the esteé edit review - metallishadow créme + powder, inside track eye kajal... and more!

Influenster was kind enough to send me these products in conjunction with The Esteé Edit. I had recently heard about the new line launching (and seen it at Sephora), but didn't pay any mind to the products since most of the line were things I already had plenty of. Though I will not pass up a free offer! The retail value for the package sent was way over any amount that I usually spend at Sephora, so receiving this was a nice treat. My honest first impressions are below! If any product strikes me as special, I'll be sure to do a follow-up post on it.

halloween blood splatter nail art tutorial

I need to come up with a theme for Pinterest trials (and maybe errors, if that ever happens). Any ideas?

Today's post is all about this easy and versatile way to get into the Halloween spirit-- blood splattered nail art! I ended up using my previously made liquid latex cuticle protector to make cleanup easy and it worked like a charm. Except for sticking my finger in the splatter that didn't get on my nails. Typical.

ColourPop experience: haul swatches, first impressions and review

I recently bought a few things from a new[er] company called ColourPop.

Initially, I was super excited to try out the shades I had chosen... but as I unpackaged my goods I found that every rose has its thorns. Here are some swatches to get you through the pros and cons ahead.

"So You Want to Try Nail Stamping..." series (Tools of the trade, how to tutorial and walkthrough, Born Pretty review)

Recently I was approached by Born Pretty Store (I have reviewed them in the past, and in summary: they're a pretty great company out of Singapore that sells really affordable beauty products, despite the long shipping times to the US) to review some nail stamping plates they released quite recently.

If you follow me on instagram (or know me in person) nail stamping is "mah jam." I'm constantly stamping designs over manicures because I find that it's a perfect way to jazz up a color without designing something new over it completely. A little pattern, a little color and whoop...there it is.

So when I was approached, I thought "why not make a comprehensive series on nail stamping, so that other people can do it without being discouraged by trial and error?!" and that's exactly what I did.

The first part of the series is about what you'll need to start nail stamping. In this video, I talk about what I use to stamp and offer some tips and tricks on finding these things.

• Acetone pump
• Acetone (or non-acetone nail polish remover)
• Konad special nail polish (white and/or black)
• Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear nail color 
• Konad scraping tool & rubber stamp
• elf essentials concealer brush
• Cheeky Beauty 2012 plate set
• Bundle Monster CYO collection 
• Cheeky Jumbo Plate 3 - European Romance
• BornPretty plates in BP-17, BP-08, BP-28, BP-01, BP-10*

In the second part I actually show you how I do a stamped manicure, and discuss things I wish I would've known before getting discouraged when I first started stamping.

• Color Club "Reign in Spain" (from Birchbox "The Wanderlust Collection")
• Seche Vite
• Konad special polish in black
• BornPretty stamping plate in BP-17*

Also in the second video, you'll find a review of the Born Pretty stamping plates I recieved. I will do a detailed blog post review of these in the future, after using all the plates and testing for quality, but for now it's safe to say they've really outdone themselves with this set! The plate I used was etched perfectly and transferred to my nail without any problems.

So, for now... brush up (ha! pun definitely intended) on your stamping skills while you eagerly await my verdict on the rest of these plates.

Til next time,


DISCLAIMER: Items marked with an * were provided for review purposes. Despite this, I provide honest opinions and thoughts on products no matter the compensation.

Barielle Falling Star - First Impressions and Review

A few weeks ago, I picked up this beauty in my local TJ Maxx. I kept telling myself "Gina, you really don't need any more nail polish," but I was so blinded by it's unique glitter combination I just had to buy it. 

This is the first Barielle nail polish I've owned, but despite a tiny mix up (I thought it was Barry M at first, had a fit of excitement, then whilst googling swatches on my phone realized it wasn't) I'm really impressed! 

The rose-gold glitter flecks really twinkle in the sunlight, especially against the creamy denim base color, but even in the shade its a beautiful combination. The formula was great. It only took my two coats to get this opacity, although the glitter was still a tiiiiiny bit rough even after two layers of Seche Vite.

Here, on my ring finger I have one coat with no topper, two coats with no topper, and two coats with a coat of Seche Vite over it. As you can see, the finger with one coat can easily be worn like that, but I prefer the stronger intensity blue. It's all up to you, really!

beauty blogger fall voxbox 2012: first impressions

If you haven't heard of Influenster before, it's about time you did. It's a great company that helps social networking extraordinaire get their feet wet in the public relation part of "blogging." Whether you're a bride-to-be, beauty guru or tech obsessed, there's an Influenster program for you. 

Your credibility on the site comes from the badges you earn. Your expert badges will eventually qualify you for free things to review and provide feedback for on the website. Here are my badges:

Beauty Queen • Fashionista • Gadgeteer

I was recently given the opportunity to review a Beauty Blogger VoxBox, which is pictured below. If you're interested in what I got, individual pictures or first impressions, just hit the read more and continue on!

ombre (without a sponge!)

I wasn't planning on doing two blog posts in one day, but hey... if the shoe fits...

Anyway I saw this post and wanted to try it out immediately so I whipped out these two nail polishes and went to town. Closeups under the cut. This is a great look for fall! It reminds me of a grandpa sweater but much more wearable and versatile.

E.l.f. gold snakeskin polish review + GIVEAWAY TIME!

As you all know, e.l.f. is one of my absolute FAVORITE brands of makeup. What you may not know is that they also make really awesome nail polish! After picking up a bottle of this line in Target the other day, I had a revelation. What better way to show my appreciation (and hopefully welcome new readers/viewers) that host a giveaway?!

Here are some photos of the colors you'll be receiving if you win, since they are not available online and don't have names:

 

(to see them bigger, click on them!)

RULES & INFO:

• You MUST be 18 or have your parents permission to provide me your shipping address in the event that you win
• Invalid entries (such as a link to a blog post sharing the giveaway that does not exist) will be scrapped
• Winner will be contacted within 48 hours of the end of the contest and have 24 hours to respond via email provided through Rafflecopter.
• No PO Boxes, sorry!
• Continental United States only, since this is personally funded (and I am in college, after all)
• This contest is not funded by any company. All prizes were purchased and will be shipped by me. 

The entry form is below! Have fun and good luck everyone :)
I look forward to sharing some awesome nail polishes with the lucky winner

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NOTE:  if you complete the "Leave a Blog Post Comment" portion on Rafflecopter and are selected for that entry but there is no comment, I will move onto the next winner :( So make sure you're completing the action that you submit!  

Also, if you are sharing the giveaway via Facebook, be sure to change your post's privacy settings so I can see it! Make it "Public" if it is not already.

beginner's guide to buying glasses online: coastal & zenni optical

So you're in need of new spectacles but don't want to shell out $150 for a pair from Lens Crafters? Well, this is a blog post that will definitely benefit you!

Before you order from an online retailer, you NEED to make sure you have the following:

• A prescription no older than 12 months old (note: contact lens prescriptions are not the same!)
• Your PD, or "pupillary distance." Everyone's is different, but your optometrist will be able to tell you this.
• Any special instructions from your eye doctor (mine told me I needed a polycarbonate lens due to my eye conditions, so I had to look for that especially when ordering my glasses)

With all that, you're ready to start picking out your new glasses!

I ordered from two online retailers for a few reasons. The first being I haven't gotten new glasses in a while, so I was in desperate need of an updated pair. Aside from that, each pair ended up costing me around $30 each, so I really wasn't limited (my previous pair were part of a 2 for $88 deal) since I gave myself a $100 budget.

Let's compare the companies now, shall we?

polish addiction!

At any given time, my desk has known to look like the above (or any variation thereof). Recently, I've gotten much better at painting my own digits... and this is probably why! I find that when I'm at my desk (which is a lot) I am constantly changing my nail polish. In the past week alone, my nails have seen quite a variation of looks and I must say, a lot of the colors I used have been recent favorites. Upon realizing this, I thought... " hey, why not make a blog post about them?!"

(nail designs recapped from my instagram!)

  

So, ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages...
I welcome you to my desktop nail polish collection!