New Black Eyeliner Must Have

As most of you can tell, I'm a loyal brand/product shopper.  If I find something I like, I find very little reason to buy a competing product. 

For years, I've been a loyal Dior Liquid Liner shopper and advocate.  N can vouch that I pushed that product on everyone I know.  I tried Smashbox, L'Oreal, Estee Lauder, NARS, MAC and nothing worked as great until Dior.

Right before we left for our Thai adventure, I ran out of Dior completely.  I freaked out and tried to determine how to best get a new eyeliner before we left.  Unfortunately, I did not have time to make it to a department store, so I stopped at ULTA to buy a cheaper drugstore brand.

Upon talking to the sales associate, she recommended I try Stila Cosmetics Waterproof Liner.  It was $20, and she mentioned that I could return it if I didn't like it - so what did I have to lose.

I've been using this eyeliner for the past 3 weeks now.  I LOVE the superfine tip, it makes a thin line or a cat eye or a thicker line all doable.  The liquid consistency is amazing and allows for easy feathering. 

And with it being $15 cheaper and the variety of colors, I think I have found my new eyeliner!

Nailed It, Part 5: Polka Dots

Wow, it's been almost a year since my last nail post!  Polka dots seem so summery to me, but painting them all over all my nails takes more patience than I possess.  So lately my favorite trend is minimalistic polka dots.  If you are using the brush that came with the polish (as I do) rather than specialty nail brushes, then I don't recommend painting the dots with OPI.  Essie and Zoya have smaller brushes that work great for dots, while OPI's are designed more for complete nail coverage.

[Zoya Wednesday (I think)  + Buffy]

Nailed It, Part 4: Ombre

That's ombre, not hombre. ;)  This manicure is basically just a gradient across your nails.  There are a couple of ways to do this - either take a dark color and mix it with different amounts of white to get five shades, or find five shades of nail polish in the same color.  My recommendation is to get this done at a salon so that you have a plethora of options and don't have to dig them up yourself.


I've tried red before and currently have this pink scheme (with my blue toes making a cameo in the background):

Blues and purples are next on the list!

Nailed It, Part 2: Magnetic Polish

I finally bought this stuff after talking about it for months.  It seems that British company nails inc. is the pioneer in magnetic polish - they started with a wave pattern and just released a fishnet pattern.  The color options aren't super summery, but the good thing is that they're mostly neutral.  You can get away with not looking too outlandish but still having a little something fun going on.  


Upon sitting down to start this project, I must admit that I was pretty nervous since R and I had disastrous results when we tried crackle nail polish.  This was SO much easier.  The polish has a great consistency and shine, and the brush is just the right size.  I did one nail at a time, putting one semi-thick coat of polish and then holding the magnet on top for about 5 seconds.  The cap of the bottle has a flat magnet on it, with a little ledge that you can rest on your finger to avoid getting too close to your nail.  Your nails immediately look texturized since the magnet attracts iron particles in the polish, and once they're dry they're all set.  Here, see for yourself.

[nails inc. Spitalfield Fishnet Magnetic Polish]

It's only been a day, so we'll see how they hold up.  So far so good though, and my coworkers definitely loved them!

Nailed It, Part 1: The New French Manicure

R and I are both obsessed with our nails, constantly experimenting with them, and thought it'd be fun to share some opinions/tips.  I love, love the fact that so many new trends are coming about.  To me, having a great manicure (whether done at home or in a salon) has many benefits.  For one, if you need to dress pretty demurely for work, your nails are a "safe" way to show off your personal style.  Two, they're a good conversation starter.  Three, if you're like me and can't make decisions or commitments, you're in luck because neither of those is really required!  Anything goes, and you don't have to worry about what size you wear. :)


On to the "new" French manicures.  I can't really advise on how to get a nice, straight tip because I just freehand it.  There are a few different options:

1.  Clear nails with colored tips.  This was my first venture, so I didn't use a super bold color.  It's a great way to ease into it or to use a color that you feel is too overwhelming on your full nail.

[OPI natural nail strengthener + some slightly sparkly OPI magenta that I can't remember]

2.  Light nails with dark tips.  Once again, subtle because it's the same color family, but it's something different.  The opposite would also look great.

[OPI Do You Lilac It? + Chanel Paradoxal]

3.  Colorblocked.  Oh, the possibilities are endless.  Pink + orange, blue + yellow, purple + teal, color + metallic...I'm obsessed with this YSL photo and would love to try it.

4.  The reverse.  I have yet to find the patience to attempt this, but I think it looks amaze.  Any of the combinations mentioned above would work.

 

R's New Segment: How I Feel about M-A-C

I have a great idea for a new segment of posts from moi.  As you know, I am a product/makeup junkie.  If its sparkly, I must have it.  Typically when I buy a product from a "new brand," I will generally experiment with a few of their things.  Below, I will start with the things I love versus the ones I didn't love from M-A-C.


Products I didn't love:


1.  M-A-C Liquid Last Eyeliner:  I loved that this product came in different colors and was fairly inexpensive.  However, It was clunky, the brush was hard to work with and it was fairly permanent.  That stuff was IMPOSSIBLE to get off.  Eye make up remover, vaseline, you name it - I tried it.  Dislike.


2.  M-A-C- Pro Longwear Lip Glass:  Back in the day, this had two sides to it - the lip glass side and then the gloss side.  Regardless, I didn't like it.  I had a hard time trying to figure out which color was right on my lips and it always flaked off by the end of the day.  


Products I do love:


1.  M-A-C Studio Fix Powder Foundation:  N has blogged about this before, so I won't just repeat waht she said.  But I do love the ease of application, and think this is a perfect alternative to my liquid makeup in the summer or on a day of errands.


2.  Fix +:  I love this stuff. I think its a must have when travelling (especially those long flights) and on a hot day.  Just a couple of squirts and your face feels cool and refreshed.  I also think it makes my makeup look fresh.


3.  Glitter and Ice Paint Pot:  I have this in For Effect and I love it!  I recently got this for my birthday when I had my makeup done, and I think this is just so fantastic.  Its my first creamy eyeshadow and it stays on forever without those nasty creases.  


4.  Lashes:  Enough said.


What are your favorite and least favorite M-A-C products?

N's Beauty Must-Haves

Some of my staple products are the same ones R has reviewed (Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover, Clinique All About Eyes Rich, L'Oreal Telescopic Liquid Liner, Smashbox Primer), so I won't rehash those. However, as we all know, a girl needs to have a lot of tools. Here are some other items I can't live without.

1. Olay Definitely Color Recapture. A great moisturizer which gives a slight tint, has SPF, and really does help with the random dark spots that I unfortunately have.

2. MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation. I was devoted to Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation for years, but recently I decided to try one of Ree's staples. It's been great for summer since it goes on lightly and quickly, gives good coverage, and actually lasts all day (although that could be due to the primer underneath).

3. Crabtree & Evelyn Chocolate Cream Lip Swirl. This one is so random - I got it as a free gift when I purchased a bunch of hand cream last Christmas. It has just the right shade of tint, tastes yummy, and is really moisturizing without being sticky. I think it's only available during the holidays so I'm planning to stock up later this year!

4. Aveeno Active Naturals Shampoo and Conditioner. I've tried the Living Color line and the Nourish + Moisturize line. Rarely has my hair been so soft after washing.

5. Kerastase Shampoo and Conditioner. I haven't actually splurged on this - I acquired a few small bottles somehow and tried it out. The main thing I love is the smell; I'm so thankful to have long hair after I use this because I can catch lovely whiffs of it throughout the day. Maybe I should make sure I wash my hair with this before dates. :)

In my prime...

I can't believe neither N nor I have blogged about this yet.  SO - I knew about primer, I had tried it when I tried Bare Essentials (YUK!) and didn't see what the big deal was.  Then last year, Miss N came to visit she brought me a sample size of Smashbox Primer.  YOU GUYS!  This is the best thing ever.  RUN...stop reading and run to Nordies, Sephora, ULTA, etc and get this!

I swear - my makeup could stay and has stayed on thru a full day of work, happy hour, dinner, late night out, quick "nap," 6:00 am P90x workout - all looked like I had just applied my makeup.  If that doesn't convinced you....nothing will!

Another favorite Smashbox product is their Halo powder.  Gravy Train has been preaching about this stuff for a while, and I finally took her up on it.  O-M-G!  I LOVE it.  Especially to travel with it, its like a pressed powder, and with a twist of a dial it shaves into a loose powder!  That's INGENIOUS!  So I especially love it when I travel because its easy and makes me look like a million bucks!

Thank me later!

MAC Liquid Liner vs L'oreal Liquid Liner

So, I'm usually a sucker for department store makeup counters, mainly because I can see / smell / try on the product prior to purchase.  Nothing stresses me out more than buying an unknown makeup product at my local Target (what if it smells bad, or I simply just don't like it). 

Therefore, my standby liquid liner was LiquidLast by MAC...until this recent trip to the RDU to celebrate Miss N's birthday and I tried her L'Oreal Telescopic Liquid Liner! 

I'll run thru the reasons I like the L'Oreal Telescopic Liner is the felt tip brush.  The angled felt tip brush allows you to create a thin line or a thicker line.  I also think it allows you to make the cat eye easier than a normal brush.  Here are some other reasons I love this particular liner:

• Color does remain on all night, but its VERY easy to take off
• Matte color
• Great price point
• Did I mention the felt brush?  It truly allows for a smooth slick application.
• Cons:  Limited color selection (black, brown, dark brown)

Now onto the Mac LiquidLast Liner and how I feel:

• Variety of colors
• Nice glossy color
• Stays on thru anything.  Seriously, I could go thru a tsunami and this liner would still be there
• Cons:
• An actual brush which causes the hairs to be all over the place and affect the smooth application
• About double the price of the L'Oreal
• Takes a few products to get it off

So, what would I buy?  The L'Oreal is my winner. Let's hope they get more colors!

R's Review on Mark Makeup

Hello!

As N mentioned in her earlier post (2010 Reunion Roni #4) we both bought some Mark makeup from GT as we were running around with zero sleep.

So the lady at the make-up counter was VERY interesting...a bit odd, had some quirks, and I think she may have been drunk.  But nonetheless, let's go to the makeup.  I purchased some tinted moisturizer (for Sundays), lipgloss (because you can never have too many sparkly glosses), metallic eyeliner, and a eyeshadow pencil.  See my reviews below!

Mark Get a Tint Tinted Moisturizer:  With SPF15, light coverage and ZERO smudge, I LOVE this stuff!  I definitely would recommend this for a low priced tinted moisturizer.

mark Glow Hook Lip Gloss in Glow Baby and Player:  The Glow Baby color is new for me, but with some eyeshadow primer on my lips (to give me a base for a nude lip), this color is the perfect fun color.  The Player lipgloss is a fun daily color for me.  Also, a HUGE plus is that the lip glosses smell like peppermint.

mark Mini mark It Stick Hook Up for Eyes in Violet Opa!:  I like this eyeshadow as a base for when I try to do to a smokey purple eye.  I actually just did this over the weekend and received many compliments.  I don't know how I feel about it on its own, I personally think this color would be too light on my face.

I did buy some metallic eyeliner, but I can't find the exact color online.  Honestly, this color only works on my skin if I layer it on top of black liquid eyeliner...it softens the effect.

Okay - that's it from me!

Manicurious

During my 8 hour ordeal traveling to Memphis last weekend, I finished the book that I had packed for my trip (The Solitude of Prime Numbers - excellent). Anyway, I bought InStyle's "Best Beauty Buys 2010" issue to entertain myself on the way back and was intrigued by this nail polish:

I immediately bought it and am a big fan. It's a bit weird, but it's a cool taupe/gray/purple blend that I think works well for transition seasons. Plus, I love the fact that your nails don't have to be super short to wear it. Oh and nail polish is buy 2, get 1 free at ULTA this week!

A Glimpse into N

1. Fave restaurants in my local area: Taverna Agora, Red Room, Jibarra

2. Fave restaurant in any city: I have no idea

3. Fave drink during RoNi reunions: French martini

4. Top 3 fave movies: Love Actually, The Sound of Music, Slumdog Millionaire

5. Drinks of choice: wine or anything with vodka and/or champagne in it

6. Reason I LOVE visiting R's town: wineries, duh!

7. Reason I LOVE living here: hot summers at the pool

8. Top celebrity crush: George Clooney

9. Top beauty/fashion things I can't live without: Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation, black eyeliner, high heels