Spring trending: Nude nails (part one of many)

I mentioned a few posts back my rapidly growing love for nude nails, seen in excess across the NYFW runways earlier this month.  If you're jumping on the "mannequin hands" bandwagon with me, we're all in luck!  It's a huge nail trend this spring, and you know I'm every bit excited to hoard as many nude nail polishes as I can.

First up, I tried to find a shade of nude polish that would be a close match for my skin tone.  After scouring the selection at Ulta, I grabbed the following polish and tried it on for size.
FYI:  if you're not familiar with the term "mannequin hands," it's basically just a fancy name for a shade of neutral nail polish that blends in with the color of your skin.  I like to see it as "nude lips for your nails."

Today I bring you one of OPI's newer shades, Don't Pretzel My Buttons, from the Euro-Centrale collection.  You can find these at ULTA for $9.00 or anywhere else OPI is sold.

Don't Pretzel My Buttons is a light beige creme with an ever-so-slight pink undertone.  This makes it perfect for those of you who find that nude shades lean too warm (while I want to say it's cool-toned, I think it lies somewhere in the middle of the spectrum).   I don't think this is my "ideal" shade, but I think I'm close.  It's a gorgeous, chic polish nonetheless!

Pictures show 3 coats, no top coat.  Even though OPI polishes aren't cheap ($9.00 isn't cheap to me, anyway), I wholeheartedly recommend them for a fab formula and a great looking finish.

What's your favorite nude polish?  I'd love any recommendations if you care to share!

Rimmel ScandalEyes eyeliners wear on.. and on.. and on..

Sometimes when my mind drifts, I find it wanders to thoughts of makeup woes.  Like, "I really wish I didn't have to worry about my wine-colored lipstick bleeding" or, "I know I put on blush this morning but it's just not on my cheeks anymore."  What do these things have in common?  I think the answer is this: they're products that don't want to stay where you applied them.  Let's talk about the bane of our existence.  Not really, but it's still annoying when makeup either runs or disappears with the blink of an eye.  That's usually how I feel about eyeliner; if it smudges all over my face or is gone by the end of the day, I give it the stamp of disapproval.

All that being said, if you have troubles with your eyeliner staying put, the new Rimmel ScandalEyes eyeliners are for you.  Seriously, these guys don't move.  I tried to get the swatches off my hands after this post and scrubbed my arm raw.  It's almost to the point that it becomes a deal-breaker (how hard is too hard, especially when dealing with the delicate eye area?), but let's stay positive: I'm loving the fact that I don't have to worry about my eyeliner smudging.

Rimmel ScandalEyes eyeliners in Nude (top) and Taupe (bottom)

A preview (or haul) of sorts.

Yesterday, I wandered out into the blistering cold that was Chicago in high hopes of finding a few drugstore products that my nearby Walgreens refuses to stock.  And to my utter delight, I was successful!  Because I purchased these only yesterday, I (obviously) haven't had enough time to review them fully.  Those posts are to come!  For now, I wanted to share with you what I found and my initial impressions.

I've been eager to try the new Lumene Vitamin C+ BB cream since I first heard word of it.  I wasn't able to find it in person until yesterday, when I stumbled into Ulta somewhat half-heartedly (my Ulta hasn't had a lot of the new products I've looked for- or if they do, they're tampered with/out of stock).  Much to my dismay, Ulta pulled through and had a lot of new things!  I spotted the new Prestige BB cream, NYX and Essence Spring '13 products, along with the Lumene BB cream.  Finally!  I picked up the shade Light 01 and brought it home with me.  In my search for the perfect shade of "mannequin hands" nail polish, I also grabbed OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons, in hopes that it will flatter my skin tone.  I'll have a full post on this when I use it on my nails, but for now I can't wait to try it on!

At Walgreens (not the one by my apartment, another location in which I visit infrequently), I finally found the new Rimmel ScandalEyes eyeliners!  I can't tell you how happy I was to spot these.  In case you're looking for them as well, they're not in a special display (thanks to Emi at Project Swatch for filling me in).  Check out the regular Rimmel display and they're right next to the other Rimmel eyeliners.  I grabbed two that I had been lemming- Nude and Taupe- and I'm so pleased after initial tests/swatches.  These seriously do not move!  More on that in my review to come.  I also saw the new Milani Color Statement lipsticks and picked up a deep, vampy shade called Black Cherry.  It's not for the color-shy, but it's lovely if you prefer a dark lip.

My wallet is mourning, but my heart is pleased. :) What have you picked up shopping lately?

One, two, nails: A (quick) matte black manicure

 Super quick post today!  Sorry the blog has been quiet this week; I think I mentioned in a previous post that I've started a new job, so I'm still trying to find a balance between school, work, the blog, and then my social life/boyfriend.  Good news, though!  I just picked up some goodies at the drugstore and Ulta, meaning I'll have some fun things to blog about in the coming week.

Anyway, today I have a quick manicure to show you.  Lately it seems as though matte/rubber/suede finishes are making appearances everywhere, but I'm not complaining one bit.  My favorite trend I've seen popping up is nails that look like black leather.  How cool is that?  Most that I've seen are a suede finish- some kind of matte and satin hybrid- but I think the manicure I'm currently wearing has cured my obsession (for the moment!).

So, I picked up Revlon's matte top coat this week and put it to good use- shown below over a plain black polish:

Yeah, I kind of love this.  I know it's really plain and simple (how cool would it look with gold glittery tips?  Or an accent finger?), but plain and simple is what I'm all about when it comes to nails.

I used two coats of Milani Black Magic and one of the Revlon matte top coat.  The matte polish isn't the most durable in the world, especially when letting nails dry.  Note: give yourself a good couple of hours until you really "use" your hands- it's not particularly quick-drying, and I nicked a few nails shortly after these pictures were taken.  

Are you into matte nails?  Thanks so much for reading!

Revlon Nearly Naked pressed powder dares you to go naked

Not really- no one is going to suggest you take your clothes off in this post!  However, I am going to talk a little about the newest pressed powder offering from Revlon (and why you may or may not need it in your life).  

Have you picked up the Nearly Naked foundation or powder?  My original plan was to grab both, but at first glance, the shades of foundations all looked pretty yellow-toned.  I think I'll still end up trying it out due to the overwhelming number of positive reviews I've read, but I'm just confused as to which shade I would be!  Sigh, talk about real problems.  At any rate, I'm all over powders for some strange, strange reason.  It comes as no surprise that the Nearly Naked pressed powder in Fair 010 came home with me:

I feel like I'm on a constant quest to find that perfect powder- you know, that one that makes your foundation look flawless and like you're not wearing any makeup?  I came close with BareMinerals Mineral Veil, but it's always nice to find a cheaper alternative.

I picked up my Revlon Nearly Naked pressed powder at Target for $7.49, but you should be able to find it at most retailers that carry Revlon for around $8-10.00.

I thought it was worth showing the inside of the sticker on the back of the packaging.  This notes how the powder should perform, according to Revlon.  Per the picture above, it reads:
"Blends seamlessly with a lightweight feel, evening skin tone and providing a shine-free, natural coverage.  So people notice your skin, not your makeup!"  
I always like to know the product's claims going into a review- it helps to know what to look for!

I mentioned earlier that the shade I purchased is Fair, also the lightest shade in the range.  For the record, I have a light complexion but I'm not palest of the pale by any means (roughly a MAC NW20 and usually the second shade of foundation, for reference).  Fortunately, the coverage on these in pretty sheer- swiping your brush across the pan yields picks up a good amount of product, but isn't going to give you noticeable color.  If you accidentally go a bit dark or light, chances are it won't be a big deal.

Lightweight feel?  Check.  I love this for its "nude" qualities.  It isn't heavy, is finely milled, and blends in nicely when applied over foundation.  Even skin tone?  Meh, I mentioned above that it isn't going to cover much, so I don't really consider this a product to "even out tone."  I'm not really docking points for that, as I don't expect any pressed powder to provide coverage unless it's marketed as a pressed powder foundation. 

Shine-free?  This is the only place I really had beef with this product.  Unfortunately, I experienced oilyness by mid-afternoon over the several foundation-type products I tried this with (Garnier BB cream, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer, for examples)- and my skin isn't particularly oily.  I was a little disappointed that I was shiny after a few hours of wear.  The only other thing I disliked about this powder is the slightly bulky packaging.  It has a compartment for a useless powder puff that is far too small to be effective, and I'd much rather a round compact like normal powders are housed in.

Finally, I wanted to share one photo, below, showing how great this picks up powder (NOTE: it picks up powder onto the brush, not everywhere else.  So it's not what I would call "powdery" at all).

Positives: Natural coverage, lightweight, pigmented, affordable
Negatives: Doesn't completely control shine, bulky packaging

In a nutshell, Revlon's Nearly Naked powder a good budget pick if you don't experience oily skin.  I really enjoyed everything about it outside of that.
What say you?  Have you tried this- or the foundation?  If you have any shade recommendations for the foundation, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks for reading!

I'm a new Beauty Blog Coalition member!

Exciting news today, and I've done a pretty good job of summing it up in the title of this post!  I've been an avid reader of the Beauty Blog Coalition weekly roundup posts for... so long that I can't even remember.  The blogs featured not only share interesting posts, but include some of my most favorite beauty bloggers.  So, it of course came with great excitement when I was accepted into the group!

I can't tell you enough how happy this makes me- to be more involved within the beauty community- and even more so to be more connected with some pretty fabulous people.  I'm so looking forward to being part of the Coalition!

Thanks again.

A quick, vampy nail of the day and pretty Pinterest nails

Today I have a nail-related post to share, featuring a quick manicure I did for Valentine's Day and some nail art I've been swooning over on Pinterest.  By the way, if you're on Pinterest, hit me up!  It's a fun way to get new ideas and stay connected.

I used a new-to-me nail polish from Sonia Kashuk, Hocus Pocus, which I recently found on clearance at Target.  On my last two nails I applied OPI Liquid Sand in Stay the Night (which I blogged about here).  I need to try more variations on this kind of manicure- I first saw it on a girl working at Sephora, but she had more contrast in the two shades she used. 

I applied two coats of each polish for good measure, followed by a Revlon Quick Dry top coat.

Now it's time for some Pinterest nail inspiration!  Since seeing all of the nude nails at NYFW, I'm really dying to try out the trend (is it awful that my nail polish collection is seriously lacking in neutral tones?  And by neutral I mean "mannequin hands"- I need more!).  Topless & Barefoot by Essie is a shade that is perfect for this look:

Source: thislovegame.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

And how perfect is this eclectic combination of nail art, seen at NYFW by Rebecca Minkoff?  I love the scale pattern on the model's middle finger!

Source: shefinds.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

I've seen the following stripe pattern on a few style blogs this week, and I'm all over it.  Look, they used nudes!

Source: harpersbazaar.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Finally, I wanted to share this awesome glitter gradient manicure I found on bloom.com.  How cute are those little shimmer particles?  A great contrast with the metallic blurple base shade:

Source: meekz0411.tumblr.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

Are you loving the nail polish trends we saw at NYFW this year?  Which are your favorite?  Thanks for reading!

Valentine's Day inspiration, part three: Pretty sweet

If any of you are on Twitter, let me know!  I'm @inhermakeupbag and I'd love to follow you. :)

Are you ready and/or excited for Valentine's Day yet?  I have my first day of work at a new job first thing in the morning, and then a class in the afternoon.  Later on, I'm looking forward to spending some time with my boyfriend- he's cooking dinner and then we'll probably go out and do something fun.  No matter who you're spending the day/evening with, I hope you all have a great time.

To wrap up my Valentine's Day makeup series, I have one last look to share with you.  My original plan was for this to be a super simple, "one and done" kind of thing, but then I started playing around and found something that (I think) was much better.  Keep reading for details. :) 

Look #3 is a lightly-defined cat eye, rosy-plum cheeks and a vibrant fuchsia lip.  My pictures don't even show how bright this Revlon lip stain is, but trust me, it's noticeable!  I'm in love with the color combinations- peaches, pinks, and dark grays.

Products used:

Base makeup not included, I used the following color products for the look:

Eyes:

-Eye base: Maybelline Color Tattoo Barely Branded

-Eyeshadow: Victoria's Secret LE Petal to the Medal (lid), Wet n Wild Silent Treatment taupe shade (crease, lower lash line), Wet n Wild Brulee (brow bone), Kiss My Sass cosmetics Tea Rose (lower lash line)

-Eyeliner: MAC LE I Get No Kick eye kohl (lower waterline), Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner in Strong Slate (upper lash line)

-Mascara: (not shown) Maybelline Volum 'Express The Colossal mascara

Cheeks:

-Blush: NARS Oasis

Lips:

-Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Smitten

Swatches:

I rarely use gray/charcoal eyeliner, but it's a great shade to pair with light pinks or peaches.  With a peachy-pink/taupe eye look in mind, I figured I would bust out my Prestige Total Intensity eyeliner in Strong Slate and put it to good use.

For the eyes, start with your primer of choice (I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance, not pictured).  Taking your pearl-hued eyeshadow base (Maybelline Barely Branded), pat it all over your lid area and lower lash line to create a backdrop for the rest of the eyeshadows.  Next, I used a bright, shimmery champagne shadow all over my lid (Victoria's Secret Petal to the Medal).  I patted a medium purple-tinged taupe in the crease (Wet n Wild Silent Treatment trio) and then added a little in the outer corner of my lower lash line; a pinky peach along the lower lash line (Kiss My Sass Tea Rose) finishes the eyeshadow.  Taking my charcoal eyeliner (Prestige Total Intensity Strong Slate), I created a small cat eye shape: starting at the outer corner of my upper lash line, I dragged the line out and up, and then penciled in towards my inner corner (you can see the line tapers in as it gets closer to my inner corner).  Finish with mascara!

Products:

Eyes and lips:

Lips were just a simple swipe of my Revlon Balm Stain in Smitten, which I blogged about here.  It's a very pink fuchsia that, while bright and bold, is actually quite flattering (especially if you have fair skin like me).

And that concludes my mini-series for Valentine's Day!  Scroll down to see my other two looks for more inspiration.  Thoughts?  If you liked this kind of post, I can definitely do them more often. :)
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Valentine's Day inspiration, part two: Bright-eyed girl's night

Continuing my Valentine's Day makeup inspiration posts, I have another look to hopefully spark some creativity in you.  This one is for if you're going out with friends and want something fun, a little different, and just a bit dramatic.  I think this might be the look I wear for Valentine's Day, but I won't make that promise just yet.  :)

Keep reading to see the products I used and how to recreate it yourself.

Look #2 is a somewhat neutral eye (the greenish gold Honeymoon is much less "green!" once applied) with a bold lip.  I love this kind of look because it features my favorite shade of lip: berry!  You can't go wrong with a deep shade of lipstick for Valentine's Day, and why not bust out the vamp-ness for a fun night out?  To balance out the eyes and lips, I took a note from one of my makeup tutorial cards (from my Too Faced Sweet Indulgences palette) and used a highlighter+bronzer combination for the blush.

Base makeup not included, I used the following color products for this look:

Eyes-

-Eyeshadow: Too Faced Romantic Eye Palette, "Fashion" shades: Bouquet Toss, Honeymoon, Ever After

-Eyeliner: Victoria's Secret eyeliner in Dark Chocolate OR Too Faced Perfect Eyes eyeliner in Perfect Black Orchid (your preference on shades)

-Mascara: (not shown) Maybelline Volum' Express The Colossal

Cheeks-

-Blush: Too Faced Candlelight Glow highlighter+Sun Bunny Light bronzer

Lips-

-Lipstain: NYC Smooch Proof 16H lipstain in Forever Mine Wine

-Lipstick: Clinique Almost Lipstick in Spicy Honey

Swatches:

(Shown are both eyeliner choices that I recommend- VS Dark Chocolate and Too Faced Perfect Eyes in Perfect Black Orchid) 

Apologies for the excessive amounts of Too Faced products used!  I didn't even realize this until I put this post together.  Obviously, you can recreate this look with any similar colors you already have in your collection- and I'd strongly advise you to do it anyway (although Too Faced is one of my favorite mid-end brands!).

For the eye look below, I started out applying a primer all over my lid and lower lash line (using Too Faced Shadow Insurance).  I kept the shadow placement really easy with this one- a greenish gold eyeshadow all over the lid and along the center of your lower lash line (Too Faced Honeymoon), followed by a deep golden brown along the outer portion of the lower lash line (Too Faced Ever After).  To highlight, use a matte cream shade in the inner corners and brow bone (Too Faced Bouquet Toss).  Since I already "lined" my lower lash line with the brown eyeshadow, I only need to line my upper lash line with an actual eyeliner.  For the look I did in the pictures following, I used a deep brown eyeliner (a favorite- Victoria's Secret Dark Chocolate) and flicked it out.  Finish with several coats of mascara!

*Tips: If you want to change it up, line your upper lash line with a purple or deep plum eyeliner instead of brown.  I do this all the time and it looks great!  See product listings and swatches above for my recommendation.
*Also, to make it more dramatic: Add the deep brown eyeshadow into the outer corner to make more of a smoked-out eye.  

I've never been a fan of the consistency and feel of lipstick.  Fortunately, more brands are coming out with lipstick formulas that are sheer, lightweight, and comfortable- great for the rest of you who, like me, can't stand lipstick for more than five minutes.  The only problem?  A sheerer formula usually means a shorter wear-time.  

To remedy this situation, I like to layer a lipstain underneath the likes of a tinted lip balm or sheer lipstick (this is an especially great idea if you don't bother with lip pencils or are too cheap to buy them - like me).  

For this lip look, I used my favorite vampy stain (NYC Forever Mine Wine) and topped it with a translucent lipstick (Clinique Spicy Honey).  The deep purple shade of the lip stain is made a tad lighter, more berry with the addition of the lipstick on top.  

I love this pretty, simple, yet still glamorous look for an untraditional twist on Valentine's Day makeup. What do you think?  Thanks again for reading! :)

Valentine's Day inspiration, part one: A sultry, romantic evening look

For the three days leading up to Valentine's Day, I thought it would be fun to share three makeup looks to (hopefully!) provide some inspiration.  Whether you have a valentine or not, it's fun to spend a little extra time looking special, right?  I tried to put together three looks that were each a little different from the next- maybe you don't like to spend much time on your makeup or want something simple, but maybe it's time to spice things up!  I truly hope you enjoy them, whatever your preference.  My main goal in pairing colors was to stay far away from "traditional" Valentine's Day makeup- pink or purple eyeshadow, the like.  That being said, each look is just as pretty, sweet, and beautiful as we want to be on this special day. :)

Today, I bring you look #1: perfectly suited for a dinner out with your significant other (or family/friends, of course!).

It's a simple, lightly smokey, neutral eye "with a kick."  I used a peach, shimmery golden brown, and matte burgundy eyeshadow from theBalm Nude'tude palette to create the eye, and then added soft washes of pinks on my cheeks and lips.  Note:  Deep eggplant shades like the ones I used for the outer corner eyeshadow and eyeliner are my favorite ways to spice up a smoked-out eye.  Neutral, but just a bit different.

Base makeup not included, here are the color products I used to create this look.  I'm calling it sultry, is that appropriate?

Eyes-

-Eyeshadow: theBalm Nude'Tude palette: Stubborn (lid+inner corner), Schitzo (crease+lower lashline), Sexy (outer corner)

-Eyeliner: MAC Dark Diversion fluidline 

-Mascara: (not shown) Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lash

Cheeks-

-Blush: Covergirl Instant Cheekbones Contouring Blush in Refined Rose

Lips-

-Lipstick: Covergirl LipPerfection jumbo gloss balm in Rose Twist

-Lip Gloss: Darling Girl Cosmetics Liquid Kiss in Fuchsia Flush

Swatches:

Apologies for not swatching Dark Diversion fluidline!

To create the following eye look, I primed my eyes first with a nude-colored base (MAC Nubile paint pot).  Then I started in the outer crease area and applied a golden brown/taupe eyeshadow (theBalm Schitzo).  I patted a peach shade (theBalm Stubborn) all over the lid area and into the inner corner, following with a deep matte burgundy (theBalm Sexy) in the outer corners, blending inward.  For eyeliner, I used MAC Dark Diversion fluidline, a deep brownish maroon, and did a subtle wing at the outer corners of my upper lash line.  I applied what was left on my brush to the very outer edge of my lower lash line.

Finish with a light dusting of peachy-pink blush (Covergirl Refined Rose, the two pink shades), and a rosey lip (Covergirl Rose Twist and Darling Girl Fuchsia Flush).  I love the tinted lip balm because it's not as harsh as a lipstick will be; with this eye look, I didn't want to go too dramatic with the lips.  The brighter lip gloss makes it a little more "glam" if you're going out.  ;)

Finished!  There you have a romantic look for date night.  Stay tuned for tomorrow's look, which will be something a little more flirty- suitable for a night out with your girl friends, maybe?

What do you think?  What are your plans for Valentine's Day?  I'd love to hear!

Thanks for reading, as always.