Mani Catch Up

I skipped this post last week because I couldn't find some of the pictures so I have extra for you this week!

First up is a crackle mani. I know, crackle is so last year or whatever but I wanted to give it another go. I thought it would be cool layering it over a somewhat similar colour. I really liked it but somehow only ended up with these two craptastic pictures! Not sure what happened.  Anyway this is Salon Perfect Crackle (unknown) in a gold shade over Julep "Nikki" (vegan).

This simple look is Julep "Shenae" (vegan) topped with Ludurana "Flocado" (unknown).

This was my favourite of this week. I know I've said it before but I just love these Born Pretty Store studs! Also, Jessie's Girl "Mermaid's Lagoon" (vegan) is such a gorgeous, rich shade. Although I do wish the gold flash you see in the bottle showed up on the nail.

I currently have this on. China Glaze "Flip Flop Fantasy" (vegan)" topped with a spectraflair topcoat. Perfect for the sunny weather we are now having!

I've had this no name Rite Aid glitter since November and hadn't worn it yet! I actually really like it though. I like that it is pink and purple. The base is OPI "Planks a Lot".

Rainbow Theme: Pink

Friday foodie will have to wait until tonight, I just don't have the time. I went out country dancing last night for the first time (note to self: learn line dances) and this morning I am off to a baby shower.

But here is the final rainbow theme colour...pink!  I went with Milani "Pink Out Loud" a great glass flecked jelly along with Zoya "Kissy" which has red glitter, pink bar glitter and silver holo bar glitter. I love these polishes.

Here are the runner ups for my favourite polishes of each colour.
Red: OPI "A Ruby for Rudolph". Red shimmer.
Orange: Julep "Hayden". A very pale peach neon.
Yellow:  Sinful Colors 24/7. Neon.
Green: A England "Saint George".  This arrived in the mail the day after I did green and I just know it will be my new favourite green!
Blue: Zoya "Yummy".  A true sky blue.
Purple: Fingerpaints "Grape Gumball". A great glass flecked shade.
Pink:  Zoya "Shelby" and Julep "Cameron".  Perfect bubble gum and hot pinks.

Generally, Zoya and Julep make my favourite shades, it would seem!

Rainbow Theme: Green

I have quite a few green polishes that I consider favourites but for today I went with OPI "Jade is the New Black" and then topped it with Zoya "Opal". I love this combo. Definitely click the pic! "Opal" is a blue/green flakie that has flawless application. What you see is one coat. "Jade is the New Black" is a gorgeous green shade that is very wearable. I did two coats.

click to enlarge

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Follow the Yellow Polish Road
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Happy Nails
iHeartPrettyPolish
Jolien's Kingdom of Polish
Kelly's Kolors!
Lacquer Dreams
Lacquer or Leave Her! 
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Manicurity
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Nail Polish Lane
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Nubbin Nails
Of Color n Music
Passion for Polish
Polish and Such
Sincerely, Obsessed with Polish
So You Think You Can Paint
The Rantings of a Nail Polish Hoarder 
To Polish or Not?

Off to the Market

A simple polka dot mani over OPI "Planks a Lot". The accent finger is LA Colors "Sparkling Diamond".

 I love this colour but I wish it applied as light as it looks in the bottle! It's darker than I'd expected. I got it on clearance at Ulta.

 March has been surprisingly overcast for San Diego County! I've been trying to make the most of it with scarves, boots, tights, hot drinks in the evening and so on but truth be told, I'm ready for sunny weather! Spring and Fall basically feel like Summer here too though so I know I will get plenty.

(boots + tights + shorts Old Navy, shirt thrifted/Goodwill, blazer Target, scarf gift/Le Chateau)

I wore this on Saturday to a farmers market followed by lunch at one of my favourite places, Hill St Cafe. It was a lovely day!

Neutral vs Colour

Two different looks. One neutral and one colourful!

First, a nude look using shades of brown/gold on the lids.

awkward smile haha

China Glaze "Fast Track" on my nails. LOVE this polish. It is a light brown with gold shimmer. In the sun you can also see red/green sparkle!

Next, a blue/green look copying the diagram on the Revlon Colorstay "Inspired" palette.

 Swatches over NYX Jumbo Pencil "Milk" and alone, no primer. These really pop over the white but over primer are more true to their colour. They can also be applied wet. Overall, I found these were surprisingly pigmented once on my lids (with primer)!

 Half moon mani using one coat of OPI "Dutch Ya Just Love OPI?" over Essence "No More Drama".  I love the shimmer in "Dutch Ya Just Love OPI?".

I think it's fun to play with both colour and neutral shades.

Oscar and Matt

Do you guys look forward to the Academy Awards? It's my favourite awards show to watch. I love the elegance of it all and I find the speeches and such are always so well done. Unfortunately, I haven't seen many of the nominated films this year but I plan to!  I did see Midnight in Paris and while I loved it (it makes you want to go back in time in Paris, for sure!) I think the win will go to The Help or The Artist.  I think/hope Michelle Williams gets best actress.  I have my guesses for the others but we'll see!

I have two manis for you today using polishes from Julep's Oscar collection which I am so so happy I bought.

First up is "Elizabeth" which is a very dark navy blue. It is gorgeous! I love how dark it is but yet it is still definitely blue not black. Then I sponged "Oscar" onto the tips! I really love this mani but I am a sucker for glitter tips/gradients.

Next is "Rachel" which is this sort of rust color (brown/orange) that is a shimmer polish. I wasn't sure how much I'd like this one but oooh, I love it! It is very rich looking. Both "Rachel" and "Elizabeth" really remind me of an Oscar gown so I think they are appropriate for the collection. This colour is prettier in person, I think. It sort of looks like it is glowing!  "Oscar" is an opaque fine gold glitter. It is just what I had been hoping for. What you see is just two coats.

 Sorry about my cuticles here!

Next I have some swatches. I wanted some more matte eyeshadows and had $40 to spend at bloom.com (which I only paid $5 for!) so I decided to get theBalm Meet Matt(e) eyeshadow palette. 

My Bloom order! Samples, Zoya "Yara", OPI "Dutch Ya Just Love OPI" and Meet Matt(e).

It's small! It has a sleeve which I have held onto because I figure it'll keep the actual palette case clean. The palette stays shut well but for traveling I may want the sleeve, just to be sure.

The back. I will admit, I didn't know many of the names but they are all characters named Matt. I believe one is from Doctor Who...which I still haven't seen!

Mirror on top and it comes with a duel ended brush. The brush is decent for applying wet shadow as a liner but I don't like it for this palette. It is too stiff.

Shade

Sun 

Shade. Swatched on their own, dry, no primer or base.

 Sun

 These apply very soft, like chalk. They blend very well but I definitely recommend a primer to help them stick to the eye. If you apply them slightly damp, they do have more pigment. I found them a bit tricky to work with at first, like the colour just did not want to build up. But then I used a damp brush and that fixed that. So these are great if you want a more natural, subtle look but you can still go for something more dramatic as well.  Matte eyeshadows photograph very nicely (on the eyes, I mean) and I think they are a great option to have.  I think this palette has a nice range of colours from pale pink to browns to purples and blues.

Overall, I like this palette. It is what I was hoping it would be; a nice range of soft matte eyeshadows. I have only worn it once so I look forward to coming up with more matte looks but as far as quality, I am happy. This is my first theBalm product but probably not my last!  And yes, they are vegan! They sound like a pretty great company to me.

It's December!

A lil bit of everything today. I know I missed Friday Foodie this week so I will get that up tomorrow!

This has been my go to hair style for holiday parties. I just curl it, do a low side bun using spiral pins and then pin back random pieces. This time I braided part of the back as well.

 Played around with my eyeshadow. I used the Urban Decay vegan palette which I cannot rave about enough. The colours are soo soft and pigmented.  They are the best I've ever used.  I started with a gold base, added a dark charcoal blue to the outer corners and then a green in the crease.  I also used the 24/7 eye liner in black for my waterline and then elf cream eyeliner in brown on my upper lash line.


I have a new favourite concealer. I got it from Birchbox using some points. It's Mineralogie Cream Concealer. I emailed the company to check if it was vegan and they told me it was. All their products are except some lip ones which contain beeswax. It's a cream concealer and quite thick but it blends soo nicely, gives great coverage, lasts and is very "soft" and smooth. I really love it! I just use it under my eyes, sides of nose, chin and any red spots because I don't get many zits/pimples anymore. I can wear just that or add something on top. For this look I used Mary Kay mineral foundation and then a Milani blush for a more made up look.

 I freakin' love this sweater. I got it on sale at Old Navy. I bought it in size large for a really baggy fit. I tried it on in small and medium as well and liked how the small gave it a more cropped look. I have been tempted to get it in another colour! I only have these two pictures but will get more next time I wear this sweater which I am sure to do this month.

The jeans are new. I'd been wanting a new pair are all a size too big on me now. I wanted skinny jeans in a dark wash. I know everyone has a problem finding jeans that fit just right. Mine is that they tend to fall down... I think I tend to buy them too big. Also, the crotch tends to hang too low on me. Well, I tried on this pair at Target and LOVED them!! They have a black wash too that I am tempted to get. Yeah, I like to buy multiples... These fit great and are very comfortable. Plus they were on sale for $15!

This is before I did my hair/makeup!

 (jeans Target, boots & sweater Old Navy, necklace Forever 21/gift)

 I took a break from the 31 Day Challenge to do some Christmas nails! I went to a Christmas party last night. The red is OPI "Ruby for Rudolph" which is a great red shimmer. I then did a gradient by adding China Glaze "Ring in the Red" which is a red glitter. Both are so very pretty. My ring finger is China Glaze "Holly-day" with two coats of a snowman polish which is red and green.  Love! I am going to incorporate Christmas colours into the rest of the challenge, most likely.