N.O.T.D. (Nail of the Day)

This is actually my first NOTD! Yay, me. Okay, so the whole point of this post is to be short and sweet. I like that, it gives me a break from my normally lengthy posts. Here we go...

I'm wearing Orly Berry Blast under the new China Glaze Black Mesh Crackle polish.

Real quickly, let me do a teeny tiny review on the Crackle polishes. :)
I do like them, however, I don't think they're all that "unique" because I remember having these in Elementary School. They are neat, and differet compared to the polishes that have come out recently.
OPI came out with one first, with the Katy Perry Collection, that is called Shatter. China Glaze (the one I'm sporting in the pictures) came out almost immediately after, for about $3.50 cheaper...(it made it really hard to pick which one to buy...)
Anyway, China Glaze released a black, pink, purple, white, grey and teal crackle polish where as OPI only came out with the black. I viewed some CG swatches online and noticed that the colored ones didn't really crackle. They just looked like polishes that have been on for a few days. The black looked good though, so that's the one I bought. I got it mine at Sally's Beauty Supply for $5.

I have a few tips if you're going to wear this, however, based on my own experiences.

• Paint the base coat pretty thick because the crackle will pull the color and make it appear more sheer
• Make sure to lay the crackle on thick because it wont crack right if it's applied too thin.
• I definitely recommend a top coat over the crackle because it can peel easily, being that it is already separated.
• I think if the Black Mesh Crackle was over an orange polish it would look AH-mazing for Halloween!
  
  

As I mentioned earlier, the crackle polish sort of pulls the color underneath...the pink Orly color is much more vibrant on its own. I am really considering buying the white and grey crackle polishes, I just hope they work...

My next NOTD will be a picture and a short caption, I promise!!

Do you have any crackling/shattering polishes?

Do you remember them?

Thoughts? Comment below!

-Liz

MAC Stereo Rose MSF vs. Stila Make Me Blush Cheek Color

I remember it like it was just yesterday, my phone alarm going off at 5am just so I could go online to order the coveted MAC Stereo Rose Mineralize Skinfinish. It was being repromoted with MAC's In the Groove Collection. One I heard how in love with it everyone was and how hard it was to get your hands on, it became a mission of mine to own it. I placed a small order that morning, just Stereo Rose and Jazzed Lipstick, which, oddly enough turned out to be pretty sought after as well. I waited patiently with no confirmation email from MAC all day. Or the next day. Did I order early enough? Why don't they make more of these things!?!

And then, it came. It was everything I'd hoped for (in a blush of course, I'm not that crazy.) And I've cherished it ever since. Stereo Rose is a great blush for every skintone, my go-to cheek color in the summer and, up until tonight, a very unique piece in my collection.

Enter Stila Make Me Blush Cheek Color. Inspired by Conversation Hearts of Valentine's Day, this cheek color is absolutely gorgeous.

Stile MMB and MAC Stereo Rose don't look anything alike to me in the pan. If I hadn't heard someone else on the Internet claim these two to be dupes of each other I'd never put two and two together.

Ready for some comparison shots?

I'm not even going to bother with the prices point of this comparison since you can't find Stereo Rose anywhere other than overpriced on EBay and the Stila blush is part of a set sold online at Sephora (sold out as of now, but hopefully they re-stock!)
The Stereo Rose is .35oz and the Stila MMB is .34oz.

So are they dupes??

In my opinion, yes. I don't think anything is ever 100% the same as something else but these are pretty darn close. The only differences I can spot are that Stereo Rose is a bit more dimensional than the Stila. From different lights it can take on either a more pink, coral or gold tone. Another teeny tiny difference is that the Stila Cheek Color may be a little more orange/rusty colored than Stereo Rose, but it's barely noticeable. I'd say if you couldn't get your hands on Stereo Rose, Stila Make Me Blush Cheek Color would be a great alternative. (Plus, it's cheaper! You can buy this blush by itself at Macy's and on the Stila website for $14)


Does anyone else have both of these products? How to they compare in your opinion?

-Liz

Just in time for Valentine's Day...

What a day it's been! I waiting hours for someone to come take a look at our poor bumpy, sinking mattress, had to book it to work, took my sister to Target, and went to Zumba so when i finally opened my front door and saw a Sephora box, I was overjoyed.


Let's start at the beginning, shall we? Well...while I was browsing the Sephora website fulfilling my guilty pleasure of online shopping as I often to, I came across this Stila love themed gift pack. The set comes with a Blush (compact) called Make Me Blush and two Stila Lip Glazes. I also had a coupon code to get a free deluxe sample of Lancome Bi-Facil Makeup Remover and Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara which I've been dying to try so I couldn't not order! ;)


The lip glazes are basically an extra in this set, seeing how it is only $20 and comes with a full sized limited edition blush.


I'm going to try hard not to review this product just yet, as I just opened it about two hours ago! Warning, this post is photo-heavy!

Pinks and golds and corals-Oh My!

The gold color on top of the "conversation hearts" is simply an over spray.

 

 

Bye-Bye gold! :(

First Swipe

First, second and third swipes...just keeps getting better!



The Lip Glazes are .05oz, full size are .08oz. Full size Lip Glazes are $22 a pop!

Kisses is described as a "creamy rose" and I'd say that's pretty accurate. Very wearable.

Nice place for a "made in China" sticker, huh?

Kisses swatched heavily on top and sheered out (but still very pigmented!) underneath.

Hugs is described as a "sparkling red."  Very sparkly, indeed. I think it has a bit of pink tone to it as well.

The names of these two colors should be reversed if you ask me!

This color was so gorgeous I didn't even want to take the swatch off!

Well what can I say? I'm so glad i purchased this set when I did because as of right now it's sold out on Sephora.com. I hope they get more in because this is a really unique gift set, in my opinion. It's a great deal for the price and the product. I will be doing another post about the cheek color because I've heard it's a dupe for the coveted Stereo Rose...we shall see!
The only gripe I have about this Make Me Blush Set, or any Stila Lip Glazes, for that matter, is that they are extremely sticky and very expensive for what you actually get. Just .08oz of product will cost you a steep $22. Also, you have to twist the applicator to get the product to start coming out about 40 times, which leaves you wasting most of it because of how fast it comes out of the top with no warning. Stila has never been my favorite brand for lip gloss but with how inexpensive and gorgeous these two colors were, I can deal with the stickey-ness!


Have any of you tried this set out? What do you think?

-Liz

Hard Candy Beetle Nail Polish

I vaguely remember Hard Candy polishes being sold in big 90's protective plastic packaging at Costco several years ago. I can picture all different colored bottles with matching plastic rings on the top. They were so cool. 

Not much has changed about Hard Candy polishes. They are still cool, still have awesome colors and still come with that plastic chunky ring on the top.

I recently purchased my first Hard Candy Nail Polish, named Beetle. I've heard this color is a dupe for Orly's Space Cadet. I can't vouch for that, seeing as how I don't own the Orly version...but this color is very unique to my growing collection. The closest thing I have to this is is The Show Must Go On from the OPI Burlesque collection, except that TSMGO is pink and orange duochrome.

This color is rare and pretty in my opinion. I'd describe it as a purple/green duochrome with glitter. I was disappointed at first, because the polish in the bottle is gorgeous but each coat is extremely sheer. It looks like a very sheer olive green with chunks of glitter. I had to paint a good four coats to make it look similar to how it looks in the bottle.

With that being said, it is an amazing shade. I'm glad i found it because I missed out on the Orly one and Beetle was pretty cheap at only $4.00.

Looks more on the green side with no flash

Looks strictly purple in the bottle with flash

No flash

 I can't speak of the longevity or wear of this polish...I've only have it on for about two hours. But I can already tell I love it!

What are your favorite duo-chrome polishes?

Stuck in a rut?

Hey there!

I have been severely slacking on videos lately...well actually on everything. I've been in kind of a funk this past month. I"m not feeling the whole fresh start for the new year thing. But I'm trying...

So I only lost a total of two pounds this year. I'm following Weight Watchers except a few choice days when I decided not to track. I've been attending Zumba regularly. I want it, I do.

It's not a matter of lacking knowledge or resources to get to my goal. It's a will power/motivation thing. I have all the knowledge about living a healthy lifestyle and losing all the weight in the world. I know not to eat past 7pm, what foods to stay away from. I know that I have to workout daily and change up my routine. I just need to get my but in motion!

It's a weird feeling really, it's like when you say "If I had a treadmill; I'd use it every day!" No, you wouldn't. You might for a week. Or every once in a while. But having it at your fingertips sometimes isn't enough to make you do things you don't like to do.

I hate exercising. Let me rephrase that...I despise exercising. I only do it because I know I'll get results and it's good for me. I am just not an exercising type of person, I get bored very easily.
Zumba has helped with this a lot, though, because I do love Zumba. Like our instructor, Derrica, says "Ditch the workout, join the party!" It's a blast but it's also very hard and I Zumba about 2-3 times a week now.


Okay, let's talk goals. Missions, destinations, objections, targets...GOALS.
GOAL #1 Writing all goals down. This will help me know that they are on paper, other people will read them...so it will be harder for me to ignore them.
GOAL #2 Make goals that aren't impossible to keep up with and/or achieve.
GOAL #3 As of today, I'm done eating past 7pm. The only exceptions being a) if I'm starving, I'll allow myself fruit or a weight watchers ice cream and b) if I'm out to dinner late one night, which shouldn't be very often. ( And I'll try to be good while I'm there.)
GOAL #4 Lose 2 lbs per week. I'd be ecstatic if I lost 3 per week but I know that is a great feat in itself so I'll be happy with 2. I want to keep losing and get off the "lost a pound, put on two, lost three pounds, put two back on" cycle I'm currently experiencing.
GOAL #5 Track all food i eat. No matter what.
And finally...GOAL #6 WORK OUT. Either do my Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD, Bob Harper DVD, Yoga DVD or Zumba at least 3 days a week.

The reason for the 2-3 lb per week goal is because I'm one of 12 bridesmaids in my good friend's wedding September 10th, 2011. I am hoping to be to my goal weight (135) by then...but I realize that may be extremely difficult. But hey, that's what "goals" are.


Alright...I hope this entertained  or motivated anyone who is in the same boat I'm in, let's do this together!

-Liz

Review: MFW Mask

So along with my new favorite lotion, my January Birchbox also had a sheet mask to try. I've never tried a sheet mask before so I was pretty excited.

MFW (My Face Works) is a company based in Canada that specializes in face masks. They have several different kinds but the one I received in my Birchbox was called I need to heal and was a water based aloe-vera mask.

The website states that this mask helps sooth and heal irritated skin, enhances the skins glow and luminosity, provides instant hydration to the skin and has concentrated ingredients that are soaked in a non-woven fabric, the most widely-used mask cloth, with good firmness. The two key ingredients are Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice - Skin repairing properties, increasing the resilience of the skin and Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Extract - Moisturizing properties for ultra soft skin with soothing properties.

According to the website this mask is Great for calming stressed skin that has been exposed under extreme weather conditions, has a cooling sensation will tame and hydrate sensitive skin without irritation and is suitable for Sensitive and Normal to Dry Skin. Does this deliver all it claims to? Let's find out!

I know, creepy, right?!

Alright, so just as a preface, I removed my makeup, washed my face thoroughly and exfoliated before I put this mask on and besides the fact that I resemble Michael Myers, it felt amazing on my skin. At this time of year, I need extra hydration, especially around my eyes, nose and mouth so I was anxious to try this out. It's been in the single digits and having the heat on 24/7 really dries out a girl's skin!

The smell of this mask was just ok. It had a bit of a fresh smell but it was kind of strong and not my favorite type. It wasn't offensive though. The mask is wet when you take it out of the package and it was pretty cold which felt fantastic. I have pretty acne-prone and sensitive skin. The website says not to use the mask if you have severe acne-which I don't-but I'm hoping it doesn't break me out like the website promises.

The website adhered to my face pretty well and about 15 minutes after putting it on, began to dry out and not stick as well to my face. The package says to wear this for mask for 15-20 minutes. When I took it off my skin felt very hydrated and not tight at all. Almost like my skin but better! There's no need to rinse after this mask, you just massage the extra liquid into your skin.

I'd have to give this mask an A! The whole experience was very soothing and relaxing. My face has never felt smoother! I'm very glad I got to try one out! I'll update if I experience any sort of irritation from this MFW Mask. :)

Thanks for reading! Have you ever tried a MFW Mask?

-Liz

Ace or Disgrace 2, Items I'm Lusting Over, Trashy TV and more.

Wow, December 20th was the last time I posted a blog. Bad Biz, Bad.


Now that the scolding is over, I have a few things to write down.


First off, let me just say that just because it isn't Christmas anymore, doesn't mean I haven't stopped making wishlists. In fact, more and more things I want keep popping up on my windows desktop post-it note.

1. A pair of Nude Coach heels. 



2. A webcam

3. Flowerbomb Perfume

4. I'm really wanting Facebook to create the "Dislike" button and for text messages to have bold, italics and underline text options. Sometimes I need to make more of a point than capitalizing an entire word.

5. And of course, every new makeup item that happens to come out in 2011. But that's it.

Alright, it's time for another In's and Out's...or as I like to call them, Aces or Disgraces.

Ace

• Flowy duvet covers that have you dreaming about the next time you can lay down in bed all day.

• All the new drugstore makeup that's coming out this winter/spring. I'm super excited for the new Wet n Wild palettes and the Natural Neutrogena skincare line.
• The Trashy TV! We are T-37 minutes until the season premiere of Teen Mom 2. I can't wait. I'm also excited for Tosh.0 :)
• This blog. Writing always makes me feel better, I need to do it more often.

Disgrace

• Not getting that job I was really hoping for. I wanted it so bad I barely even told anyone about my quest. Oh well, that must mean there are other opportunities ahead!
• The freakin' weather in Michigan.

• Forgetting absolutely everything lately. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'll have to remember to take more B12. Oh, wait...
• My skin being extremely dry and itchy...I think I can blame the weather for this one as well.
• People who won't make decisions for themselves. This is obviously coming from a hurting place inside me...I won't get into it...I just wish people could think for themselves and not let others sway them as much.
• The next door neighbor kids who do nothing but leave their house and come back to their house. Seriously, they leave for no more than 90 seconds. And they leave like every hour on the hour! I'm not exaggerating. Where are they going? Why does one person have to shut four car doors as loud as they can? Sit still! End rant.
• And finally...when commercials are louder than the show. Seriously, I thought someone was on this?!

So we now have 28 minutes until Teen Mom (a.k.a the highlight of my night week) so maybe I can give y'all a little update? With Weight Watchers, they overhauled their system and now have a new PointsPlus Program. The same concept just with a different formula. I lost another 2 pounds since I last talked at you guys...which still only puts me at a total weight loss of 9.5 lbs. I was happy that I only gained two during the holidays ( I hear the average is 7) but upset that I haven't lost more. I do Zumba about once a week...but I really need to step it up. And I need to force myself to write down everything I eat on WW so I can keep better track. I have been eating healthy though lately, and I'm proud of that. My ultimate goal is to lose all my weight by September, which is my friend's wedding. I know it can be done, I've seen the kids on "I Used to be Fat" do it...I just need to push harder and workout wayyyy more often.

Well, that is all. I hope you guys enjoy reading and I will leave you with my favorite commercial of the moment. See you soon, promise!

-Liz