New 2015 Zoya Satins Collection Announcement

 

ZOYA NATUREL SATINS

 

The next generation of Zoya Naturel is almost here! Introducing, Zoya Naturel Satins, a collection of six new, neutral nail polish colors in an ultra-wearable, low-sheen, chic satin finish. A hybrid between matte and glossy polishes, the new Zoya Satin* formula provides opaque coverage and is longer lasting than traditional matte shades. The flawlessly smoothfinish hides imperfections and creates a luxurious, satin finish nail look.

 

 

· ZP782/Leah: Lavender tinged taupe, exclusive Zoya Satin* finish.

 

· ZP779/Rowan: Creamy suede taupe, exclusive Zoya Satin* finish.

 

· ZP781/Sage: Mossy sage green, exclusive Zoya Satin* finish.

 

· ZP778/Tove: Misty slate grey, exclusive Zoya Satin* finish. 

 

· ZP780/Brittany: Rose mauve cream, exclusive Zoya Satin* finish.

 

· ZP783/Ana: Light toasted almond, exclusive Zoya Satin* finish.

 

 

*Zoya Satin is not intended to be worn with a top coat. For best results: Prep nail with Zoya Remove Plus Nail Polish Remover, apply base coat and finish with 2 thin coats of any Zoya Satin Nail Polish.

 

AVAILABLE 01/15/15!

ZOYA IS THE HEALTHY COLOR OF FASHION!
$9(US), Available in top salons, spas and onzoya.com

WANT MORE?

 

COMING SOON - Zoya Satin Seal Topcoat!
Turn any color into an elegant Satin finish beauty with just one coat!

Sephora Must Haves Holiday Gift

Just before the holidays I decided to treat myself to a little Christmas present from Sephora. I seen this on Coffee Break With Dani's YouTube channel for holiday gift guides and I thought that this is perfect for someone who wants to try out some of the prestige brand products without having to pay the big price.

This particular "gift collection" that Sephora put together was only available in the Sephora's that are inside JCPenny. So lucky for me that is the only Sephora I have anywhere remotely near me. I decided that after work I was going to head on over to the mall and see if mine had any of these in stock.

Luckily mine had plenty in stock and I snatched one up right away. This is the Sephora Must Haves collection and it was $39. That's right, I said $39 and it has 4 full sized products and 2 deluxe sample sized products in a cute little cosmetic bag.

The first product in it is the Benefit They're Real mascara in Black(the only shade it comes in), this is a deluxe sample size which you can purchase for $10 for 0.13oz or if you would like a full sized 0.3oz tube, it retails for $23 on Sephora's site. I have tried this mascara before and I really love it. I find that a lot of mascaras smudge on me by the end of the day so if I'm not checking my make up throughout the day I end up looking like a raccoon from the mascara smudges on my under eye.

The next product is the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Black. This is a full size 0.016oz product and this retails for $20 on Sephora's site. I have not really tried this product yet but here's a little swatch of it on the back of my hand. I will note that I had to use make up remover to get it off my hand so I would say that it would have good staying power. I am excited to use this because I am only good at applying liquid liner if it is in a pen form like this one is.

The next product is the Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in the shade Palomino. Palomino is a vibrant magenta color. This is a deluxe sample size but if you want a full size 0.15oz it retails for $24. I have not really worn this yet or even tried it on myself so I can't say how I like it or how the formula is or wears but I will try it out.

The next item is the Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream. This is a full sized 1oz tube. It has SPF 35 in it to give you protection from the sun's rays. I have tried this out and I really like it. I've been wearing it on the weekends and when I just want a lighter coverage than my regular foundation. I haven't had any reactions to it (my skin is really sensitive so I'm careful about the products I use on my face). This is in the shade Light which luckily is a pretty darn close match for what I would use. This retails for $39 on Sephora's site. I get pretty good coverage from this considering it's a BB cream and I have a bit of rosacea, it seems to do pretty good at covering my redness without feeling heavy. I don't use a foundation primer with it because I just don't feel like I need it.

The next product that was in the bag was the Urban Decay Eyeshadow in the shade Sin. Sin is a champagne shimmer and it is a full sized 0.05oz and retails for $18 on Sephora's site. I have used this multiple times since getting it and I love this. I do use a eye primer under it to prolong the wear on it and found that I do get like 11 or so hours of wear without it creasing. I have not tried it without a primer so I can't say how long the wear time is there. I've been wearing this on it's own with black liner and mascara for just a simple eye look for the weekends running errands or I've also worn it with no liner and just the shadow and mascara for a really simple look. I have also incorporated it into a nude smokey eye look as a lid color and loved the way it blended with the other shadows. This shadow is one of the reasons I bought this gift collection.

The last item in this bag is the big reason I bought this gift collection. I've heard so many people rave about this blush and saying that you have to try it that I needed to go out and get it but I didn't want to just buy this on it's own so I figured getting it in this gift collection justified the purchase for me. This is the NARS Blush in the shade Orgasm. Orgasm is a peachy pink with shimmer and I have heard so many other bloggers/vloggers say that this shade compliments any skin tone and boy are they right. This is the perfect amount of color that I have been looking for but hadn't found yet. The shimmer isn't too much that it looks like your cheeks are glowing, it's a nice subtle shimmer in my opinion. This is a full size 0.16oz compact with a nice mirror and it retails for $30.

After adding up what the retail costs of these products and the cosmetic bag, it comes to a retail cost of $145 that was listed on the packaging for this must haves collection. That means you get $145 worth of products and a cosmetic bag for only $39!!! What a steal!! I think holiday collections like this are the perfect way to try out new brands without committing to the price of the prestige brand products. I don't know if these are still available but just remember this collection was for the Sephora inside JCPenny only. If you want to purchase any of these items you can check out Sephora's site or head over to your local Sephora store.

December Ipsy Bag

I know I'm a little late in showing this to you but you know how it is around the holidays. Today I've got my December Ipsy bag to show you. This month's theme is "Thinking of You". The bag this month is pretty simple but I love it. It's not one of those round barrel bags that we've gotten in the past but it's more of a domed cosmetic bag that is a simple black and has a really cute heart shaped zipper pull that has "Ipsy" on it. There were 5 items in my bag and 3 were full sized products, the other 2 were deluxe sample sizes. The little card has an inspirational quote on one side and mine says "You are a Brave Soul". There were multiple different cards this month so that's kind of neat to go online and see all the different quotes.

For those of you who are not real familiar with Ipsy here's a little breakdown of what it is...Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription that you sign up for. It costs $10 a month and they bill you on the first of the month every month. Shipping usually starts around the middle of the month and they start giving out little sneak peeks of what is all going to be in the bags for the month. They start the sneak peeks around the first of the month. Right around the 10th or 12th of the month they open up your "Glam Room" and it will show you what you will be getting in your bag. You get roughly 5 products in your bags and the items they choose for you are somewhat based on the beauty quiz you take when you sign up. Each product is usually a deluxe sized sample and there is usually at least one item that is full sized. You can re-take the quiz at any time if you are not satisfied with the types of products you are getting. Your products are packed inside a cute little make-up bag that is designed for the theme for the month. If you are interested in signing up I will give you my link here. Check out this link for more information and to sign up.

The first item in my bag was this Pixi by Petra Fairy Dust in the shade Brightening Bare which is a medium nude sheen. It has a nice applicator wand for easy application. It is perfect to use dry for a sheer effect, or wet for intense colour. The illuminating powder pigments give concentrated glow & enhancing color instantly. The mica provides dense natural pigment and the pearl powder rejuvenates & brightens. It retails for $10 on Pixi's site and this is a full sized product.

The next item in my bag was this NYX Cosmetics Butter Lip Balm in the shade Red Velvet. It is pretty sheer and gives you a nice tint of red color. This Buttery Lip Balm is addictively soft and scrumptious and perfect for adding a subtle hint of color for a naturally flirtatious pout. Apply directly to bare lips or apply it over lip liner for more intense color. This is a full sized product. It retails for $4 on the NYX Cosmetics site.

The next item I was excited for because I have been wanting to try this mascara but didn't want to purchase a full size in case I didn't like it. This is the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara. It is like a pushup bra for your lashes, tarte’s best-selling mascara lengthens, curls, volumizes and conditions to deliver a 330% increase in lash volume instantly. The high-performance formula is also infused with naturally-derived olive esters to help nourish and protect lashes. I have tried this and it does make my lashes look amazing. I've only tried it once so after a few more uses I'll form my final opinion on this one. This is a deluxe sample size but the full size retails for $20 on Tarte's site.

The next item I got I wasn't too sure about and I haven't tried it yet so I can't tell you if I like it or not but here's my initial thoughts on it. This is the Beauty Without Cruelty A.H.A 3% Facial Cleanser. It is a lightly-foaming, soap-free cleanser that removes dead surface skin cells, daily impurities, and excess oil without over-cleaning your skin. Nature's own alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) gently and deeply clean and actively clarify your skin without disturbing it's natural balance. Pure premium Oshadhi aroma-therapeutic essential oils tone, condition, and calm, leaving your skin clean, clear, and refreshed. It is also Paraben Free, pH Balanced. 100% Vegan-Vegetarian, never tested on animals. Cruelty-free since 1963. Now my first thoughts on this was when I opened the bottle it has a really strong smell that I can't quite describe, it's almost like a really strong soap smell. I'm not sure if I'm going to like that smell, hopefully the smell doesn't stick around after you've used it and rinsed your face. This is a deluxe sample size but a full size 8.5oz bottle retails for $11.95 on their site.

The last item I got I was really excited about because they have had this product before and I wasn't lucky enough to get it them but I got it now. This is the Crown Brush Infinity Shadow/Crease Duet Brush. This dual-ended brush offers the best of both worlds. The shadow brush is perfect for applying eye shadow or contouring the eye, while the crease brush is designed to be used dry for defining the eye, or wet for precision concealing. This is created with Crown’s Infinity Synthetic Fibers. This is a full sized product and retails for $6.99 on their site.

I hope you enjoyed this post and I want to wish all of you a Happy Holidays!!

Snowman mani

Well, I decided to do another snowman mani for Christmas. I love this mani, it's super cute and easy to do. I will note that you really do need a steady hand for doing the snowman details (as you can see my snowman's nose didn't quite turn out how I wanted it because my hand was shaking a little).

First I started off with a base color of Aly's Dream Polish in Sky Blue. I thought that this would be the perfect background for my snowman and snow. I applied 2 coats of Sky Blue which is really a beautiful sky blue holographic polish. Then I applied a coat of Out The Door to speed up dry time.

Once I was ready to do my art I grabbed my acrylic paints in white, black, orange, and red. Then I grabbed my thin small striping brush and a really small dotting tool. For the snow on the tips of my nails I just used the larger end of the dotting tool and just dotted on the snow all over the tips, I like the uneven look it has, almost like real snow. Then I used the small end of the dotting tool to dot on the "flakes".

Then I took my striping brush and dipped it in the white and proceeded to paint the 2 large circles on my middle fingers for the snowman body. I love working with the acrylic paints because they dry fairly quickly and if I make a mistake I can just wipe it off with a wet towel. I keep a glass of water nearby for cleaning off my brush when I change colors. I just swish it around in the water and then wipe it with a paper towel to get the excess water off. Then I took my brush again and dipped it into the black and painted my snowman's hat on. I used the small end of the dotting tool to create the eyes and buttons down his body.

Once I was done with the black I cleaned my brush again and used the orange to paint on his carrot nose (which didn't really turn out right but it's so small no one will notice unless they get really up close with it). Then cleaned the brush again and dipped it in the red and painted on his scarf. When I was all finshed painting on my details of the snowman I was done and topped it all off with a coat of Out The Door to seal and protect my art.

You can get Aly's Dream Polish on her Storenvy site but the store is currently on vacation. Here is the link to the store. It says she will be back in 2 weeks so you can check back later. Her polishes are amazing and if you haven't ever tried them you are really missing out on some gorgeous holographic polishes.

Glitter Mani

Today I have just a real simple mani for you. This is something that you can wear in so many different color combinations to fit whatever your outfit or occasion is. It's just a sideways french manicure.

First I prepped my nails for a new mani by cleaning them, using cuticle remover (I only do this step about once a month, that's all that is necessary for me) to clean up my cuticles, and then apply my nail strengthener for my base. I know a lot of people add an actual base coat on top of their strengthener but the one I use (Sally Hansen Maximum Strength) seems to work really well for me and I hardly ever have staining when using it.

Then once I had my strengthener applied and it was dry I put on a base color of Zoya Natty, I used 2 coats of Natty for this manicure. I really love this color because I think it is just a gorgeous shade of blue and it works really well on my skin tone. Then I applied a coat of Out The Door to speed up my dry time.

Once Natty was dry I used my Nail Vinyls from Linda at @Teismom on Instagram (you can check out her site here, she has so many different kinds of nail vinyls). I used the french manicure ones and just put them on my nails sideways so that the curve was going up the length of my nail. When I had my nail vinyls in place I then took Butter London Fairy Cake and applied that on the outside edge of the nail. Once I had Fairy Cake on all the nails on that hand I removed my nail vinyls right away. The nail vinyls provided me with a nice clean line for my nail art, I love using the nail vinyls from Linda. For best results you take of the nail vinyls while your polish is still wet, it gives you a clean line and since it's still wet it doesn't pull at the polish that is staying on your nail thus ruining your design.

Then when I had my other hand done I added another coat of Out The Door to seal in my whole mani. I really think that this is such an easy mani for anyone to do and like I said before, the color combinations are endless!

Some Sparkly Holiday Nail Art

This I thought would be a nice sophisticated holiday mani that you could wear to a nice holiday get together. I had done this one for my Mom and liked how it turned out so much that I decided to try it on myself. This one is super easy to do and doesn't require a lot of tools to create it.

I started off with a base of Cult Nails Let's Get Dirty from their "In The Garden" collection. This one has such a gorgeous shimmer when you add a topcoat and it's the perfect nude for this color combination.

Once it was somewhat dry I added Cult Nails Blaze to the tips, all I did was just take the brush from the bottle and with a small amount of polish on it I dabbed it on the tips. Then once I was finished with putting Blaze on the tips I took Zoya Trixie (a gorgeous silver) and my small striping brush and added a thin strip just below (but touching) this line of Blaze. This is so simple and easy to do that if you need a mani but don't have a lot of time to create some nail art, just try this. It's a nice alternative to a traditional french mani with a sparkly twist just for the holidays.

I love the combination on silver and gold on the tips to give you that perfect amount of sparkle on your nude/neutral base. I bet you could do this with any color combination you wanted so that you can coordinate with your outfit or color theme of your holiday party.

So give this a try and have a little fun at your holiday get togethers. Let this mani be a nice little accent to your holiday outfits! Stay tuned for some more holiday nail art to come!!

Some Winter/Christmas Nail Art

Today I thought I'd share with you a mani that I re-created from another Instagrammer (I believe it was @judyrox). I don't know how she did it but I figured just by looking at her picture I could recreate it. I seen this and immediately thought it was so cute and I had to do this for Christmas. Well, I know it's not close to Christmas (we got a couple of weeks yet) but I thought I'd just give it a try this weekend and see how it turns out.

I had already had a base color on of Zoya Posh with a topcoat over that, as you can see in the pics that there is a little bit of growth but that is because I had been sporting Posh on my nails for about 5 days already and was getting ready to change my mani. I decided to use acrylic paints for this because I figured that it would be easier to work with, dry quicker, and I could easily fix it if I messed up.

The only tools I needed for this was a couple of different sized of dotting tools and a small striping brush. For the "snow" covered tips I just used a larger dotting tool dipped in white acrylic paint, I made a bunch of dots to cover the tips but not give me a clean line, that way it looks like snow. For the falling snow I used a smaller dotting tool dipped in the white paint. Then for the snow man I used my small striping brush to create the 2 round circles that were his body and filled them in. Then I took my brush (after I cleaned it in water and dried it on a towel) and used the black to paint his hat. Then I cleaned the brush again and used blue to make the scarf. Again with my clean brush I used the orange to make a very small triangle to be the "carrot nose". That one was really hard to do because it was so small but I think I did ok. Then for the eyes and buttons I just dipped a small dotting tool in black and dotted them on. After I was all finished I realized I didn't give him a mouth so next time I do this I will make sure I make him big enough that I give him a mouth smiling at everyone.

The acrylic paints dried pretty quickly so I didn't have to wait too long to apply the topcoat. I think it turned out pretty good and I will most definitely be re-doing this one for Christmas in a couple weeks. I am learning very quickly that using acrylic paints to create nail art is quite handy and I think I will be trying out more things. I'm not very good at free-handed nail art but I am getting better with each try. Sometimes if I try to do it later at night I find that my hand is a little shaky and I have to concentrate harder but I'm sure with practice I'll improve.

Stay tuned and I will have some more Christmas themed nail art to show you!!

Pacifica Super Hydrating Hand Cream

Today I am going to share with you a new hand cream that I have come upon and it has quickly become my favorite. I found these at my local Ulta one day while I was browsing and shopping for new makeup brushes. I love that Ulta has testers out on their products because I am very particular about my hand creams and lotions and I am super picky about the scents. My hubby is really sensitive to scents so I always try to get stuff that I know won't irritate him.

These are made with shea butter, almond oil and safflower oil. They are also paraben-free and just smell amazing. I picked up the Indian Coconut Nectar and the scent of this one literally reminds me of summer. You know what I mean, it has that coconut-suntan lotion smell that just screams summer! It is a warm, sultry blend of coconut and delicate creamy vanilla is pure ambrosia. I will say that the cream is thick and hydrating and doesn't leave my hands feeling greasy at all. I had tried a little bit of it from the tester on the back of my hand and was literally walking around Ulta smelling the back of my hand, I think the cashier thought I was a little crazy because I was still smelling my hand when I went to check out.

I loved that one so much that I had to make another trip to Ulta and pick up another one. At first I was just going to get another one of the same scent but I decided to try the rest of the scents and see if there was another one I liked. I had heard great things about the Tuscan Blood Orange scented one and smelled the tester. I put a dab of it on the back of my hand to see what it would smell like on me and OMG!! This one smelled amazing too!! The Tuscan Blood Orange isn't as strong of a scent like the Indian Coconut Nectar one but I knew I had to have this one too. This one is a delectable blend, juicy and spicy Blood Orange is offset with subtle strawberry and raspberry notes and grounded in fleshy mandarin and italian sweet orange.

Then I started smelling all of the rest of them to see if I liked anymore of them but I found that I didn't care for any of the other scents as much as I liked these two. This one has that same formula, it's nice and thick and hydrating without leaving you greasy. These hand creams are also listed as 100% vegan on Pacifica's site.

Here is a list of the ingredients for the Super Hydrating Hand Creams: aqua, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, capric caprylic triglycerides, polysorbate 60*, cetearyl alcohol*, glycerin*, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, glyceryl stearate*, sorbitol, stearic acid*, sodium PCA, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil, laminaria hyperborea (kelp) extract, tocopherol, xanthan gum, sodium alginate, cocos nucifera (coconut) water, iris pallida (sweet iris) leaf cell extract, leuconstoc/radish root ferment filtrate, ethylhexylglycerin, parfum (Pacifica's own with natural and essential oils). *vegetable source.

They retail for $9 for 2.25oz. and in my opinion that is a really great price for such an amazing product! If you get them at Ulta there is always coupons you can use on your purchase. You can also get them on Pacifica's site here. I also heard from another blogger that Pacifica products are also available at select Targets, sadly none of my Targets have them but at least I have Ulta!!

A couple more Colourpop Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencils

Today I have some more of the Colourpop Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencils to show you. I purchased these myself and I am so glad I did. These lippies are amazing!! You can read my review on the first batch of Lippie Stix and Lippie Pencils I purchased here.

You can see that when they ship out your products you get a little personalized card (which I think is so cute and special) and they also include a little information card about the products with tips and tricks on it and other information. They are packaged so well in the box so that they don't get damaged in shipping. My box was lined with foam and then each item was wrapped in bubble wrap to further protect them.

Let me tell you, these are not only amazing products but they are super budget friendly too! All of their products that are on their site are $5 each. $5 is so affordable!!! They have the new Lippie Stix, Lippie Pencils, and they have their Colour Shock Shadows (I ordered 5 of the shadows when I ordered these lippie stix and pencils. You can read my review on those here).

Colourpop cosmetics is a cruelty free company (they are "bunny approved") and they are made right here in the USA in southern California. All but 5 of their shadows are vegan (check out their FAQ page here) and their Lippie Stix are not technically vegan because they do contain less than .1% bees wax.

These Lippie Pencils are not like any other lip pencil that I've tried. I usually stay away from lip pencils because they are dry and hard to apply but these are super creamy and go on so smoothly. They look like a plastic retractable pencil but they do not retract, you do have to sharpen them and it is suggested that you use a really good sharp sharpener (I use the Grindhouse one from Urban Decay). The Lippie Stix also come in a slim stick that is retractable, their packaging is just so slim and nice.

I bought just 2 Lippie Stix and the matching Lippie Pencils. I already have my eye on the new Limited Edition Holiday collection of Lippie Stix they have out now and I'm hoping to purchase those before they go away. If I do I will be sure to share those with you as well.

Here's a quick swatch of Bound and Flawless on the back of my hand. Left to right are: Bound Lippie Pencil, Bound Lippie Stix, Flawless Lippie Pencil, and Flawless Lippie Stix.

The first color I bought was Flawless. Flawless is a deep red violet in a satin finish. This is such a nice deep color that is looks a little vampy on my without really washing me out. I love this one!! It's so creamy! I did notice that it did stain my lips some but that's ok with me. I got amazing wear time on these. I layer the pencil under the Lippie Stix to make it last longer. I think I got something like 6 hours of good wear time. It did transfer onto my glass a little bit but I didn't mind that either (for my I always expect that with any lipstick or gloss). Below is a pic of just the Flawless Lippie Pencil all over my lips.

Below is the pic of Flawless Lippie Stix over the Flawless Lippie Pencil.

The next shade I bought was Bound. Bound is a light nude pink in a glossy finish. I have found myself reaching for this one a lot lately. I don't know how it does it but when I layer the pencil under the lippie stix this shade makes my lips look a little fuller. This is a glossy finish so it does have a shine to it and it doesn't last as long as the satin and matte finishes. With the glossy finishes I would highly recommend wearing the lippie pencil under just to extend your wear. Below is a pic of the Bound Lippie Pencil alone all over my lips.

Below is the Bound Lippie Stix layered over the Bound Lippie Pencil.

As you can see from all of my swatches these are really pigmented in color and they feel so great on your lips. I didn't have any problems with them drying out my lips or bleeding/feathering. I think that when you layer the stix over the pencil you have less of a chance of any bleeding or feathering. I also think that it extends your wear time when you layer them. You can also see the difference in the finishes of these two, Flawless is a satin finish and Bound is a glossy finish.

Colourpop Cosmetics is only available online here and they are constantly releasing new shades so you should check back often to see what's new on the site. I just checked the site out again today and seen that they are going to be releasing some holiday collection soon. I am now going to be stalking their facebook and site for this new holiday collection. They ship to the the USA, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico but are hoping to expand shipping in the future. Shipping is free if you purchase $30 or more (which I can tell you it isn't hard to get to that amount with all the great products they have).