EOTD: Aqua Friday

TGIF everyone! The weather is mighty fine here in the bay area (a sunny 70 degrees), which made me feel like painting my eyes a happy color!

For this look, I used Maybelline Color Tattoo in Edgy Emerald, topped with a matte shade of aqua from my Coastal Scents Original 88 Palette. I did a medium, winged line and partial lower lash liner with Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner. I finished with #120 Ardell eyelashes.

This look is simple, fun, and really makes the eyes stand out! Hope everyone is enjoying their Friday so far and is looking forward to a long weekend, like me! (celebrating MLK Day this Monday, no school, yay!)

Hugs,
Cat

Free Zoya Nail Polish!

Yep, Zoya is having another one of their AMAZING promotions! They're giving away 3 bottles of nail polish per customer (an $8 value each), not including shipping, which is $12. Still an awesome value for an excellent brand and quality nail polish! If you purchase $25 worth of goods, in addition to your 3 free bottles, shipping is complimentary! Hurry, we only have until 9pm EST today!

Special thanks to my dear friend, Sandy, for giving me the heads up on this fantastic offer!

Enjoy, my dears!

Hugs,
Cat

Faking Full Brows

Hi guys! I just wanted to test out a new tutorial format that I've been working on. I figured I'd start putting my graphic design skills to work and create cute, colorful makeup tutorial diagrams that are fun to look at and easy to follow. Here is my first one!

My Etude House Drawing Eyebrow Pencil is probably one of my most favorite things in the world. I've been using it for a couple years now and have become quite adept at transforming my sad, sorry brows into something fuller and tidier. I especially love the double-ended design with an angled pencil on one side and a spoolie on the other. It's convenient, easy to use, and ridiculously affordable at less than $6 apiece. 

There are six available shades, so you're sure to find the correct color for yourself. I use #2, gray-brown which is perfect for my coloring and not too reddish like most western brands tend to be. I swear, Asian beauty product developers are geniuses! It's just a matter of time before American/European brands come out with inferior, copycat products that they'll probably charge 5x more for. Ugh. -_-

I get mine from Cosmetic Love, an online beauty supply boutique which exclusively sells Korean brand makeup products. The prices are reasonable and they offer free, worldwide shipping with no minimums.

Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think of my new, proposed tutorial format!

Hugs,

Cat

Glitterati

Urban Decay is currently having a sale on their old batch of Heavy Metal glitter eyeliners, so I decided to pick up a few more to add to my collection. Oooooh…sparkly…

I just love using glitter to accent my eyeliner! Who says sparkles are just for the holidays? I think they're fine and dandy for everyday! :)

I'll see about posting some looks/tutorials incorporating these soon!

Hugs,
Cat

Chevron Shoes

Well, since I appear to be on a roll with shoes lately, I wanted to share my fabulous new chevron pumps:

Ermahgerd! Aren't they gorgeous?! These are Carra by Ivanka Trump. Now, I'm typically not a pointy-toed-shoe kind of gal, but I'm a sucker for chevron and I think that a pointy toe compliments the pattern perfectly. Also, unlike most stiletto heels, these have a definitive square shape, giving them a very modern, updated look in comparison to similar shoe styles.

Carra is an elegant, sophisticated pump that can easily transition from day-to-evening. I can see myself wearing these with a pantsuit or pencil skirt, but have been perfectly fine wearing them with jeans while walking around Target shopping for dish washer detergent. (true story)

A slightly out-of-focus shoe selfie.

The toe box is surprisingly roomy for a pointy toe and, without fail, I'm spoiled by the sumptuously plush insoles, a fine characteristic of the Ivanka Trump shoe brand, which make me feel like I'm floating despite the 4" stiletto heel. (remember these?) I hate to say it, but, with regard to comfort, Ivanka Trump definitely has a leg-up on Christian Louboutin. These heels were made for walkin'! IMHO, the look and feel of the insoles of my Louboutins are actually far inferior in quality to any of the Ivanka Trump pumps that I own. It is slightly disconcerting that I can purchase at least half a dozen Ivanka Trumps for the cost of one Christian Louboutin. Oh, the price we pay for that sexy flash of red lacquer as we exit a room…

Anyhoo, hope everyone is enjoying a fine Saturday! Thanks for reading, until next time! ;)

Hugs,
Cat

My Glass Slipper

Marilyn Monroe once said:

Give a girl the right SHOES, and she can conquer the world.

Literally speaking, this may sound a  little silly. However, I believe the fabulous Ms. Monroe was alluding to attitude and state of mind. The right shoes, or in my case (being terribly petite and all), the right stilettos, can give me a boost of confidence.

Therefore you can imagine how thrilled I was when I found these under the Christmas tree this year, graciously gifted by my dear mister:

Ah, the quintessential nude pump! And by monsieur Louboutin, no less. I figured if I was going to covet an all-occasion shoe, one that would be worn often, why not a pair with glamorous, red soles? Also, since the design and coloring are elegant, but low-key, I thought that opting for a patent finish for high-gloss shine would make them a little more outstanding.

This model is the Simple 100, and are reasonably comfortable for the brand. So far, I've only worn them with skinny jeans and leggings, but I imagine they'd look quite pretty paired with a skater skirt or dress. I also own a gorgeous, lacy pair which were purchased when I had walked down the aisle. But those are as "un-walkable" as they're lovely. I'll be wearing that particular pair for "sitting-only" occasions, lol.

Well, off to conquer the world!

Hugs,
Cat

Mermaid Nails

Happy new year!

Goodbye 2013, hello 2014! Hope you all rang in the new year fun and safely! :D I wish I had some epic revelation to share with you regarding my 2013…but the only thing that comes to mind at the moment is that I learned that my favorite hues tend toward mint/teal shades. (surprise surprise)

Anyhoo, celebrated today by coating my tips in a shimmery aqua-mint color duo called Sun Shower for Revlon's Sun Candy collection:

I started with a base coat, applied one coat of the creamy color, one coat of the glitter, and finished with a coat of Seche Vite. The cream coat is a little bit on the thickish side and applies slightly unevenly, but the glitter coat covers any imperfections for a visually perfect finish.

Previously, I also got a chance to try out Drops Of Jade from Maybelline's Color Show Polka Dots collection:

For this look, I applied a base coat, one coat of Essie's Turquoise and Caicos, one coat of Drops of Jade, and finished with a coat of Seche Vite. I really loved how I was able to get substantial bits of black and white hexagonal confetti bits in a variety of sizes. Easy to apply and made for a super-cool effect.

And finally, Mint Candy Apple by Essie. Yeah, it's a pretty popular shade and I'm sure I've posted about it before, but I thought it looked really cool paired with my new Kate Spade stripe wallet. Just a gratuitous shot of a rockin' color scheme:

Something about mint, gold, and white…one of my all-time-favorite color combinations!

Happy Wednesday, all! And cheers to a bright 2014! Thanks for reading. :D

Hugs,
Cat