Wednesday, February 28, 2018

LynB Designs March Polish of the Month: Aqua Marina

Press Sample

Hello on this fine, last day of February! I know February is the shortest month of the year so it should feel like it ends sooner than others overall, but it feels like it has gone so much faster than usual. Even though my illness felt like it lasted FOREVER at the time (I definitely lost over a week this month with being stuck in bed until my fever broke), this month has just flown by! Obviously, with the end of one month means the start of the next; in the case of today's blog post, it means a new Polish of the Month from LynB Designs! Jenna has decided to follow a birthstone theme for each month, and that means an aquamarine-inpired beauty for the upcoming month of March. Presenting: Aqua Marina!


Aqua Marina starts off with a light aqua base that is filled with shifty shimmer and micro holographic sparkle. There is also a small scatter of white flakes to add a little extra dimension to the polish. As a March baby myself, I cannot tell you how many times I've looked at aquamarine jewelry only to be faced with stones so pale, they didn't deserve the name aquamarine. Thankfully, Aqua Marina captures the true light blue shade that I expect from these stones, and I love the sparkle!


While this polish is truly beautiful and worth adding to any collection, you will need a little bit of patience with the application. Light blue shades like this are notorious for trickier application, and you will want to take your time and build up layers to reach opacity. Applying it with a heavy hand makes the formula move around awkwardly and forms unflattering grooves, but you will want to take care not to use coats that are too thin either. While the white flakes add a lovely touch, applying layers too lightly can make them dig into the base that is already in place and leave an uneven surface as well. In my application, the first two coats were a bit uneven in spite of my best efforts, and the third coat helped even things out some. It was the final addition of top coat that finished smoothing my nails out for these photos.


Even though it took a little extra patience, I love the final look of this polish. The sparkle is stunning and I really do feel like I have aquamarines on my nails! I am admittedly really particular about gemstone themed polishes, and this is arguably my favorite for aquamarine from all the ones I have tried. This is also such a pretty shade for spring in general, so if you're eager to get rid of the winter (dark) blues, Aqua Marina may be just what you are searching for!


Aqua Marina will be launching on the LynB Designs website located here this Friday, March 2nd. Each bottle will retail for $10.


Have you been picking up the LynB Designs Polish of the Month gemstone series this year? Will Aqua Marina be making its way into your collection? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful evening!
XO!


Helpful Links
Connect with me on Social Media!

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

KBShimmer for March Polish Pickup: If You Want My Bodice

Press Sample



Greetings, dear readers! We are less than four days away from the shop opening of the March Polish Pickup! I always get really excited when the new month rolls around for this very reason! All the indie brands that have participated this month have really knocked it out of the park with their designs, and for today's blog post, I am thrilled to be sharing the offering by KBShimmer! I cannot think of a better introduction to this polish than founder Christy Rose's own words, so I'm going to let her take it away before we get to swatches.....

Some women have a dirty little secret; every night they escape to a world where a handsome rouge lists after their busty figure, and not even a laced up bodice would be still the passion that burned between them. At the end of the day, when that beloved book with racy cover gets placed in the nightstand, the pages worn and dog eared, those women thank Harlequin and Silhouette for the tales of intrigue, romance, and of course lust. Based on the cover of a "body ripper" romance, KBShimmer's If You Want My Bodice is full of lusty goodness.


I'm just going to start off by saying these photos just do not do this sexy polish justice. My camera is apparently something of a prude and shied away from all the colour shifts that were much more apparent in real life. If You Want My Bodice is a sultry shifty polish that starts off in a cool minty teal hue before transitioning over to a deep lavender while in indirect light. Floating amongst the colourful base a flecks of unicorn flakes that shift colours themselves. In brighter, more direct lighting, you can experience the deeper hues of magenta and blue and the micro holo flakes sparkle.


I'm not ashamed to admit that I am definitely in lust with this dazzling shade! Not only is the colour exquisite, the formula is on point. Not too thick or thin, it applies like a dream without any issue. The flakes dispersed nicely across my nails, and I had no issues with them sticking up or clumping. One feature of note is that it does have a strong chemical smell, a characteristic often observed with multichrome nail polishes. It is by no means a deal breaker for me, although you may want to be sure to paint your nails in a well ventilated area.


These photos are shown with two easy coats for opacity plus top coat. Those that have longer nails or tend to pain with very thin coats may find they need to apply three coats for opacity.


If You Want My Bodice is made utilizing KBShimmer's 5-free polish base. 

This polish will be available from the Polish Pickup store located here from this Friday, March 2nd through Monday, March 5th. Please note that it can ONLY be purchased from this location and ONLY during this extended weekend window; if you want to add If You Want My Bodice to your collection, be sure to mark the dates on your calendar! It will retail for $10 each, and there is no limit to how many bottles that can be purchased. As always, purchases made through the Polish Pickup are submitted as a pre-order, and orders will ship to customers approximately three weeks after the shop closes and the brand offerings have arrived to Polish Pickup headquarters.


Have you started making your wishlists for the March opening of the Polish Pickup? What are you planning to pick up? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO!

Helpful Links
Facebook Group (Polish Pickup Pack): www.facebook.com/groups/polishpickuppack
Instagram: www.instagram.com/PolishPickup

Connect with me on Social Media!

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Ellagee Polish for March Polish Pickup: Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum and Pencil Pouch

Press Sample

Greetings, dear readers, and happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and your week is off to a wonderful start! It was an uneventful weekend around here although I have been busy with swatching and editing photos for on my blog. Let's jump in on today's post!


A new month starting this week means another opening of the Polish Pickup store! The theme for the March shop is Books, and for today's post, I have the offerings provided by Ellagee Polish to share with you. Let's first check out the gorgeous nail polish!


Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum is a rich, deep red matte polish filled with red shimmer and bright red translucent flakes. This stunning shade was inspired by Margaret Atwood's book, The Handmaid's Tale. Technically, Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum is a grammatically incorrect Latin phrase that loosely translates to "Don't let the bastards grind you down". While the formula dries down a beautiful matte finish, it also look great with a shiny top coat as well. Check it out!


While the inspiration may be a little dark, there is no doubt that Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum is what red polish dreams are made of! The colour is phenomenal in both the original matte finish and with a glossy look. The formula is on point and applies smoothly to opacity with two easy coats. Because it is a matte, the dry time is a little quicker than with the typical shiny finish, although it wasn't too quick where it could pose problems such as dragging. I adore everything about this polish, and I hope to see more polishes with a matte finish from Ellagee in the future!

This polish will retail for $12, and there is no cap on the number that can be purchased.

In addition to Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum, Ellagee Polish will also be offering an adorable book-themed zippered pouch.


These bags are made up of machine washable, spun polyester poplin and are approximately 9 inches by 4 inches. They are the perfect size for carrying your essentials with you, whether you prefer to carry around writing utensils or if you like to keep your manicure essentials handy. The book design is really cute to begin with, but the books themselves add homage to the nail polish fan with titles like "Multichrome Mysteries", "The Art of Holo", and "Chronicles of Shimmer" to name a few.

Like the polish above, these zippered bags will retail for $12 each and there is also no limit.

Both of these offering by Ellagee Polish will be available for purchase from the Polish Pickup store this weekend. The store will open from Friday, March 2nd through Monday, March 5th, and this is the only time and location that these particular items can be purchased. If you have your eye on either of these, be sure to mark your calendars you so don't miss out! As always, orders made to the Polish Pickup are submitted as a preorder, and orders will ship out in approximately three weeks after the shop closes.

Are you excited about the book theme for the upcoming Polish Pickup? Do you prefer Nolite Tes Bastardes Carborundorum with a matte or shiny finish? What sorts of items would you keep in your own zippered bag? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO!


Helpful Links
Store: www.polishpickup.com
Facebook Group (Polish Pickup Pack): www.facebook.com/groups/polishpickuppack
Instagram: www.instagram.com/PolishPickup

Connect with me on Social Media!

Thursday, February 22, 2018

LynB Designs for March Polish Pickup: Saunter Vaguely Downwards

Press Sample

Greetings, dear readers! I hope you've been having a wonderful week and have something fun planned for the weekend! This week has been a bunch of me attempting to play catchup on everything that fell to the wayside with my illness last week. I'm currently trying to juggle that delicate balance of getting stuff done while still not pushing myself too hard as I am still very much in recovery. My MUST NEEDS DONE NOW instinct is a tough one to fight, and I am truly my own worst enemy when it comes to that sort of thing. Thankfully, with the weekend just around the corner, I can (pretend to) rest some more and have a little more time to myself to get things done. Now if only I can stop the chatter and get in on today's blog post..... Let's do this!


With a new month only a week away, it's time that I start sharing my posts for the upcoming March Polish Pickup! LynB Designs is going to be participating once again in this fabulous shopping experience, and the theme for March is Books! Jenna, the creative mastermind behind LynB Designs, was inspired by Crowley from Good Omens to create the stunning polish, Saunter Vaguely Downwards.


Saunter Vaguely Downwards starts off with a black base that is loaded up with linear holographic particles. It is then filled with multichrome shimmer that shifts from red to orange to copper to violet. The final result is this glorious shifting beauty as shown above!


Not too thick or thin for my taste, Saunter Vaguely Downwards has a great formula that gave me no issues during application. There was no dragging or balding areas of my nails, just a nice smooth coverage across my nail beds. While I used two coats for opacity for these photos, it was *thiclose* to being a one coater for me; those with short nails or those that tend to apply their polish in thicker coats may find they only need one coat for full opacity.


Saunter Vaguely Downwards will be available for purchase from the Polish Pickup website only when the March shop opens from Friday March 2nd through Monday, March 5th. Please note this is the only time and location that this polish will be offered for sale. If you have your eye on it, be sure to pick it up during this window! Also, please note it is CAPPED at only 200 bottles, so you will want to be sure to shop early so you don't miss out! It will retail for $12 per bottle.

As always, the Polish Pickup is open as a preorder during the shopping time frame. Please allow three weeks for preorders to ship out to you.

Are you excited about the latest Book theme? Will you be adding this beauty to your cart? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful evening!
XO!



Helpful Links
Facebook Group (Polish Pickup Pack): www.facebook.com/groups/polishpickuppack

Connect with me on Social Media!

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

TMS Makeup Shop San Francisco Returns on March 24th and 25th For a Weekend Celebration of Spring Beauty

An exclusive luxury sale for anyone who considers themselves a beauty lover, featuring brands such as Dr. Brandt Skincare, NYX Professional Makeup, Crown Brush, and more! 

The Makeup Show will be bringing back its highly anticipated TMS Makeup Shop San Francisco on March 24th and 25th! This exclusive sale, is usually only available to industry pro’s, but now consumers alike will be able to shop huge discounts from top beauty brands, hear tips from some of the industries greatest makeup artists, and walk away inspired in all things beauty.

Brands that will be featured at TMS Makeup Shop San Francisco include MAKE UP FOR EVER, Dr. Brandt Skincare, Gerard Cosmetics, Frends Beauty Supply, NYX Professional Makeup, and more! Aside from a great sale, attendees will have the opportunity to learn and discover new things in beauty! Guests will not only get to meet with their favorite brands and artists, but they will also get to hear from some of the industry’s greatest by attending seminars and hands-on workshops! These complimentary seminars are perfect for any aspiring artist or anyone who wants to touch up on their makeup skills. Guests will have the opportunity to learn tips such as how to achieve radiant skin and what it takes to emphasize your eyes all from legendary artists including James Vincent, Roque Cozzette, Bethany Townes, and Fidel Gonzalez.

Additionally, the two days prior to TMS Makeup Shop San Francisco will be the debut of the first ever I, Artist - The Makeup Show Forum, a two day event created not only for professional makeup artists, but for anyone in a creative career. The forum's sole purpose is to help create an environment for anyone, whether up and coming or a seasoned artist, to get insight from some of the most successful in the industry and be re-inspired. I, Artist - The Makeup Show Forum will be a platform for those who may be looking to redefine their success, re-engage with their passion, and discover how to get back on their path.

************************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************************
TMS Makeup Shop San Francisco will be held on Saturday, March 24th, 2018 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and on Sunday March 25th, 2018 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Grand Hyatt, 345 Stockton St., San Francisco. Tickets are $23 each day or $40 dollars for two days and can be purchased here.

************************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************************


Additionally, the two days prior to TMS Makeup Shop San Francisco will be the debut of the first ever I, Artist - The Makeup Show Forum, a two day event created not only for professional makeup artists, but for anyone in a creative career. The forum's sole purpose is to help create an environment for anyone, whether up and coming or a seasoned artist, to get insight from some of the most successful in the industry and be re-inspired. I, Artist - The Makeup Show Forum will be a platform for those who may be looking to redefine their success, re-engage with their passion, and discover how to get back on their path.

Attendees of the I, Artist - The Makeup Show Forum will learn life-changing tips and tricks and how the best of the best use color, depth, dimension, lighting, photography, and more to their benefit and stand out from the rest. 

************************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************************
I, Artist – The Makeup Show will be held on Wednesday, March 21st, 2018 from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm through Friday March 23th, 2018 from 8am to 9pm at the Grand Hyatt, 345 Stockton St., San Francisco. Tickets can be purchased here and includes admission to the TMS Makeup Shop San Francisco which follows that weekend. 
************************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************************


About The Makeup Show
The Makeup Show is the largest pro-only event, which travels internationally stopping in multiple locations throughout the United States. Bringing each destination, a unique convergence of artists and community where beauty professionals are sure to find an artistic energy that will inspire any beauty buff, from the passionate beginner to the seasoned professional. Each show offers an unparalleled lineup of education and appearances from top beauty professionals and focuses on career building and networking within the makeup community. The show provides a unique experience for the makeup professional to network directly from the best in the business. For more information on The Makeup Show, visit www.themakeupshow.com

Monday, February 19, 2018

Highlights from the Beauty Spotlight Team

Greetings, dear readers!This sickness has really taken hold of me, and as a result, I'm late in sharing the latest news from the Beauty Spotlight Team. I'm so sorry about that! I hope you enjoy what everyone had to share last week!

***************************************


Sand & Sky Brilliant Skin Detoxify + Brighten Purifying Pink Clay Mask is an effective 4-in-1 mask that effectively boosts radiance, clears clogged pores, regulates sebum production and detoxifies the skin in a mere 10 minutes, and it does so without drying out the skin. Read the full review on Lola's Secret Beauty Blog to see why this mask is worthy of your consideration! 

Prime Beauty upped her lash game with the new L'Oreal Voluminous X Fiber Mascara. See before and after pics! 

The love continues on Beauty Info Zone for Monat haircare. This week Marcia shares her straight, shiny hair favorites. 

What are your On-the-Go beauty favorites? Pammy Blogs Beauty shares her in her updated "What is in her bag?" post. 

Polarbelle has done a little bit of damage with her hauls of the last few weeks. The video of the first half is now on YouTube. 

In case you're in the mood to try out a new mascara or two, Allison from Never Say Die Beauty recommends her current favorites

BeautyJudy took the new Maybelline Total Temptation Shadow and Highlight Palette for a spin! Check out two looks with this work appropriate AND nighttime appropriate palette! 

Are you trying to save some money and not buy all the latest cosmetics coming out? Do you already have a substantial makeup collection not getting used? Jen from The Jedi Wife has been revisiting her old cosmetic favorites with her #TBTBeauty posts. Her latest post features the NYX Cosmetics Sex Bomb palette

There's a NEW bullet lipstick in town and it's a STAR! Shipra of Taneja's Bride shares ALL 25 ColourPop Lux Lipsticks lip swatches! 

Stacie from Makeup Obsessed Mom has been sporting red hot lips that last all day. See what she thinks of this new formula from D.E.N. Cosmetics.

***************************************

I hope you've enjoyed the roundup of beauty posts from the team!

I'm still in the early stages of recovery from my illness so this may end up being a light week regarding blog posts. I'll be around when I'm feeling more up to it. Until then, take care and enjoy the week!
XO!


Connect with me on Social Media!


Thursday, February 15, 2018

#TBTBeauty with NYX Cosmetics Sex Bomb Shadow Palette

Greetings, dear readers! I hope you've been having a wonderful week and have something fun planned for the weekend! It's been a rough week here, and I'm just looking forward to the weekend so the husband can be home and help out this poor sick momma! I *almost* decided against getting this post up today, but after trying to get it up for over a month now, it is time!

Way back in December, I did some cleaning out and rearranging of my makeup products, and I stumbled across some older items that I hadn't thought about for some time. I wanted to give some love to some of these products as a means of shopping my stash and appreciating what I already had; thus, Throwback Thursday Beauty (#TBTBeauty) was born! I have my next look ready for you utilizing the NYX Cosmetics Sex Bomb eyeshadow palette! Check it out!


The Sex Bomb palette came into my life a few years ago when I wasn't wearing taupe or red shades on my eyes. At the time, I didn't have either option in my eyeshadow collection, nor was I sure that I would actually like these colours, particularly a red. The Sex Bomb palette was a great opportunity for me to branch outside my comfort zone at an affordable price.


This is a great palette to play with if you want to add a little bit of red to your eye looks! While not the most pigmented, it does build up pretty well when you want more colour on your eyes. The quality as a whole is what I consider acceptable given the cost. While the colours are a little on the chalky side, they're still easy to manipulate with brushes. Add in the $7.50 price tag for all six shades when at full price, and it's a pretty good deal! Is this red shade going to knock your socks off? Eh, probably not. I find this particular red shade to be geared more towards those who want to branch out a little but may not wear this type of colour all the time. It also pulls a little on the berry side, so if you want a true red, you will be disappointed. It works well for my needs, but you know your own far better than I do!


The one aspect about this palette that I don't like is the shimmery purple-greige colour. I'm not even going to dance around it- the quality of this particular colour is atrocious. The pigmentation is minimal, and the fallout is ridiculous. I would expect some fallout anyway from a shimmer shade, but this one is just SO BAD. Oftentimes when I want to create an eye look with this palette, I grab a similar type of colour from a different brand rather than using the one in this palette. For today's blog post, I did wear only the Sex Bomb shadows, so you can make it work, but it is just that: work. To wear the shimmery shade in this palette, I start off using NYX Cosmetics glitter primer and then patting the colour in from either a fingertip or the flat side of an eye brush. Because there is a substantial amount of fallout, you're probably going to want to do your eye makeup first so you can clean up the fallout before working on your foundation.


I completed my look with Stila Cosmetics Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner, Battington Lashes in Kennedy, Beauty Escape Cosmetics highlighter in Wonderland, and Gerard Cosmetics lipstick in Rodeo Drive.

In spite of some of the issues that I have with the NYX Cosmetics Sex Bomb palette, I am still glad that I have it in my life. I just don't gravitate towards red shades often, at least not for my eyes, so I am content with this one. The shimmery shade my be terrible, but I have found a way to make it work or just use one of my other shimmery options. I've become really picky about what makeup I'm buying lately and have been gravitating towards singles; I'm not sure that I would buy this palette again. That being said, I'm glad I picked this up when I did and have enjoyed playing with it again. Maybe I'll start branching out with more red shades in the future, but for now, this palette works for my current needs.

What older beauty products have you been loving recently? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO!


Helpful Links
Connect with me on Social Media!

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Valentine's Day Nail Art Design

Press Sample

Happy hump day, dear readers! It is a rough one around here, so it's not going to be a glamorous, romance-filled day for me. The sickness that I thought was relatively mild took a turn for the worse yesterday, and I am now at home still sick myself with my two year old who is even sicker. I'm hoping it passes quickly, but since I'm pretty sure we have the respiratory bug that's been going around work, I suspect we're going to be down for the count for a little while. I did want to get today's blog post up so I am typing away while my little man cuddles against me watching Elmo. Now onto the nail art!


While going through my boxes of nail art supplies, I came across these cute heart-patterned Freya Wraps that I reviewed on my blog as part of Pandora's Box last February. I fully intended to create the design with polish rather than using the wraps, but I was far too sick last night to do so. I still wanted to attempt another nail art look for Valentine's Day so I opted to just use the wraps instead.


I paired the wraps with Literary Lacquers shade Princess Buttercup from the new Princess Bride-inspired As You Wish trio and the upcoming Ellagee Polish shade for the March Polish Pickup, Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum (not such a great pick for Valentine's Day based on the inspiration, but the red was too pretty to pass up). I then completed the look by adding a cute heart stud I received from Born Pretty Store a few years ago (and is sadly no longer available) and added a layer of Ellagee's Glass top coat.


While I would have preferred to have painted the heart pattern on my nails rather than using wraps, the final look is still cute. I'm festive for the holiday, even if my day is spend curled up on the couch in a sweatshirt and heart-covered leggings!

Are you doing anything special for Valentine's Day? Please share your plans so I can live vicariously through you!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO!


Helpful Links
Athena & Aphrodite (includes Freya Wraps)

Ellagee Polish
Store: ellagee.com
Facebook Group (Gee I Love Ellagee): www.facebook.com/groups/548380338580317/
Twitter: twitter.com/ellageepolish

Literary Lacquers
Facebook Group Literary (&) Lacquers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/223352961152042/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LiteraryLacquer

Polish Pickup
Facebook Group (Polish Pickup Pack): www.facebook.com/groups/polishpickuppack
Instagram: www.instagram.com/PolishPickup

Connect with me on Social Media!

Monday, February 12, 2018

Heart Nail Art Design with Zoya

Press Sample

Greetings, dear readers, and happy Monday! I has been a rough few days around the house as both my husband and I have been sick and trying to keep our energetic little boys entertained while being exhausted. I'm currently at home trying to get some extra rest in the hopes that I am well enough to go into work tomorrow. Until then, how about some Valentine's-inspired nail art?


I have been wanting to do something fun with the Zoya Kisses jelly nail polishes, and this was the perfect opportunity to play around with them!


I started off with a coat of Zoya Libby, a buildable, milky lavender jelly shade. I then added a layer of Zoya Leia, a fleck-filled sheer opalescent polish that Zoya suggests using to layer with the Kisses jelly polishes. I sealed my base colours in with top coat for a strong and shiny finish. Since I had other decorative plans for my look, I opted to then layer on another coat of Libby over Leia, creating a subdued flecked jelly sandwich. To complete the look, I wanted to play with more textures, so I created my hearts using Zoya PixieDust polish in Arabella.


While I'm not really loving Libby against my skintone, I do love the look of this design! As much as I like the sparkle of Leia, I really like the subtle effect it creates when used in a jelly sandwich.


I was a little unsure of going with a textured PixieDust when I first created this design, but I am so glad I did!


I really enjoyed creating this simple nail art design for Valentine's Day! I have another design in mind, although I'm not sure that I'll be feeling up to creating it if this sickness doesn't pass soon.

Have you created your Valentine's Day nail art look yet? What do you have in mind? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time, dear readers, have a wonderful day!
XO!


Helpful Links
Store: www.zoya.com
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/zoyanailpolish

Connect with me on Social Media!

On Instagram

© Laugh, Love, Contour. Made with love by The Dutch Lady Designs.