Nails of the Moment #1: Alpine Snow/Traffic-Stopper Copper

Nails of the Moment #1

Base: Esmalte Endurecedor para Unas

Color: 2 coats of  OPI Alpine Snow

Glitter: 3 coats of Sephora by OPI Traffic-Stopper Copper

Top Coat: Essie Good to Go Top Coat

How I Grow My Nails

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-Courtney

Rocky Horror Picture Show (Halloween 2014 #3)

Halloween has come and gone and it was wonderful. I still have a bag of Kit-Kats under my desk from the aftermath. There IS one important part of Halloween that I haven't posted about yet. Every year (since starting college), my friends and I go to see Rocky Horror Picture Show performed at our Student Life Center. It's fabulous and sassy. It's a midnight showing so every year I forget to finish my makeup before it gets dark, so I can't take pretty pictures. NO FEAR. I have some pictures taken with my iPad. They're not the best quality, but they will do. I really loved my makeup that night and couldn't let it go to waste.

EYES

- MAC Riff-Raff Palette from the Rocky Horror Picture Show Collection

• Crease: Graphic Style
• Lid: Carbon
• Under Eye: Blackberry
• Inner Corner and Under Eyebrow Highlight: Oh, Rocky!

-Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette (TIP: If you blend neutral colors before adding darker colors, the darker colors will blend in so much better!)

• Crease: Naked 2
• Outer Corner: Faint

-Maybelline The Falsies Flared Mascara in Very Black
-e.l.f. Liquid Eyeliner in Black
-NYX Slide on Pencil in Jet Black (also used as a base underneath Carbon. Add a little bit at a time. It's easy to add more, but hard to take some off.)

LIPS

-Caudalie Lip Conditioner

-Rimmel Exaggerate Full Colour Lip Liner in 024 Red Diva (covering lips)

-Milani Lipstick in 40 Cabaret Blend

FACE

-Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot Translucent Powder

-Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer

I wore a sheer black crop top (on Clearance from Target), a full knee-length skirt (from ASOS), and T-strap wedges (I got them as a gift so I'm not sure where they're from).

"I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey."

-Courtney

Poor Unfortunate Souls- Ursula Inspired Look (Halloween 2014 #2)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

I spent my night giving candy to trick-or-treaters and watching Halloween movies on ABC Family. I also decided to do another Disney-inspired makeup look. Ursula is sassy and wonderful and evil and I love the colors used for her character.

                                                          

 

EYES
- MAC Riff-Raff Palette from the Rocky Horror Picture Show Collection

• Crease: Graphic Style
• Outer Corner: Carbon
• Lid: Crystal
• Under Eye: Heavy, Black, and Pendulous
• Inner Corner: Virgin from the Naked Basics Palette

-Maybelline The Falsies Flared Mascara in Very Black
-e.l.f. Liquid Eyeliner in Black
-Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Perversion

FACE
-NYX Incredible Water Proof Concealer in Porcelain
-NYX Matte Bronzer in Medium
-theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter
-Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot Translucent Powder
-NYX Butter Lipstick in Big Cherry

And then Ursula turned into a cat to give out candy. 

-Courtney

I See The Light- Tangled Inspired Look (Halloween 2014 #1)

Pumpkins, cats, and leaves. It's October and almost Halloween! I decided to do a series of inspired looks leading up to the spooky night. On November 1st, I'm going to a Rocky Picture Live Show (which my friends and I do every year).

Needless to say, I love Disney. It's a problem. One of my favorite movies is Tangled, so I chose to do my makeup inspired by the colors in her dress.

EYES

• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk ($4.49) as a primer
• Oz: The Great and Powerful Urban Decay Glinda Palette (unfortunately not available anymore but I'm sure you can find similar colors)
• Outer Crease- Tornado (dark purple)
• Lid- Magic (pink with a golden shimmer)
• Inner Corner- Illusion (pale peach shimmer)
• Under Eye Liner- Oz (metallic gold)

• Sephora+Pantone Universe Precious Metals Shadow Palette (once again not available. Sorry!)
• I just used a couple of the medium-toned purples to blend the crease.
• The 88 Color Shimmer Eyeshadow Palette from BH Cosmetics has almost identical colors for a fraction of the price.

• Maybelline The Falsies Flared Mascara in Very Black ($5.39)
• e.l.f. Liquid Eyeliner in Black ($1.00)
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Perversion ($20.00)
• NYX Wonder Pencil in Light ($4.49)

FACE

• NYX Incredible Water Proof Concealer in Porcelain ($4.99)
• Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation in Fair Honey ($36.00)
• NYX Matte Bronzer in Medium ($8.99)
• BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Maverick ($18.00)

Feel free to wear this to all of your upcoming Halloween parties or to dance around your room singing "I Have a Dream" (probably the second one).

-Courtney

Back With British Makeup

HELLO!

As no one probably noticed, I took a hiatus from blogging over the summer. I was working a full time job and really didn't wear makeup so I decided to take a break. At the beginning of the summer, my friend Sarah returned from a semester abroad in London with a few things from Boots. I was really excited to say the least.

Products

Soap and Glory One Heck of A Blot- £12.00 ($19.32): This powder is wonderful. Translucent, mattifying, and trusty. TIP: Use a brush that's not too dense for the best results

Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer- £10.00 ($16.10): Unfortunately, the latch on mine broke so I can't close it. The product comes with a yellow-toned concealer, a peach-toned concealer, and a powder. I really like it, but it's not as portable as a stick concealer.

Sleek MakeUp i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette- Oh So Special- £7.99 ($12.86): Sleek palettes are affordable, come in a variety of colors, and have great packaging. The eye shadows are good quality for the price.

 

Boots has free in-store pick up, so I ordered everything online and Sarah picked it up from her local store. Everything was 3-for-2 so it was a steal. I also got 3 Barry M nail paints that I'll write a separate post about!

-Courtney

How I Grow My Nails

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a chronic nail biter. It's a nervous habit that's been a coping mechanism when I'm stressed out or anxious. The past couple years, I've been better and have successfully grown my nails out a few times. For me, this takes patience and will power, but I always love the result!

If my nails aren't strong enough, I'll peel them off which completely ruins the goal of growing them out. I use a nail strengthener as a base coat every time I paint my them so they don't break off. I've used this one for years. My friend's mom introduced me to it, and it's been a holy grail product ever since. When they get a little too long for my taste, I just file them down.

For a top coat, I use Essie's Good to Go. It gives a super shiny finish and it fills in dents that magically happen when you're (I'm) too impatient to let the nail polish dry.

At the moment, I have Essie's Shop Till I Drop on my nails. It's a "soft pink coral cream". It's very sheer and took multiple coats to get it opaque. It's a nice bright color while still being relatively neutral. It would be really nice for a French manicure if you use a light coat before putting on the white tips for a change.

Products

Esmalte Endurecedor para Unas- $7.99 on Amazon

Essie Good to Go Top Coat- $8.49 at Target

Essie Shop Till I Drop- $8.50 at Ulta

-Courtney

My "Every Day" Makeup

"Every day" is a definitely a stretch because I don't wear makeup MOST days. I'm a college student and the majority of the time I want to wear leggings and a t-shirt. A more appropriate title would be "This-is-what-I-wear-when-I-want-to-look-nice-in-a-casual-setting" but that's not exactly catchy. It's easy, it looks nice, and it doesn't take much time. There are times when I love to sit in front of my window, do my makeup, and take time to relax. There are other times when I need to run out the door 5 minutes ago. This is for those times!

Eyes 

The Naked Basics Palette

-Faint blended in the outer corner

-Naked 2 on the lid

-Foxy (or WOS depending on what I feel like that day) under the brow

-Venus in the inner corner

-Crave used as eyeliner with a liner brush 

TIP: Make sure the black is blended out! I've had it end up where I don't want it too many times.

NYX Slide On Pencil in Jet Black

(on the tight line)

Maybelline the Falsies Mascara

Face

Maybelline FITme! in 125 Nude Beige

NYX Incredible Waterproof Concealer 

(FYI: I recently got this and I really like it so far!)

Lips

Revlon ColorBurst Balm Stain in 001 Honey

(I rarely wear anything on my lips if ever, but this is really nice and it's low maintenance.)

Disclaimer: I never really wear foundation or anything on my lips. I never really found the need for foundation and I tend to get annoyed when I wear anything on my lips (besides what I mentioned or red on special occasions). I try to eat, it ends up every where, and it becomes a mess! 

I use makeup more as an art medium than something to cover my flaws. It's something that's extremely relaxing for me and I really enjoy creating new looks. I don't feel like anyone should NEED to wear makeup. You should wear makeup for YOU, not anybody else.

(Time to get off my soap box)

-Courtney

PS Speaking of looking out my window, my backyard's finally green again!

For the First Time in Forever- Anna Inspired Makeup

According to the massive amount of pollen on my car, it's officially spring! In the beauty blogger world, this is the time of floral prints, pastel colors, and fresh looks. Anna's makeup is the perfect, subtle daytime look for spring (or summer if you're Olaf!).

                               

Eyes

Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion

Eye Shadow: LORAC Pro Palette

- Crease: Taupe, Sable

-Lid: Lt. Bronze

-Brow Bone: Cream

-Inner Corner: The Balm's Mary-Lou Minizer

Eye Liner: e.l.f. Essential Liquid Liner in Black, NYX Slide On Pencil in Jet Black

Mascara: Maybelline The Falsies

                         

 

Face

Powder: Maybelline FIT me! in 125 Nude Beige

Concealer: Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer

Lips

Revlon ColorBurst Balm Stain in 001 Honey

- Courtney

Squeaky Clean: How to Clean Brushes on a Budget

Personally, I don't feel like spending piles of money (just a mild exaggeration) on brush cleaner when there's other options available to get your brushes sanitary and smelling good. Through watching many youtube videos and browsing pinterest, this is the method that I've come up with to accomplish this goal. Disclaimer: I am by no means a makeup expert, and this is just one way to clean your brushes.

Step 1: Pour a small amount of baby shampoo (the Target brand,  works just as well as the name brand) into the palm of your hand. 

Step 2: Swirl the brush in the shampoo until all of the gunk comes out (you may have to do this twice for a particularly dirty brush). Sometimes I'll add a little water just to create a lather and make sure the brush is clean. Use warm water to clean all of the soap and makeup out of the brush.

Step 3: Put a piece of paper towel (I used a few layers) on top of a binder. Yeah, I know, it sounds weird BUT there's a method to my madness. If you let your brushes dry right-side up, the glue will be damaged and the hairs will begin to fall out. Brushes are too much of a financial investment to be ruined! My solution is to dry them at an angle (which explains the binder) to prevent this from happening. You can also dry them upside down if you have a stand. 

 

Prices:

up & up™ Baby Shampoo - 15 oz. : $1.49

MAC Brush Cleanser: $15.00

I usually clean my brushes at night so they have time to thoroughly dry before I use them. This method works for me, but you can change it to fit your needs! 

-Courtney