Guerlain Eyeliner Pencil in Khol Me Jungle, $30. One of three new Eyeliners shades coming to Guerlain counters in August.
Pencil Me In
Is There Such a Thing…
…As too many red lipsticks?
I think not.
Guerlain Rouge G Lipstick in Garconne ($47), one of three new Rouge G shades coming to Guerlain counters in August.
What Are You Wearing on Your Nails?
I’m sporting Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Barracuda on my fingers (the color on the right) and Coral Fever on my toes (the one on the left, obvs).
They’re $7.99 each and available at drugstores, Ulta stores and also online.
How about you? What are you wearing on your nails?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Hope you’re having a great Fourth of July. Anyone care for a slice of watermelon? 🙂
Making Nail Art Easy with Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips
Skeptical of nail polishes that claim to last as long as 10 days or more. How about nail stickers that make the same claim? I recently took the plunge and gave the Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips (that was a mouthful, wasn’t it?) a try.
Available in a wide range of interesting patterns, like leopard, zebra, butterfly, plaid, stripes, and a selection of solid colors, too, they usually retail for about $10, or thereabouts, at stores like Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Wal-Mart, Target and CVS. These strips, which are made out of real nail polish, are supposed to look more real than other stickers, and most of the time, when I spot one of the displays, it’s usually empty.
I hope that means they’re pretty good!
The pattern I chose is called Fly With Me. Let’s see how it works…
Here’s what I found inside the package: a note with semi-vague directions (in three languages), a small cuticle/orange stick, a small pink file/buffer with two different grits and 16 nail strips. Pulling away the tab at the end of the strips exposes the adhesive side.
So, 16 strips? But we only have 10 fingers. I suppose 16 is an amount that both ensures that each box is suitable for a single manicure, while also providing some extra strips to accommodate mistakes and different sizes of nails.
Honestly, I think I’d prefer getting 12 strips per box instead of 16 if it meant being able to lower the price by a few bucks. As these are now, they aren’t very kind to a college student’s budget. A polish bottle at a drugstore costs a few dollars less and can last for dozens of manicures, but, of course, these come in some very cool patterns.
See how I think? Haha! Not to worry. Stay tuned for a way to make these strips last for TWO manicures, which certainly helps.
Before we begin…
Let’s buff down the ridges on our nails. The directions suggest using the dark pink half of the included buffer, but I find it way too rough on my nails and and use my own buffing block instead.
Ensure that you’ve created a smooth canvas upon which to work. Not a requirement, but these strips are thin and extremely unforgiving to ridges, exaggerating and emphasizing every bump. While we’re at it, let’s also even out the length of our nails.
Next, let’s wash our hands and nails. From what I’ve read, we needn’t apply a base coat here because it can reduce the longevity of the stickers.
It’s very, very important that our hands are warm when we apply. I know it might sound silly, but I tried to apply another set of nail strips once in a room with a fan on high. My hands were cold at the time, and the adhesive on the stickers refused to activate. They just kept falling off. From my experience, warm fingers and nails give the best results.
How to apply
Look through the box and select a strip that best fits the bed of your first nail. Pull the tab, and peel the strip away from the backing.
Carefully, align and press it onto each nail, one by one, cutting away any excess, like so…
Smooth each sticker down a bit, and ensure that it’s securely affixed to the nail.
Makeup and Beauty Blog Monday Poll, July 4
- You might be wondering, “So what the heck is this Monday Poll thing anyway?”
Well, it isn’t much of a poll. It’s more just a constantly evolving (devolving?), somewhat random list of questions I’ve been putting out to readers every Monday morning for the past three years, which I guess makes this somewhere around Vol. 175. I’ve always enjoyed reading your answers in the comments, and I hope you enjoy reading mine.
- Mood:
- When was the last time you rode in a convertible?
- What do you always bring in your carry-on luggage or bag?
- What’s one lesson that took you a long time to learn?
- A friend who helped you through a really tough time?
- If you could redecorate one room at home, which room would it be, and what would you do?
- Pillows: soft or firm?
- What’s your favorite way to exercise?
- How do you like to unwind?
- Weekly goals:
What what! It’s time to par-tay! 🙂 Today’s a big holiday for us here in the U.S., the Fourth of July, also referred to as Independence Day, and many Americans have the day off from work. We usually go watch fireworks displays, parades, have barbecues, visit carnivals, fairs, have picnics, go to concerts, baseball games, beaches, pools or attend family reunions, political speeches or other ceremonies celebrating the history, government and traditions of the United States. Officially, it commemorates the date we declared independence from Great Britain (no offense, guys) on July 4, 1776.
Right now I feel three parts mellow, one part antsy. I’ve been sticking pretty close to home so far this weekend, and I’m itching to go for a drive.
I’m guessing 2003 or 2004. El Hub and I were visiting his parents in Hawaii, and because the rental agency was out of smaller cars, they gave us a Mustang instead. It was fun…for about two seconds. I realized as soon as we got on the freeway and started picking up speed that I really, REALLY like being completely surrounded by metal when moving at high speeds, LOL!
That’s an easy one. Makeup, of course. And chocolate.
That I had a choice to either be happy or miserable. It wasn’t up to anyone else.
Elizabeth. I met her when I was temping at a law firm between full-time jobs in my 20s. It was a challenging time in my life; I’d just decided that I didn’t want to go to law school and wasn’t sure what to do next. Elizabeth was a couple of years older and took me under her wing. She was like the older sister I’d always wanted but never had. A good listener, always had practical advice for me and never judged. We’ve lost touch over the past few years, but I miss her and think about her often.
My living room, which is more like an office/TV room/cat tower facility/photography studio/arcade. I would love for it to continue being all of those things, but in a cuter, more stylish way. Right now it’s a hot mess. None of the furniture matches, there’s crap stored in random boxes in the corners, and most of the time I can’t find anything I’m looking for.
Just thinking about it stresses me out…
Extra soft, please.
These days, mainly running. It burns a lot of calories in a relatively short time, and it doesn’t require much equipment or a membership to a gym. I also like other activities, though, most of which I don’t get to do that much anymore, like dancing, weight training, swimming, spinning and yoga.
Lately, by parking my bum in a lounge chair by the neighborhood pool, but reading and watching movies work, too.
Enjoy every second of every day (that’s a tall order!) and have fun no matter what!
Clear the runway! Impromptu pet fashion show coming through…
Say hello to Poof, a stylin’ guinea pig who lives with Alice. Here, Poof is posing with a tube of MAC Evolution Revolution Lipglass.
Seriously, could that fur be any more fab? It’s like the perfect casually tousled ‘do. I wish my mane looked like that.
If you catch your cat (or dog/hamster/turtle or furry friend) modeling with your tube of EvRev, send me a pic by e-mail to karen at makeupandbeautyblog dot com, or via Facebook or Twitter. They just might appear in future MBB pet modeling jobs.
Now, on to the Monday Poll…
- To complete the Monday Poll, just copy the following list, and paste it with your answers in the comments.
1. Mood:
2. When was the last time you rode in a convertible?
3. What do you always bring in your carry-on luggage or bag?
4. What’s one lesson that took you a long time to learn?
5. A friend who helped you through a tough time?
6. If you could redecorate one room at home, which room would it be?
7. Pillows: soft or firm?
8. What’s your favorite way to exercise?
9. How do you like to unwind?
10. Weekly goals:
Happy Fourth of July! No matter what you do, I hope you have a great day. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eyeshadows: My Favorite Colors in Fourth Grade…
…Were pink and gray, just like this palette.
Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eyeshadows in Les Noirs ($59), one of nine shades available in August at Guerlain counters.
Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eyeshadows: I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues
Looks a little like the ocean on a hot day, doesn’t it?
Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eyeshadows in Les Bleus ($59), one of nine shades available in August at Guerlain counters.
Sundays with Tabs the Cat, Makeup and Beauty Blog Mascot, Vol. 146
Tabs and I have been business partners/roommates going on four years now, and all things considered, we have a pretty good relationship. He leaves my food alone (I had this one roommate who always ate my food without asking; it was SO ANNOYING), pays his share of the rent, does his share of the work (kitty modeling), and doesn’t hog the bathroom.
And he’d be the perfect kitty colleague if it weren’t for a few blemishes on his otherwise spotless record. Things like…
1. The Christmas Tree Incident
There’s still no conclusive evidence proving that Tabs was the one who knocked over the Christmas tree last year, but he’s still the prime suspect in the case. After examining the forensics (pine needles found on the suspect’s cat tower, wet paw prints leading away from the scene of the crime), experts believe that it was probably Tabs.
2. Edward Scissorpaws Unleashed!
Because Tabs is generally such a loving, good-natured kitty, his outburst a few months ago came as a huge shock to us all.
We were playing around his cat tower at the time. I was shaking his feather on a stick. Chasing it has always been one of his favorite games, and I leaned in to give him a kiss on the head.
Suddenly, there was a blur of brown, black and tan motion in front of me! I felt a whoosh of air and a soft tap on my cheek.
Wha!? For the first time ever, he’d taken a swipe at my face, and it left behind a very light scratch.
I think he was just feeling extra feisty that day, or perhaps for a moment forgot that I’m not a cat. I’ve forgiven him since then…but he was on my sh*t list for a while.
3. Sushi the Fish, Meet Tabs the Cat
El Hub used to have a betta fish named Sushi, who has since moved on to a better place. Sushi lived in a gorgeous glass apartment at the top of Novato Towers (the hutch in the living room), with amazing views of the TV and coffee table in the valley below.
We really thought the 7-foot-tall hutch was out of Tabs’ reach, but on Sushi’s very first night in his new apartment, Tabs engineered a way to haul his 20-pound body to the top.
Novato Tower’s security had been breached!
I was just coming down the stairs when I saw it, Tabs’ chubby paw poised above Sushi’s bowl. “Noooo!” I roared from across the room, startling Tabs, who then hopped back down to the floor.
Sushi’s life was spared. “How the hell did you get up there!?” I demanded from Tabs.
Of course, I received no reply…
For the record, Sushi went on to live a long, full fish life after the incident, and when he finally passed, Tabs was not involved in his demise. 🙂
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