OPI Nail Envy: My nails' BFF!

 After hearing about this product from numerous YouTube beauty gurus -specifically from Europe- I was sure to try it the minute I got close to one. For the first week I used it, I did what many people suggested which was to wear it alone; I saw no difference, and became very disappointed. I completely ignored its purpose and just started using it as a basecoat and that's when I realized; patience is key. One should never judge by the first try because many things take time to show proposed effects. After using it as a basecoat for a couple of weeks, I found a great difference with my nails' thickness, and sturdiness. An added plus? MY NAILS ARE SUPER LONG! That's never happened before- I swear! My nails usually chip before even getting out of my nail-beds more than 1/8 of an inch. My nails are now half an inch out of my nail bed, and still continuing to grow day by day and I could tell the difference.

The product could vary in prices, but still on the pricier side either way. I picked mine up at an Outlet so there was a bit of a discount, but it was still $17.

I could definitely say that it is worth trying and keeping even just as a basecoat. I will definitely be repurchasing this! It has been a great month for my nails because of this product!

I hope I helped in some way ;)

Kardashian Khroma Beauty Review & Swatches

 

Once I saw Khloe Kardashian post a picture of their makeup line on Instagram, I was ready-set-go to my nearest Ulta and was determined to pick up EVERYTHING that was labeled "Khroma", but unfortunately, not only were most of their products sold out, but their packaging is just unbelievably disappointing! :( I only picked up products that I thought were "worth" purchasing, and ones that will be very useful to do a review on.

 



 

So I went for the eyshadow palettes that they carry. They are called "Kardazzles". The palettes, I suppose, are supposed to reflect each Kardashian sister. Neutrals  for Khloe Kardashian, and smokey-darks for Kim Kardashian. The Palettes are travel-sized and come in this plastic packaging. I guess they are implying a "Look like a Kardashian to-go" idea, which everyone probably wants to achieve. The to-go palettes retail for $12.99 at Ulta.

 

 

 

This one is the Khlose Kardashian palette they call "Khloe Kardazzle" $12.99

It is in a tan/gold plastic reptile patterned case -indicating a more neutral tone look.

 

 

 The first thing you will see is the array of neutral shadows -mattes on the top, and shimmery/sheeny ones on the bottom. To get the face products, you pull the bottom "drawer", which is pretty flimsy if you ask me. I found a bit of a struggle, and still do, pulling the drawer out, but I guess it is something I can live with. I just hope it does not break.

 

 

These swatches were swiped only once, so I did not overlap or anything. This way, it shows their actual pigmentation.  The first four are the top mattes, and the last four are the bottom shimmers.

 

Once again -swiped once. The blush is a peachy-pink and the highlighter is definitely highlighted with its yellow undertone. The bronzer is not much for contouring for medium skin-toned individuals like me. This is pretty surprising because the Kardashians are very "contoured" ladies.

 

 Same packaging for the "Kim Kardazzle" but just in Gray, indicating her famous smokey-looks.

 

Same concept once again, except this time you will see an array of gorgous smokey mattes and smokey shimmers, and some glittery shadows on the last two colors. The blush and bronzer are also quite different from the Khloe palette. The highlighter, I'm guessing is a signature Kardashian color; therefore, they are the same in each palette.



 



The swatches once again were only swiped once, and as seen here, the first four mattes are not the most pigmented. The key is to overlap to make them work, which may not be a person's fave thing to do D: The shimmery sheens are more pigmented as you can see, which was the same case with the Khloe Kardazzle one. I really don't know why -maybe the shimmers reflect more light?

 

Kim's blush is more Barbie pink like POP! haha And the higlight the same, of course, and the bronzer is pretty faint, and I would think for Kim's look, it should have been dark in order to acheive her contoured look. But what can you do?



 

Of course I had to pick up some lashes. Who doesn't want Kardashian lashes?! Haha I picked up the ones on the left called Scintillate Lashes which are the clumpy Kardashian lashes that I usually see on Kylie Jenner. I of course had to pick up the volumptous Armenian long lashes that Kim Kardashian always flaunts -Glimmer Lashes. They retail for $6.49 at Ulta.

 

Overall, I think the palettes are more for beginners, maybe tweens that want to start playing with makeup. Is it worth? Well, for someone, like myself, who already have an array of shadows that I probably will not use up anytime soon, no. Pick these up if you either just want a to-go palette, or if you're giving it as a little present for your neices or even nephews. The lashes of course are a must no matter what, but the makeup I'm still a little ifffy about.

 

PRICE BREAKDOWN:

Khloe Kardazzle $12.99

Kim Kardazzle $12.99

Scintillate Lashes $6.49

Glimmer Lashes $6.49

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make a simple statement this Halloween or anytime of the year with this easy Monsters Inc. nail look! Very quick and easy!!!!

All you'll need:
Googly eyes (small and medium ones)
Lime green polish
Purple polish
Turquoise polish

Watch the video, or work it out yourself like a Pro ;) and voila!

Much luck!

Bring Back the Shatters!

I remember, around late 2009 to early 2011, OPI's Shatter nail polishes were the *bleep*; everyone wanted them; every Ulta I called were always sold out of them; their prices on eBay and Amazon were sky-rocketing. Now, 2012. Where have they been? I found my collection drying out so I decided to make use of them again. I am definitely whipping my Shatter nail polishes out this month and definitely during Winter time.

The style might be old for others, but for Halloween, I feel like it is definitely appropriate to go for some distressed patterns, even on your nails.

The one pictured is definitely my favorite Shatter nail polish. It's silver so it basically goes with any color and any season. It is up to you to make it dark or make it whimsical.

The OPI Shatter polish is simply called Silver Shatter -how fancy. The other nail polish is by China Glaze and the name had robbed off, so I cannot provide it, sorry. But I am pretty sure you get the picture ;)

There is something about Shatter nail polishes that makes the person next to you look at your nails twice that will never get old.

Don't know what to be for Halloween? JUST PLAY!

                                                        Model: my cousin Nicole

Are you confused of what to be this Halloween, or are you simply not into the vavavoom, over-the-top costumes this year, yet you want to look "different" this Halloween? That's easy! Just raid your makeup collection and look for your boldest colored products and play!

One night after an exhausting family party, I got to hangout with my 12 year old cousin Nicole(pictured) and the easiest girly thing to do is play with makeup, duh! So I decided to go cray-cray on her and whipped out my oh-so colorful Urban Decay Electric 24/7 Glide On Pencils, my pinky blushes, my bright lipsticks and voila!

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Pencils

I literally just lined her lids with the bright pink liner and the blue one as well; lined her lower lashline with the green and a gold shadow; dotted on some "freckles" with a black and white liner; slapped on some baby pink blush, and that was the look.

I felt that she was also blessed with some diva lips -not as big as her beautiful cousin's, mine, though- that runs in the family, so I felt that the main focal point should be the lips, so bold colors are preffered. I even put a dot of blood-red right in the middle of her lips just 'cause it felt more halloween-y.

This look, as you can see, is fairly simple and need no effort at all. The goal is to just look different from yourself, which is the point of Halloween -at least that's what I think..

I feel like this look I did to her is very "Cabbage-Patch Kids" but turned down. All she needs is a bright ropey wig and done.

Keep in mind, I made this up in a span of just playing around with my collection in about 8 minutes, so this is not at all PRO hahaha.

Anyway, I hope this gave you "some" form of idea.

Good luck!

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle VS. Miss Dior TWINS?!

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle VS. Miss Dior

Two of the most common dressing table tenants in the world of perfumes are Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle and Dior's Miss Dior Cherie(or now simply called, Miss Dior).

I have come across Coco Mademoiselle for years as it is my mother's signature scent, so my nose is well trained when it comes to its sophisticated scent. I had purchased Miss Dior Cherie back in May of 2012 and to my surprise, I did not recognize the similar scent it shared with Coco Mademoiselle.

One day I was in my mother's room raiding her dresser and she barges in searching for an unknown product, and I caught a sniff of her perfume and asked "Are you wearing my perfume?" and she replied in her wealthy arrogant queen alter ego's voice, "Excuse me; I only use Chanel Mademoiselle", taking advantage of its perfect rhyme. Then it hit me! I must do an experiment, well, not so much an experiment, just a comparison. I sprayed my left wrist with Miss Dior and my right with Chanel Coco Mademoiselle and voila! My sense of smell screamed "Twinsies!"

Now it could just be me and my abnormal nostrils, but I assure you, my nose tells me they smell exactly alike.

Now let's see if there is a clear explanation for such dilemma.
Here are the official "notes" of each perfume:

Miss Dior Notes:
Italian Mandarin Essence, Egyptian Jasmine Absolute, Indonesian Patchouli Essence, wild strawberry leaves, green tangerine, pink jasmine and crystalline musk.

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Notes:
Orange, Bergamot, grapefruit, litchi, rose, Italian jasmine, white musk, bourbon vanilla, Indonesian Patchouli, Haitian Vetiver.

According to the notes provided by Fragrantica.com, the clear notes that both Miss Dior and Chanel Coco Mademoiselle contain are Indonesian Patchouli, Orange/Madarin(essentially similar in fragrance), Jasmine, and musk.

As you can see, they do have quite a bit of similarities, therefore you can pretty much expect to get the same scent out of them. I think the most obvious notes I can smell as I sniff both fragrances are the Jasmine and musk.

Now we go down to the question, "Which one should I purchase?"
Essentially it will come down to the price and of course, the brand. Even though Dior is a pretty sophisticated high end brand, we all know that there is something about Madame Chanel we cannot resist. It's your call. I'm just here to tell you how they smell.

PRICES:

Miss Dior
1.0 oz $62
1.7 oz $82
3.4 oz $105

Chanel Madamoiselle
1.2 oz $64
1.7 oz $85
3.4 oz $115

Good luck!

Essie "Da Bush" - The perfect transition to Fall

Essie "Da Bush"

Essie is definitely one of my favorite nail polish brands. Its formula is long lasting, chip free, and even shiny on its own. This color here, is a great transition color from Summer to Fall as it is not too bright, and not dark either. In person, the color comes out as shown in the picture. It leans more towards a muted olive-green. Hence the name Da "bush".