Glass Pink Lilacs

I was rummaging through my nail polish stash and wanted to come up with something a little different...I'm a simple girl, usually just one nail color at a time.  So I decided to go crazy today and, *gasp*, tried a shimmery glaze over one of my favorite nail colors.  Lol.

Here we have lovely Lacey Lilac by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear overlaid with sheer and shimmery Glass Pink by Sinful Colors.  Isn't it purdy? :D  I feel like I've got fairy dust on my fingertips, I just can't stop admiring them!  Haha!  Hope you're all enjoying your Wednesday so far!

Hugs,
Cat

Being Diabolical

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!  Hope you all have been enjoying a good time with friends and family! :)  If you're curious as to what I've been up to...here's why I haven't posted since Friday:

Yeah...guilty pleasure.  Bet y'all didn't know that I was a closet gamer geek, lol!  Also a big fan of World of Warcraft and the entire Final Fantasy series...  But don't worry, we'll be back to fashion and makeup by tomorrow! :D

Hugs,
Cat

Subtle Shimmery Smoke

Hello hello!  TGIF everyone!  Too bad I'm about to head off to work, PLUS I'm getting over a cold.  Blargh...  I'm also going out to a super fancy-schmancy dinner...the kind where they serve an 8-course chef's tasting menu with wine pairings.  Sounds good, right?  Not if you've lost most of your sense of taste, which is oftentimes what happens when you have a cold.  Nooooooooooooo!  But, that aside, just thought I'd share my look of the day with you all.  I did a subtle, shimmery smokey eye which I'll  intensify with more black shadow and false lashes tonight when I go out:

Achieving this look is a piece of cake.  First, I applied a shimmery grey cream shadow all over my top and bottom lids.  Here, I used Buxom's Stay-There Eyeshadow in Pug.  Then I darkened my outer corners with Sephora Collection Eyeshadow in Starry Sky No. 7.  Next, I drew a winged line along my top lash line with black gel eyeliner and then finished with some mascara.  Done, done, and done!

To complete the overall look, I applied some ELF Studio Blush in Twinkle Pink to my cheeks and finished with a barely-there lip using ELF Studio Glossy Gloss in Pink Candy:

Thanks for reading and for listening to my rant, haha!  Hope you all enjoy a fabulous weekend! :D

Hugs,
Cat

Minty Pink Tutorial

Hey, remember my Minty Pink look from last week?  I finally got around to editing photos for the tutorial, so, here you go!  I'm going to try something a little different this time, I've compiled all the tutorial photos into a step-by-step collage.  Let me know what you think...if you find this method more useful or if you prefer the way I've done this before.

Step 1

• Starting with primed eyelids, I apply a soft, matte mint shade to my entire top and bottom eyelid.

Step 2

• Next, I apply black pencil liner to the outer corners of my upper and lower lash lines

Step 3

• Using a deep, espresso shade, I layer over the pencil eyeliner, being sure to thoroughly smudge and smoke the shadow along my outer corners.

Step 4

• With a medium brown shade, I blend out the area I just smoked to soften the edges.

Step 5

• I draw a modest winged line along my upper lash line with black gel eyeliner.

Step 6

• Curl lashes, apply mascara, and I'm done!

*note* These colors are fairly common and you can use them from any brand.  I chose mine from Coastal Scents 88 Original Palette (now on sale for $9.48!) because I prefer my shadows to be on the matte side. :)

For lips, I applied ELF Mineral Lipstick in Runway Pink and then glossed over it with ELF Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Perfect Pink.

I finished off by brushing ELF Studio Blush in Pink Passion to my cheeks:

Overall look?  Minty fresh! :D

Hope you all enjoyed the tutorial and I look forward to your feedback!  Enjoy your Thursday!  (I'll be stuck in class until 10pm tonight, however...boohoo!)

Hugs,
Cat

Summer Foundation

It's been getting warmer these days and, over the years, I've realized that I have to modify my makeup with the change in seasons.  Now that we're on the cusp of summer, I don't have to worry so much about the dry areas of my complexion, regarding my combination skin.  Oil control, however, is now my top priority and I *think* I've managed to put together an effective foundation regimen to combat the grease!

My favorite BB Cream of the moment is Always Nuddy BB 24 (gotta love the name!) by Elisha Coy.  I found that the Missha Perfect Cover was a little to heavy for the summer.  Always Nuddy is super, super lightweight with medium coverage and absorbs very quickly with no greasy feel whatsoever.  It's almost fragrance free, except for the barest trace of citrus scent.  A little goes a long way and the formula dries to a near-matte finish so you can pretty much wear it alone without any finishing powder.  I finish it with ELF Mineral Booster in Tinted, however, for extra oil control and because Always Nuddy is just a tad too fair for my complexion, so the tinted finishing powder gives me the golden glow that I need to look natural.  This combo is completely weightless on my face and I barely have to touch up my t-zone during the course of the day.

My only gripe is that neither product comes with sun protection, so make sure you prep with an SPF moisturizer prior to application.  You can purchase a 15ml tube of Always Nuddy from eBay for about $5-$6, shipping included.  So far, this little tube has lasted me nearly a month and it's still more than half full!  ELF Mineral Booster is available at ELF for $5, keep an eye out for free shipping and sales which go on all the time!

Happy Tuesday and have a good night! :D

Hugs,
Cat

Haul: Lash Lust

I took another trip to San Francisco's Japantown recently and came back with a bunch of super-pretty lashes! (of course, what else is new?)  Lol, anyways, I thought I'd share some new lash styles that I discovered and can't wait to try out! :D

I'm really excited about these "natural" style lashes with clear lash bands.  I can't wait to see how they look on!

These are new to me...bottom lashes.  They look pretty intense, I hope I'll be able to pull them off!

And of course I love my glitters!

Oh, and look what else!  An eyelash case!  What a great idea, right?  I hate it when I lose my lashes after just one wear...usually because, following occasions where I apply false lashes, I'm a little tipsy (oh, but don't worry, husband is always DD, lol) and my first inclination is to wash up and collapse into bed.  This pretty little case holds up to 4 pairs!  I'm looking forward to being able to organize my lashes and increase their longevity!

Well, that's all I got for tonight!  Hope you guys had fun checking out my new lash stash and have a great Monday night!

Hugs,
Cat

Purple Print-cess

Yesterday I attended a big dinner party with lots of close friends and family to celebrate my mom and dad's 37th wedding anniversary.  Oh, they've had their ups and downs, as I'm sure most couples do, but the bottom line is that they've worked hard to build a rock-solid marriage and have been determined to stick together...no matter what.  They're inseparable companions: working together, eating together, sleeping together.  Lol, I love my husband, I do, but I think that if we had to spend every waking moment together, we'd probably drive each other crazy!  All joking aside, however, I truly admire my parents' resilience as a couple and can only strive to build such a strong, lasting bond with my husband.

I'll take any excuse to dress up, but I think this occassion was an excellent reason to do so, don't you think?  I wore a flared, clip-dot cotton voile dress printed with purple florals and accented with delicate crochet lace as well as pintuck and pleat detailing.  It was a gift from my mother and sister, who saw it on a shopping trip at Kohl's and immediately thought of me.  Wasn't that sweet of them?  They know my taste so well!  I paired it with some white leather eyelet platform mules by Guess and jewelry by Lovelina, of course. :)

Lavender tips and toes: Revlon Scented Polish in Gumdrop

 

Love Gives You Wings Necklace

I kept my makeup soft and simple, a lavender smokey eye with pastel-pink cheeks and lips. 

Eyes:

• Coastal Scents Original 88 Palette

Cheeks:

• ELF Studio Blush in Pink Passion

Lips:

• ELF Studio Lipstick in Runway Pink
• ELF Essential Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Perfect Pink

Thanks for hanging out and reading!  Hope you're all having a lovely Sunday! :D

Hugs,
Cat