Monday, February 24, 2014

MM (Makeup Monday): Ipsy VS BirchBox

Hello to another Makeup Monday post! Sorry for my absence. I feel horrible! None the less, I present to you my monthly subscription. Ipsy and BirchBox.

 As usual, it comes in a cute little zip baggy. 

City Color Blush in Fresh Melon 
The color is not accurate however, it's a gorgeous blush! It's a pinky melon color,
and a great size. It's about the size of your palm! Totally worth it.


 J. Cat Beauty Eyelash
Includes eyelash adhesive. You can never go wrong with lashes!


 Mally Beauty Evercolor Waterproof Eyeliner in Starlight
My first Mally Beauty product, however, in my Ipsy bags, I always get a silver liner
and I can't seem to understand why. Every eyeliner I've gotten so far is silver, but hey,
it's a full size liner, I can't complain!

Pop Beauty Lipgloss in Peony Petal
Gorgeous color and perfect for Spring! It's a pinky color and applies like butter! 
It's .14 oz but it will definitely last me a long time!

Lastly, a Zoya polish.
Source
Unfortunately, my battery conveniently died on me. However, this is a full size 
Zoya polish from the Naturel Collection. An Orchid Maroon color, and just
my cup of tea! This alone is $9. What do you think?

So onto Birch Box. 


I didn't even want to take photos but here is small decription. For the Smashbox Mascara, it was a deluxe mini. The OPI top coat was a mini as well. The Smashbox Palette was a piece of sample, on a paper. The Agave oil was a mini deluxe as well and barely enough to see if it made a difference with my hair. The Cleanser was a mini as well.

I have been really disappointed with Birch Box these past few months and finally decided to cancel. Hence the reason I didn't even waste my time taking pictures to show you.

So finally, Ipsy takes the cake. Like always. There have been some months that weren't so great but I am very happy over all. Both of these subscriptions are $10, but seriously, I'm really getting my money's worth with Ipsy, so gladly I cancalled Birch Box and will stay subscribed to Ipsy.

Are you ladies subscribed to these services at all? What do you think?
Anna 

If you interested in subscribing to Ipsy, click here for my referral link. Otherwise, check it out here!

*Both services are purchased with my own money.*

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Twinsie Tuesday: Late Valentine's Post

Hi all,
My post will be up later today. It's been a long and tiring weekend and I haven't yet recovered. This weekend was my birthday, my sister's birthday and my brother in law's birthday. On top of that, my son has been sick for the past two weeks and coughing up a storm, almost to the point where he's just about ready to eject what's in his little tummy. And a few times, he's already done so; like last night. None the less, I know what I'm doing for this post and it'll be up later this evening so please stay tuned! Again, sorry for my absence!

Anna

In the mean time, please check out my Twinsie's posts for today's challenge!
Alaina at The Little Canvas
Amanda at Amandalandish
Chelsea at Nailed Blog
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Kelly at Tuxarina
Lakeisha at Refined and Polished
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Rachel at Top Coat It
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les
Stephanie at A Little Polish
Traci at DrinkCitra

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Polka-dotticure

Getting into the swing of nail art again and I just wanted to do something a little less challenging.


Simple and easy. I used acrylic paint for this a and a simple opaque white nail polish for base. Not too inspiration or aspiring but this was fun and I hope you enjoy it!

What are some of your favorite dotticures?
Anna 

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Darling Diva Polish D.M.S.R

*Press Sample*

D.M.S.R stands for Dance, Music, Sex, Romance. What a gorgeous polish and befitting name right? D.M.S.R. is a very soft light lavender creme base with a lot of different type of glitters; large, medium, and small purple hexagonal, medium blue, holo and purple butterfly glitters. It was very hard to capture but in real life, you are able to see very tiny micro holo glitters throughout, which just puts the cherry on top with this polish.



D.M.S.R. is really my cup of tea. Light jelly base with gorgeous glitters, I could never get enough of these type of polishes! Above shown are 3 coats. With 2 coats, it reached opacity but I love the jelly sandwiched look so I added another coat. None the less, it is gorgeous and perfect for the upcoming Spring season!

If you are wanting to own any Darling Diva Polishes, click here. Carrie's polishes are incredibly affordable with extraordinary customer service and fast shipping!

Anna

*This product was provided for my unbiased review.
Please see the PR disclosure for any questions.*

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Twinsie Tuesday: Nail Care Routine

I'm excited about this post since it's a little different from what we usually do. I don't have a really intricate routine like others may, but this is what I do and it's what works for me!

Beware, there are no pictures. Sorry.


  • Removing an old man is always first right? I use the 100% Acetone Equatte Nail Polish Remover mixed with glycerin and water. And I absolutely love this because I dread and passionately dislike the little cotton threads leftover from cotton rounds and balls. And yes, this works wonders just like the Zoya+.
  • Then I wash my hands for about a 1-2 minutes with warm water and hand soap. While washing my hands, I push back my cuticles.
  • After drying I use a cuticle remover and use a tool like this to push away those little cuticles. 
  • While washing away the cuticles that were removed, I use a nail brush to brush away any excess cuticles hanging around.
  • After, I wash my hands and lotion them with the Suave Advanced Therapy Lotion. I like this one because it's a thinner consistency and I never want my nails to look oily when I photograph them.
  • Upon applying lotion, I use the Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream and apply then around my cuticles to prep for polishing!
  • After rubbing in the the cream, I use this cheap eyeshadow brush and dip it into the Beauty Secrets 100% acetone and quickly run it on my nails to remove the oils from the lotion or cuticle cream.
  • Then I get to the polishing! After polishing, I use the HK Girl Topcoat. Works just like Seche Vite but less harmful! 
  • After a good topcoat, I use the OPI Drip Dry to top it off.

And viola! My mani is ready to go! 

This is my ritual of prepping nails for a post and a mani. Not all of these items are apart of my Holy Grail must always have because I'm still trying out new hand products. In the mean time, this is how I do it and what I use.

What are some of your nail care products/steps that are different than mine?
Anna 

Check out my Twinsies' nail care routines!
Alaina at The Little Canvas
Amanda at Amandalandish
Amber at Nails Like Lace
Chelsea at Nailed Blog
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Kelly at Tuxarina
Lakeisha at Refined and Polished
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Rachel at Top Coat It
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les
Stephanie at A Little Polish
Traci at DrinkCitra

Monday, January 27, 2014

Makeup Monday (MM): Drugstore Haul

This is a new installment to my blog. I have always loved makeup and wanted to share my love for makeup on my blog here with you every Monday! So for my very first post and makeup haul of the year, I present to you a drugstore haul!

 Revlon Age Defying Foundation, NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat Foundation, 
Rimmel Stay Matte Mousse Foundation

Essence Silky Touch Blushes, Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush,
Revlon Cream Blush 

 Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer, Revlon Age Defying Concealer,
Loreal CC Eye Concealer

Maybelline Define-A-Brow, NYX Slide On Glide On Pencil, 
Jordana 12hr Eyeshadow Pencil 

 Loreal Sexy in Sequins, Revlon Autumn Spice

 Milani Statement Lipsticks

Essence Stay Matt Lip Cream, NYX Hypershine Lipgloss,
Flower Beauty Lipglosses 

 Loreal Extraordinaire Liquid Lipstick

NYX Eyeshadow Base, Maybelline Masterdup Liner,
Essence mascaras 

 NYX lipsticks

WnW Balm Stains, Revlon Matte Balms

If you haven't already noticed, I am a total lip junkie and am in search of a good drugstore foundation. If any of you are interested in reviews, impressions, swatches or questions about any of the products, please leave a comment!

Have you hauled lately?
Anna

*All products have been purchased with my own money.*