Tweet 10 Days Left Until Giveaway Ends!

If you havent already, dont forget to join my Giveaway! There will be three prizes meaning that three winners will be announced! :D Easiest way to enter is to just be a follower!

Good Luck!

Blogger Templates

Tweet Black & White Party Nails + Tutorial!

Heres another fun nail tutorial that i picked up from some other bloggers/youtubbers! i changed it up a tad bit but its quite similar to the polka dot nail tutorial that i did a while back. This time around, we're going to be drawing our tip in a diagonal line to create a fun and cool design!

heres the finished look B (for a more party sparkle version)

and finished look A (for a more toned down version)

Step One - base coat & tape!

In the above picture, i have already painted my nails with a clear base coat. This step is optional but it does help give your nails a more healthy sheen to it as the top section of your nails will be left "naked". If you do decide to apply a base coat, please let it dry completely before applying the tape!! if not, you will risk pulling off the base coat and then you'll have to start all over again!

Now for the tape, i would recommend you tape it aganist your hand first to get rid of some of the tackyness and stickyness. That way, you can also avoid pulling off some of the base coat later. When you're ready, apply the tape in a diagonal line like the picture above. You can definately experiement with how you apply the tape and come up with many different designs so be creative!

Step Two - Paint the tips!

Taking a darker shade (im using Nicole by OPI in Black to the Future which is a black with purple sparkles), paint your tips! its okay if you go over the tape, thats what its there for! in the picture above, i applied two coats making sure i let the first coat dry completely before applying the second coat.

heres a close up picture so you can see the true color

Step Three - Peel the tape!

when the second coat is almost completely dry, start slowly peeling the tape off in one direction. the nail polish might come up a little bit with the tape but if you work slowly it should be fine. here's what it looks like after the tape is off! simple even diagonal lines! You can stop here if you want or to spice it up a bit more, you can even add some silver glitter just above the line to give it a boost of sparkle! (picture shown further down). Or if you want to continue...

Step Four - Add your dots! 

taking a dotting tool, bobby pin or anything with a circular end to it, dip into a different nail polish (i used Nicole by OPI in shop around the clock) and apply your dots. just dot randomly wherever you see fit and if you get a bit over the line, dont panic! its fixable :)

Step Five - Add a silver line

Taking a silver shade, follow the diagonal line to give more of a polished and finished look. This can also help hide mistakes and uneven lines!

Depending on the color you choose, your nails could be more toned down like the ones above, or...

you could choose to apply a sparkly glitter silver to make it more fun!

here is a quick swatch of L.A. Colors Sparkling Diamonds.

Dont forget, be as creative as you want! For example.. you could apply a silver base coat rather than a clear one to give lots of glitter and fun (shown on the very left). or you could leave out the polka dots for a more sophisticated yet fun look (middle nail). or you could just do the tutorial above but with a fun sparkly glitter line instead of just a silver shade (far right).

in the end. i chose to do all my nails like the far right with the exception of my fourth fingers which i did like the middle nail. i always like to do something different with my fourth fingers just so that theres something different to look at and it doesnt seem as overdone :) hope you enjoyed this tutorial! it'll be back to makeup reviews next post!

Blogger Templates

Tweet ELF Shimmer Eyeliner Pencils

You've already seen the swatches, but what about the quality of the product itself? Todays post is going to be a full review on the ELF Shimmer Eyeliner Pencils as well as some more pictures including some of how they look when applied :)

Grassy Green, Twinkle Teal, Plum Passion, Boldly Bronze, Gunmetal, Iconic Ivory

Grassy Green, Twinkle Teal, Plum Passion, Boldly Bronze, Gunmetal, Iconic Ivory

here are the swatches that i posted a few days ago..

 

with flash

without flash, natural lighting

and here are some pictures of how they look applied!

boldly bronze (sorry this one got a bit washed out! its a darker bronze in reality)

gunmetal on outer top, twinkle teal on lower, iconic ivory in inner corner

grassy green

plum passion

twinkle teal and iconic ivory in inner corner

packaging overview - 4/5

these are smaller than your average eyeliners measuring about 11cm without the lid and 13cm with the lid. however, considering they are $1 each, they are well worth the price! I do like how ELF added the sharpener on the lid because it allows for easy touchups wherever i may be. Even if im in a hurry and packaging some light makeup to go, i can easily throw this in my bag and worry about if its sharpened or dull later. However, the only thing i was a bit shaky on, is that the lid can be a bit loose on some of the eyeliners, which may cause it to come off in your purse and damage the pencil and/or other stuff in your purse.

they each come with a handy sharpener attached onto the lid. great for travelling or keeping in your purse for quick touchups!

product overview - 4/5

these eyeliners may be smaller than you expect, but they pack in quite a lot of pigmentation! (with the exception of iconic ivory which i thought had less pigmentation due to the shimmer it had) Also, these eyeliners were definately super creamy and applied so well! i had no issues with tugging whatsoever and barely had to hold my eyelid taunt in order to apply it!

Now with this buttery formula, some people with oilier lids may have issues with creasing or smudging. Overall, i found that there was little to no creasing (for me) and that the lasting power was quite decent. I applied these in the morning with no primer or eyeshadow to set and they lasted me well until probably sometime after dinner time where i did find slight smudging. In this case, i would recommend that you prime your eye with either a primer, or even just your concealer as it will help the eyeliner last much longer. Also, if you really want this liner to stay (as with all other liners) you can set it with an eyeshadow in a similar shade.

Tip: if you dont use a primer on an everyday basis, try patting some concealer on your eyelids before you apply the eyeliner. that way, you dont need to go out and buy a primer and you can help extend the lasting power of the eyeliner! simple and easy :) make use of what you have already!

Overall - 4/5

i am enjoying these eyeliners and find them a gift from heaven especially on days when im in a hurry and want my eyeliner on my eye in less than a minute! with these liners, you can easily line your eyes with no tugging whatsoever and expect it to last you at least up till dinner time. Also, i love how there are just so many colors available and all for $1! these are going to replace my other colored eyeliners because i dont wear a pop of color everyday so id much rather spend $1 instead of $10-15.

so tell me, have you tried these before? if so, what did you think? if not, which ones caught your eye? :D

oh, and dont forget! i have two of these eyeliners up for grabs in my giveaway! plus, there will be THREE different prizes going to THREE different winners so dont forget to enter! :D
Blogger Templates