Green? or Grey?

Went on a little shopping expedition (i.e. went crazy with the credit card) and bought nail polish at Forever 21 (among other things). Normally I don't even bother looking at any of their beauty products. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I'm approaching my late 20s and trying to look like a variation of Tinkerbell and Jeannie from I Dream of Jeannie just doesn't get me off anymore. But this time I figured, why the heck not. I was, after all, suffering from a spending withdrawal.

Not that the nail polish set me back a bunch. It was less than $3. Score!! Plus it was a color I'd never seen before. Light Grey. Weird.

Now, I'm not really the type who does my nails. Usually my nails chip within 2 hours of painting them, 24 if I go to a salon. So I had pretty much given up on having pretty nails. But I had lately found this top coat called Colorfix from Mavala that really impressed me. Instead of chipping within the first 2 hours, it waited a whole 24 hours to chip. That's salon time without all the bull dookie massage and other crap they try to get you to buy (not to mention the tip)! However, with the Forever 21 nail polish AND the magical top coat, there is no chip in site, and it's approaching the end of the 2nd day! I think I might have to start buying more of this magical $3 polish.I like it the color but it does get some getting used to. I've never seen anyone with grey nails before. Plus it's a little unnerving when you're out grocery shopping and you realize your nails match the grocery cart. And then, in certain lighting, it "changes" colors. It goes from an "elephant ear" gray to a mint green. I don't get it, but I kinda like it.


My computer chip gray nails and deathly pale hand with the flash on.


The mint green nails. . . . . kinda. . . . or am I just colorblind? I swear it looks more green in person.

What I got in the mail

Recently I've been hearing a lot of buzz about NYX matte lipsticks. I'm not much of a makeup person, but lately I've been trying to put more effort. Then I saw someone wearing a crazy shade of lavender lipstick that looked really cool, and I told myself I needed to branch out of my usual (chapstick).

So I found a website (Cherry Culture, link on the side of my blog) that sold these babies for a buck and some change. I think you get free shipping if you order so much money, so if you want order a bunch with a friend and split the cost. I kind of went crazy and bought 5 different shades: Thalia, Medusa, B52, Tea Rose, and Snow White. A warning: The color swatches online are REALLY bad. Why do you think I bought so many colors?!Here they are in the above order.

So, of course I tried them out in that order. I guess I should say that my complexion is on the tanner side, so keep that in mind. Also, excuse my nasty lips.

First is Thalia:
This color was just slightly lighter than my natural lip color (kind of a pinky taupe-y color). It looked very "me but better" so I'm a fan!

Next was Medusa:
You can't really tell in the picture, but all I can say is DRAMA!!! This was a dark purple color. I definitely can't wear this too often, and my first reaction was WHOA! GOTH!! But after the inital shock went away, it's not so bad. I would definitely need the right outfit.

Next in line was B52:
This shade was just darker than my natural color, and had the same effect as Thalia: Me but better. Another fan.

Next is Tea Rose:
This color is pink! But not too pink. It's probably the lightest pale pink color that I can wear with my skin tone. Any lighter and I'd look like that woman from "There's something about Mary." But seriously, I'm a fan. This is definitely a summer shade!

And finally Snow White:

Can we say RED?! But more like circa 50's - 60's red, not like porn star red. I will definitely be wearing this when I'm feeling a little retro.

So anyway, I didn't really get to try these out all day, so I can't really attest to how long lasting they are, but they did apply very smoothly, and the color pigments really stand out! I can't wait to experiment with these some more!

Morning Dew

Ever wondered how models or celebrities can pull off that glowy/dewy look without looking like a total shiny greaseball? Well, I have.

Recently a girlfriend and I have been talking about ways to look good in pictures, since we were both bridesmaids in two different weddings (her friend's was this past weekend, my friend's getting married in a month). She mentioned something about buying a highlighter, and I said. . . . "What?" I'm not a big makeup person, so when she said highlighter, I thought of the bright yellow highlighters I use for class. I had no idea why she decided to announce that she wanted to buy a highlighter until she explained that a highlighter is basically the opposite of bronzer. It still gives you a glow, but by brightening your face, not darkening it.

Anyway, intrigued, I looked up highlighters and decided to try one. Luckily when The Boyfriend's mom and sister were in town last week, his mom needed to make a trip to Sephora. So while we were there, I grabbed Benefit's High Beam. It kind of threw me off though, because it looks like nail polish.

Yesterday was the first time I tried it. I normally am not a big, 'wear makeup every day' type of person, but lately I've been trying to wear makeup, especially when The Boyfriend tried to rub something off my face, only to find out that it was just a scar from a pimple I had a few weeks ago.

So I put the High Beam on my brow bones and my cheek bones. . . . only to be underwhelmed. I was a little disappointed since I'd read a ton of good reviews. Even when I was at Sephora and checking out, the saleslady squealed when she saw what I was buying and said that she loved the stuff.

So, not to be deterred, this morning I tried it again, this time I only put on concealer and a little bit of foundation and completely skipped the powder before dabbing on the High Beam on my brow bones, my cheek bones, and down the ridge of my nose. (Note: less is more. I only put 2 dots of the stuff on my brow bone, and a thin line on my cheek bones and nose before blending). THIS TIME, it looked totally gorgeous and dewy.

So. . . . I am a fan. I bet this will come in handy on those days where I look like crap but have negative time to put on makeup. Just remember to skip the powder.