Manicure Mondays-China Glaze Ruby Pumps

I purchased the infamous China Glaze Ruby Pumps months ago with the sole intention of wearing it for Christmas.  It is the perfect Christmas polish.  It is a red jelly packed with lots of red glitter.  It is gorgeous.  I received so many compliments while wearing this polish.  The formula is great.  This picture was with 3 coats because I really wanted it to pack a punch with the glitter.  I had to take the photo indoors due to the lack of sunshine we were having. Unfortunately, there is no photo that will do this polish justice.  It wore very well, lasting 5 days before chipping.  What polish did you wear for Christmas?

Revlon Luxurious Color Eyeshadow-Drug Store Dud

When it comes to drug store eyeshadow, I typically shy away from them because of their lack of pigmentation (NYX and Wet 'N Wild being the surprising exceptions).  So when I received the Revlon Luxurious Color Eyeshadow as a bonus with my Revlon Grow Luscious mascara, I wasn't expecting much.  And my expectations were correct.

The shade that came with my mascara was Lilac Shimmer and is in their perle (their spelling, not mine) finish.  While it looks lilac in the pan, it does not show up lilac.  It shows up more silver than anything.  And the shimmer is an understatement.  It is chunky, gritty glitter!  And you know glitter=fallout.  And fallout there was, I had glitter all over my nose and cheeks.  It was a mess!

To say the pigmentation is lacking is putting it mildly.  There is no pigmentation.  It swatches chalky and patchy.  In order to get any sort of color, you really have to layer it on.  I tried it with NYX jumbo pencil in milk as a base and with Urban Decay Primer Potion and it was still lacking.



Heavily swatched (left to right) Using NYX jumbo pencil in milk, Urban Decay Primer Potion, no base or primer

 All in all, if this wasn't included with my mascara, it would have never made it home with me!

Ardell Pro Lash Applicator

When it comes to applying false lashes, point blank I suck.  I don't have a steady enough hand to apply them and I end up having to take them off several times to position them right.  By that time, I'm frustrated and I just give up.  With the holidays here and the numerous parties, I wanted to give falsies another chance.  So I went to Sally Beauty Supply.  I decided that I was done with the full strip lashes, so I purchased the demi lashes (you know that ones for the just the outer corner of your eye).  They look much more natural and they are WAY easier to apply, especially with the Ardell Pro Lash Applicator.  No steady hand, no problem!  It does all the work for you.  You just place the lash in the applicator, apply your adhesive, then place the lash where you want it.  And there you have it, perfectly placed falsies with no fuss! 

You can find these at Sally Beauty Supply for about $5.  I promise you, if you're like me and have a hard time applying lashes, this will help!

Manicure Mondays-Sonia Kashuk Gold Shimmer

I painted my nails with another one of Sonia Kashuk's holiday trio polishes.  This one is Gold Shimmer.  It is more of a yellow gold, leaning on the warm side and it complimented my skin tone well.  The formula is very pigmented and I had no application issues.  It needed just two coats for opacity.  It wore really nice and started chipping on the 6th day.  I have to say I am very impressed with Sonia Kashuk's nail polishes.  You can't beat the quality for the price.  The holiday trio was just $10 at Target!  What are you wearing on your tips this week?

How To Fake A Full Nights Rest

This week has been so crazy with Christmas shopping, graduations, etc.  Tonight, the husband took me to the Nutcracker and I am just getting home for the first time ALL DAY!  I went to church and then spent most of my day Christmas shopping, only to get back in time to get ready for the ballet.  Did I mention, I've been up since 6:30 am? 

Knowing that I would eventually look haggard, I pulled out my secret weapon to looking alert and refreshed...MAC's Woodwinked eyeshadow. 

I'm telling you, it is a miracle worker.  It is described as an antique gold.  It is the most beautiful soft golden color that has a nice sheen. 

The sheen is what does the trick.  It reflects light, making you look more awake and alert.  Tonight I used it all over my lid and into the inner crease with a soft brown shade just on the outer crease.  And ta-da, I looked like I'd slept a good 10 hours.  And when I am extra tired, I pop some on my lower lash line and that instantly lifts my eyes.  Unfortunately, my camera doesn't capture all of Woodwinked's glory, so I don't have a before and after shot for you.  Do you have a well rested trick?

Manicure Mondays-Sonia Kashuk Red Sparkle

This technically has no name label, so I am calling this bottle of Sonia Kashuk nail polish Red Sparkle because that is exactly what it looks like.  It is a red jelly base with tons of magenta and silver micro glitter.  It is part of her holiday 2010 "Reach For The Stars" trio.  Still being in the holiday spirit, I thought this was another festive color.  It really comes to life in the sunlight!  This was 2 coats with Seche Vite top coat.  What's on your tips this week?

Clarisonic Mia-Skin Care Genius

Back in October, I purchased the Clarisonic Mia from the Sephora Friend's and Family sale.  It is something that I've had my eye on for a long while.  So when the opportunity came to get it at a 20% discount, I jumped.

What is the Clarisonic?  The Clarisonic is a cleansing tool.  It comes in three sizes, the Classic, the Plus, and the Mia.  The Mia is the smaller version, good for traveling.  The Clarisonic is a tool with an oscillating brush that aids in removing dirt and makeup from your skin.  According to their website, it removes six times more dirt and makeup than with manual cleansing.  It is not an exfoliator.  The brush has sonic movement that allows for a more effective removal of dirt, makeup, and oil from your pores. 

The Mia comes with one brush head, a sensitive brush head, that is really gentle on the face.  It has one speed only and stays on for 1 minute at a time.  It comes with a plink international charger.  The system also came with a Gentle Hydro Cleanser.

What does the Clarisonic do for your skin?  The Clarisonic claims to reduce the appearance of pores, reduce oily areas and dry patches, reduce blemishes, and reduce fine lines/wrinkles.  And finally, it claims to improve the overall texture of your skin.

What has been my experience?  I have truly enjoyed using my Clarisonic.  The first time I used it, I took off my makeup with a makeup remover wipe, then I used it with my regular Philosophy cleanser.  I was stunned at how much makeup was still left on my face.  And to think, I had been leaving that on my face all this time!  My suds were foundation colored (I will spare you a gross photo).  After cleansing, I immediately noticed my face felt baby soft.

After about a week of use, I noticed that my skin care products absorbed a lot better.  One product in particular is Ziana (my dermatologist prescribed it to me when my face had a stress related freak out).  Ziana would normally take a good 2-3 hours before my face absorbed it.  With the Clarisonic, it is about 90% absorbed within minutes of applying it.  With my pores effectively cleared out, my face is able to absorb products better, which in turn allows my products to work more effectively.

With my products working more effectively, my stress related skin freak out began to subside and now my face is clear again.  When ever I do have a blemish that comes up, it is usually gone within 2 days as my products can "sink" in properly.  My once super oily face is now more normal with some oiliness in the t-zone area.  I used to be really oily on my cheeks, but it has become more normal then ever before.  I can not comment on the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles as that is not something I suffer from at the moment (and hopefully will never suffer from if I age like my mother).

It recommends using it twice a day.  I have been using it just once at night and manually cleaning my face in the mornings with my Philosophy exfoliating cleanser.  I feel that the Clarisonic and the exfoliator together would be too harsh.

What are my overall thoughts?  It has worked well for me.  I feel for the first time that my skin has a natural glowiness about it (not related to being oily).  It has never felt this soft and smooth before.  The Clarisonic is definitely an investment.  The Mia retails for $149.  I got it at a 20% discount, but I would totally pay full price for it!  This has been my experience.  It may or may not yield the same results for you.  I hope this helps if anyone is thinking about investing in one.

Manicure Mondays-Orly Forever Crimson

UPDATE:  After wearing this for 7 days straight, my nails are horribly stained.  You definitely need a good base coat with this one!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  Okay, I couldn't resist.  With the holidays approaching, I've gotten into a festive mood and broke out my red nail polishes.  This week I have Orly Forever Crimson, a gorgeous deep red with subtle magenta shimmer.  The shimmer in only noticeable in direct sunlight.  The formula was thin and needed 3 coats for opacity.  As usual, I used my favorite top coat Seche Vite.  What is your favorite holiday polish?

Face Of The Day-Green Smokey Eye

Today I got to break out my favorite green sweater.  So I decided I would do a green smokey eye using a Tarte Femme Naturale palette that really doesn't get much love.

Products used:

Eyes:
-Urban Decay Primer Potion as a base
-Tarte Shimmering Sage on the lid and blended into the crease
-Tarte Golden Navy on the outer corner blended into the outer crease
-Tarte Golden Tan on the brow bone
-Maybelline gel eyeliner in blackest black
-Lancome Hypnose mascara in black
-Tarte Golden Bronze eyeliner on lower lash line
-MAC Brun to fill in eyebrows

Face:
-L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base as a face primer
-Urban Decay De-slick in a Tube on t-zone
-NARS Sheer Matte foundation in Syracuse
-MAC Select Cover-up concealer in NW35
-MAC Sweet As Cocoa blush

Lips:
-Rosebud Salve lip balm
-MAC Cremestick lip liner in Caramello
-MAC Lovin' It lipstick
-MAC C-thru lipglass

I used Golden Navy instead of black to soften the look since it was for daytime.