Miso-Happy

Nude Zebra Nails

2012-01-28T01:00:00.001-05:00

Lately I have turned to looks and such that are on the neutral and subtly bold side. Thus, I created this animal print color combination (probably nothing new really, heh) which took several different attempts as to which polishes worked best with the Konad stamper.

Base Color: 10 Professional Nail Lacquer in Moonlight (2-3 Coats)

Konad Zebra Print Nail Stamp: Sally Hansen in Blackout

Top Coat: OutTheDoor in Clear (1 Coat)

Pumpkin Pie Pudding Recipe

2012-01-27T01:00:00.041-05:00

This is just an easy desert recipe I came up with this past weekend, my mom and dad both enjoyed it so I figured I'd share it on here.

Ingredients
1 Package - Jello Vanilla Pudding
1 tbsp - Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tbsp - Vanilla Extract
10 Cookies - Nilla Waffers (finely crushed)
2 cups - Milk (I used 2%)
2 tbsp - butter (melted)

Crust
Combine the melted butter and crushed Nilla Wafers. Press the mix firmly into the bottom of a cup or small bowl.

Pudding
Make the vanilla pudding according to the box directions and mix in the pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract into the milk and pudding mixture before you begin the boiling process. Once the mixture has been brought to a boil slowly pour it over top your crust. Let chill in the fridge 15 minutes or longer (my mom liked this when it still had a bit of warmth to it). Eat and Enjoy!

*Makes 3 of these in my Margarita glasses.

Decor Shopping at Target

2012-01-26T01:00:00.011-05:00

I went over to Target last weekend and came across sooo many cute things that I really wanted to buy! However, all I ended up buying was one of these cute red Chinese fu dog bookends (yeaaa.. for celebrating Chinese New Year!)... I might regret not having bought its mate later, heh. I guess the Target fu dogs also come in other colors but I only saw the red ones at my local store. I also found that CWonder is currently selling the same fu dogs as a 2 set for $58 (with shipping is an additional $8.50) and they come in 4 different colors (so yea, it's much pricier there too).

Whoaaa... can I buy this entire isle at Target? LOL! I just loooove nearly everything :D I def wanna go back though and get the chevron throw pillows.

Speaking of CWonder I purchased 2 ikat bowls in navy blue on their website, I just had to have them after viewing soooo many ikat patterns online all week (see my inspo for this splurge)! IDK, I'm just totally addicted to ikat designs right now! I'm also thinking of making a trip out to IKEA for some things... oh, and plus its a total WIN for me because I'm meeting my recent love interest over that way too, woot!

CWonder.com

A trip to Mayport Naval Station

2012-01-25T01:00:00.001-05:00

For those that don't know I was born a Navy brat however, that was fairly short lived and now a friend of mine happens to be in the Navy. So a few weeks ago we both decided to meet-up before he went "under-way" as they say in the Navy (it pays to have flight benefits BTW ;P). It was also nice to get away from the 14F weather we were having in DC as Jacksonville, FL was a nice sunny 70F... I needed a mini vay-k anyway.

Going to the Mayport Naval Station is pretty cool really... especially since they have practically everything a person could need without really having to venture off base. From rental car service, to a WIFI billiard bar, an on-site hotel, a chapel and church, rental car service, bowling alley, and my personal favorite while there... the beach ;) Our last night together was spent snapping night photos along the moon-lit beach, walking down to St. Johns Light Station and relaxing on the sand... the pics were pretty cool looking and he happens to have one of the number 1 and most popular cameras right now... the Nikon D90 (pshh... leave it to me the recent camera enthusiast to know that, hah).

The diet of a bachelor living on base seemed to consist of bologna and cheese sandwiches (to which I hadn't had a bologna sandwich in forever!). They also seem to love bacon... I mean, what crazy person doesn't?? Haha. The beer of choice in his shared hotel style room... Stella Artois, which I personally think has an odd beef jerky taste to it. Interestingly enough for a guy that use to DJ back in college and listened to underground hip hop he now finds himself listening to electronic, techno and ambient type of music... Kaskade being one of his favorites (which is nice, relaxing, and a bit meditative). His split hotel style room is shared with several guys (4 in total)... one whom I happened to catch texting on his bed while in his boxers... oppsie, better knock next time, haha.

If you're hoping for photo's well... my 2 year old cellphone battery expired shortly after I got to JAX airport which was a bit lucky but unfortunate as well :P If my friend emails me the photos we took on his camera than I'll post them up here for you to see.

Teen Vogue Cutout Inspo

2012-01-24T01:00:00.002-05:00

For some reason an issue of Teen Vogue arrived at my house recently... so after browsing through the images I cutout the items that perhaps appealed to me the most.

Click Image to Enlarge

Various shades of nail polish...from a chunky orange glitter to funky crackle colors, and shades of nude to bright blue. Robin Egg colored clothing and jewelry, to orange sunglasses and makeup. White lace mixed with orange-red's. Pin-Up Pumps and Snakeskin Booties. Susie Bubbles must have perfume followed by her white camera addictions. Kate Moss's puffy hair-do to twisted braids.

Recent Miscellaneous Item Haul

2012-01-23T01:54:00.000-05:00

I mostly wanted to share some new items I have gotten recently... I don't really follow any trends for the most part and I'm not overly obsessed with fashion like I am by cosmetics. I just try to buy things I enjoy that make me happy and fit :) However, there are a few others online whose style I can often relate to or feel inspired by... This Chicks Got Style (I like how she has basic staple pieces but also has a stand out piece to her outfits), Ballet and Pink Roses (I think her style works nicely for my age, and I currently love her natural makeup looks via YouTube), and a recent one I found is Mariannan.

Click to Enlarge Image

-Silver Chunky Sparkle Jordana Nail Polish - Kmart (I haven't tried this yet but it seems like a trending color right now, Essie has a similar one out)

-Olay with Touch of Foundation - Target (I'm on my second bottle of this stuff, I like it so much better than there "Touch of Sun" version)

-Glade Candle in Water Blossoms - Kmart (I bought this because I love the aerosol spray in this stuff but the candle was disappointing and smells a bit masculine to me)

-Revlon Lash Glue - Drugstore.com (I got this because I think I might be allergic to Ardell's latex lash glue and this stuff worked fine for me)

-White Watch - WetSeal (this was free during WetSeal's Black Friday sale when you spent a certain amount of money)

-Black Lace Ballet Flats - Kmart (these are my first pair of ballet flats, they're cute but I'm still unsure if I really like ballet flats in general... I look too short :P)

-Long Gold Earrings - WetSeal (these are too long and heavy for my personal taste and at some point I'll mod these to about half the length and perhaps make a bracelet out of the other one, these match a necklace I got from Target awhile back)

-Feather Earrings - (I think my mom got these at Rugged Warehouse and they're pretty cute)

-Imoshion Black Faux Fur Purse - TJMaxx (I'm really liking this brand of purse which is why I got this cute furry handbag, my other Imoshion purse has really held up as my everyday bag)

-Black Vest with Leopard Print Collar - Kmart (For some reason I couldn't resist this vest, I think I found the leopard collar appealing, hah)

-Big Black Tote Bag - TJMaxx (originally $110 I got it for $60 and thought this would be a cute alternative for my purple Target tote that I use for school, it also came with a wallet)

-White Washcloths - TJMaxx (I needed some new washcloths and these were a good deal :P )

-Black and White Skirt - WetSeal (yes, I have a bit of a bum due to my Spanish side I guess, hahah...)

DIY Lomography Tutorial

2012-01-22T00:53:00.001-05:00

This weekend I attempted giving digital images a lomo makeover using the edit feature in the Windows Live Photo Gallery program. I came up with this tutorial myself so let me know what you think or how this worked out for you.

Before and After

Adjust Detail
Step 1: Reduce noise by clicking analyze and reduce it as much as possible (right), do not sharpen the image (left).
Adjust Color
Step 2: Reduce tint to a low faded resolution as much as possible (left).
Step 3: Raise the color temperature almost all the way up (right).
Step 4: Lower the saturation to where the image starts to look faded and almost gray in color (left).
Adjust Exposure
Step 5: Increase the shadows as much as possible (left).
Step 6: Increase the Highlight slightly but don't completely wash out the image (right).
Step 7: Brightness might increase slightly (right).
Step 8: Contrast might decrease slightly (left).
Save Image and Start Adjusting again...
Adjust Color
Step 9: Slightly increase the color temp (right).
Step 10: Slightly increase saturation (right).
Step 11: Very slightly increase tint (right).
Adjust Exposure
Step 12: Reduce shadows slightly (left).
Step 13: Increase highlights slightly (right).

Note: Keep in mind if your image is not as bright as this one started out then the settings could vary.

Dollar Tree Haul

2012-01-16T03:34:00.003-05:00

One store I use to dread being dragged to when I was younger...the Dollar Tree. Now that I'm older I actually find some okay stuff so... don't knock it till ya tried it, haha. It pays to save!

My slightly intoxicated face ;P

Using the L.A. Colors palette in Trendy, I created the above look (not the best pic to see the makeup on, bleh). Also in this pic was my first time ever wearing false lashes out...I didn't do the best job applying them and I still don't find these Ardell lashes (Black 137) to be dramatic enough to make much impact to my natural lashes. These Ardell lashes were also some of the most dramatic ones I could find at CVS. So, where the heck do Vegas show girls get their lashes cuz those might work better for my personal preference???! Heh.

Dollar Tree Haul

From left to right here are the Dollar Tree items I picked up.... I got the 6 set L.A. Colors palette called Eye Candy, these seem best applied via finger method. I also got the trio palette called Lemon Grove and I love the green shade in this thus far. I got the neutral 12 palette in Trendy as I mentioned earlier. I bought 3 e.l.f. eyelid primers because... they were only a dollar each (obviously right) and I'm having high hopes for the stuff (thus I stocked up) ;D I also bought a facial scrubber... not an item I'd use everyday but rather as needed with my facial cleanser.

I was surprised to find the L.A. Colors eyeshadow aren't too bad at all really...a little chalky so you may get some "fall-out" and soft in texture, I'd pick these over the e.l.f. eyeshadows any day. Dollar Tree also had the older style Almay eyeshadow trios which are pretty decent as well...matter of fact I went to Wal-Mart afterwards and came across a lady who was wondering about the Dollar Tree's makeup as well...so I definitely helped her out (every time I'm in the makeup isles lately it seems someone is asking my advice... always happy to help, hehe).

Famous Baked BBQ Wings

2012-01-11T03:04:00.011-05:00

This recipe of mine is pretty basic and easy, but I love how my wings turn out and I love this Famous Dave's BBQ sauce although you could also use your own favorite BBQ sauce.

Ingredients
3lbs (or one dozen) of Chicken Wings
1 bottle (20oz) of Famous Dave's Sweet and Zesty BBQ Sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Using a large bowl pour most of the BBQ sauce into it as needed and fully coat each wing in the sauce.
3. Set wings in a single layer upside down on a large baking pan (cover pan in aluminum foil for easier clean-up). Use two pans if you have to.
4. Bake the chicken wings for about 30 minutes (until halfway cooked). Remove from oven, flip the wings over on the pan (you may want to drain off any excess chicken grease in the pan at this time), and spoon over some additional BBQ sauce on top. Continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes or until fully cooked.
5. Remove the wings from the oven. Eat and Enjoy!

*I like my wings to look dark in color but if you want them less blackened looking than add the sauce onto the wings after about 45 minutes of cooking instead of starting them out fully coated in BBQ sauce. I think one 20oz bottle of BBQ sauce could probably do around 6lb of chicken wings. If you like the typical American restaurant style BBQ Sauce which is more on the spicy side rather than sweet try Franks RedHot Sauce as this is generally what's used (I know that since a friend of mine is a chef).

Food Arrest

2011-12-30T05:41:00.001-05:00

I recently had a check-up with my doctor and she wasn't pleased with my 20lb gain over the past 2 years and told me "I'm putting you on a diet... and I want you to walk 10,000 steps a day... so get a pedometer". To which I then tried to throw a math problem at her by asking "so if I walk 10,000 steps a day at 3mph, how long would I have to walk"... she thought for a second and told me "I don't know, you do the math", LOL. So to simplify this math problem... if I walk 1 step per second than that's 60 steps a minute... so 60 x 60 is 3600 steps an hour... which means I'd have to do nearly 3 hours of walking a day (booooya doctor lady!! hah).

Now if you're like whoaaa that's a lot of walking... I'm not a gym rat which is why a pedometer comes into play as it'll count how much I move/walk throughout the course of a day at work or where ever I go. So now I feel as though I'm on food arrest or something as I have to sport a pedometer where ever I go so that I can basically be tracked (much like a person on house arrest, heh). Not to mention I'm having to start dieting again and well... I obviously have an idea of what not to eat... its just a matter of sticking to a healthy diet that I semi loath, bleh.

In case there were any dis-believers, here's proof!

On the upside my mom is proud that I have a positive outlook on this... and why wouldn't I? I only have myself to blame for eating cr*p food and having a lack of self control at times, pfff. Besides, I want to lose weight and having the doctor tell me to do something, well... it gives me a professionals nudge to what I've been needing to hear. So, lets get physical ;) physically fit you pervs! haha.

*Add this to my New Years resolution list*

Milani Polish in Gems

2011-12-13T03:04:00.000-05:00

I recently purchased the Milani polish in Gems (530) as it seems to be a trending type of polish this fall. Gems is a clear based chunky glitter with multi colors consisting of gold, silver, fuchsia, green, blue, red, and orange. It has small and big chunky hexagon shaped glitters that are all multi colored in the same fashion. Upon application I found this is best applied in a glopping type of method rather than doing brush strokes in order to get even glitter coverage on the nail, so in that aspect this polish can be one you perhaps love or hate. I always find removing chunky glitter polish to be a bigger headache than application ;D However, I think this is a really cute, fun, and festive polish... nice for Christmas, New Years Eve and even Birthday celebrations.

Milani in Gems polish swatch

Char Siu Marinade Recipe

2011-12-12T04:14:00.001-05:00

First off...I'm not exactly sure how to make char siu marinade or if there's a more correct way etc. of doing it. However, I have used a packet char siu marinade mix before and thus tried to recreate the mix with the ingredients that it said were in it. Anywhooo... I made this recipe and it came out pretty decent so I used it to marinade some chopped up Spam Lite for 30 minutes. I basically just eyed the measurements for the most part so you may want to add or take some things from my recipe. If you're unsure about adding the red food coloring in this than you don't have to but it is generally the traditional color of the marinade as the meat should turn red in color. My Chinese friend and I always say or think something along the lines of "if it isn't red, than it isn't good char siu", haha.

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1/2 Cup - Water
1/2 Cup - Soy Sauce (I used Kikkoman Low Sodium Soy Sauce)
1/4 Cup - White Sugar
1 tbsp - Chinese Five Spice
1tsp - Garlic Powder
1tsp - Onion Powder
10 drops - Red Food Dye/Coloring *Optional*

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Combine ingredients into a big plastic Ziploc bag, you should see the sugar dissolve. Place meat of choice into the bag (pork, chicken, ribs, etc) and close/zip shut. Marinade for at least 30 minutes or overnight, be sure to move bag around to insure the meat inside gets covered in the marinade as this will more than likely turn your meat a red color (if you used the food coloring). Once the meat has been marinated cook appropriately and enjoy.

*When I fried up my marinated chopped spam pieces I poured out everything in the Ziploc bag into my frying pan and cooked on medium heat for 7-12 minutes up until all the excess marinade had basically evaporated. I serve this on top of or mixed in with cooked rice and adding some fried chopped up spring onion could really add a nice touch to this. You could also try adding some or all of the following additional ingredients to this recipe like... hoisin sauce, finely ground black pepper, ground cumin, garlic salt, honey, sherry or rice wine, or ground/grated ginger. I think if I had added the honey to my recipe I would've gotten that traditional thick shiny glaze that I think this marinade may have needed... but until I make this again, it is what it is for now :P

My Thanksgiving Break

2011-12-06T23:43:00.001-05:00

I've been a bit busy lately with things but I'm finally back and posting again :P I decided to take some time off of work for Thanksgiving week however, I didn't make any travel plans (although I had been thinking of going to San Francisco and I probably could have went, grr..) and ended up trying to find things to do with all my free time...

I managed to watch two new movies...Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1 (or Breaking Womb as some people have been saying, LOL) and also J. Edgar (not my pick to watch but my dad wanted to see it). I really wanted to see the movie The Descendants but for some reason not many theatres around here are showing it??? WTHeck! Aside from movies I found out that one of the sushi places (Asian Garden) I go to around town (ok...the ONLY decent sushi place around this town) had NOT actually went out of business but had moved a lil bit down the street. OH! I did manage to find another sushi place (well, they serve a mix of Asian cuisine and are a bit world traveler with the music selection) and although I didn't try the sushi I did get some decent and made-to-order shrimp pad thai (although, 99% of the deserts are store bought) and I'll def be checking out Kazu again in the near future.

I even had time to meet up with a new net friend of mine and we ate a horrible meal at AppleBees where I got the Dijon Chicken with Mushrooms... so, I'm def not going back anytime soon :P My Thanksgiving day was spent with my dads family, good times as usual. Aside from getting my 7 math assignments completed during the break I also built an outdoor cat house with my dads' friend (sorry, no pics yet) and it took us around 5 hours to build, but it doesn't look like I'll be painting it...eh, idk. Anywhooo...his cat Squekers figured out what it was and now enjoys snoozing inside it ;D

I also went to The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, MD and there was sooo much art and artifacts that I did start to get a bit bored of it after awhile, heh. However, it was interesting to view the pamphlets of Archimedes as I learned that it was made from animal skin and has gone through tons of damage like... water, fire, wine spills, WWI, restoration, overlapped writing, candle wax, bad storage conditions, and riddled with bacteria (gross huh?). I also got to eat at G and M restaurant while out that way and the cream of crab soup was pretty tasty, similar to a she-crab soup.

Last but not least I also got in some web and store shopping during Black Friday and throughout the holiday weekend. Got a great deal on a tablet (early x-mas gift from my dad) and I bought myself a flat screen tv...which is pretty sweet, buuuut...I don't want to gloat or whatever since I'm feeling uber broke now, eheh. I also realized that it's the first tv I've ever actually purchased, as the ones in my past were either my parents old tv or handed down to me by someone else. So, maybe when I get some more $$$ I can afford to buy a wall mount, eheh (x.x)... no hurry. I have also been watching older movies recently on my free month of Netflix, since it means catching up on movies I have been meaning to watch that are no longer available at RedBox :P

Dieting - Second Week

2011-11-16T00:24:00.000-05:00

This second week has gone by so fast and I did start straying off my diet during this second week but I managed to get my weight back down to its lowest point of last week so, I am back on the weight loss train with 5.6lb off me (grr...stay off weight!). My first weight loss goal will be reached when I lose another 3.6lb (I make small personal goals, one at a time), then hopefully I won't feel as tubby but I still have a longggg way to go before reaching a normal healthy weight range (hoping I can last that long, heh). I also caught up on my exercise which, I didn't do the 20min a day for 3days as planned (ugh, procrastination) but I did a 40min day and a 20min day so that caught me up for my 2nd week (I think my bum looks better with the walking too, haha), I still have to do my 1hr a week workout for this week though. I'm sure I'll probably end up straying on my diet again during Thanksgiving which is just around the corner so, I really need to keep pushing the diet now more than ever.

Dieting - First Week

2011-11-08T02:25:00.000-05:00

As some of you may already know (if you follow me on Twitter) I have recently started a calorie counting diet. It hasn't even been a week yet and I've lost nearly 5lb. I try to keep my calories in the normal range of how many calories I should be consuming for a healthy weight range for myself which is between 1270-1470 calories. I don't like to have an exact set point for my calories as I think its better to have more of a range as to not hit a pause in my weight loss and to keep my body guessing a bit . I also don't eat the exact same things and portions every day as I think it's good to mix it up and keep your body guessing, and also to not get bored and tired of dieting or depriving my body of certain foods (in hopes of curving cravings as well).

This is one of my favorite quick breakfast meals to make thus far...

1 Cup Rice Chex cereal = 100 Cal
1/2 Cup Milk (I use 2% but you could use 1% or something else if you want fewer calories) = 65 Cal
1 Medium Banana (7inch), Sliced = 105 Cal
1TBSP Ground Cinnamon = 17 Cal

Total Calories = 287

If you're wondering... "why aren't you exercising?", actually I am just starting out by cutting my calories and getting my body use to my calorie cut the first week, because if I cut my calories plus workout I will be cutting more calories... I'd prefer to take things slow and let my body/mind adjust to one big change at a time. Once I do start working-out I am going to keep it simple for now by just walking 20 minutes a day 3 times a week (which is an hour of exercise a week). Sure, I could walk for an hour once a week but I think it is more beneficial to break it up in segments so my body doesn't go through long workout lulls, and as to not cut too many calories in one day... nor do I want to keep my workouts too incredibly short (just do what works for you at your own pace/life-style, although I'd recommend starting slow).

As for other things to add to this post... it takes a lot of mental discipline on my part to keep myself from wanting to overeat beyond the calories I've set for myself but it seems easier everyday. Everyday that I do good by not going over my calorie limit really just boosts my confidence and self control/discipline in myself. So, to anyone else out there wanting to start dieting... just keep faith in yourself, take baby steps, don't try to stress yourself over it (do it for you and nothing else) and try to gain control over what you're putting into your body. You CAN do it!

Maybelline Baby Lips - Review

2011-11-06T18:55:00.003-05:00

I had watched a YouTube review (can't remember who it was) on Maybelline Baby Lips and decided to purchase the recommended shade/flavor called Pink Punch.

It's a cute shade for spring although I'm not sure the color is uber flattering on myself (probably looks best with some pink blush on the cheeks). I do find it moisturizing (lasting well over an hour but not 8 hours as advertised) and it is nice that it has SPF 20. For a chapstick type of product it does have nice pigmentation in the colored ones, especially for being a bit sheer. The scent is of fruit punch although a bit artificial smelling, I can detect some citrus and berry notes in it. The packaging for Pink Punch is pretty cute with its bubble gum pink and yellow lipstick dispenser, very youthful and girly :P I probably wouldn't buy this shade again, perhaps one of the clear shades I might though and then just wear regular gloss/lipstick over top.

MAC Dupes

2011-10-30T03:32:00.000-04:00

This weekend I decided to try and find a few MAC dupes using eyeshadows I currently own, enjoy ;)

MAC Next to Nothing - Maybelline Quad in Designer Chocolates (Lid shade)

The Maybelline one is slightly more tan/gold while Next to Nothing is a bit more white. I think I actually prefer Maybelline's color although these two shades are very similar and I have "hit pan" on both eyeshadows.

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MAC Dark Edge - Revlon Rich Sable

These two shades are very similar although Rich Sable may have slightly more red to it, I do feel this is a nice dupe regardless. Over the two colors... I actually prefer the MAC because I think it applies soft/smooth during application and the Revlon feels a bit dry/chalky in texture and applies a bit more unevenly.

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MAC Tempting - Maybelline Urban Brown

Urban brown applies a bit more dark than Tempting, the shade may look drastically more dark in one of the photo's but in person if you applied this on your lids, I really don't think you'd notice much difference between the two. Tempting does appear to have more shimmer to it than Urban Brown but once swatched I couldn't really notice a difference in shimmer. I think Urban Brown applies slightly better than Tempting as it's more pigmented, and I had to build up Tempting's color a bit to look as intense as Urban Brown. I do feel this is a good dupe if you're wanting to darken Tempting as much as the Urban Brown, but if you want a shade that starts off lighter but can go darker than choose Tempting, although you could probably blend out (or apply less) Urban Brown to appear lighter.

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I Dream of Greenie

2011-10-28T01:49:00.002-04:00

I recently purchased Wet N Wild's "I Dream of Greenie" trio, so I decided to share my swatches. The top shade is the browbone color which is a sheer green but appears more blue to me. The center shade is the crease color which I think looks nice with the browbone shade, and for some reason this color is a bit chalky/flaky during application. The bottom shade is the eyelid color which is a lovely pigmented lime green with yellow shimmer and it's definitely the stand-out shade in this trio.

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I was curious to see if my MAC Sharp eyeshadow was similar to the Wet N Wild bottom eyelid shade but it really wasn't what I'd consider a dupe as Sharp is much more yellow than it is green and it does not contain the yellow shimmer like the WnW one. The last swatch here is a combination of both colors.

EyeShadow Dupe List

2011-10-26T21:35:00.075-04:00

A work in progress!

Here you can hopefully find the closest possible dupes for different eyeshadows (primarily for MAC) and a link to all credited pages for the dupe/s, enjoy!
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Urban Decay Chopper- Wet N Wild Dancing in the Clouds Trio (Bottom)
Urban Decay Flash - Wet N Wild Dancing in the Clouds Trio (Middle)
Urban Decay Maui Wowie - Wet N Wild Dancing in the Clouds Trio (Top)
Urban Decay Smog - Wet N Wild Comfort Zone (Left Side, Crease)

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For more possible dupes you can checkout this list here! For more possible WnW dupes click here and here. If you have any great dupes you'd like to submit/share just leave a comment with a link to the pictured page and I'll try to get it added to this list, thanks in advance :)

2012 Spring Makeup Looks

2011-10-03T04:11:00.000-04:00

Here are a few spring makeup looks for 2012!

My favorite of this lot of photos is the retro blue cat eye (top and middle far left images), the top image there is done by Monique Lhullier for MAC. I'm not sure the champagne gold type of color she used on the lids but the black eyeliner is MAC PRO Chromaline Creme Liner in Black and the blue used is MAC ChromaCake in Marine Ultra.

I think my go-to type of look for next year would be more like the bottom middle image but minus the heavy black eyeshadow on the bottom lid and perhaps opt to line the lower waterline instead (Also, on myself personally...I dislike looking too raccoon-ish like the bottom right image). Also... decent black eyeshadow with no fallout is hard to come-by so I'd probably opt to use a black shade stick over some primer on the lid.

I also really like the top right image which is probably done by using those stick-on eyeshadows although, I'd be afraid to mess it up during the application process and end up with a smudged mess...unless this is more like a stick-on eye tattoo type of product which honestly would be a bit genius especially since stick-on tats could last for a few days.

As for the bold lip color trend done by MAC in the center right image, I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable being that bold with lip color so I think I'd opt for a nice pale matte barbie pink lipstick like Wet N Wild in Think Pink (901B) instead which, I think would look cute with a clean lined light gray dramatic cat-eye (think Amy Winehouse).

Home Decor DIY's

2011-09-24T08:00:00.011-04:00

The last week or so I've been doing some home DIY's which weren't too difficult to do but something to help pass the time.

I love chevron style decor!

I had this big generic looking wood framed cork-board in my closet which I had used to tack up my earrings before and I decided to give it a good 7hr makeover :P I used a big bottle of acrylic white paint and a small bottle of dark gray paint (yes, the cheap stuff works fine) which I got from Wal-Mart and Michael's. I made a 6 x 3 1in thick "L" shaped stencil and then traced out the pattern onto my cork-board once my 4 coats of white paint (big sponge brush used for that) had dried. Then I hand painted (2 different sized flat square paint brush's used) where I had traced my stencil lines and filled it in with the dark gray paint.

Quick and Easy Vanity Tray

I found this symmetrical black picture frame from TJMAXX the other day and decided to turn it into a small vanity tray. I removed the stand from the back of the frame and cut out a piece of scrapbook paper to put into the frame. I used a piece of cardboard to replace the stand I had removed, clipped it into place and it was finished, easy. You could even wrap or frame a thin piece of fabric over the glass frame as another option to do this project.

Gyaru Inspired Eye Makeup

2011-09-23T23:17:00.000-04:00

Generally Gyaru style makeup consists of circle contact lenses and over-exaggerated false lashes however, the look I did (below) does not consist of either of those.

Eye Primer: Loreal Decrease

All Over Eye Base Color: Revlon Skinlights (first shade on left of palette) and Maybelline in Almond Satin (lightest shade) over top.

Lid: MAC in Sharp, apply at the outside of the lid and blend it out going toward the inside of the lid.

Outer V and Crease: MAC in Dark Edge, apply at the outside of the lid and blend it up into the crease going toward the inner eye (cat eye the outer V line to come straight out rather then upward).

Lower Lid: MAC in Dark Edge, you want to follow the top cat eye line but don't connect the two together (you want a small gap between them) and blend out the line going toward the inner eye. You also don't want the eyeshadow near the top of the lid near the water line (you want there to be a slight gap).

Upper Lid Liner: Milani gel liner in Black, line the entire top lashline and drag the liner out past the eye 1-2cm (follow the outside base line you did with your upper cat-eye eyeshadow).

Lower Waterline Liner: Almay pencil in Black, only apply about 1-2cm in the center of the water line (under where the iris is).

Mascara: Covergirl LashBlast in Very Black, apply several coats of mascara on top lashes and 1 small coat on the bottom lashes (keep the outer bottom lashes a bit bolder then the inner ones).

Brows: Prestige brows in Light to Medium (lightest shade).

Butterfly Wing Nail Tutorial

2011-09-13T00:02:00.002-04:00

I found this awesomely gorgeous butterfly wing mani while surfing the net and realized that this would actually be pretty simple to replicate. So, here's my tutorial...

I believe this might be China Glaze in Strawberry Fields.

Step 1: Paint your nails one vibrant solid color (or you could even using multiple colors), a few coats may be required to cover the nail, and let the polish dry completely (I did this a day in advance so my nails had time to dry and harden).

Step 2: Using a black Sharpie Marker (I find using a Sharpie is the easiest route) create the black wing outline (see image above for additional help) and allow to dry (tip: if you press on the black with your finger and it doesn't smear onto your finger then it's probably dry).

Step 3: Using a nail dotting tool or a toothpick dab on a few dots of white polish at the end of the nail and allow to dry.

Monarch Butterfly

Step 4: Apply a clear top coat, let dry completely and you're done!

Create Fuller Lips

2011-09-06T10:00:00.004-04:00

For the past month or so now I've been on a mission...to create fuller looking lips! Sure I've looked at nearly every lip plumping tutorial there is, but the fact of the matter is...nothing has really ever worked for me. Lip plumpers make my lips peel and light colored lip glosses disguise them instead of making them look fuller and existent. So now that I've recently been receiving compliments on my lips (for once in my life!) I decided to share my below lippy look.

Step 1: Lightly brush your lips using a wet toothbrush to exfoliate them (you can do this while you're brushing your teeth).
Step 2: Use a hydrating chapstick like Aquaphor and allow your lips to absorb the moisturizer for several minutes (I do this before applying my makeup and then continue on to the next step after my makeup is done).
Step 3: Apply a natural shade of pencil lip liner like Prestige in Nude. Line the bottom lip slightly outside the lip line. To line the top lip round it outward from the peaks to the outer crease and fill in any gaps from the actual lip for a slightly rounder/fuller pouty shape. Line the "V" a little below or on the lip line. Press your lips together to blend on the lip liner and use your finger to even it out (it'll look like a lipstick basically).
Step 4: Apply a matte nude lipstick all over the lips and liner, I used Revlon in Nude Attitude.
Step 5: Pucker out your lips (like a kissy face) and even out the color using your finger and you're done!

*Throughout the day I'll do touch-ups to my lips using Rimmel lipstick in Airy Fairy.

Coconut Marinade - Recipe

2011-09-05T23:47:00.000-04:00

1CAN - Goya Crema de Coco (melt in microwave for 1 minute)
1TBSP - Kikkoman Soy Sauce
1TBSP - Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce
1/4CUP - Aloha Hawaiian Teriyaki Glaze
1TSP - Liquid Smoke

My dad and I created this coconut marinade recipe when I wanted to try my hand at making fried panko coconut chicken, and surprisingly the marinade was really good. So, I wanted to share it today since we decided to make this again :) enjoy!

My New Love

2011-09-03T01:42:00.000-04:00

Yes it's true, I have a new found love and his name is Pillsbury, LOL. If you're a chocolate lover like me then you totally have to try the Pillsbury Sweet Moments Brownies, the Cocoa Fudge Escape is to die for! I'm seriously going to replace all my chocolate snacks and deserts for this stuff, it's definitely worth posting about.

Fly Electric Nail Tutorial

2011-08-18T00:13:00.002-04:00

This week I got around to trying out the Sally Hansen Polish Strips (in Fly With Me) they were pretty simple to do. A lot of people complain there are only 16 nail decals but...I found that if your nails are short enough (like mine) that you can cut the decal in half and create 2 (nice right?!).

Revlon Top Speed in Electric and Sally Hansen Polish Strips in Fly With Me

Instead of using the nail file that comes with the decals I used my cuticle cuter to trim off any excess around the nail after application first, then used my nail file to gently file downward to fix any pointy edges. I did a clear base coat on my nails prior to application (used Nailtiques Nail Protein Formula 2). The polish I used here is Revlon Top Speed in Electric which is a banana yellow color with some very fine (I think its kinda silver) shimmer in it, took me 3 coats. Topcoat used over Electric was Out The Door.

BTW the decals claim to last up to 10 days but I'm a bit skeptical since they already have a bit of damage after a day now. Also, I'm not sure how well a clear top coat would work over these either.

Jersey Shore Italy

2011-08-06T12:31:00.001-04:00

It's easy to diss a show like Jersey Shore but if you haven't really watched it and given it a chance well...it does become a bit addictive, lol. Besides the fact these people can actually live together for more than 1 season in comparison to shows like Real World where race, sexual preference and how you were raised generally plays an issue. Anyhow, here's what went down on Episode 1 in J-Shore Italy in case you missed it...

This week on Jersey Shore Italy they all arrive at their Italian home, the boys arrive their first stopping in Spain while the girls get in hours later after landing in Germany. This means the boys stake claim on the best rooms in the house leaving the girls to later work it out with what's left, but no huge deal. The hardest thing for everyone is getting their hair appliances to work in the few outlets there on in the house while trying to figure out the right power usage for their plug converters. This results in the girls finding 1 outlet that works for the flat iron which happens to be in the kitchen, which then results in a too hot flat iron for Deena and it burns her extension out of her hair. The girls have a little trouble getting around the airports as Deena takes a spill at one airport and JWOW has an Australian Gold Bronzer explosion in one of her suitcases and states that 1 can lasts her a whole 10 days. Mike decides to tell Ronnie of all people a secret, stating how him and Snookie hooked up 2-3 months ago while she had apparently been dating her now serious boyfriend Jionni. The Situation also tells him that he's kinda starting to really like Snookie and asks to not let this get around to people in the house. As it turns out only 2 people in the house can drive stick shift so that leaves Pauly and Snookie to be doing all the driving and we know its only a matter of time before Snookie wrecks into an Italian Police car and ends up in Italian jail. For now Ronnie and Sammi are trying to play it cool and enjoy Italy without all their past relationship drama, but at some point they do reconcile their relationship either during or after this season. Vinny has basically become the brains of the whole Italian operation as he is becoming more and more fluent in the local language and basically plays the roll of a translator which comes in handy when the guys want to pickup on local women. If you're wondering if all the girls got bigger boobs this season they didn't, they all just started wearing 2 bras. Snookie and JWOW have also been hitting up the gym and losing weight prior to going to Italy so Snookie tries to find ways to exercise around the house as the girls had trouble finding the gym with an Italian GPS in the car. Deena has her sights set on Smooshing with Pauly while in Italy and she gets him to makeout with her at the club. If you're wondering about Angelina well, she is no longer a part of Jersey Shore as she has stated that the show just wasn't for her and she didn't realize what she had signed up for, plus...no one missed her anyway :P

-----------------What's Next?-----------------

If I had to guess what goes down in the next few episodes here's my hypothesis... Ronnie will tell JWOW how Mike told him that he and Snookie hooked up 2-3 months ago back when Snookie was apparently in a serious relationship with her now boyfriend Jionni. Meanwhile Jionni comes to visit Snookie in Italy and finds out about her and Mike hooking up and the sh*t hits the fan for Snookie. Snookie gets upset with Mike and things get rocky around the house for them. Mike then knows Ronnie snitched and told someone about the situation so the two of them finally fight it out and Mike ends up in the hospital. Due to the fact their aren't really any salons Ronnie gets Vinny to cut his hair and before you know it he ends up with a crew cut. The girls also can't seem to find a decent tanning or nail salon while in Italy and the guy that works the local gym seems to be a bit of an old Italian Mr.Miagi creeper.

Angelic Curly Hair Tutorial

2011-07-27T01:36:00.001-04:00

First off, my hair is naturally curly (however my curls aren't as glam as they use to be), a bit thin, layered and dry so if your hair is similar then this curly haired tutorial might work for you too! I like to do this hair style when the humidity is high so that I can use it more to my advantage by letting it have a little natural frizz without looking totally horrific. Since I got complimented on my hair at least 3 different times throughout my day I figured I'd post a tutorial on here.

I think this looks better in person, plus this was toward the end of the night at work.

First I use a volumizing shampoo and conditioner (mine's by John Frieda), once washed I towel dried my hair a bit squeezing most of the water out (you can use a heat protector spray now if you want but I didn't). Next I scrunch my hair a bit with one hand and use a hair dryer on high heat in circular motions around my head while continuing to scrunch trying to bring out as much natural curl as possible. I don't totally dry my hair though, its still a little damp but mostly dry before going on to the next step. Next I use a small 3/8 barrel sized curling iron (by Revlon) and use it in random areas around my head where the natural curl could have looked a bit better. To do this I start at the ends of my hair and wrap upward toward the root (cork screw style), wait a few seconds and release it from the curling iron. Then I spritz my hair with a bit of bohemian beach spray all over (I used David Babaii) to help the tight curls relax a little. Once done I use my hair dryer again but this time on the slower low heat setting, this helps the curls to expand a bit and loosen up creating more natural looking curls, I do this till my hair feels dry. Next I use my curling iron again to define and touch up a few areas I may have missed earlier or that may look a bit too frizzy. Next I use about a dime sized amount of shine serum (I use Silicon Mix) which I rub on my palms and scrunch into my hair, don't comb through the curls with your fingers. Once I get my hair in place I spritz it with a little volumizing hair spray (I used Aussie in an aerosol form) to tame a few fly-aways and then I'm all done creating my curls.

To take this a bit further I did straighten my bangs with a flat iron (BabyBliss Pro)and bobby pinned them back into a bouffant style on top my head.

My Go-To Products for 2011

2011-07-19T21:22:00.001-04:00

There have been a few products which I find myself loving and using quite often this year, so here's a quick list I put together...

CoverGirl LashBlast Mascara: An oldie by now but still my go-to mascara, I really don't think I'll ever change mascara's as long as this is available as I've tried practically every drugstore mascara on the market. My mom prefers the waterproof formula in this and myself the non-waterproof (in "very black" color). I apply 3-4 coats (one after another) onto my top lashes. I don't use an eyelash curler normally and voila, still lovin' it this year.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss Peach Petal 150: I have become a bit fond of this nice pale nude gloss which has found its home in my purse this year as it gets used very frequently (almost done with my first tube of this) out of all the lipsticks and glosses I own currently. I even bought this in 2 other shades this year which were nice, but this shade is still my fave and has yet to make its way out of my handbag.

Colgate Total Toothpaste Whitening: It's probably a first for me to talk about a toothpaste on here, but even my mom has taken notice that my teeth are looking whiter since I started using this. I discovered this when I stayed at a friends house in Orlando earlier this year and was surprised to feel like there had been an actual change in the color of my teeth (by the next day!). I have used other whitening toothpastes in the past which claimed to whiten but never seemed to do anything for me before, so this product will definitely be hanging around my sink more often.

Emporio Armani - White for Her, Perfume: I read another blog (can't remember who it was though) where the blogger loved this perfume soooo much but it was discontinued, luckily I had found a ton of samples online for a good price this year so I opted to try it out. I really do like this perfume, although I kinda wish it was a little stronger because the scent is kinda addicting to me, haha. It's one of those perfumes where really only the wearer can smell it because even my mom who was sitting next to me in the car didn't notice the scent (as she's usually the first to complain about overwhelming perfumes). It's definitely not like the sickly sweet perfumes I generally go for but it's soft, lovely and I wish I had a huge bottle of it.

CVS Cold Cream: I recently replaced my Pond's Cold Cream, cool classic with this CVS dupe because this has the exact same ingredients in it, it's cheaper and it works just as well. I only use the cool classic type because I noticed the others contain paraffin's and such. To use I wet my face, rub this product all over, rinse, and wipe off with a warm washcloth (if you don't use a washcloth your face will feel super oily so it's a must!). It works great for removing my makeup and it doesn't dry out my face (no need for moisturizer after really!). I love this stuff and wish I had discovered it sooner.

Boots Hawaiian Islands Jasmine and Cocoa Butter Body Scrub: I found this at Target earlier this year not expecting a miracle of course, but something in this seems to work great for me. When used as regularly as possible during my shower/bath it helped to clear the bumps on the back of my arms which I've had since I was a kid. No other scrub has done that for me, yet alone any product except for one lactic type ointment which had been prescribed to me a few years back. I'm not sure if any of the other scented scrubs in this brand do this but this one worked for me!

WnW Natural Wear Pressed Powder - Review

2011-07-11T05:17:00.002-04:00

Wet 'n' Wild, Natural Wear Pressed Powder in Ivory 822A
AKA Natural Blend Pressed Powder

The product states it's "paraben-free, made with natural ingredients, infused with vitamins and minerals to nourish skin. Enriched with light-diffusing pigments to help minimize imperfections and provide even-looking coverage."

This product is okay, it has a nice natural minty smell to it which is refreshing and not overpowering, the scent seems unnoticeable after awhile. The packaging is cute, natural and has a nice magnetic closure on the lid. The application sponge is a bit small, I would've liked for it to have been x2 the size. I bought one of the lightest shades in 822A Ivory which looks a bit pink in the container but it doesn't seem as pink looking once applied. I was hoping this product would have longer staying power than my previous pressed powder but it didn't, so I felt like I looked a bit pasty and oily by the end of the day when this had long wore off. It seemed to have okay coverage when it went on but it did seem to wear off quickly. I wouldn't say that this has light diffusing pigments or really helps to minimize imperfections as it claims to do. I probably wouldn't buy this product again although it is around $4.99 in price for this 6.5g/0.23oz of product, but if you want something that lasts only a short few hours (probably helps to have dry skin), smells minty fresh and natural, then this could be the product for you.

Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat- Review

2011-07-05T21:34:00.001-04:00

This past week I finally found Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat (bought in 01 Snow Blast) at CVS, and of course Sally's recently decided to carry the crackle overcoat for China Glaze (which I couldn't find before when it first released).

Milani in Bolting Blue with Sally Hansen in Snow Blast

When I first looked at the polish formula it looks a bit dry and liquidy, sometimes the crackle comes out more transparent (I guess depending on how much you have on the brush) and the cracks sometimes are big and other times fine. You can really only apply this topcoat once very quickly, it does dry matte and the crackles start immediately over the base color. Since it dries to a matte finish I like to put a shiny topcoat over it (as per the directions anyway). I think it does require a certain strategy to perhaps get more consistent sized cracks on each nail, the less I have on my brush the finer the cracks come out (I prefer this method) but the quicker it dries during application (a little tricky to get right). I like that this product gives a different and fairly easy way to make a simple solid color unique. I have a tendency to be a perfectionist and I have to break that mold with this product or it'll turn out the way I don't want it to. So thin, quick and sloppy is the best way I found to apply this :P

Seven Oaks - TAG

2011-06-30T05:39:00.000-04:00

I found this cute post on a friends FaceBook page which is basically creating your bands (or fake bands) album cover, it was fun (I made 2 quick ones so far, heh) so figured I'd share it on here today in case anyone else wanted to try it :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ddsnet/5876252353/

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/ and click "random quotes" on the left side bar.
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gfwilliams/5876466168/

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

Secret Obsession

2011-06-23T05:34:00.000-04:00

For unknown reasons I really do enjoy giving old furniture a new life.

In the before picture (above) is a dresser that's similar style to what I grew up with as a kid (I always hated it!), its boring, dull, and this one was very worn (even missing a handle). This one I saw on eBay for $0.99, so I sketched it up on MS Paint and came up with a few new looks for it (I think the dark one came out pretty nice).

Above is another eBay find I found for $0.99 and I do like the original diagonal pattern on the two bottom drawers (although I'm going to change it all anyway). I like the retro feel of the pale celery shade one I came up with, I opted to change out the hardware on the first one and paint it in order to tone down its originally busy design.

Designing Polish

2011-06-19T21:08:00.000-04:00

I had purchased some empty nail polish bottles a few weeks back online (about $1.13 per bottle with shipping) and decided I wanted to create my own polish shades using the ton of polishes I currently own. So, here are the colors I made and what polishes I used to make them.

-Pale Mint-
China Glaze: White on White
China Glaze: Paper Chasing
Essie: Turquoise and Caicos
Sally Hansen: Peachy Keen
OPI: What's with the Cattitude?
-------------------------------------
-Lilac-
China Glaze: White on White
10: Prima Ballerina
Milani: Cool Vibe
Essie: Looking for Love
Orly: Basket Case
-------------------------------------
-Barbie Pink-
China Glaze: White on White
China Glaze: Flip Flop Fantasy
China Glaze: B-Girlz
Orly: Basket Case
-------------------------------------
-Peach-
China Glaze: White on White
China Glaze: Flip Flop Fantasy
China Glaze: Style Wars
China Glaze: Breakin'
Wet N Wild: Ultra-Secret
Essie: Bright Tights
-------------------------------------
-Cheetah Gold-
China Glaze: White on White
China Glaze: Peach on Earth
Sally Hansen: Lightening
Loreal: Tres Soleil
Milani: Gold Lame
Milani: Morning Sunshine
-------------------------------------
I love how the colors turned out, my favorite is probably the Barbie Pink shade ;D I think I might deco the polish bottles later (ie. Sharpie Markers, Stickers, Glitter...or whatever). And yes...I did use up all my China Glaze "White on White" creating these X.X

Chuck the Duece Up

2011-06-14T23:30:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago I picked up this versatile beach cover-up from Wal-Mart (comes in a few other colors as well) that you can transform and wear several different ways. I didn't realize it was a little sheer till I got home but oh well...not really concerned as I'm not going to be totally nude under the thing anyway :P

ZOMG, I had to resist buying the new Hello Kitty Vans that recently came out! I just wish they had better styles to pick from (don't think they have men styles in Hello Kitty, lolz), otherwise I would've HAD to have them.

I'm still hunting for a decent pair of flip-flops this year to replace my cute gold Candies but I haven't found any that I just had to have yet. These ones from Vera Wang I saw today are kinda cute but IDK if I want them (so indecisive, right?!).

Yes, I am bringin' back banana-clips!!!

I also dyed my hair the other week (I used Nice'n Easy 103) as I was trying to tone down the red in my hair to a nice caramel blonde shade (similar to Kim Kardashian's). My mom said how she usually isn't a fan of skin color that matches the hair color, but she liked it on me so...laaa. I like how it turned out too and am not disappointed I couldn't find the originally dye color I was thinking of buying. BTW it's all about makeup application for me (and occasionally sunless tanners), that's how I pull off so many different hair colors, shhh.

Very Fafi at the bottom!

I really want this Nicki Minaj CD, I'm hooked and love her music and makeup (geez there are sooo many makeup tuts on her, yowza!). Her music just makes me wanna have fun and not really give a F*** :P haha.

Time On My Hands

2011-06-01T23:48:00.000-04:00

I recently decided my makeup collection was lacking in blush shades so I opted to purchase a cheap 28 palette I found on eBay. I believe this palette might be similar to one that Coastal Scents used to carry although its not on their website, so...I'm really not certain (my mom and I actually didn't like the 6 blush palette we got from CS). Anyway, I kind of hate when palettes don't have named colors so I took the liberty of naming my palette shades (BTW this might help if you follow my makeup tutorials).

Click to Enlarge

Unfortunately my "Mango Maguro" arrived broken on my palette, but I suppose it's to be expected when it comes all the way from China. These are nicely pigmented, some are nice 'n soft in texture, very few have shimmer to them as most are a matte finish. These blend well, seem to last, can be intensified if needed and so far I'd definitely recommend them. I'm pretty certain I'd wear every color on this palette. The only possible downside is that a few of these colors are very similar in color to each other and some people might prefer a bigger pot to make better use of a larger blush brush but I don't really mind alternating between a smaller and larger brush during application.

I shop when I'm upset

2011-05-29T23:48:00.003-04:00

This weekend I went to Target and got this messenger bag I had been eyeing for awhile now (sold out online BTW), it just so happened to have been marked down 3 times on clearance, so for $8.74 (saved $26.26) it was finally going home with me :D

I also picked up Summer and the City as I love watching Sex and the City so this 30%Off pink Chanel-like purse book was coming home with me too. Whether I finish reading it or not is a different story :P but it tells you how Carrie's life in NYC began so...laa.

Fast Food Ordering Rant

2011-05-24T22:14:00.000-04:00

Ever since last year when a Taco Bell had doubled my order by accident and gave me a hard time about it I have taken notice that this has become an ongoing issue. Nearly every drive-thru fast food joint from Burger King to McDonalds almost always does this to me (you can fill in the blanks)...

Them: Welcome to ___ can I take your order?
Me: I'd like a number ___ with a ___.
Them: Ok, two number ___ with a ___, that'll be $___ (x2) at the window.
Me: No, just ONE!

I am just wondering when they decided I wanted TWO of whatever all the time. I am seriously thinking that all these people are being trained to do this recently. Even though most of the people working the drive thru here are Hispanic where I live I wouldn't mistake ONE/TWO or UNO/DOS on a persons order, this is basic english/spanish that even most children know (thank you Dora the Explorer!). I have Tweeted about this issue numerous times now and want to know...is it conspiracy? Is there truth to this? Can I get some sort of fast food compensation for this constant annoying error? Well, I won't hold my breathe on the last one but a little improvement would be awesome.

MAC Quite Cute Dupes

2011-05-23T21:34:00.001-04:00

I recently hunted for a MAC Quite Cute Quad dupe and ta-da!

Revlon ColorStay 12 Hour Eye Shadow, Wildflower 370

Cheap makeup FTW again! Save yourself a good $29 ;D BTW a lot of people are disappointed on this MAC quad because the shades are sooo light, C- on the reviews for it. However, I'm not sure the second shade on the Revlon palette is a dupe for the pink shade.

As for possible MAC QC nailpolish dupes...

MAC in Mischievous Mint

MAC in Ice Cream Cake

MAC in Litte Girl Type

Click to Enlarge Swatch Chart

I decided it's time to create a real color chart for all the dupers out there so that we can finally stomp out all the rumors of what dupes and what doesn't, decide for yourself from these actual swatches :) enjoy!

Purr by Katy Perry Perfume - Quick Review

2011-05-18T05:07:00.002-04:00

I recently tried Katy Perry's Purr Perfume which comes in a cute purple cat shaped bottle with diamond eyes and a silver heart "Purr" charm but that's probably the best thing about this perfume.

Purr claims to be "playful and sophisticated" however, I find the scent to be childishly bitter sweet which must be from the vanilla, I did not smell any sophistication at first or really much later but it does almost die down to a pungent old lady smell at times, perhaps that's the rose in it...it is a complicated scent to pin point exactly. It has a soft scent from the musk however, peach scents always seem a bit strong and potent in my opinion as it does with this. I really had to put my nose right up to the scent at first to really get a good whiff of it. I don't really care for this on myself and it gave me headache and a sore throat to be honest. You could probably find a similar cheap body spray at your local drugstore that's full of isopropyl alcohol that will smell similar to this.

Peach nectar
Forbidden apple
Jasmine blossom
Bulgarian rose
Vanilla orchid
Creamy sandalwood
Musk

I believe in 2001 Dulce and Gabbana made Light Blue for women, which has similar ingredients (rose, apple, jasmine and musk to be exact) to Purr but I don't have the DG right now to compare the two.

Soft Orange Eyes

2011-05-11T00:29:00.000-04:00

Today I wanted a look that was soft yet very colorful in shades of orange.

I used Coastal Scents Matte 88 Palette to do this.

Click to Enlarge

-I started with a light orange/yellow shade over the lid and lower lash line.

-Next I blended a red/orange shade in the outer crease into a cat-eye and blended inward and upward.
-Added a little bit of the lightest white shade to the very inside of the eye and as my underbrow highlight.
-Coated top lashes with CoverGirl LashBlast Volume in Brown.

Get the Look - Colorful Mod Pinup

2011-05-10T00:00:00.001-04:00

I'm a colorful individual and I really don't care if my makeup is "work appropiate" or not as I just love sporting a lot of different looks regularly. Trust me, this look here is tame for me! People are generally always commenting on my looks out in public, but its with those comments that I learn to fix, adjust, perfect and share these looks with others. So, as usual I've been experimenting and creating some new makeup looks and wanted to share a quick one here, enjoy!

Get the Look - Colorful Mod Pinup

This lip color looks better in person :)

Eyes
Milani Infinite Liquid Eyeliner in Infinite Line the top lid and cat-eye out.
CoverGirl LashBlast Volume in Brown 815 Apply several coats on the top lashes.

Cheeks
Barry M in Pink Orchid or Apricot (which may look really cute too!)

Lips
Barry M in Palest Lavender 129 with a dab of CoverGirl LipPerfection in Divine 330.

My Top LipStick/Gloss Picks for 2011

2011-05-09T16:49:00.005-04:00

I went through all my lippies and decided to pickout a good handful of colors I'd like to wear throughout this year. From shades I want to use more this year, to popular shades, personal favorites and trending shades! Here goes...

Barry M
100
129
130
Maybelline
Pink Sand 005 (ColorSensational)
Coral Crush 515 (ColorSensational)
Bronze Beam 750 (ColorSensational)
Shimmer Shell (Shiny-Licious)
Revlon
Nude Attitude 001 (Revlon Matte)
Gentlemen Prefer Pink 450 (Super Lustrous)
Siren 677 (Super Lustrous)
Peach Petal (Super Lustrous SPF)
Papaya 020 (ColorBurst)
Crystal Cut Coral 700 (Moon Drops)
Wet 'n' Wild
909C (Mega Colors)
901B
Coastal Scents
Pep Pink (Smacks)
Prestige
Madrid CL-40A
CoverGirl
Divine Divine 330
Shiseido
Spiced Cream BE109

S by Shakira - Quick Review

2011-05-03T03:17:00.000-04:00

I recently tried S by Shakira and I must say, it smells vaguely familar and probably something I might've bought. This reminds me of a more floral version of Britney's Fantasy as it has that similar sweetness to it. It also has most of the same scents that were in my past top 3 scents... I wonder if Shakira also wears these, heh.

This perfume offers enticing notes of ...

exotic fruits
jasmine
gardenia
floral bouquet
vanilla bean
sandalwood
warm amber

Top 7 Flattering Makeup Shades for Spring 2011

2011-04-30T08:43:00.002-04:00

found an image which basically has all these shades :)

the color palette

Denim - A gray-blue shade of eyeshadow is like sporting your favorite pair of jeans day or night! Apply it over the lash line and blend up into the crease. Use a shimmery version to dress it up, and pick a more indigo shade if you have a darker complexion.
1. Estée Lauder ShadowCreme in Smoky Twilight
2. Yves Saint Laurent Lasting-Radiance Smoothing Effect Eyeshadow in 3 Persian Blue

Peacock - Flattering purples to mesmerizing turquoise! Sweep a purple eyeshadow over lids than accent the inner eye with a hint of aqua, keep lips nude and voila.
1. Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trio in VI308 - Bouquet
2. Cover Girl Eye Enhancers in Turquoise Tempest

Mango - A tasty soft lipstick shade perfect for all skin tones! Best worn with gold eyeshadow and bronzer.
1. Milani Color Perfect Lipstick in Orange Gina
2. Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color SPF 12 in Soft Coral

Lime - As an eyeshadow it brings out the gold flecks in eyes! You could even use darker or more aqua toned shades of lime.
1. JK Jemma Kidd Hi-Design Eye Colour in Artiste
2. NYC New York Color City Duet Eye Shadows in Bowling Green

Rose-Gold - A color which can be worn on lips, cheeks or even eyeshadow! However, it is best worn with a chocolate-brown eyeshadow and rose-gold lips, or rose-gold eyes and a wine-colored lipstick.
1. Laura Mercier Metallic Crème Eye Colour in Platinum
2. Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lipgloss in Midnight Cowboy

Orchid Pink - Use this as an updated lipstick shade which avoids being just another overly pink shade! Find a nice pigmented shade in a cream rather than a gloss, the less shine the better. Best worn with black eye-liner and mascara, keep everything else lookin' natural to let the lips and eyes speak volumes.
1. Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Candy Pink
2. M.A.C. Lipstick in Show Orchid

Watermelon - A great lipgloss shade for all skin tones! Pick darker shades if you have a darker complexion.
1. Korres Natural Products Lip Butter Glaze in Pomegranate
2. Tarina Tarantino Gem Gloss in Neon Vanity

Shop Before Work

2011-04-10T23:25:00.000-04:00

This lipstick is by Revlon in Siren, it's the brightest orange color I could find at Target today...I really don't think Cheeto is my color though, lolz...but the new bf seemed to like it (it looks a bit more orange in person then this pic btw).

I found several of these adorable white Imoshion purses at TJ Maxx today for $35 which sells for $99 on their site (total steal!!!), thought it was macrame/lace trendy, eheh...but what do I know :P It's part of Imoshion's Spring 1 collection. This is what my mom and I refer to as "grandma cute" haha.

Spring/Summer 2011 Hair and Makeup Trend

2011-04-10T10:15:00.000-04:00

This season is all about just changing your hair color from what it was last year, so be bold with white blondes, saucy reds or a deep brunette shade. You could even try adding some subtle highlights if a full on hair dye route isn't for you.

As for hair style, fringe/bangs are super in, along with longer bob cuts. I personally am leaning more toward styling my hair like a 1960's pinup, using a 1/4 barrel curling iron or pin curls and reaching for the bobby pins to create some victory rolls, but still trying keep it a bit more modern and wearable of this decade. It's even possible that the pom pom inspired hair do's will turn into a beehive at some point ;D Just curling your hair like your grandmother probably still does and lightly brushing them out with a soft boar brush once they're cooled is the way to go.

As for makeup, this year it is mostly taking a natural route, leaving your brows light in color and having a vibrant orange colored lip (such as MAC's Morange). If eyeshadow is required, stick to warmer shades of brown or natural bronze hues. Orange, coral or bronze colored cheeks are also coming more into play for blush shades.

Our Story

2011-04-02T00:31:00.000-04:00

Ryan and I met back in our 7th grade English class, it was puppy love at first sight. One of those check "YES" or "NO" scenario's. He was the first boyfriend I ever had, although it only lasted for a day because I was very shy back then, but this time around it lasted for over a month, up until he unexpectedly passed away this past Wednesday (March 30th 2011).

Things changed a lot for us during 9th grade and we went our separate paths in life. Around 13 years passed before we would ultimately meet again (Feb 23. 2011). However, we did write to each other briefly a few years back around Christmas one year.

Needless to say we hit it off right away once again, he confessed to trying to locate me before I had found him through FaceBook. Ryan made a promise to me (March 4th 2011), wanting to devote himself to me and start a serious relationship together. He later mentioned that he would even be willing to move closer in order for us to be together, since I am a good six hour drive away now.

Ryan,

Myself like many others are going to miss you immensely and I am so glad that I got the chance to spend this short amount of time with you and get to know you all over again before you passed. It is so hard to believe that you are really gone, but like you told me the last time I saw you..."this is not goodbye, but rather, see you later." I love you and your family more than words can express and you will never be forgotten. God Bless.

DIEting...AGAIN

2011-03-30T17:45:00.001-04:00

I've been wanting to lose weight but I haven't really been making the changes I needed to my daily eatting habits. Last night as my male co-workers stepped on the work scale with there weight ranging from 146-191lb it made me realize that WOW, I'm the heavy weight out of these 3 guys, all of which aren't far off from my height, two of which are much older than I am...not good I thought.

I saw a recent Tweet from LiveStrong.com that there is a debate about video games helping you get in shape. I do think video games can help you lose weight because there are active games like the wii fit, and any physical movement you can do is helping to burn calories. Also when I find myself bored for a long period of time all I really want to do is eat my boredom away, video games actually help keep me distracted from thinking about food, passing time in a breeze and help remove the thoughts of eatting from my mind. Even a glass of water or some water with a 0 calorie flavoring additive helps to curve my grumbling tummy when I've eatten my calorie limit for the day.

I was watching TV when I caught the beautiful slim Jennifer Hudson promoting WeightWatchers. So I surfed their sight and practically had to agree when they wrote something like... "people that lose 3-10lb usually will give up on losing weight after that point...only to easily gain it back in the end". If there's one thing I hate in life...it's being a statistic, this has definately been running through my head and making me want to be able to push wayyyy beyond 10lb because I had lost 12lb several years ago and was at my lowest in many years but yea...I gained it back and then some since.

Not to mention the pants I've been wearing since 12th grade practically are all becoming too tight and I broke the belt loop on a pair last night trying to pull them on (x.x) heh. I'm really going to try and put more effort into losing weight, I need to drop atleast 10lb before my spring break in 3 weeks however, I'd like to lose 18lb. If I can gain weight super easily, then maybe it's just as possible I can lose it just as easily if I really put my mind to it!

On the Outside Looking In

2011-03-24T16:42:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I managed to replicate this look perfectly, here's what I used to acheive this eye look...

Eye Makeup

Step 1: Loreal DeCrease - Prime Entire Eye Area
Step 2: MAC Eye Shadow in Sharp - Lid
Step 3: Coastal Scents 88 Matte Palette Eye Shadow(4 across and 6 down, dark green shade) - Line Upper LashLine
Step 4: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Pacific - Lower WaterLine
Step 5: MAC Eye Shadow in Tempting - Lower LashLine
Step 6: Palladio Eye Shadow in Champagne - Under Brow HighLight
Step 7: Rimmel Liquid Eye Liner in Ebony Black - Upper LashLiner
Step 8: Covergirl LashBlastVolume in Very Black - Top and Bottom Lashes

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends Natural Radiance Bronzer - Review

2011-03-17T04:53:00.000-04:00

The Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends Natural Radiance Bronzer in Sunkissed 30 has been overlooked in my makeup collection for awhile now and I just recently started trying it out again to see why it was not getting any use thus far. So...I decided to do a super quick and short review on it.

This bronzer is too orange for my fair colored skin tone first of all however, the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blends Blush and the Translucent Oil-Control Powder are decent on me. This bronzer is not quite dark enough to be a contour shade for my personal preference so I can't go that route with this. This does seem to stay on throughout work, which would be great had I liked this on myself. Overall this is not a product I will be rushing back to anytime soon, unless I happen to turn Snookey orange.

Ye Old Stompin Ground

2011-03-03T02:52:00.000-05:00

This week I'm flying to a place I pretty much grew up at...North Carolina. I haven't been back to my old stomping ground since the middle of 9th grade so...I did my nails up all TarHeel blue color using OPI in What's with the Cattitude which happens to be this lovely light blue shade. I finally decided to go when I came across my very 1st boyfriend ever via FaceBook from back in middle school and needless to say we hit it off right away, and he just happens to be single so...you fill in the blanks, lol. So, it'll be nice to chill, visit, have a glass of Biltmore wine and catch up.

Also...I got some new fish which you can checkout at Guppy-Guide if you're into that. I seem to be blogging more their then anywhere else lately :P

My co-worker gave me this jar of mixed fruit (other mixes available) which I believe he got for $1 at CVS and I thought...this would be great to create a tiny terrarium (click here for my inspiration on 'em). Besides, I kinda like the idea of re-using things lately while also being a bit creative.

A bit more jar-spiration for ya!

Linganore WineCellars

2011-02-14T01:00:00.005-05:00

This weekend I celebrated V-Day a little early with family and friends at Linganore WineCellars. I have never been to a wine tasting before and have always wanted to try it out and get into it, so I finally got my chance and had a great time. It cost $8 per person (must be 21 of course), you get to sample about 12 different wines, get a variety of chocolates (9 peices) and a tour of the winery (all included in the $8!). You can also purchase the wine which ranges in price from $10.38-$33.02 a bottle.

My favorite wine was the Steeple Chase Red which is a "soft semi-sweet red wine with a rich cherry background that is accentuated when served with chocolate; 6% residual sugar", however to me this still has a nice earthy grape flavor, smooth texture and it is also a mix of red and white ($10.38/bottle). My other top wine favorites they had...the Abisso, Bacioni and Terrapin White (in that order). My Dad seemed to prefer the White Raven and Abisso, however he bought the most popular wine of theirs called SkipJack. My mom and I both liked the Steeple Chase Red best but she also enjoyed the Sangria.

Our tour guide was a bit humourous at times as he told us in order to keep the deer out of the vineyard they would play NPR, who can blame the deer for being scared? haha. I also learned that in order to keep the birds out of the vineyard they would have speakers setup to play bird distress calls every five minutes...only problem was the birds were too smart and would fly right back after it was done playing. However, if you place a plastic bag over the speakers it keeps the birds away all the time ;)

linganore-wine.com

I loved the orange cream chocolate that was in the variety of chocolates we got but it didn't seem as though they actually sold any of the chocolates, which we thought was rather odd since we were eatting the chocolates that went with our wine during the taste testing. All in all, this is a really great deal and I do plan on going back again later this year, hopefully to try out some seasonal wines and such.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentines Day this year and MUCH love to my Readers, Subscribers and Friends! XoX

Flowers for my Mom <3

DollyWink Polish Dupes

2011-02-09T23:27:00.006-05:00

Here are some DollyWink nail polish dupes I found, I can't guarantee how close of a dupe they really are but you can see how they match up from the photo's below. If I find better dupes then I will add/replace those to this list. Also, if/when I find dupes for the DW glitter polish's I'll post those up as well!

Cover Girl in Red Revolution

China Glaze in White Out

OPI in Hopelessly in Love

Rimmel in Black Satin

Essie in Funny Face

China Glaze in IV

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Lively Lilac
(this has some shimmer to it, maybe slightly more vibrant)

OPI in What's with the Cattitude?

Barry M in Mint Green
(not sure how exact this is or isn't)

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Lightening
(slightly more of a orange-yellow)

Make do with your Make-up

2011-02-02T02:13:00.002-05:00

As I grabbed my makeup bag in a hurry to run out the door to work (in the dark no-less) I realized I really didn't have much in my bag to create a nice colorful eye look. However, once I got to work and dumped out my bag to see what I could come up with, I realized I did have some things on hand to play with and I probably could have created several different looks...just goes to show, you don't need many eye-shadows to be inventive with what you have. So, here's my eye look and a quick tutorial...

Step 1: Apply Loreal De-Crease, over upper eye area and lower.
Step 2: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Iced Mocha, outer lid (cat-eye affect) and 1/3 lower lid.
Step 3: WnW in Sugar, under-brow highlight and inner lid.
Step 4: WnW in Brulee, crease and lower lid.
Step 5: Glamour Doll Eyes in Bare Naked, crease overtop the WnW Brulee.
Step 6: Glamour Doll Eyes in Fabulous!, over entire lid and over the top portion of the NYX Iced Mocha.
Step 7: Glamour Doll Eyes in Chocoholic, over all the NYX Iced Mocha areas.
Step 8: Rimmel Liquid Eyeliner in Ebony Black, liner upper lid 1/3 on the outer side(slight cat-eye affect out).
Step 9: Curl top lashes.
Step 10: Neutrogena Healthy Lengths Mascara in Carbon Black, 3 coats on top lashes.

P.S. Happy Groundhog Day!

Nail Designs for Spring 2011

2011-01-10T20:12:00.001-05:00

Here's a collage I put together of the nail design trends going around for this spring.

Half moon designs fell a bit short last year but seem to be making a strong comeback all the way till fall this year. Using a bold color or pattern to jazz up the classic nude french mani makes it look spring time fresh. A little less deco on the nails this year makes for a typing friendly mani, try jazzing up the lack of deco bling though with a glitter topcoat. Geometric designs and patterns are also making a funky 70's hit this year. Light irredescent polish washes over a dark nail color can make your old polish seem new again for 2011. Foiled nails were a fun hit last year and are still fun and inventive this year.

As for popular colors you'll find naked nudes, pale blues, peachy-pinks, lavenders and gray toned metallics. Popular topcoats this year are crackles, pearly polish washes and holographic or gilded shimmer polishes.

What's Your Resolution for 2011

2010-12-31T08:00:00.018-05:00

I like to have several resolutions for the New Year because often all of them don't seem to get acheived to be perfectly honest. So here's my list of what I hope to acheive in the new year...

1. Lose atleast 35LB and keep it off.
2. Be who I want to be in life (a person that I'd admire and be proud of).
3. Finish getting all my basic college requirements done this year.
4. Update my cellphone phonebook (because there are a lot of people I don't talk to anymore).
5. Have a healthier lifestyle.
6. Travel to an overseas country.
7. Don't be late for work (maybe only once a month, heh).
8. Try not to buy anymore beauty products, unless needed.
9. Try to pay an extra $100-300/mo on my car payments.
10. Get my bedroom and bathroom organzied (serious mess).

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Happy Holidays

2010-12-26T10:02:00.000-05:00

I have spent sooo much time at my other blog Guppy-Guide lately, oooh Maguro you are my new bedroom watcher that I enjoy watching as well and such a spoiled and time consuming goldfish. Aquariums and fish are my past time, especially during these colder months where I dare not dwell outside because I loathe the winter time and snow is my kryptonite in life.

Aside from fish however, is my new love interest, friend and all that mushy goodness in between. I finally met someone that I simply adore and best of all our feelings are mutual for one another. I'm sure you all have read about my dating blunders all year long (possibly for 4-5yrs! ya-ouch) and everytime you stop by it is always someone new...yes I move quickly and am resilent but I think my search may be over, or atleast until next year :P

I have lots to share but so little time and energy right now, so I just wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! May 2011 be a better year for us all!

Share Time

2010-12-02T01:00:00.002-05:00

Let me start by saying WOW, checkout this Halloween popcorn one of my co-workers brought in to work, SUPER cute, colorful and tasty...just like me!! har-har :P

Those of you that don't follow me on Twitter I was in 2 car accidents over a month ago, one of which I barely rear-ended someone so no damage what-so-ever and the 2nd one that week which resulted in my car hydro-planning in the rain, spinning around and flipping upside down into an embankment on the side of the highway. Unfortunately my car AKA "Made in Japan" (RIP Toyo!) as I often called my car was totalled and thus had to get replaced.

I'm now the owner of this gorgeous new 2011 Mazda which I love dearly thus far as it is my "Zoom-Zoom", hehe. I'm now back in the poor house though due to having car payments for the next few years to work off the new loan. I'm a lucky girl for only coming out of my upside down car with a few minor cuts and bruises.

So happy to learn my dad owned a cam tripod, I got to use it during this pic!

I figured it was getting that time of year that no matter how broke I may be at the moment I am still willing to donate what I do have to a better cause. So I recently donated money to WorldVision and received this lovely handmade Thai bracelet to support exploited women in Africa. Now I just have to keep my mom from stealing my bracelet :P

Dad and I made chilli a few weeks back for a competetion his work had going on. We came in 7th out of 20 people...eh, not bad for our first time right?!

I spent my Thanksgiving week out in So-Cal with my fam, it was definately nice to get away from work and school for awhile and I feel soo refreshed. I def enjoyed eatting those ripe avocado's my mom saved for me out there, hah. Unfortunately I did not take a single photo during my stay in Cali this time :( So I'll leave you with an updated photo of my current bedroom setup and a pic of the roses the new BF bought me during our first date ;D

Checkout my new damask sheets from TJMaxx!

Glamour Doll swatches and review

2010-11-17T21:47:00.001-05:00

I purchased some eyeshadows from Glamour Doll online recently and wanted to give a quick review and share some swatches.

My package was very business card loaded! LOLZ

This is the Lorena Tower eyeshadow set (photos above taken with flash). Bare Naked is a lovely light gold color which I'd actually use as a deep highlight or all-over shade. Chocoholic is a brown shade with gold shimmer, a nice crease shade. Fabulous! is a pale watery blue shade. All these shades are easily blended out as to not look as vibrant if desired but I noticed that's just how this brand of eyeshadows seems to be. Bare Naked and Chocoholic look so sultry and almost give off a nice natural drama appeal together when applied to the eyes.

Click to view larger image.

Here are a few other eyeshadows I picked up from GD as well. Vanity is a really pretty blue shade with silver glitter. Jerrica is a rich yellow shade with similar glitter to that of Vanity. Flashdance! is a blue-silver shade with a silver-like shimmer to it. Summer Skies is a dark rich purple shade which appears to have a red shimmer to it upclose, the color reminds me of a really bad bruise, heh.

Overall these are worth trying out, the texture of the eyeshadows isn't as loose and messy as a lot of pigment shadows tend to be. The pigments actually seem to stick together a bit, rather then regular loose pigments which tend to fly everywhere and have much more "fall-out" then these. I love the satin texture these have as I'm not a huge fan of shimmery shades and personally prefer matte shades but the sheen of some of these is really pleasant. Some of these shadows do seem more intense and pigmented then others and I noticed that a lot of colors from GD tend to be for a limited time only as there were other shades I wanted but were no longer available.

Taking Woodstock Inspired Makeup

2010-11-13T02:38:00.001-05:00

I recently watched the movie Taking Woodstock and loved this girls vintage green pin-up style makeup, so here's what I did to try and re-create the look, enjoy!

Face
-Primer: Hard Candy Sheer Envy Primer Ultra Light Formula
-Concealer: Revlon Age Defying in Light Medium
-Liquid Foundation: Revlon PhotoReady in Vanilla 002
-Translucent Powder: Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Transparent 001

Cheeks and Contour
-Blush: Revlon Powder Blush in Tawny Peach 02
-Contour: CG Trublend Bronzer in Golden Sunrise 435

Eyes
-Primer: Loreal De-Crease
-Highlight: WNW in Brulee
-Lid: Coastal Scents Shimmer 88 Palette , 4 across 3 down (green shade)
-Contour: WNW in Greed Gourmandise, grey shade
-Liner: Rimmel London Proffessional Liquid EyeLiner in Ebony Black 001
-Waterline: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk with WNW Sugar Spice 250A on top
-Mascara: CG LashBlast Fushion in Very Black

Lips
-Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Soft Nude 070

Brows
-CG EyeShadow Single in Swiss Chocolate 730

60's Inspired, this looks similar to the above image

UD dupes with CS Updated

2010-11-12T05:36:00.033-05:00

I swatched and combined many different colors from the Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer palette in order to dupe them with Urban Decay's Alice in Wonderland palette, I don't own the UD palette but I thought these looked close to the photos and swatchs I saw online, enjoy!

UD: Alice
CS: 6 across 5 down w/ 6 across 2 down

UD: Underland
CS: 6 across 4 down w/ 7 across 4 down

UD: Oraculum
CS: 2 across 5 down

UD: Queen
CS: 8 across 7 down w/ 8 across 3 down

UD: Chessur

CS: 10 across 6 down w/ 10 across 3 down

UD: Wonderland
CS: 10 across 1 down

UD: White Rabbit
CS: 1 across 3 down

UD: Curiouser
CS: 7 across 3 down

UD: Muchness
CS: 2 across 6 down

UD: Mushroom
CS: 10 across 4 down

UD: Midnight Tea Party
CS: 11 across 5 down w/ 10 across 1 down

UD: Vorpal
CS: 5 across 5 down

UD: Drink Me, Eat Me

CS: 2 across 4 down w/ 1 across 8 down

UD: Mad Hatter

CS: 11 across 6 down

UD: Jabberwocky

CS: 11 across 8 down

UD: Absolem

CS: 3 across 8 down

Alice in Wonderland UD Palette Dupe

2010-11-11T19:00:00.008-05:00

Awhile back ago I really wanted the Alice in Wonderland Palette from Urban Decay but I recently found an awesome dupe for it which is much cheaper!

E.L.F.Beauty Book in Sparkle or EyeBrights is $5 at Target (only sold online?)
Urban Decay in Alice in Wonderland is $50 (currently sold out?)
-The colors that you'll find from Alice in Wonderland that dupe this E.L.F. palette are... Alice, Queen, Underland, White Rabbit and Jabberwocky

Apparently Urban Decay in Alice in Wonderland is similar to their Book of Shadows palette as well.
-The colors that you'll find from the Book of Shadows that match this E.L.F. palette are... Sidecar, Gridlock, Midnight Cowboy, Roach, Protest, Shattered, Last Call and Grifter

The E.L.F. Beauty Book in EyeBrights I believe is the same thing as the Sparkle palette except it has 2 additional colors added in the palette which are cream eyeshadows. I'm not sure if Sparkle perhaps has more shimmer then the EyeBrights eyeshadow palette or not.

Alice in Wonderland vs. Book of Shadows
(Dupe List, thanks to The Makeup Drawer! Swatch's available there as well!)

Underland=Flash
Alice= Painkiller
Oraculum= Baked
Queen= Last Call
Chessur= Chopper
White Rabbit= Polyester Bride
Wonderland= Maui Wowie
Curiouser= Grifter
Muchness= X
Mushroom= Mushroom
Midnight Tea Party= Midnight Cowboy
Vorpal= S&M
Absolum= Homegrown
Drink Me, Eat Me= Sin
Mad Hatter= Twice Baked
Jabberwocky= Oil Stick

Or perhaps I could get away with using my Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette...what ya think?!

Click Image to Enlarge

P.S. Check out BrushingOnBeauty for CS88 Swatches ;D

First Date Makeup

2010-11-05T21:14:00.047-04:00

As I was preparing for my first date with someone I had begun debating how to do my makeup. So my mom and I decided that the perfect first date makeup would be something natural looking, as if you didn't spend hours in the mirror preparing for your date or disguising who you really are.

JessicaHarlow.com

Jessica Harlow we thought had a great girly pin-up look which would be perfect for a first date, I'll list the products I used to get a similar look or you can watch her video tutorial below.

Eyes
-Highlight: WNW in Brulee
-Lid: Coastal Scents Shimmer 88 Palette (shimmery off-white shade)
-Contour: Coastal Scents Shimmer 88 Palette (dark taupe shade)
-Liner: Rimmel London Proffessional Liquid EyeLiner in Ebony Black 001
-Waterline: NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk with WNW Sugar Spice 250A on top

-Mascara: CG LashBlast Fushion in Very Black

Brows

-CG EyeShadow Single in Swiss Chocolate 730

Lips
-Lipstick: WNW in Think Pink 901B
-Gloss: Rimmel London Volume Booster in Clear 080

P.S. My date loved my eyes and even asked me out on another date! Goodluck on your first date ;)

Wet 'N' Wild in Greed Gourmandise - Swatches and Review

2010-11-05T01:00:00.004-04:00

You can see how lovely and pigmented WNW's new eye-shadows are from my Greed Gourmandise palette, I use all these colors. It contains three matte shades (left side) and three shimmer shades (right side). The eye-shadows are pretty soft to the touch and apply nicely.

The lightest matte shade here looks similar to their color Brulee which comes in a single, makes for a nice highlight shade on fair-skin tones. The shimmery silver shade has a bit of gold shimmer to it which makes it a bit different then an average silver color. The matte medium shade is nice for a natural look on the lids. The shimmery golden pink shade is very lovely and makes for a nice daytime look on the lids and crease. The matte black is a nice staple to have for those that favor intense dark smokey eyes. The shimmery black has a bit of silver shimmer to it and seems to be a popular color this year.

I'd definitely recommend trying these out, it has to be one of my new faves this year.

Randomness

2010-10-12T06:05:00.001-04:00

This show is hella korny but I found this song a bit amusing and kinda cute...err...perhaps embarrassing for the girl, heh...

Note to self...yell at my english teacher for the 67 she gave me on my narrative essay!! I worked sooo frickin' hard too! *mumbles bad words* Even my mom is pissed off at her... it's our first narrative in the class!! A lil slack MMmmK. At this rate I won't be getting an 80 to be able to take the exit exam...is she doing this on purpse?! I'm def going to look at my teams' grades. I need justice...and feedback!

California Girls Costume

2010-10-11T23:40:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure what I'm going to do for Halloween...if anything, but if I could go as anything this year it'd be a California Girl (as I am one ;P) but I'm talking about a Katy Perry inspired California Girl costume. Here's my costume idea...

Lots of candy coloured tulle to make a long skirt. I would then accessorize with candy goodies all over the top. I'd probably design a candy inspired headband to go with a light purple wig. Glittery makeup, girly nails...sugar, spice and everything nice!

What are you going as this year or...what would you want to go as?

Sam Look-a-Like

2010-10-08T06:50:00.000-04:00

I've been talking to plenty of guys from my personals ad and their aren't too many that really stand out but this one guy seems sweet and fun...a bit of a goofy odd-ball and I can dig that. I also thought he looked a bit familar...

Hahah, he thought it was funny ;D Lord of the Rings much, what ya think?

A Personal Ad Annoyance

2010-10-06T18:13:00.000-04:00

I recently joined an online personals ad yet again and I already noticed something that people do which annoys me.

When you send your messenger screen name in an e-mail through a personals website in order to better communicate with an individual outside the personals only to have someone respond with "I don't have that messenger service, but I do have...".

Why does it annoy me you ask? Because first of all I have several messenger accounts which are all connected to a bigger messenger service like Digsby, but that's not the point. My point is, they are more than capable to go out of their way to download these messengers just as much as I am (regardless if I already have them or not).

Therefore, if someone isn't willing enough to go out of their way to do so...chances are they aren't willing to go out of their way to do much else for me (not that I need anything, but if I ever did). So, I will not be wasting my time on trying to start anything further with this person.

Secondly, I don't like people asking to communicate via cell phone or Facebook because those things are a bit too personal and I don't just give them out to people I really don't know all that well (be smart here!).

English Class LOL

2010-09-29T21:48:00.003-04:00

Its been awhile since I did a lil LOL action on here but this girl Greta in my English class always ends up saying the funniest things without realizing it :P

Teacher: I hope no one in here has been procrastinating....!
Greta: Yea, because procrastination is like masterbation!
Class: X-D

Class: *studying fallacies*
Teacher: My parents use to question my studying habits, because I'd be blaring Metallica.
Greta: Metallica? Is that a white people thing?

Blue Leopard Nail Dupe Redo

2010-09-25T19:00:00.044-04:00

I found this lovely sparkly multi-toned leopard print nail design while browsing the net and fell in love! I'm not sure what was used to acheive this look but I decided to take my hand in replicating it, so here goes...

How To...

Step 1 - Apply a clear polish base coat (I used Barielle Nail Hardener), let dry.

Step 2 - Apply 1 coat of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Blue Me Away!, let dry.

Step 3 - Apply 2 coats of Sally Hansen HD polish in DVD, let dry between coats.

Step 4 - Using a black Sharpie marker create the leopard print pattern as big or small of a pattern as you like, then add the dot pattern and allow ink to dry.

Step 5 - Apply 2 coats of Confetti polish in Tiara, let dry.

Step 6 - Apply a clear top coat polish (I used Seche Vite) and let dry completely.

Paralyze

2010-09-25T16:21:00.001-04:00

I saw this fun post on Nihrida's blog and thought it'd be fun to use my Mixpod player on here to answer some personal questions, enjoy ;D

How it works

1. Put your MP3 player/ iPod/ Mixpod/ itunes library on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You MUST write that song name down, no matter how silly it sounds.

Here it is...

*If someone says ''is this okay'' you say?
Drop it Low (by Ester Dean)

*How would you describe yourself?
All I Want is You (by Miguel Jontel) - I think I missed the point, lol.

*What do you like in a girl/guy?
My Chick Bad (by Ludacris) - Sounds like I'm a fruit :P

*How do you feel today?
Whatcha Say (by Jason Derulo) - I wasn't listening?? hehe.

*What is your life's purpose?
Since you been Gone (by Kelly Clarkson) - eh...you're my purpose ;D

*What is your motto?
Krazy (by Pitbull) - That sounds bout right...maybe

*What do your friends think of you?
La La La (by LMFAO) - This is probably what you think after reading this post.

*What do your parents think of you?
Your Love is My Drug (by Ke$ha) - Aww, how sweet of them, hehe

*What do you think about very often?
Break Your Heart (by Taio Cruz)

*What do you think of the person you like?
2012, It Ain't the End (by Jay Sean)

*What is your life story?
1985 (by Bowling for Soup) - I was 2yrs old then, story of my life?? LOL.

*What do you want to be when you grow up?
Fire Burning (by Sean Kingston) - I'm grown up and not a Fire Fighter, heh

*What do you think when you see the person you like?
Like a G6 (by MrMM1) - Yeaaaaa ;D

*What will you dance to at your wedding?
Wooty (by Unknown) - A wooty wedding eh? haha.

*What will they play at your funeral?
Let Me Clear My Throat (by LLKoolJ) - OMG, I'll still be kickin when ya'll put me in, LMAO.

*What is your hobby/interest?
Carry Out (by Justin Timberlake) - Makes me sound like a total fatso :P

*What is your biggest fear?
SheWolf (by Shakira) - Rawr, haha.

*What is your biggest secret?
Another (by The Notorious Big) - Guess I got a lot? heh.

*What do you think of your friends?
Long Distance (by Brandy) - So true, I've moved around a lot in my life.

*What will you post this as?
Paralyze (by Tila Tequila)

I hope you had as much fun reading this as I did and try it out as well, let me know if you do!

Fall 2010 Colors, Nail Polish Matches and Fashion Updated

2010-09-24T22:30:00.008-04:00

-Endive, a crisp yellow-green hue. Konad in neon yellow R25, BYS in Anyone for Tennis, Skin Food in Milk Creamy Nail, China Glaze in Celtic Sun or Rimmel London in Lemon Drop.

-Golden Glow, a radiant yellow hue. Sally Hansen in Golden Child, Sinful Colors in Let's Meet, NARS in Cha Cha Cha (limited edition), China Glaze in Breakin', China Glaze in Golden Opportunity, China Glaze in Sun Worshiper or Rimmel London in Sunshine.

-Living Coral, an inviting orange-pink hue. Borghese in Tangelo Sherbert, Paul and Joe in Marrakesh or Essie in Haute as Hello.

-Lipstick Red, a deep red hue. Revlon in Cherries in the Snow, Jessie's Girl in Cherry or Forever 21 in Classic Cherry Red.

-Purple Orchid, an exotic fuchsia hue. Models Own in Purple Poppy, Sally Hansen in Cyber or Essie in Bermuda Shorts.

-Chocolate Truffle, a rich plum brown hue. Revlon in Devilish, Borghese in Espresso Brown, Maybelline in Mocha Blast, CQ in Chocolate Plum, Petites in Plum Royale, Deborah Lippmann in Dark Side Of The Moon or Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Haute Chocolate.

-Lagoon, a tropical turquoise hue. Ciaté in Ditch The Heels, China Glaze in Flyin' High, Petites Color Fever in Figi, Rimmel London in Green with Envy or Sally Hansen Xtreme in Lagoon.

-Woodbine, a stunning green hue. Wet n Wild in Sage in the City, Maybelline Express in Go Go Green, OPI in Green-Wich Village, Sally Hansen Xtreme in Ivy League or Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Grass Slipper.

-Oyster Gray, a classic light gray hue. Deborah Lippmann in Waking Up In Vegas, Sally Hansen in Wet Cement or Essie in Playa del Platinum.

-Rose Dust, a romantic beige hue. Butter London in Tea With The Queen, Borghese in Via Veneto Chrome, Petites in Sand Dune or Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Quick Sand.

Fall 2010 Fashion

SHEERLY BELOVED- light knits perfect for layering.
URBAN DE-GRAY- The perfect polished shade that showed up all over the runways.

GILTY PLEASURES- Gold, bronze and burnished metallics rock!
ANIMAL INSTINCTS- Wild prints and textures look new.
LAYER IT ON- Tunics, wraps, capes, and all manner of clever coverups.
ACCESSORIZE- Long socks, big cowls and lengthy wristers.

CUTTING LOOSE- Oversized is the new shape for comfortable style.

RED HOT!- The key color of the season.

ANCIENT INFLUENCES- New Navajo shapes in updated coloring.

GOING TO NEW LENGTHS- The sleeve stops here, anywhere from cap to three-quarter.

What's in my Makeup Bag?

2010-09-24T00:12:00.002-04:00

Every week I try to redo my daily makeup bag, switching out some items for different ones and creating a new look for the week. I do this so I don't neglect the tons of other makeup items I own. So here's what's currently in my makeup bag!

My Hello Kitty makeup bag >^..^<

~Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream SPF15
~Revlon New Complexion foundation in 01 Ivory Beige
~Essense of Beauty, blush brush
~Sonia Kashuk hidden treasure collection, angled eyeshadow brush
~Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadow in Skinlights
~Neutrogena Skin Clearing Mineral Powder in Classic Ivory 10
~Wet n Wild coloricon palette in Greed Gourmandise
~Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick in 070 Airy Fairy
~CoverGirl eye enhancer in Swiss Chocolate
~Rimmel London Powder Blush in 004 Pink Rose
~CoverGirl clean oil control pressed powder in 545 warm beige (I use this as bronzer)
~Rimmel London Volume Booster Lip Color in Clear
~Neutrogena Healthy Lengths mascara in 01 Carbon Black
~Aquaphor Healing Ointment Advanced Therapy for dry cracked, or irratated skin (lip ointment)
~NYX auto eyebrow pencil in # EP01 light brown

My 3 Day Miranda Kerr Diet

2010-09-13T10:41:00.018-04:00

I decided to go on a strict 3 day diet, why 3 days? Because new diets can often suck and after learning what the lovely Miranda Kerr from Victoria Secrets eats and drinks...I'm not so sure how crazy I'm gonna be about eatting and drinking some of this stuff on a daily basis. Also, I wanted to see what results I could accomplish in a short amount of time, at my weight though I'm pretty sure their will be weight-loss and who knows...if it comes easier then it seems right now I may perhaps keep going for a week or so.

Beverages
Warm Water with Lemon
Tahitian Noni Juice
Aloe Vera Juice
Green Tea
Dandelion Tea
Ginger Tea
Spring Water

Grain
Sour Dough Bread
Muesli
Rye Toast
Spelt Crispbreads

Fruit and Vegetables
Avocado
Fresh Fruit Salad
Fruits
Green Vegetables (Spinach, Broccoli...)
Salad
Sweet Potato
Roasted Pumpkin

Protein
Boiled Eggs
Tuna Salad
Nuts
Salmon Steak/Fish/Lamb Loin Chop/Piece of steak

Other
Vegemite

Dairy
Yogurt

Guilty Pleasure
Fried Chicken
Lindt Chocolate

Regular Exercise
Yoga
Running
Boxing
Pilates

"Miranda eats only organic food, and maintains a very clean and healthy diet. She believes in a healthy nutriention rather then calorie counting. Don't deprive yourself of the foods you love, just eat them once in awhile(once a week or less) and in moderation(don't over eat). Miranda frequents the Bondi Junction, which is an organic food cafe in Sydney. She is very aware that what you eat affects how your hair, skin, nails, and body look. Not to mention how much energy you have, and how you feel in general. Healthy weight loss is the way to go!"

Miranda has a list of some beauty products she uses (especially Ojon products), so I took the liberty of finding similar products from local drugstores which are more readily available for less $.$

Burt's Bees Healthy Treatment Marshmallow Vanishing Creme
Frownies Rose Water Hydrator Spray
Bodycology Body Mist, White Gardenia
Aubrey Organics Rose Hip Seed Oil Moisturizing Nutrient
Nexxus KerapHix Restorative Strengthening Conditoner

Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara - Review

2010-09-08T19:16:00.004-04:00

I've practically finished a tube of the non-waterproof Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara, so I decided to post a review on it.

1. Tube Design:
-Cute, sexy design in a mettalic purple color.
-Rimmel crown emblem engraved in the top of cap is a nice touch.
-Round tube can roll away when laid down but will stand up-right.
-Retail Cost: $7.19

2. Brush Design:
-Allows you to get close to the lash base but doesn't seem to improve the fullness of the lashes.
-Didn't notive any clumping on the brush really, unless you just take big globs at a times from over pumping it into the tube.
-Decent length of brush and I do seem to prefer the rubber bristles.

3. Marscara Product Quality:
-Removes easily
-Flakey
-Normal color

4. Label Expectations:
-"70% Fuller Lashes", this didn't make my lashes look any fuller then usual.
-"Curls Lashes", this didn't make them stick straight but it didn't curl them either so I can't say that it had "16hr Curl Hold" as stated.
-"Triple Plump Brush" ("curves in for volume and curves out for maximum curl"), this doesn't seem to do any of that to the lashes.
-"Suitable for sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers", this formula flakes a bit and actually bothers my eyes when it gets into them.

5. My Review:
What I liked most about this product was its brush design because it allowed you to get close to the base of your lashes. All the label expectations seemed totally false from my experience with this product. This does contain parabens (Methylparaben and Propylparaben). You really can't do more then two coats without the mascara starting to flake all over your face. I wouldn't purchase this again, nor would I recommend this to others.

I Can Haz Vole

2010-08-28T03:22:00.000-04:00

This past week at work after my dinner break I saw something small, practically tail-less, furry and walking a bit slowly around my jobs parking lot (I also saw it hiding in some small shrubs when I arrived at work thinking "how odd to see a tail-less mouse", eheh). Upon closer inspection I thought perhaps it was a mole but I knew moles had big outward digging paws and I knew if it was a mouse it was in fact missing its tail and slow moving. I toyed with it out in the parking-lot like a cat stalking a mouse, debating if I should pick it up (would it bite? Is it sick? It is a wild animal afterall) or not.

After having no luck getting it back into some grass I went back inside to work...I thought about the little fella' all night and figured I'd get a small box, capture it and perhaps relocate him (or a new pet?). I went back out to the parking-lot...no luck finding him...I went back again...still no luck and I started to give up. When it was time for me to go home I looked again and saw him laying in the parking lot...he had been ran over by a VW (RIP lil fella'). It didn't stop me from further trying to figure out what the small critter was but I believe it was a vole (as pictured above) and I never knew such an animal even existed.

Back to School

2010-08-24T00:56:00.000-04:00

This week has been an interesting one as I've recently started college...I haven't been to school in around 7 years and yes it's a little bit bothersome trying to get back into the education groove of things. My first day of school and I had an in-class essay to write...I was having total mind block, anxiety, realizing no one is there to actually teach me anything anymore and finding a lack of interest in the story I'm reading which I have to base my essay off of (did an Elementary kid write this cr*p??) totally forgetting that most essays are at least 5 paragraphs of 3-5 sentences each (I think...right?) and I only did 4 paragraphs, ugh...now I'm having writers block and feel as though I'm just repeating myself in each paragraph *annoyance*. I'm really hoping that this isn't being graded at all and I just get a grade for turning something in for the 15-20 some odd minutes I had to actually complete this essay which is basically based on "when is it right to break the law, or is it, or should you" type of scenario. Also because my ghetto college is still living in the stone-age I couldn't even print my essay from my laptop, luckily I JUST bought a flashcard at Costco this past weekend and was able to eventually find another classroom in which I could use their computer to print off my essay...would've helped if the teacher could've told me which room to go to instead of me having to grab someone in the hallway for help...which really wasn't much help to be honest but I got the job done in the end.

Now that I'm having a slight lack of confidence and feeling scatter brained from my essay I then get an e-mail stating I haven't paid for my classes and get dropped from school all together (RETARDED!). So I pay my bill online through the school website and send a reply message stating I had paid the $790 for my 2 classes. After jumping from person to person via E-Mail I'm now waiting to hear back that I'm A-OK to proceed with my education...*headache*. At this point if they actually do drop me...I want my money back so I can go on vay-k to my hometown in Cali with my mom :P Another pain in the a** would be having to return all my new books I bought which cost around $250. I'm starting to see why so many people do get Financial Aid!

I'm also beginning to wonder if I'll even make any friends at school because I feel like with just 2 classes (about 1 class every other day), the only way I see that happening is if or when we start working in study groups of some sort. I get along so much better with older people though...always have and probably always will for whatever reason so it really doesn't help that these people are fresh outta high school or near my age. I do notice some girls seem to sneer at me or giggle oddly when I enter a classroom (no clue why though!!) and also that I'm possibly the best dressed person in school as raggy t-shirts, short shorts and Wal-mart flip-flops aren't exactly my calling in life. Not to worry, I notice guys around school watching me or trying to make eye contact with me (one I see staring at me from behind in one of my classes in fact)...perhaps they smell fresh meat, heh. I always get along with the boys so much easier then girls...so I def won't complain bout that. After writing this post, I'm kinda thinking the writers block has passed now, erg...my luck.

Fruit for Thought

2010-08-16T19:54:00.001-04:00

"Eat some pretty fruit" my mom would say as I look at the variety of fresh fruit sitting upon our kitchen counter. This statement of hers is basically implying that...

"you are what you eat"

So what's the sexiest fruit? According to Google Images you'd be a...

Strawberry

Pomegranate

Avocado

Mango

Lychee

Cherry

and if you're wondering what the ugliest fruit is...

Dragon Fruit

Rambutan

Raspberry

Jack Fruit

however the cutest of fruits...

well anything with a smiley face on it of course :3 LOL

TJ Maxx Haul

2010-08-10T18:24:00.005-04:00

Black Suede Buckled Peep Toe Pumps by Nine West $35

Black Sunglasses by Franco Sarto $10 (originally $20+)

Black Handbag by Franco Sarto $35

I've also seen this bag in the interior design pattern and tan color (at Macys for originally $89-70).

I did find it a bit interesting that I ended up picking out 2 items which were both by the same designer as I was just speed shopping through the departments as I had half an hour before going to work.

I def think the purse was worth it since it does come with a coin purse and umbrella and you can play with its zipper sides ;D

I've recently been trying to be more trendy/fashionable...err...I feel FAIL though, feedback would be appreciated. This look would prolly be best for fall time BTW as its still too hot out for a boots and jeans combo. My recent attempt on the Japanese style hair bun...I should've wrapped my hair around the base as this attempt seems more dressy rather then casual.

Dark Gray Striped Top from Avenue

Skull Pocket Skinny Jeans from Debs
Black Boots from Target

Yellow Leather Satchel Purse by Lucky Brand Jeans from TJ Maxx

Sunglasses by Franco Sarto from TJ Maxx

Ring and Necklace from Ebay

Another TJ Maxx splurge I had was this yellow satchel purse (photo above) for around $60 by Lucky Brand Jeans...I'm still not sure it was really worth the cost to be honest :P BTW, did ya hear bout the couple that recently got wed at TJ Maxx?!

Totoro Toy Tutorial

2010-07-27T23:22:00.003-04:00

I wanted to do something a bit different for my tutorials and decided to create a magazine-style layout, so just click the image below to view this printer friendly DIY I created ;D

BlackBerry Curve 8530 Review

2010-07-19T16:56:00.001-04:00

I just switched out my old 8330 B-Berry Curve for this newer one the BlackBerry Curve 8530 this past weekend. The main new features I noticed was it does have a wi-fi connection, it also has gotten rid of that annoying roller bar and been replaced with a touch-pad type device. My dad and I both agree that the icons look a bit similar to one another at first and you do have to hover over the icon to see what it actually does for the most part. It is slimmer then my old 8330 and my old case doesn't exactly work properly with this newer one, neither does the old charger (which I hate because the old charger fit a lot of other devices I own). The Sim Card in the back is also no longer hidden under the battery but off to the side in its own compartment, the back cover is also removed by lifting it up rather then sliding it up off the phone. I'm not so sure the battery life on the 8530 works for very long in comparison with the 8330.

I do think the photos come out great until you start zooming in and then they gradually get very grainy looking, there is no flash on the 8530 and this has a 5x zoom where I believe the 8330 is 3x zoom, another interesting thing I noticed that 1-3x pictures send at their biggest size, where as 4x gets smaller and 5x is the smallest sized image.

Upon using the phone it has a bit too many options for my taste so it took me a bit of customizing to show the items I wanted and how I wanted them to be shown, I don't exactly need several different icons showing me the same message (emails, text, etc). I also can send multiple photo's at once which is cool because it was annoying having to send one at a time before. I also find their web browser a bit more user friendly with more apps that work and net images and pages that all actually upload nicely, you also have a zoom capability on it. Overall I do like what it offers over the 8330 and I'm sure I'll get use to all the new junk it has as time progresses...but why couldn't my dad get me the purple one instead of red? heh.

"On the Scene" Eye Makeup Tutorial

2010-07-17T16:18:00.004-04:00

This eye makeup look is by MAC "In the Groove" series and this one is called "On the Scene". Since I really don't like their makeup tuts on how to acheive these looks I've created a similar how-to tutorial on how I think this exact look can be more easily acheived and without using MAC products, enjoy ;)

Step 1: Prime entire eye area using Loreal De-Crease.

Step 2: Line entire upper lashline using Styli-Style Waterproof Liquid Liner pen in Blackest Black.

Step 3: Apply an under brow highlight color in cream (or similar skin tone) colored eyeshadow, I used Maybelline eyeshadow single in Linen.

Step 4: Using Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Pallete I applied a Medium/Light shade of blue (5 across and 1 down). Apply this to inner top half and blending up past crease of lid and entire lower lash line.

Step 5: Using the Maybelline quad in Hushed Tints I applied the orange shade to the outer top lid insuring to blend the color up toward the brows and also applying it to the middle of the lower lash line.

Step 6: Using the same Maybelline quad in Hushed Tints I applied the dark brown shade to the lower outer top lid lightly just to add some subtle dimension to the eye and also applied it over the middle of the lower lash line of the orange I just applied. I also used this color to fill in my brows.

Step 7: Apply several quick coats of Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara in Extreme Black to entire top lashes and middle of bottom lashes.

Maybelline LipStick Colors

2010-07-15T17:30:00.001-04:00

(NO FLASH)

(FLASH)

(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT)

Pink Sand 005, Nude Blush G132, Sweet Ginger G80

Barry M LipStick Colors

2010-07-14T17:22:00.002-04:00

(NO FLASH)

(WITH FLASH)

(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT)

100, 129, 130

Rimmel LipStick Colors

2010-07-13T17:00:00.001-04:00

(NO FLASH)

(FLASH)

(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT)

Vintage 026, Airy Fairy 070, Summer Angel 640, Pink Chic 220

Revlon Lipstick Swatches and Possible Dupes

2010-07-12T16:31:00.000-04:00

I decided to finally start sharing some of my current makeup collections...also wanting to purchase more items and forgetting which colors I currently owned was cause for this as well :P

(NO FLASH)

(WITH FLASH)

(STARTING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT)

TWINKLED PINK, GENTLEMEN PREFER PINK, SASSY MAUVE, PAPARAZZI PINK, APRICOT FANTASY, NUDE ATTITUDE, CRYSTAL CUT CORAL

POSSIBLE DUPES

TWINKLED PINK: N/A

GENTLEMEN PREFER PINK: RIMMEL IN PINK BLUSH, ICING IN LIGHT PINK #04

SASSY MAUVE: RIMMEL IN HEAVENLY

PAPARAZZI PINK: RIMMEL IN AIRY FAIRY

APRICOT FANTASY: N/A

NUDE ATTITUDE: MAC MYTH

CRYSTAL CUT CORAL: N/A

SIDE NOTES: Paparazzi Pink is probably going to be one of my favorties after taking a good look at the actual color here. Sassy Mauve is definately one of my favorites when applied with a light hand and some clear gloss. Nude Attitude should probably be a basic staple for most fair-skinned makeup go-ers as it goes nice with any makeup look really. I also found that combining Nude Attitude with MAX Factor Lipgloss in Champagne Bath can be a dupe for MAC TANARAMA or by combining Nude Attitude and NYC Mocha it looks similar to MAC FRESH BREW.

MAC Makeup Inspired looks

2010-06-22T20:01:00.003-04:00

The pictures from my BlackBerry really don't do the color of my makeup justice...but here are the 2 MAC inspired "TO THE BEACH" makeup looks I did this week using the Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette. I say inspired because I didn't use MAC products and I applied the makeup a bit more to my liking rather then their photo's standards.

Inspired MAC look...

Sweet & Punchy

EyeShadow Colors Used

Bright Yellow, Yellow Green, Forest Green and Cream White

Eye Liner Used

Wet N Wild in Turquoise

Lips
Revlon Lipstick Nude

MAC Sugar Trance gloss

Mascara

CG LashBlast Fusion in Black

Cheeks

PF Bronze Booster

Milani in Luminous Blush

Inspired MAC look...

Firecracker

EyeShadow Colors Used

Muted Deep Pink, Orange Peach and Cream White

Eye Liner Used
Wet N Wild in Black

Lips

Revlon Lipstick Paparazzi Pink

MAC Sugar Trance gloss

Mascara
CG LashBlast Fusion in Black

Cheeks

CG Loose Powder Bronzer

Here's a pic of my nails this week! Uber cute and basic, got kudo's on my color selection ;P

Essie in Gucci Mucci Puchi

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mellow Yellow

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Celeb City

Boston Get-A-Way

2010-06-15T00:57:00.051-04:00

This past weekend was spent in Boston, MA with my friend from BTV! We didn't do a whole lot due to the yucky weather and my longgg flight delay on JetBlue. However we did make it out to The Capital Grille which is sooo good and $$$, I had the Chef's Special Delmonico Steak...it was huge and I'm usually not a huge steak fan at all but WOW, sooo good as are the mash potatoes and bread. I'll definately be checking out the local ones in the DC area!

Also watched the Celtics game, WOOOooo FINALS BABYYY! haha. As long as they don't go from 1986 to 2008 to win again, lol, talk about dry spell back in the day.

Driving around Boston honestly looks a bit ghetto...kind of like how Baltimore is here, they also are known for seafood. A place of Sam Adams Boston Lager and actually quite a number of movies take place their as well (on that note I will not be drinking the tap water in Woburn...ever). Surprisingly their seem to be a number of Irish settlers here although my local friend has an Italian background. Apparently their will be an occasional moose that may get in your path of driving, avoid hitting them at all costs!

Well it's time for me to go home after a long day at work and hopefully I'll get around to watching Planet 51 and The Princess and The Frog...yeaaa for still being a kid at heart ;)

Spring/Summer 2011 "Enchanted Picnic" Nail Colors

2010-06-14T01:00:00.006-04:00

I recently checked out the color trends for next years Spring/Summer and picked out polish colors I already have on hand to match the Enchanted Picnic color trend for next year! So if you're like me a wanna be a year ahead of the color trend then checkout my picks below ;)

1. Orly: Buried Treasure

2. Barry M: Mint Green

3. Revlon: Steel Her Heart
4. Eyeko: Punk Polish
5. OPI: Pandamonium Pink

6. Milani: Cool Vibe

7. Sally Hansen (Xtreme Wear): Ivy League

Shop-A-What

2010-06-10T16:21:00.001-04:00

Got this kawaii I <3 Nerds Snoopey T for $9 at Wal-Mart this past weekend!

I even picked up the ever-so-popular wayfaring nerd-esque glasses, these were $5 and I wish they had solid black ones but FAIL. Anywhooo...I totally heart wearing these, feelin' like a librarian/scientist, LOL.

Got another Miley style plaid shirt in blue for $9! Lovin' it more so then my yellow one because it doesn't fluff out in the front and look like it's maternity X.x

Mom and I played like tacky fashion designers in the Target clearance rack this weekend...errr...we basically tried to make outfits outta the crazy stuff we found, but yea...got a good laugh in here and there! I still say its weird how the fashion style of today reminds me so much of Peggy Bundy from Married with Children...Lord help us all, heh.

This weekend I'll be flying up to Boston, MA to meetup with a BlogTV friend I've made over the past few months now, good stuff ;D Oh yea, did ya'll happen to catch my mom break into my bedroom and get on cam with me during my BTV session? kinda embarrassing, heh.

RedBox currently has a deal going for members, if you rent 2 DVD's then within 3 days you'll get a free rental, on that note it's time to watch The Tooth Fairy on DVD for free, c-ya!

Color Me Bored

2010-06-10T00:28:00.004-04:00

About a week ago I came across this patriotic bikini that I didn't wanna pass up for some reason. It was $9 for the top and bottom separates at Wal-Mart which is made by Faded Glory, you can also choose which pieces you want in this similar style and it comes in plus sizes ;)

I was just dieing to buy a dark blue frost polish this past week so I scoured the isles of CVS and came across this gorgeous one by Milani called "Bolting Blue".

For $5 at Wal-Mart I couldn't pass up these earrings! I've noticeably been seeing 'em sell like hotcakes after I got mine and these also come in silver. I honestly think dark blue/purple items that are generally consisting of a diamond shape seem super popular this year!

These $13 Wayfaring sunnies I picked up from Target recently are no joke, I've gotten soo many comments from guys at work like "Barbie", "I love your sunglasses" and "Those are soo unique, I like 'em". I also got these earrings for like $8 there, first time I found a woven style earring that I've actually liked! I just saw these earrings online, wonder how they look in person...hrmm XD

I finally splurged a bit on some PrismaColor markers at Michaels the other week and after MUCH debate picked out Blondwood, Light Umber and Aquamarine. Now I just need to start drawing again ;P

That's it for now, I'm going to watch Leap Year and Dear John on DVD since I hit up RedBox ;)

Avatar Inspired Nail Tutorial

2010-05-26T19:00:00.007-04:00

I loved the movie Avatar and thus decided to create my own Avatar inspired nail tutorial. It took much experimenting for me to create this final look, enjoy ;)

Get the Look

-Apply 1 Coat of Clear BaseCoat (I used Barielle Instant Liquid Nail Hardener #1050).

Let Dry 5 Minutes.

-Apply 2 Coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in "Blue Me Away!" #04.

Let each coat dry 5 Minutes Apart.

-Apply 1 thin coat of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in "Disco Ball" #09 (Note: shake/roll polish well as too much glitter can overpower the finished look).

Let Dry 5 Minutes.

-Using the Konad Stamp I used the zebra print on the M57 Konad Plate (I think M73 may be an even better print for this), use Sally Hansen Salon Manicure in "Thinking of Blue" #460. (Note: Avoid shaking/rolling the paint bottle before application, the stamp works better when polish is thick). The polish on your finger can later be removed with polish remover and a Q-Tip.

Let Dry 5 Minutes.

-Apply Dots (as shown in image or you can place them anywhere you like) using Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in White (Note: Shake Pen before using), I had to go over my dots once I applied them the first time to better enhance them (Note: Don't worry if your dots look a bit caved in, this will practically fix itself in the next step).

Let Dry 5 Minutes.

-Apply 2 Coats of Clear TopCoat (I used Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat). Let the first coat dry 5 minutes before applying the 2nd coat.
Let Dry Completely, remove any polish that may have gotten on your skin and your Done.

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