NOTD: Cheetah Tips

I thought I would have a little fun and create some cheetah print nails. Cheetah print is probably one of the easiest designs to create on your nails and it literally only takes minutes to complete. With all the heart nails being posted for Valentine's Day, I  thought I'd shake things up a bit with some hot pink, cheetah print, and glitter. I never forget the glitter. RAWR!

Polishes Used:

• 10 Professional Nail Lacquer 423-Simply Charmed (Hot Pink Polish)
• Urban Outfitters AfterHours (Glitter Polish)
• Sally Hansen Hard as Nails 880-Black Heart (Black Polish)

NOTD: Glitter Tips

I'm so in love with this combo right now, I thought I'd share! China Glaze Innocence for the base and Essie Set in Stones for the tips...because any opportunity to add some glitter, you should.
Cue Ke$ha: "Throw some glitter, make it rain!"

MAC: Archie's Girls

I haven't been that excited about a MAC collection in awhile but when I saw the packaging for the Archie's Girls collection, I was sold. The red hearts and comic style artwork; love, love, love! With much restrain, I only picked up 2 lipsticks from this collection. I chose 2 colors that I knew I would wear and though they are similar to colors I already own, did I mention the cute packaging?!

So I picked up the Ronnie Red lipstick from the Veronica line and the Betty Bright lipstick from the Betty line. I'm extremely happy with my choices and if I had one regret, I wish I would have purchased the Daddy's Little Girl lipstick from the Veronica line because you can never have enough hot pink lipsticks right?! Oh well, it's a very small regret because Daddy's Little Girl is very close to MAC's Candy Yum Yum in my opinion. It really had more to do with the cute packaging that had me lusting over it for a hot minute. At the time I made my purchase nothing was sold out yet, but now all 3 of these colors are sold out...everywhere (Mac, Nordstrom, and Macy's). I know this collection is also sold at Dillard's but I didn't see any lipsticks on their site. The collection will also launch tomorrow, 2/7, at MAC stores. 

Now for some pics & swatches!

Awesome Find: Splendid Soft Skin

I recently came across this body care brand Splendid, while shopping for a fruit basket...because that makes sense right?! Ugh, leave it to me to go into any store looking for one thing and end up at checkout with everything but what I went in for. Safe to say, I'm still fruit basket-less.

All is not lost however, because I found something I didn't know I needed, and that is this deliciously smelling Ruby Grapefruit line from Splendid Soft Skin! I had never heard of this brand before but after one whiff of the hand lotion I didn't care who they were, I just knew some items were coming home with me. I ended up purchasing the body butter and body scrub but they also make hand lotion, body lotion, and body wash. There were 2 other scents: Golden Blossom and Coastal Musk but when I tried to smell them, all I could smell was the Ruby Grapefruit I had slathered all over my hands. Seriously, the smell is divine. If you like fresh citrus scents, think Satsuma from The Body Shop, then I think you will love this scent.

Urban Decay Oz Palette: Theodora

Who's a sucker for anything in collab with Disney say guilty...GUILTY!!! 

When I heard Urban Decay was coming out with some new palettes inspired by the OZ movie coming out, I jumped right on it. I saw some sneak peeks of the two palettes and instantly knew Theodora was the one for me. I thought the colors in the Glinda palette were beautiful but I knew I wouldn't use them as often. With Theodora you can go from a day to night look really easily and I felt the colors were more suited for my skin tone. 

This palette goes for  $49 which you can buy here at Sephora. This palette is also sold at Ulta and of course, on the Urban Decay website. The palette holds 6 shadows which can be popped out and replaced with other single eyeshadows that Urban Decay sells (new formula shadows now pop easily out of their packaging so you can build your own palette). An empty 6 pan, build your own palette from Urban Decay retails for $18 so it is nice that this packaging can be reused as you finish each shadow. The palette also comes with a 27/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Black and a Super-Saturated High-Gloss Lip Color in Theodora.

The quality of these shadows are superb! Urban Decay rarely ever fails to meet my expectations and this palette was no different. All the shadows were highly pigmented, with a velvety, buttery texture. They swatched so easily and blended very nicely. I liked that none of the shades had big chunks of glitter and the one shade that had some glitter (darker side of Spell) applied nicely with no fall out or glitter particles all over my face. All the other shadow were either matte or had a beautiful satin finish to them.

I have to say Beware, West, and the gold side of Spell are my favorites from this palette. Although these colors seem so dupable, I don't have anything exactly like them and again, the quality is great on these shadows.

Now for the lips...I absolutely love UD's Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color. They have wonderful pigmentation and leave a nice gloss/sheen finish on your lips. They aren't drying or sticky and they last on my lips for a couple hours without having to reapply. They are in a jumbo pencil form which also makes them super easy to use and you can skip the lipliner. Theodora is a beautiful bright true red. It leans more on the cool side so it helps to make your teeth look whiter. I think this color will look great on pretty much everyone and I'm definitely a fan!

*Theodora worn on my lips alone*

I definitely think this palette is worth the money based on what you are receiving and the quality of the products. I have ready many comments saying that the palette didn't seem very special, colors are dupable, and so on. I definitely don't think this palette is a "stop what you are doing and buy this right now" sort of thing, but I do think if you favor a palette that you can use for an everyday look but have options to glam up your look for night, this palette is great. For me personally, I can never have too many great quality shades of brown and you get the gold and green shadows which add even more look possibilities! I'd have to say that out of all the "limited edition" palettes I have, I will hands down get the most use out of this one.

Niner Nails: Super Bowl XLVII edition!

What better way to show some bay area love for the 49ers then with some awesome nail art?! I decided to do the Niners logo, the stripe from their helmet, the # of the Super Bowl game, and of course, glitter. It's always an appropriate time to add glitter!

I'm so excited to watch the game this Sunday and Harbaugh vs Harbaugh? Amazing.

GO NINERS! QUEST FOR SIX!!!!

All the polishes used for this nail design:

• Orly Luxe (gold base)
• Julep Vivien & Sephora by OPI Only Gold for Me (glitter top coat)
• Wet n Wild Ebony Hates Chris & L.A. Colors Art Deco Black (for all black detailing)
• L.A. Colors Art Deco Red Glitter (red striping)
• Nailtini Bloody Mary (red base)
• China Glaze Pure Joy (on pinky nail)
• Circus by Andrea's Choice Reverso (for all white detailing)

January 2013 Favorites

I can't believe January will officially be over after today! Seriously, where does the time go, what have I accomplished, did the days and nights get shorter??? Ahhhh, MIND BOGGLING I tell ya!
(I should probably just copy and paste that statement for future end of the month posts because I have been feeling like that after each month goes by for years now...hmph.) Pinkie Pie's facial expression is a perfect depiction of what I look like at the the end of each month when I have realized more time has passed and I still have so much to do.

Anyhoo, so I thought for the end of the month post I would do my favorites for January since I love these types of posts. It's a great way to discover new things and sharing is caring, so without further ado, here are my favorites for January:

• Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water
• Michael Todd True Organics Antioxidant Carrot Multivitamin Serum
• Clarisonic Mia 2
• Beauty Blender
• Clark's Botancials Smoothing Marine Cream
• CoverGirl Lip Perfection Lipstick in 350-Eternal

January was mostly about skincare for me. The older I get, the more I realize the importance of skincare and making sure I'm putting my best face forward (pun intended)! No but seriously, with all the make up in the world, it really doesn't matter if your face isn't at its best. I have combo skin which constantly breaks out and a lot of discoloration and scarring from acne in my teens. It seems like an on going battle to figure out what products will actually work for me so I've been ecstatic to find some that have really been making a difference!

Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water
$13-$39 @ Sephora
This was my first time using a micellar type water to remove makeup. To be honest the whole idea of using a liquid on my face to remove makeup without washing it off was not intriguing to me AT ALL. I figured that there had to be some kind of residue left on your face that would not make it feel clean but I was proven wrong after using this stuff. I use about 2 cotton rounds for my face and 1 for my eyes to completely take off my make up. This stuff is magic in a bottle. It takes my eye make up off like no other...even my eyelash glue comes right off! It has the feel of water, no real noticeable scent, and it leaves your face super refreshed and hydrated. There's no weird residue left on your skin, I kid you not, your skin just feels clean and plump. Who woulda thought?! The price is a bit steep but I do think it's worth it. I wouldn't use this every night but for the nights I'm feeling lazy or if I know I'm going to be traveling, this stuff is great!

Michael Todd True Organics Antioxidant Carrot Multivitamin Serum
$37 @ Michaeltoddtrueorganics.com
Dude, could the name be any longer?! Even, if I abbreviate it: MTTOACMS looks ridiculous. Anyways, this stuff has been a great addition to my skincare routine. I've noticed that since I have been using this product my scarring has been fading, skin looks brighter, more even, and no major breakouts (I have NOT had to use any kind of acne cream since using this!) I also love that it is 75% organic because Lord knows we don't need more chemicals in our life. The consistency is more like a lotion and there is a medicine smell but the benefits this has provided my skin have been great and I will continue to use this!

Clarisonic Mia 2
$149 @ Clarisonic.com 
I know everyone and their mom raves about this thing but to be honest, when I first purchased this last year I didn't get the hype. Yes it took my make up off better than just washing alone with a cleanser, but I felt like it was too rough for my skin. I was breaking out in tiny little bumps everywhere so I stopped using it for a few months. I recently started using this again and now I love it! I only use this at night or when I have a lot of make up on and for people like me with acne prone skin, the trick is to not push this into your skin. It sounds like common sense but you want to glide the bristles overyour skin. I think many people with acne prone skin have the urge to want to "scrub" their face in hopes to rid themselves of the acne but that only aggravates and makes the skin worse.

Beauty Blender
$19.95-$25.95 @ Sephora
Not much to say about this except this makes applying foundation and concealer a breeze and no brush marks! I have tried the less costly alternatives and I think they do a great job as well. The main difference is really that the Beauty Blender is a much softer sponge so I think it just comes down to personal preference. I personally like how soft the original is over the less costly alternatives. Of course, you are paying like an additional $15 for soft but who's counting right?!

Clark's Botanical Smoothing Marine Cream
$115 @ Birchbox
This stuff is magic! With the steep price tag of $115 for 1.7fl oz. it better be right?! I received a sample of this in my Jan Birchbox and I have to say, although the price is crazy, this stuff does everything it claims to do. I can't say that about too many products.

Here's what it claims:
"Are you after baby-soft skin? Smoothing Marine Cream gently exfoliates and leaves the skin intensely moisturized. Glycolic Acid and Alage Extracts soften the appearance of fine lines, while Jasmin Absolute helps soothe and nourish stressed-out skin."

Yea, that baby-soft skin they are talking about is no joke. I don't even think my skin was this soft as a baby. I also feel that the exfoliant properties to this cream has contributed to my skin looking brighter as well. It's a lightweight cream that smells like lemon frosting, yum!

CoverGirl Lip Perfection in 350-Eternal
$5-$8 @ Drugstores
This was hands down my most worn lipstick for January. Dinner, drinks, grocery shopping, you name it, I was probably wearing this. It's a cool tone bright/hot raspberry color that was the perfect bold lip for me. The formula is super pigmented and comfortable on the lips (not too dry, not too slippery). The only negative I would say is that this sucker stains your lips. I don't mind this that much as it gives color to my lips all day, but when I want to take it off....it's a pain. There's been many a mornings I have woken up with Eternal stained lips even after trying to take it off the night before... I guess it's a good thing I love it so much!

Perfume Samples: Getting Organized!

Let me first start off by saying I loathe perfume samples....if you subscribe to any of those monthly beauty subscriptions (mainly Birchbox), I'm sure you feel my pain on receiving perfume samples that you can get for free pretty much anywhere. I am also a big Sephora online shopper, so I have obtained quite the collection of perfume samples that just get stashed in some drawer or put away in some black hole, never to be seen again....until now.

During a little cleaning session today, I came across a bunch of those "useless" perfume samples and was determined to make them Useful, or at least store them where they would have the potential of being useful. That's when I decided I would have to store them in a way I could see them, still look pretty, but without getting dusty or being a cluttered mess. So here is my solution and it cost me less than $2!

What you'll need:

• An empty clear jar with a lid (I just cleaned out a used Bath & Body Works candle)
• Self Adhesive Rhinestones (I purchased a sheet of these at Michaels for $1.19)
• A butt load of perfume samples

During my recent visit to Michaels, I found these sheets of self adhesive rhinestones on sale for $1.19. They were in the Quincenera section (I should have been from Latin America in another life, all the glitter and sparkle in that section...heaven). These were great because you can individually use the rhinestones or just pull the whole strand and apply it which is what I did for the lid. 

Talk about a time saver! It literally took me less than a minute to apply and viola! I was done! So simple right?! Now I might actually use these samples because I can see them all in one place! They are actually great when you are using a small clutch or going on a short trip...You could even place one of these jars in a guest bathroom for others to enjoy! Cheers to cheap DIY's, recycling, and smelling good!

xoxo,

Kristina

NOTD: Fergie Going Platinum

OMG...Can we say OBSESSED?!?! I am so in love with this Wet n Wild polish from the Fergie collection in Going Platinum. Out of the 100+ polishes I have (I wish I was joking about that number, shh...I'm a nail polish hoarder), I actually do not have anything like this color. It's a silver metal with gold shimmer throughout and it is amazing! The color is opaque in just one coat but I always do two coats out of habit. The formula is great, not streaky like many metal polishes, and the brush is large which is my fav because it makes painting your nails so much easier. If you like the brushes on the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure polishes or the Wet n Wild Megalast polishes, then you will love this. The quality of this polish is just as good as higher end polishes but for much less. These polishes retail around $3.49 at drugstores but I got mine at Walgreens on a 2/$5 sale....hell yes! 

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss

*Product Rave*

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss

 (L-R) Sweet Heart, Perfect, Smokey Look, Tanned,Beige,

 Tea Rose, Doll Pink, Perfect Red, Chandelier, La-La, Crystal Soda

Hands down, NYX Mega Shine Lip Glosses are my fav! 

Here's why:

* Affordable (You can find them for $5.50 or less, more info below)

* Wide range of colors (50 to be exact!)

* Smells yummy (To me they smell like cherry candy)

* Not sticky

* Majority of shades have great color pay off

I highly recommend these lip glosses! They are not just great because of the sticker price, they are actually great quality and exceed many high end brands in that area. Definitely top 3 worthy for me among drugstore and high-end combined. Like any make up line, there are always a few shades that don't perform as well as others, but I've been pleased with the majority of the glosses I have used in this line. Some of the shimmery shades like Chandelier and Crystal Soda can be a bit sheer but they still look great layered over lipstick. 

These glosses can be found at Nyxcosmetics.com, Ulta, and my personal favorite: Cherryculture.com. There are other online sites that sell NYX as well but I personally only order my NYX products from cherryculture.com. Not only do they sell these cheaper than the $5.50 retail price, they often have 20% off sitewide sales which is when I make my purchases. So that's a discounted price with an additional 20% off (making these lippies a little under $3.50 each), SCORE! AND right now they are having their sitewide sale through 1/31/13. Use code V20 for 20% off anything on the site!  

*A little warning with cherryculture.com, for some reason their NYX lip gloss swatches are not that great, so I would definitely check the actual NYX site first before making your purchases.* 

xoxo,

Kristina

Now for some swatches:

                                                    (L-R) Sweet Heart, Perfect, Smokey Look, Tanned, Beige

                                      (L-R) Tea Rose, Doll Pink, Perfect Red, Chandelier, La-La, Crystal Soda
           

                                                                     Doe Foot applicator

Here are my absolute favorites worn alone on the lips: 

Beige

 *Horrible name because this gloss is not beige at all. It's a perfect pinky nude*

Doll Pink 

Perfect Red

When Fashion meets Function: Flask Bangle

During my daily web perusing of all things I didn't know I wanted/needed, I stumbled upon this amazing find that has quickly jumped to the top of my "must have" list! Yes, it is exactly as it is named, a Flask Bangle! Say what?! Oh Cynthia Rowley you have outdone yourself... The Party Girl/Accessory Hoarder inside of me thanks you. I'm sure this awesomeness isn't everyone's cup of tea as it is a chunky, dare I say it, gaudy piece of jewelry, but look at the name of this blog...this baby is right up my alley! Talk about an arm candy party! This gem goes for $225....a little too much for my wallet but hey, that's what DIY searches are for right?! Off to pinterest and youtube I go!

*photos from cynthiarowley.com*

Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Palettes

Wet n Wild eyeshadow palettes found at Rite Aid, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS. $2.99-$4.99


Spoiled Brat

Swatch:

Silent Treatment

     Comes with "angled" and sponge tip applicators. 

Swatch:

Lust

Swatch:

Swatched Top to Bottom starting with Left side of palette

Petal Pusher

Swatch:

Right Side of palette swatched from Top to Bottom

Left side of palette swatched from Top to Bottom

Blue Had Me At Hello

Swatch:

Top Row: Left side of palette from Top to Bottom. Bottom Row: Right side of palette from Top to Bottom.

Final Thoughts:
These shadows are great for the price. Each palette has some colors that are better than others when it comes to color payoff but even so, you are definitely getting more than your money's worth. The shadows are soft in texture which is nice, however the downside is they will break/crumble if not handled with care. They blend easily, stay put with a primer all day, and are on the higher end as far as quality is concerned when it comes to drugstore makeup. I definitely would recommend these for anyone who is just starting with makeup, looking to expand their color collection, on a budget, or wants to try new colors! Better yet, you can often find sales for BOGO 50% where Wet n Wild is sold! Score!

RATING:  4/5

Here are two looks of the shadow on using the Spoiled Brat Trio. Left side is following the recommended placement of shadow, Right side is crease color and lid color reversed.