Beauty faux pas(erika)

We all had our embarrassing and completely what was I thinking moments in life. Well last night I was thinking about all the really bad beauty choices I made in high school and after high school(yes just because you graduate doesn't automatically give you great beauty sense).

By the way, that is not me.. That is the amazing make up artist Kandee Johnson, check out her youtube channel!

In high school, gulp, I rocked the brown lip liner. I am not proud of this and the only thing that I can say to sort of kind of redeem myself is that at least it wasn't black. Now do not even get me started on that whole black lip/ white eye liner combo that girls still wear to this day. Why? I do not even remotely know.

Another ugh moment was the bright red lipstick in middle school. See, I grew up with a Puerto Rican father, and if anyone knows how strict they are, you would know that even looking at a boy would get our asses kicked from sea to shining sea. My dad, did not want me wearing make up. at all. I begged for make up, wore my sisters, and finally for Christmas when I was 12, I received a Naturistics make up kit(shit remember that brand?) I was in hog heaven, but the color pay off was um, pretty much nothing. So when I started the 7th grade, I bought a bright red lipstick from (now this is really going to date me) WoolWorths.
It was the most insanely ugly shade of red, but it was color! And I am sad to report that one day I lost the tube, and never wore red lipstick to school again. Maybe it was an act of god.. who knows.

Okay, it wasn't that bad of a color, but to the degree of which I wore.. yeah it was pretty bad.

And here are a few more beauty don't that I committed in my youth:
Too light foundation
Too dark foundation
frost! as in pink frosty lipstick
shit brown lipstick (AWFUL)

I wish I had pictures of my cousin Jessica, she had the worse make up ever. And if you are reading this, Jessica, I am sorry.. but even you know it was bad. Dark brown lipstick and layers upon layers of black eyeliner. I love me some black eyeliner, but it was overkill to say the least.

Sexy, oui? Gag...

Ok, well I shall go for now! Tata!

Nail tips (Renee)

For healthy, long nails like mine, eat a diet of 50% fruits and raw vegetables, take vitamins, and drink plenty of water each day.

Vitamins are especially important as your hair and nails get whatever your body didn't absorb first, if you don't take enough your nails won't get any!

 Keep it up and you'll see a difference!

Good morning polished fans! (Renee)

Slightly late-comer here.  My name is Renee, I'm a fashion, makeup, and of course, nail polish junkie transplanted from the Big Apple to the capital of the Land of the Rising Sun, Tokyo.  Since nail design is HUGE here, I'll not only be giving you the first hand scoop, but I'll be doing some designs myself.  I'll also pop in with some good nail care tips I have to share.

Today, I didn't do anything too crazy, but classy never the less.  I'm wearing the Sephora by OPI Teal We Meet Again that Erika gave me, with New York Color #105 Starry Silver Glitter on the tips that Julie suggested.  Very pretty!  

Mata ne~ (see you later)

Catching up: Bling Up Your Ring Fingers, My New Favorite Zoya, and Katy Perry OPI (Julie)

Took a bit of a break as I was just vacationing in Lake Placid, and my week was rather busy when I got home and picked up a stray dog on the street! I've devoted this whole week to getting her a new home, and it worked out wonderfully. She has gone home with a great new owner.

SO onto the polish - Blinging up the ring finger! This just about tops any cream swatch manicure and makes it look so much prettier!

This is Barry M's Paradoxal Dupe, called Dusky Mauve. And ring finger is sporting Deborah Lippmann's Today Was A Fairytale.

(please mind my dry fingers, it is a pretty damn cold winter in NY this year and my hands are suffering!)

I had also tried Today was a Fairytale over Zoya's Brenna and uhh....is it just me, or did it end up looking like bugs or speckles of pepper something? I want to like it, but I just don't! I would suggest using this swatch over a darker one. Maybe over a navy. I will try that out next.

And here is my new favorite swatch of all time. Zoya's Zara. It is so feminine and beautiful! Subtle gold sparkles inside a pale lavender base. This swatch just screams "I am feminine!" and I love it!! Zoya, you kinda rock my world.

How about one last disastrous combo before I hit the sack? I did say bling up, not bling down. So my friends, I do NOT recommend the following manicure idea, because instead of this looking unique and awesome like I had hoped, it just looks like I jammed my ring finger in the door or something equally as painful...and my nail is bruised and ready to fall off. Whoops. You win some, you lose some I suppose.

This is from the new OPI Katy Perry line - the sparkly pink beauty of a swatch is called Teenage Dream, and the ring finger disaster is of course the elusive Shatter polish by OPI. Both from the same collection.

To shed some positive light on this mistake, I think Teenage Dream is well, a dream! It's so beyond pretty and sparkly. I laid it on thick with 3 layers. It needed 2 layers of Seche to smooth it out because there's nothing I can't stand more than bumpy nails.

Good night!!

Just a lil maintenance..(erika)

So once in a while I go for manicures with my boss, and no I don't have one of those glamorous jobs that you read about in a magazine.. or chick lit novel. I'm a live in nanny so I dum dum duhh live with my boss, but I lucked out cause she's pretty cool. So anyway, I usually do my own nails but to be honest, the nails and cuticles.. yeah, they were bad. I usually just push them up(or is it down?..) but these things needed some major cutting. And yes I'm aware of the whole"omg don't cut your cuticles!" but lets face facts.. if they didn't want you cutting your cuticles, then they wouldn't have cuticle cutters. (yes I'm trying to justify this,lol) but I don't cut my own..no... I have a professional do that. I'm not that brave,lol.

 Ok, where was I.. yes, manicure! The place we go too, they do a great job.. but their polish selection is sorely lacking, so I usually bring my own. For my finger nails I brought Zoya Julianne:

 

Zoya really needed to get a better stock photo of this gem, because wowza it's an amazing color! I swear it is like four different versions of purple mixed together!

When I walked in though.. I already heard myself saying manicure/pedicure. Yes, I know its winter and no one is seeing my feet, but that is not true, you know who sees my feet on a daily basis? ME. And they needed some love..lots of love. So 

OK, I'm posting a pic of my toes.. well two toes. I really dislike my toes. I just do. But I wanted to show the beauty that is Diana from Zoya:

Warning! Dry skin alert!

Yes I know I need to lotion up those bad boys, but it's winter and the only people who have silky feet are babies and toddlers. Just sayin..

But seriously, I love this red and all it's jelly finish goodness!