I know NYE is a little ways away still but don't tell me you haven't considered a few nail options yet? Right? Yeah, that's what I thought. For this glittering glory I started with 3 coats of Maybelline Express Finish, 650 Sunlight. You can get away with 2 but I like 3 since this polish is on the sheer side. I then topped it with a couple of coats of Sally Girl, Chunky Gold Glitter. This glitter is a little tricky to apply because instead of swiping like a normal polish you have to dab it to place the glitter where you want. I love the 2 different sizes of glitter so I don't mind applying it this way at all.

What do you think? Is this nail look perfect for NYE or what? 
PS. Click through to see what it looks like with a coat of Essie, Matte About You on top. Spoiler alert... it's really awesome.

For the matte look...

KEEP READING...

Well I missed mani monday but I am making up for it with this awesome combo for you all! I have been sitting on these Forever21 Love & Beauty glitter polishes for a couple of months now. I finally pulled them out monday night and I am so happy I did!

I started with 2 coats of Zoya, Verushka which is one of Zoya's matte velvet colors. Its a rich warm forest green and when topped with clear it comes alive with beautiful shimmer. I then added 1 coat of Forever21 Love & Beauty, Turquoise. It has tiny holographic circle glitter and large hex glitter. With an almost tone-on-tone color combo it adds a richness and depth to make this combo look awesome! I was so pleased with the results. I think it's perfect for the holiday season. I hope you all enjoy.

Have any of you out there tried the Forever21 Love & Beauty polishes? thoughts?

There's a new flakey in town! Esse just released a collection that includes Luxeffects top coats. For this week's mani monday I used 2 coats of Illamasqua, Rampage; a rich, deep, dark semi-jelly cream emerald green. What's great about this particular green is it doesn't live in the forest! It's a dark warm-toned green which is kind of hard to find. It looks great with my neutral-warm-toned skin. I then topped the edges with Esse, Shine of the Times Luxeffects top coat; a multi-dimentional flakey glitter.

The shape of this flake is much smaller than the INGLOT flakies or Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure. It's also a bit more condensed. You really don't need more than 1 coat. I used a tiny bit a the tips of my nails and then spread it down with a cleaned off brush. The effect is gorgeous! I completely obsessed with the Esse Luxeffects!

Top picture taken in indirect sunlight, bottom in direct sunlight. You can see the different colors at the different angles.

Bonus shots of Esse Luxeffects, Shine of the Times:

(direct sunlight)

(indirect sunlight)

I'm not going to lie. I have a ridiculous makeup collection by normal girl standards. When I do shop for makeup I really try to find unique products that I haven't seen other places. In fact, its better if I don't browse to much because I fall in love with sparkly things pretty quickly. When I saw the Tarina Tarantino Sparklicity Pure Opal I new it was unique enough to be welcomed into my collection.

So here's the deal. I tried a ton of different methods trying to capture this amazing stuff's essence and I simply could not. It's a magical opalescent super sparkly loose powder that would closly resemble crushed fairy wings, if such thing existed. I swatched it below on top of Two Faced Glitter Glue (do you all want a review on that as well?)

Available at Sephora, $17

Overall thoughts, a ton more photos including swatch photo...

KEEP READING...

The other day on pinterest I came across a really cute nail design of a glitter ombre. I obviously had to borrow the idea. My base color is 2 coats of The Face Shop, GR501. I then carefully applied a couple of thin layers of Illamasqua, Spartan. I could have gone a little more intense with the glitter concentration at the tips. Next time, I suppose. Enjoy!

Would you rock a glitter ombre look?

There is a new man in my drawers. HEY, get your minds out of the gutter! His name is Barry M and he's in my nail polish drawers. In London I went a little crazy times at Superdrug and bought all sorts of Barry M goodies. I got a handful of polishes and a bunch of other stuff. What was strange is that Top Shop also carried Barry M products but a different selection than Superdrug. Weird.

This week's manicure is Barry M, 312 Indigo as the base and then topped it with a multi-colored glitter party top coat of Barry M, 210 Once Upon A Time.

I can't WAIT to see how long it going to take this glitter party off. HA!

Halloween is the time of year to go ladyballs-to-the-wall with makeup. Bust out your glitter, ridiculous false eyelashes and clown paint because dear kittens, IT'S ON!  I'm gonna break down a 2 Halloween essentials for you, the white base and glitter!

WHITE FACE BASE:
So many costumes require a white face including, but not limited to: Ghost, anything dead, The black swan, Día de los Muertos, etc...

MAC Chromacake (PRO)
When activated with water, this stuff is best brushed on with a synthetic foundation brush. It has good staying powder and dries down flat. Powder products layered on top pop against the white background. (see my far left costume at the top)

Availability: MAC Pro $24

(far right photo via makeupforever.com)

Make Up For Ever Flash Color
This cream product is also a great option for to achieve a white background. Use a synthetic brush to apply. This product is easy blend. Make sure you set it with powder. A translucent powder works well but to get a SUPER white look set with a white eyeshadow. You can play with texture by trying different finishes. Use a matte white eyeshadow for a flat look or try a shimmery white eyeshadow for adding highlights and depth.

Availability: Flash Color Box $95 Sephora
Single-color stick $23  and Single-color pot $18 Makeup Forever Boutiques.
Check the website to find out if there is a store in your area. (Now before you go all crazy balloons over the prices, know this: These products can be used for eyeshadow bases year round. Although the stick seems a little much for that.)

GLITTER
Not all glitter is eye safe so please be sure to check the packaging before you throw a bunch of glitter near your eyes. The last thing you need to do is scratch your eye while you're trying to have a fun night. Am I right?

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Glitter
What I love about the OCC glitters is that they are opaque and come in a great variety of colors including black. For a full glittered eyelid, apply a thin layer of eyelash glue and quickly pat on glitter before it dries. You have about 45 seconds before the glue starts drying. Be sure to be careful with the glue application. Use a synthetic brush brush for a precise application, just be sure to wash the brush immediately or it will be ruined. (trust me on this one kids) The OCC glitters look AMAZING on the lips. Apply over lipstick that has a bit of sheen, that way it sticks. But don't plan on making out with anyone because it will end up all over the place!

Availability: OCCmakeup.com and the new boutique located on the Lower East Side of NYC (more to come on that...)

MAC Reflects
Just about every glitter mac makes is amazing. There are three different types. Opaque reflects glitters are colors and when applied densely will not show anything through. Transparent reflects are meant to be applied over other products/finished makeup look and add shine and sparkle. 3D Glitter is larger particles that have multi-colored holographic reflections. My favorites include Reflects Gold and Reflects Transparent Teal. Pat Reflects Gold to the middle of lips on top of lipstick for extra drama. Dab on tops of cheekbones for an ethereal look. For drama on the eyes, after eye makeup application, carefully pat glitter on middle of top lids for some extra shine or all over for a dose of super glam.

Availability: Mac stores for some and MAC Pro for a full selection of glitter $20

If you're not into doing your own makeup but still want in on the fun, Ricky's Revolver Salon has a menu of Zombie and Vampire makeup services that they'll apply for you. Catch is you need to book ahead of time so if you want it, call NOW!

What are YOU planning to be for Halloween?

Last friday I had a couple of girls over for a mini crafting party that ended up turning into a mani-pedi party. I brought out all of my nail polishes and we went to town! Sonia (@alwaysinstyle) created an such amazing combo for her toes that I just HAD to steal it!

I used 2 coats of O.P.I. DS Coronation, a silvery holographic glitter and topped it with a coat of INGLOT #205 Flakies. I finished it off with 2 coats of Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat to smooth out the texture.

For the bonus glitter ombre

Keep Reading...

Galaxy nails are all the rage on the nail blogosphere. As much as I love layering, I have not been able to really master them. Mine always end up looking muddy and messy. (Let be honest, most of the people in that google image search have the same bad results.) I finally was able to fudge it a little by using a glittery color that I have had in my stash for about a year.

To get this week's nails I started with 2 coats of Zoya, Kelly, a cool-toned medium dark-grey. I then applied 2 coats of NYX NPG 162 Frizzy Spots, a black jelly base with large holographic hex glitters and itty bitty holographic hex glitters. I topped it all off with a few coats of Seche Vite, Fast Dry Top Coat. They're a little less galaxy and a little more stary night. Enjoy!

PS. The NYX color needs to go over a base color. On it's own it looks really weird. It works best over medium and dark colors. Not so much on light colors.

Anyone else excited for Men In Black 3?

This week's mani is brought to you by the letters: O, M and G. It's a show stopper if you ask me (and like 45 people who complimented me on it). You all know I kind of have a thing for gold glittery top coats. The other day I was browsing CVS (in all honestly to try to find the latest Wet & Wild stuff, which of course I did not find) and I came accross Sinful Colors, Smoking Hot. It's a clear base with gold, pink, and a hint of green 3-D/holographic glitter and for $1.99 it's a total no-brainer. My base color is China Glaze, Turned Up Tourquise (Neon) which was part of the Wow Factor collection that came out a couple of summers ago. The thing about this particular color is that it has a matte finish of which I am not a fan. However, with top coat (AND GLITTER) it really shines. The good news is that it drys very fast.

Also note, Neons are notoiously hard to photograph in just about all light sources. Please also disregard any wear on the tips. I didn't get to shoot them until 48 hours after application. Not to bad on the wear tough.

Enjoy, kittens!