I've been wanting to get around to trying all the shades and sorting out which ones where must-have full sizes. After seeing a swatch of it on Instagram last night, I just had to put on O.P.I 'Red Lights Ahead...Where?', a seriously neon, orangey-red that totally pops. Here I used three coats for full opacity. Maybe it was just the mini, but the application of my first and even third coat was a little streak-y, but nothing a nice helping of Seche Vite didn't sort out!

I'm not so sure, but this O.P.I may be a dupe for Essie's 'Snap Happy', another winter orange-red fave of mine. I took advantage of this bright shade and practiced some of my leopard print using my favorite Jordana blue, 'Boy Oh Boy'.

 I used 'Boy Oh Boy' for my birthday mani and it was a dream to apply, two coats for full opacity. It's a robin's egg blue that's more aquamarine in some light.  Anyway, it helps make an absolute perf pair of eye-catching red and chic animal print. There's something about blue-ish green and orangey-red together this winter, it's totally growing on me!

Minty Fresh mani!

        So as my untried polishes are piling up in a bin beneath my dresser (I am currently supposed to be on a 'no buy' for polishes, hahaha!!) I happily added another last night while at the drug store for some makeup (Go in for one thing, come out with the whole beauty counter). I knew about Sally Hansen's lustre shine collection for a while but I was never totally impressed with any of the shades until I noticed a white pearly color called 'Moonstone' I haven't seen before at the other displays of the collection. So after putting it back then picking it up again, I totally impulse bought it-and some friends to keep it company that you'll be seeing soon ;)
        Without a thin coat of white undies for this one (I used Sinful colors 'Snow Me White' for this mani ) one coat is a really thin sheen of pearly white and a peek of mint shimmer that was a pleasant surprise. With two coats over my white base, I was totally getting a ribbon candy/ breath mint sort of vibe off of the finish and decided to add some art!

    For the swirly mint design on my index, I used another Sally Hansen untried polish called 'Mint Sorbet'. It has been a really long time since I've sat down and actually done nail art (I'm in the process of getting a vanity moved into my room) so after checking out a Robin Moses tutorial on Youtube for creating a peppermint design that was originally made for Christmas, I was pretty impressed result; a clean and subtle accent finger that I felt really resembled the real thing!
   

    Of course, while I had my brushes out, I couldn't help but add a little bling to the rest of my fingers. On my pointer I did a simple heart tip using 'Mint Sorbet' again, and outlined with Revlon 'Silver Dollar', my go-to silver for art accents that need some metallic shine.I also did some micro-bead placement on my ring finger for a little edge and added a clear rhinestone to the middle of my minty swirl.

 

      My right hand was lonely, so I added a micro-bead accent finger to match my left! I always do something with my dominant hand, whether it's duplicating the art or just corresponding the polish. The concept of having one hand manicured and the other naked is foreign to me and kinda counter-productive because I like to actually wear my mani's out to show off for a day or two. 

     I enjoyed wearing this clean and uber chic look today and actually matched a mint and metallic outfit to it! I always feel more put together when my mani's match my outfits. My mom commented that this mani almost looked bridal and I totally agree. As for the micro-beads, I will definitely be using them for my accent nails in the future: its such an easy way to make it look like I spent time on my look! hahaha. Enjoy girlies!

Devine Intervention

    

       When I first started painting my nails, I wanted nothing to do with any color that wasn't a shade of red or pink; but as all we nail girls know, beautiful crimsons and baby pinks are just a small percentage of the gorgeous colors you come across in the wonderful world of polish. Once I broke out of my rose-colored shell, I discovered I'm a bit of a purple girl! And this deep royal purple Essie shade is the kind of polish that has my eye straying from my normal neutral pink.

  ( Essie 'Sexy Divine' topped with one coat of Revlon 'Heavenly' and two coats of Seche Vite topcoat )
    
    I really believe that Essie is notorious for it's baby pink shades and is always my go-to brand for pretty neutrals. But don't be fooled, Essie also has a naughty side that she doesn't always show. This deep purple that I topped with Revlon's 'Heavenly' (I'll get to that beauty in a moment,) called 'Sexy Divine', a super fitting name for this shimmery eggplant shade with a glint of magenta in the right light. The color on it's own went on like a dream and after adding a topcoat, I'll have to admit I had a hard time covering it up. I'm definitely keeping this one in my arsenal for a chic and eye-catching alternative to black.

    ( Essie 'Sexy Divine' topped with one coat of Revlon 'Heavenly' and two coats of Seche Vite topcoat. You can really see the iridescent flakies in the photo. )
    
    I have been dying to layer Revlon's 'Heavenly' over a dark color and as much as it pained me to cover up my purple beauty, 'Sexy Divine' was thee perfect base for it. I've also seen other nailstagrammers layer 'Heavenly' over Revlon's 'Royal', which is equally awesome. I think it would look cool over black as well. 'Heavenly' for me tops the list right up there with Essie's discontinued shade: 'Shine Of The Times'. When I first bought 'Heavenly', I didn't really envision it as a run-of-the-mill flakie top-coat. I planned on being boring and layering it over white or a pastel, but my girls on the nailstagram scene never disappoint and gave way to a whole new trend for this polish.

   
    The finish that 'Heavenly' gives over a darker shade is almost radio-active like. I sort of feel like I have a rave going on on my fingers!

With a mani like this, who wouldn't convert to being a purple girl? <3!

Midnight Blues

       I'm going to happily dedicate my next two manis to swatching my Tryst Lacquers Date Night Collection I bought as a birthday present for myself a couple weeks back and haven't gotten around to photographing. Kimberly Maranan, the brand's lovely owner, is a jelly polish genius who deserves an indie Emmy!!! I'm just now building up enough indie polishes to qualify as an extremely modest collection. I'll admit that I'm not exactly a franken-polish connoisseur; clear bases and glitter bombs (though beautiful) just aren't my style, but since I received a hefty amount of money for my past 18th birthday, I decided I would delve into the indie polish world while my wallet was open and willing for a risk here or there. 
        Kimberly's polish style is everything I think an indie polish should be. Its unique, interestingly eye-catching, gorgeous, practical, and made up of all the glittery goodness that you just can't get with mainstream polishes. But what really sold me, was her pigment-based cremes and jellies. 

 
 "Meet Me At Midnight" swatched above pretty much speaks for the collection, and Kimberly's brand as a whole, for itself. It's jam-packed with large copper hex glitters, small blue hexes, and the cherry on top; the abundance of micro white hexes that totally makes the polish and fit's its name sake perfectly. And seriously, that gorgeous navy blue jelly?! I'm in love. 

    This only took three coats on it's own for opaque squishy jelly amazing-ness. One easy coat of Seche Vite smooths all the glitters out to a glassy to-die-for finish!
   You can buy this beauty and others in both full sized and cute little mini try-out sizes at Kimberly's etsy shop here.

Lip smacking good Laquerlicious Lacquers!

                                      Now that's a title that has got me salivating!
      A week or two ago, I pleaded with the wonderful owner of Laquerlicious, an upcoming indie polish brand, to grace me with the honor of swatching some of her newest concoctions. Unbelievably, she obliged! Getting three little gorgeous polish mini's in the mail was a euphoric experience; finally I was like (or on my way to being) those uber popular swatchers on instagram who get to blog beautiful indie nail-potions and rub elbows with some of the best franken-ers in the industry!
      AND I haven't even gotten to the good part: the polishes!!!!!! Miss Laquerlicious sent me three cute little mini's that each raced to a special notch of my 'OH MY GOD' meter! 'Zebra Kisses', clear-based choc full of matte white and black shards, 'Pink Granite', my absolute favorite that packs heat with tiny pink and black hexes, large black and white square shards, the occasional pink translucent hex, and an army of micro pink dots, and last but certainly not least 'Rainbow Sugar', another shocking favorite of mine that teems with a beautiful pink-tinted jelly base complete with all the colors of the rainbow in the form of translucent and patterned hex glitters, each different but oh-so wonderful!

      I'm going to proudly start out with the polish that is certainly the best nam-ed (in my opinion) of the bunch; 'Zebra Kisses'!!! Not only does the name of this black and white topper give you THEEEE cutest image in your head but it is surprisingly chic on top of my neon-green base (which is 'Nikki' by Julep, a beautiful neon with a rubbery finish). I'm in love with the unconventional approach this sharded white and black matte glitter takes on a normal salt-n-pepper sort of topper. 

   

       The application for this one is genius. I've owned quite a few black and white toppers in my day, and by far this one is the best application wise. Absolutely no fishing! What you see is what you get! A nice smooth finish with just enough pieces in your first coat to obtain desired effect. This one is definitely worthy of a full-size purchase. It's fresh, new, and versatile, looking totally chic over bright colors (especially in the winter!) or interestingly classic over dark cremes, making it a no-brainer buy for any polish junkie.
  

    
          Can you believe I was on the fence about this beauty? I'm not normally one for colorful toppers, so besides loving the name, I wasn't sure about 'Rainbow Sugar'. It was my last to swatch, pictured here with three thin coats over Revlon's 'Pink Lingerie'. I kept telling myself that it was pretty, just not my style. These dark thoughts were said and done by morning. In the daytime, I fell into a whirlwind romance with my colorful tips. I just felt fun while wearing this polish. Its milky pink base, if im not mistaken, actually has a tiny tiny bit of teal shimmer which took me by surprise and got me to look at silly and fun rainbow glitter toppers in a whole new light.

      

 

       With three easy coats, the layered look of green, red, blue, pink and sometimes tiny purple hexes and squares gives the appearance of a really fun watercolor without all the back-breaking nail art work. After boycotting cheesy rainbow toppers for so long... 'Rainbow Sugar' has definitely made me a believer.


       Oh how I've saved the best for last; 'Pink Granite', another spot-on name that kind of makes you go "OOOOooohhh" when you look at it. My go-to undies for this one was a deep steel gray that's dark enough for granite, but light enough to remain gray and not black. Essie 'Smokin' Hot', an untried smokey gray creme I had sitting around made this mani an unquestionable instant fave. In an easy to work with clear base filled with tiny pink micro glitters, small black and pink hex and squares, large white squares, and the kicker: large translucent pink hex, this polish gives your nails an instant girly-granite make-over. 

   

        With one super smooth coat, a perfect helping of glitter is easily distributed. The translucent glitters that overlap each other and other glitters give the illusion of actual glittering layers of granite. This beaut is one for the polish gods. Bravo Miss Laquerlicious. Bravo!

         These polishes totally did all the work for me just by being beautiful to photograph, fun to wear, and a breeze to apply. I hope ( and how could I not have?!) I've convinced you to take a little trip on over to the Laquerlicious etsy shop to get the real delicious experience. 
  
        May your wallets be open and your helmers full! ;)
                                           Sincerly, 
                                                                             Lizzie

Oh baby baby! Baby Lips by Maybelline

                     I’m definitely not a follower when it comes to makeup trends. I’m particular about my ultra-simple ultra-natural look and most of the wacky makeup that trends on Instagram or television doesn’t quiet fit into my light-blushed, nude lidded world.

            The TV has recently totally been bombarding my program viewing with commercials for Maybelline’s new tinted lip balm called “Baby Lips”. Honestly upon first encounter with the add, I hadn’t been impressed. I’ve used a lot of tinted balms before and they’re normally cake-y with too much metallic shine or taste gross with hardly no ‘tint’ at all (or a horrid mixture of all the above). 

           After seeing the colorful tubes so often around cash registers and make-up kiosks, my inner natural-faced make-up girl dressed in her dare-devil gear and was bugging me to try them, but I was still on the fence about subjecting myself to another tinted balm experiment. 

            It was just yesterday morning when I was scrolling through Glamor's 18 Brand-New Beauty Products to Try in 2013 that I finally became convinced I needed the lippy that Glamor dubbed as a “Yummy” must-have; and oh my goodness, am I glad that I caved in!

            With an awesome sale at my favorite drug store, I bought one and grabbed another for 50% off and after trying them both…I think I may have to go back for the rest of the collection!

    But for now, I have ‘Pink Punch’, a dynamic Barbie pink that would be too overpowering in an opaque lipstick but is gorgeous in sheer, and ‘Peach Kiss’ which seems to have a little more shimmer than ‘Pink Punch’ and totally lives up to it’s name: a creamy peachy shine that for some reason makes me feel like an instant babe! 

                                    'Pink Punch' (left) and 'Peach Kiss' (right)

As if gorgeous sheer color and eye-catching shimmer wasn’t enough, the formula is pretty unbelievable. The thick sticks make me feel like I’m five again using those huge cherry bomb chapsticks except with a much more luxurious feel. I would compare their application to a drink of water for your lips; instantly smoothes and beautifies. They also live up to their 8 hour lasting claim. I put some on before bed, because I became instantly addicted to their light fruity smell, and when I woke up I was still able to smear my lips together with the moisture that was left over from my first application.

                                           'Pink Punch' (bottom) and 'Peach Kiss' (top

 I would totally recommend these fun and youthful lippies to any girl who is looking for a touch of color that remains on your lips like a stain but moisturizes like a medicated balm, and smells DELISH! For me, the elegance of these fun little balms are perfect to dress up a natural makeup-ed face or in place of a nude lip; totally kissable, totally cute but still totally sexy!

Maybelline, I am impressed. You deserve a standing ovation for this one. Really, Bravo!

Beauty Guru Identity Crisis

With renewed ambition after some serious online window shopping I rushed to my favorite makeup supplier (which means the nearest Walgreen’s) first thing in the morning with eyes only for shadow. I went a wee bit crazy and ended up spending about $32 in product I wasn’t even sure was going to work.

            Keeping my pale skin in mind rather than my eye color (I’d really rather not wear green and violet eye shadow everyday), I picked up some nude, brown, and pink pallets in various shades that were sold in either a trio or duo. One of the palettes even had a convenient little diagram on the back for shadow noobs like me. I also opted for a $5 primer which was a much better choice than the $12 dollar ones that were eyeing me.

            I carted my frivolously-bought pallets home and proudly spread them out around my bathroom sink like little color pigmented soldiers readying for battle. Armed with remover pads and blending brushes, I went to work following all the neat little tips I had acquired through my YouTube tutorial ventures a couple days ago…I even tried following one of said tutorials while I was applying: I paused, applied, played, watched, paused again, blended, but it was no use. My poor little shadow soldiers never had a chance…

            In short my experiment was a complete and utter disaster. The colors either made me look like I lost blood in my eyelids, or like I got into a fight at a pink-powder factory. Most of the browns/neutrals that were any darker than my skin tone made by lids look ruddy. Even after some serious blending and tests of different light, medium, and dark color combos, I still looked like I got punched in the face by a dirt devil.

            With a horrid conglomeration of tan, brown and pink shadows more on my face than my eyelids, I got to thinking. Am I a one shadow girl? I remember getting compliments on a day-to-day basis when I wore a peachy-shimmer with just mascara as my daily look. There was nothing wrong with how I looked when I used only one shadow shade, but settling on such a fate made me nervous. Didn’t you have to be a multi-shade girl to be officially inducted into the beauty maven world? Don’t I have to gush over the latest ‘Naked’ palette or Lime Crime trio to fit into my aspired title as a beauty guru? Was it okay to be happy with a single paint pot I got for six bucks at Rite Aid?

            I finished the night with clean lids and my normal before-bed skin care routine. I’m still unsure if I feel confident with my single-shade identity. I don’t know whether to rue it or embrace its simplicity….but hear this fellow beauty-lovers, a silly army of shadow will not be my downfall! Nothing can stop a girl with red-hot glitter in her veins <3!

            Till my next adventure,

                             Lizzie

The Eyeshadow Experience

 Dear make-up nerds and eye shadow noobs alike,

Today while putting on my normal-everyday makeup I had a sudden urge to be glamorous. Normally when I want a little extra flair, I brush on one of my many shimmery shadows, add liner, mascara, and call it a day. But this simple sparkle fix wasn’t quite satisfying my inner movie star today. I wasn’t going anywhere extravagant, but looking at my bare-lidded reflection I decided it was time I got a little more creative than just one tone shimmery eye color.

Recently I’ve been taking to telling women around me that it’s important to take those extra steps through-out the day that make you feel beautiful. This could be as simple as wearing a new pop-of-color lip gloss…making sure your cuticles are moisturized… or even just giving yourself five minutes of quiet time in the morning to sip tea and download (A calm woman is a beautiful one). As I prepared to embark on my eye-shadow adventure, I reminded myself that it’s okay to take an extra five minutes or so to make myself feel like my best me.

With my feel-good mantra chanting in my head, I did what every girl in beauty distress does…I YouTube’d it! There were plenty of videos that showed me how to do smoky eyes and shimmery night looks, but I wasn’t looking for a night-on-the-town look for my afternoon errands around town. I did eventually happen upon a couple of helpful videos that illustrated the proper places to put what shade, how to blend, and what brushes to use, (one of the videos I used to get a general idea below) but even after following step by step… I felt I still appeared to be a shimmery raccoon-looking mess. 

My conclusion after about a half hour of fooling around with my mediocre selection of shimmer packed gold-orange and white-pink shadows was this:

-                          I need to invest in some matte and velvet finish shadow palettes so I don’t look like a glitter fairy threw up on my entire face.

-                          I need to learn how to prevent fall-out while applying so I don’t end up with matching freckles of shadow color.

-                          Look especially for palettes with neutral colors that compliment my very fair skin and blue-green eyes. I’m not the kind of girl who wants to where violent or green shadow everyday.

-                          It might not be a bad idea to take a look at the slightly more expensive brush choices to replace my mini drug store set as I progress.

-                          Do some research and find a cheap brand of eyelid primer that I could find at my local drug store.

-                          Invest in palettes with three to four complementing shades that have a variety of matte and shimmer finish. (This conclusion was hard for me because I so desperately wanted to immediately be like the pro-makeup girlies who design their own trio’s from single pots. I consoled myself by remembering that even the pros had to start somewhere).

So with optimism and a new adventure ahead of me, I ended up settling on my normal-every day simple makeup with bare lids, liner, and mascara. I plan to go drug-store hopping in the very near future (and maybe a little trip to target as well) to buy a couple of simple and cheap options to experiment with. Because I’m just starting out, I will resist the temptation to travel to Sephora and buy ungodly priced brushes and paint pots. For a beginner who will probably hit pan just by practicing, I believe sticking with $5 trios and mini brush sets will work just fine. Once I return from this mission, I will record my findings and buys as well as fresh questions that I am sure I will have about the mysterious world of eye-shadow….

            Till Then!

                        Love, Lizzie

Oil fighting Clean & Clear products!

  As a younger teen I never really got bad face acne, the hallmark to puberty. I've been lucky for quiet a few years until just about two years ago I began to notice an extreme oil problem on my forehead, beneath my nostrils, or even on my chin. Us girls (or aesthetically in-tune boys ;p ) hate nothing more than having a shiny forehead! I found myself having to 'powder my nose' more than just once in a couple hours before I'd catch a glimpse of myself in a store window or something and notice that my forehead was reflecting beams of sunlight from its oily shine...
  I couldn't combat my oily face with just make-up powder. I did some research and decided I'd go out and get myself some of those oil absorbing sheets. I used those stupid little blue papers for the longest time before I got disgusted with them: I knew using them in public probably looked really weird and after they were used the oil that it picks up from your skin turns the sheet clear and greasy like I cooked bacon on my forehead or something. So out the door those gross things went!
  Using the oil removing tissues really helped me realize how bad the oil problem I had actually was, and like any girl who was in my shoes would do, I took to the internet. At first I searched around for oil-fighting products with good reviews but the results were just too overwhelming and diverse to narrow down what I thought would work for me. Every girl's skin is different, so what helps one girl may not help the next. I was desperate! I started to wash my face with soaps that were drying to my hands in hopes that they would dry my forehead too, but quickly ceased the practice once pimples started to pop up around my hair line. Fail after fail... I had no where to turn and no extra money to spend on a consultation with a dermatologist. Would I just have to except my oily fate?!

  I was browsing my local drug store's skin products in what I thought was a vain attempt to narrow down the unbelievably large playing field when the skin gods spoke to me and on beams of golden oil-free sunshine, presented me with the two Clean & Clear products I still use religiously today. "Go Forth!", the gods told me, "and spread the word of this glorious product!". And like any good beauty guru, I obeyed their heavenly request. 

 (Clean & Clear deep action cream cleanser (left) and Clean & Clear essentials deep cleaning astringent (right) )

  What first drew me toward the Clean & Clear cream cleanser was not it's pretty packaging. (although the designs pop off the shelf and scream "TRY ME!". Really though, Clean & Clear needs to give their design team a raise! ) I was convinced I needed it when I saw that it claims to fight oil and dirt clogging your pours that you can't even see and that it wasn't some annoying flower-y smelling gel with painful little beads that are meant to pulverize your skin into cleanliness but really just end up stuck in your hair and eyebrows. I was sold. 
  The astringent isn't hard to miss either and I'll admit, looks a little scary in the bottle. An orange like that screams to me "EXTREMELY PAINFUL CHEMICAL PEAL", but I was so desperate I was ready for anything (Beauty is Painful!).

  I use the cream cleanser in the shower or at the sink with my hair tightly pulled back in a headband. It comes out like a wonderful thick cream that lathers just slightly when you rub it in. Once rubbed in to all my serious problem areas, I enjoyed sitting back for a minute or two and indulging in the minor cooling and tingly sensation (like my pores were going skinny dipping!) before I rinsed thoroughly and very gently patted dry. It's important you pat dry (I found this one out the hard way). Your pores have just been opened up and are very vulnerable, so rubbing harshly with a towel will definitely cause some nasty irritation (please learn from my mistake girls! No joke!). 
  After the cleanser I already can feel a 90% improvement in the feeling of my skin which no longer feels soggy on my face. This next step can be slightly painful if you have open wounds (like scratches or pimples) on your oily problem areas, which you probably do. The astringent is meant to not only deeply clean anything that the cleanser didn't get but help treat and prevent pimples.

  Get this: Both products do what they claim to do!!!!!!

  Toner didn't work for me, even after keeping a daily regimen of applying it for a while. Since I've started using the Clean & Clear astringent and cleanser I have little to absolutely no problem with oil. Eliminating my daily oil problem didn't come as an instantaneous effect but I immediately felt that my skin was more fresh and clean the day I started using it. After repeating this regimen when I went to bed, and applying some extra astringent in the morning before I put on my makeup, it took about 3 weeks to a month to completely guard me of my oily nightmare! Not only is my skin healthier now, my confidence about my skin has multiplied as well! :)

Remember: Each girl has different skin and therefore different things that work for them, but if you are as desperate as I was, it doesn't hurt to give this pair a try!!!

Rapid Ruffian

  I've seen the new "Ruffian" manicure trend going around the nailstagram world quiet a bit lately, especially with all of the beautiful colors combos that our winter and fall season offers. Yesterday I decided, I have had enough of my jealousy! I was ready to tackle the sought after and almost odd design.
  Don't get me wrong, this wasn't exactly the very very first time I tried my hand at a Ruffian. A couple messy attempts before, I had used the binder enforcers method, where you use the curve of the little circle as a guide for the half-moon sliver against your cuticle; this was a mess and I wasn't even satisfied enough to grace Instagram with my DIY disaster. 
   (Even though this didn't work for me, I'd still recommend newbie artists to try it out! Everyone's experience is different,and who doesn't like getting a little dirty once and a while? ;p Especially when getting dirty means getting covered in gorgeous polish!)

  So I took the plunge in a last minute decision to free hand it. I was quick to put brush to nail before I chickened out and spared my beautiful red undie Milani "Rapid Cherry". As soon as I shakily finished my first nail, I nearly cried tears of joy. 

 (Pictured is Jordana "Purple Glam" and Milani "Rapid Cherry" topped with Seche Vite)

  How did this happen?! I must have traded hands with some elite nail art blogger because what was before me was not the work of poor little amateur Elizabeth painting with her non-dominant hand. I haven't decided yet if this miracle was pure luck or if I have found an unknown talent, but I'm ecstatic about how these came out. (The nails, not the pictures. I'm in desperate need of a light box. I've been relying on good 'ole nature for light who is obviously going through 'her time of the month' because it's been nothing but an overcast rainy mess!) 

  (Here I am chaneling my inner 'Chalkboardnails' while "Purple Glam" looks more like "Blue/Royal Purple Glam" in a darker light)


  I used Milani's "Rapid Cherry" as a gorgeous pop-of-color base. I am absolutely in love with Milani's polishes. I've only owned three or four, but so far my experience with them has been nothing but posies. The polish is opaque in one thin coat, regardless of the color and the shades they offer are fresh and bold. I'm convinced you can't go wrong with a Milani purchase.
  The rarely seen (at least for me) purple jelly glitter featured on the bottom part of my ruffian is called "Glam Purple". The name isn't too creative but boy were these polishes a find! I picked it (and some others to keep it company ;p ) up at one of my extremely rare trips to Kmart. Jordana, a polish brand I haven't even seen circuiting around nailstagram, is a 99 cent polish with the formula of an $8 lacquer. Though the colors I saw there weren't crazy impressive, I'm pretty sure that I'd love any polish I picked up from this brand, from this amazzzziiinnggg purple to a simple pink, it's divine! (I might even venture online to get some more of this polish jem!) 

                             (Ruffian mani photo taken beneath a natural light lamp inside)

  Is it just me or do ruffians sort of look like a botched attempt to jazz up acrylic nails that haven't been filled for a while? I know that doesn't sound too appealing but LOOK AT THIS PAYOUT! I'm in love, and reader, you will surely see more of this oddly appealing design in posts to come!

BTW! Feel free to email, comment, or kik me with requests or ideas for future designs or even tutorials!
Email: manimaniacnails@aol.com
Kik: manimaniac
Instagram: @manimaniac 
Send me some <3!


 

China Glaze Cirque du Soleil collection picks

   "Creative Fantasy" from the Cirque du Soleil collection totally blew my mind. At first glance of the bottle I knew I liked the vibrant royal purple, but what was the big deal? What made this purple polish any different from normal non-collection purple polishes?

  (I tried my hardest to capture the lighter jelly outline, you can see it a little here but in other light its completely in your face!!!)

Before trekking to my local Sally's to buy my picks, I looked up some swatches of the polish curtsey of the lovely nail girls of Instagram. Swatches under flash showed this gorgeous lighter-purple jelly-ish line along the outside of the more opaque parts of the polished nail (above); It was these photos that revealed to me this was no ordinary royal purple polish.

                                          (Three coats of "Creative Fantasy" topped with one coat of Seche Vite) 

Swatching "Creative Fantasy" was an adventure from the very first coat all the way to top coat and photos. 
 The natural finish of the polish is something I've never seen before and nearly impossible to describe, (Hence my extreme reccomendation to go out and snag this beut for yourself!) somewhere between matte and gloss, its like this dusty sued finish that still shines in the light like gloss but in most light takes on the natural finish of what a naked nail would be. 
  This is great in only two coats, but because I slept on mine slightly tacky, pictured above is three coats topped with Seche Vite.

. (From top left to bottom middle: 1 coat over a base of Essie "Grow Stronger", 2 coats, then a third pictured with no top coat)

Besides being a magician in the finish department, "Creative Fantasy" totally lives up to it's name by dealing out several different hues from light-ish purple, to deep royal blue.

(Look at that comparison on those top and bottom photos!!!! In the top photo I'm standing partially in the sun, in the bottom photo I took two steps and turned around into the shade...ABRACADABRAAAA! From plum purple to royal blue! Crazy right? The right most photo is another hue sort of between the two others taken with flash)

Long post for a single polish, I know, but isn't it DESERVING of a whole-page review?!?! I think so ;p. If you're going out to get some polishes from this collection, even if you aren't a purple kinda girl, DO NOT leave the store without this one!

 I'm not normally a green person, maybe it's because it doesn't really look good with my pale skin (??), or maybe its because it seems that green is the most unfavorable and least made shade of polish. I was surprised when I saw "Def Defying" in person how much I NEEDED to have it, and I was in no way disappointed after I brought it home and swatched!  

                                                      (Two coats of "Def Defying" topped with Seche Vite)

  "Def Defying" was TOTALLY beyond my expectation and it was almost impossible not to fall hard for this shade. I love it so much, I think I might make it my new "neutral"... who says your neutral can't be fun and bright?!?? This only needs one coat (Again, pictured above is two because I went to sleep before my first coat was fully dry >.< ) and is a perfect formula in every way shape and form.

                                              (Two coats topped with Seche Vite in different, darker lighting)

  Oh China Glaze you are on a ROLL! In darker light the neon green you saw before turns into a deeper more pea-green shade that reminds me of "Don't Talk Bach To Me" from the CG Germany collection. I love this one so much that I have yet to put the bottle away! It still sits on my coffee table where I can gawk at it every once and a while!No doubt 10/10!!!

  On my Instagram I swatched "It's a Trap-Eze!" but I'm so unimpressed with it (the polish AND the photo) that I don't feel like adding it to this otherwise positive review of the collection. There was SO MUCH hipe around both "It's a Trap-Eze!" and "Whirled Away" that I think I over syked myself a little. "It's a Trap-Eze!" is gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but compared to some of the other polishes in the collection it's definitely not the shining star. As for "Whirled Away", though the IDEA of the polish is cool, it's application SUCKS. You have to totally glob it on to get any of the large white hex glitters and even then you're forced to spread the sticks and small black hex around evenly to make it look how it should look. I will definitely be buying the much better versions of this polish from some of nailstagram's beloved frankeners.

(P.S. Is it just me or is China Glaze and Revlon totally mooching off of Indie brands for ideas? With "Whirled Away" and "It's A Trap-Eze!" along with some other Revlon jelly sandwhiches, I'm starting to think that these big named companies have got their greedy eyes on us little guys for their inspiration, No?)