The Good and Bad Series: Nail Art Edition 1

Hey guys so I thought it would be a good idea to give you my initial thoughts on a lot of the nail art striping polishes out there on the market! There are a ton of them and well some of them are not that great! Here I will be sharing with you the price, color choices and what I think of them. I will be posting a video on my YouTube channel that you can check out within a couple of days! I will do an update post for that if interested in the that video. 

Okay so starting off on a good note! I am going to begin with the brand Sinful Colors. These are so amazing and affordable and they have lots of colors! They are extremely pigmented and the striping brush is perfect!  I love this brand, I found mine at Walgreens and recently spotted them at Target. They are 1.99 each and you get 0.25 fl. oz.

 Ok so in the above picture are the sinful colors nail art bottles. I don't know about you guys but I love the packaging it reminds me a lot of Julep's packaging its so cute and sleek, I love it!

Now for this picture I wanted to show you the brushes, as you can tell they aren't too skinny and or wide and practically perfect! Plus they aren't too short either or too long they are just seriously perfect! 

Above are all of the Sinful Colors Nail Art polishes. Now I want you to keep in mind that these are all swatched on a white base because that is all I had but they are super opaque even when not place on a white base! If you are wondering why the purple/violet color is so thick it is because I had to switch it to a regular nail polish brush because I accidentally left the striping brush out and it dried and got hard. :/ but oh well i will manage! 

On to the next:

Kiss Nail Art Brushes these aren't very good but they do work. For me they really aren't all that opaque and they have a really funky smell to them. The only one that I care for is the silver one because it isn't really meant to be opaque since it is a glitter. Now these I have found pretty much everywhere and they sell for about 6.99-7.99. They also come in sets of 3. 

The packaging on these are okay nothing spectacular and well you see there that I only have 5 instead of 6, well I am not 100% sure where my white one went, for all I know it could be in the trash. But oh well not a loss.

Now as you can see here is the striper brush and it is a little bit short for me and the brush is a little bit wider as well. So I didn't love that about it, but it will get the job done if you are careful with it.

Here they all are swatched above, now remember again they are on a white base! I can tell you that the green and the navy are not pigmented at all as well as the pink, they need at least  3 coats to show up like that on your nail!

The next brand I am going to talk about it is L.A. Colors Art Deco nail art polishes. These were actually shocking and surprisingly pigmented but they aren't very good for using as stripers. You will see why here in a couple pictures. I believe that I have seen these in CVS before and I am sure other places as well. I think they sell anywhere from 1.49 to 1.99.

The packaging is okay nothing special but it does look like its on the cheap side, unfortunately.

Okay so as you can probably tell is that the brush is really really thick and it way too long. Also the product is super thick and hard to apply because of that! Also the pigmentation varies on everything which you will see here momentarily. It also has a weird smell to it. So not a huge fan but I can make them work for something.

Okay so as you can tell the purple/blue glitter isn't opaque at all and neither is the green but when you see the red it is extremely opaque! So the formulas are quite weird with these.

Okay next:

Island Girl Nail Stripers

I picked these up in hawaii last year so you can only really find them online or at an ABC Store if your in hawaii. I really do like these stripers because they also have a pen applicator which is neat! Now these are all glitters so they are not meant to be opaque.

I think the packaging is adorable! Also if you are wondering why they are kind of all July 4th inspired. Well I am not really sure , but I was there in July and that is why I bought them! But this set of 4 was around 11.00 I believe! So I think it is well worth the money.

Now here I am showing you the brush as well as the pen tip! The product comes out of the pen tip perfectly and the nail brush is again just the right size.

Now like I said previously they are glitters and aren't meant to be opaque they are quiet nicely pigmented though for being glitters and they dry super fast!

Okay moving on to another bad one for me anyways is the Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen. They can be found pretty much everywhere and they cost about 7.99. For the tips they are really hard and it is really hard for the product to even come out of the pen.

Although the packaging is super cute  I just can't find it in myself to LOVE these products. But the packaging is very basic and nothing special.

Now this is what the applicator looks like, just a typical looking felt tip pen except it is extremely hard. You need to make sure that your nail polish is 100% dry otherwise you will ruin it. You have to press down on the tip to get the polish to actually flow down to the tip and that gets messy. They do dry quickly which is good but still not worth it to me.

Here are all the colors swatched. They have a huge variety of colors but again just not very easy to use. Unless you are fantastic at nail art and I for one am not.

Now I am going to talk about Nail Candy Pen. I really really like these too! They would be great to travel with and they do have a nice quality to them. You can purchase these at www.nailcandypen.com now on the website the colors are not very true! So be careful of that. They sell for about 10.00 each.

So here they are they are double ended and the colors at least coordinate! Which I think is perfect. Just super cute packaging as well.

As you can tell from this picture it has a regular nail polish brush and a nail art pen! How fun, the polish comes out of the tip of the pen very easily and the nail brush is just the right size!

Here are the colors swatched again on a white base but still they are very opaque with just one coat for the yellow and the blue! I really love both of these.

Revlon French Mix Nail Art, I like these but not what they are intended for so it is okay but I am mostly complaining because it doesn't work for what it is advertised as! These retail for about 7.99 and I have seen them at Ulta and Target and Walgreens.

 I really do like the packaging it is nice and sleek but again I want to complain because they are not opaque and it just doesn't work! :/ But they are good for traveling.

The brush is a regular sized brush not to small or to large, practically perfect! 

Now this is where it starts to get bad. Now they look okay here but they are on a white base. If you were to put this on your nice natural nail, just NO. It takes at least 3 coats for them to even be opaque! 

Now I wanted to leave this blog off on a good note and that would be with the product CM Nail Art. What an amazing product that I actually discovered through a Gel Nail Art Kit! Which I am going to be talking about in another post or video (not sure yet). You can get these throughout certain places online for about 2.49 but get more info here > www.lechatnails.com

Very typical packaging and the brush is literally perfect and there is no dry time!! 

Here is the swatch and very opaque! I definitely recommend these! :)

I hope you enjoyed this post! Please check out all the links down below and have an amazing day!

Emily

MY LINKS:
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A List of a Few Foundations/Primers that are mostly silicone based and some water based. Enjoy!

HIGH END

Quercetin & Anti-ageing foundation-----------------	Korres-----------------------------------	Silicone
Invisible Cover Foundation--------------------------	Makeup Forever HD---------------------	Silicone
Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation------------------	Makeup Forever HD---------------------	Silicone
Amazonian Clay 12 hr Full Coverage Foundation----	Tarte-------------------------------------	Silicone
Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Foundation--	Urban Decay-----------------------------	Silicone
Le Teint Touche Eclat Illuminating Foundation-------	Yves Saint Laurent-----------------------	Silicone
Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Liquid Foundation-----	Benefit------------------------------------	Silicone
Silk Crème Foundation------------------------------	Laura Mercier----------------------------	Silicone
High Definition Healthy FX Foundation--------------	Smashbox--------------------------------	Silicone
Lock it Tattoo --------------------------------------	Kat Von D-------------------------------	Silicone
Quercetin & Oak Anti-Ageing Primer---------------	Korres-----------------------------------	Water
The Porefessional-----------------------------------	Benefit------------------------------------	Silicone
HD Microperfecting Primer--------------------------	Makeup Forever HD---------------------	Silicone
Prime Time------------------------------------------	Bare Minerals----------------------------	Silicone
Photo Finish Foundation Primer---------------------	Smashbox--------------------------------	60% water
Foundation Primer Hydrating------------------------	Laura Mercier----------------------------	Silicone
Foundation Primer  ---------------------------------	Laura Mercier----------------------------	Water
Foundation Primer Oil Free--------------------------	Laura Mercier----------------------------	Water
That Gal Brightening Face Primer--------------------	Benefit------------------------------------	Silicone
Clean Slate Poreless 12 hr Perfecting Primer---------	Tarte-------------------------------------	Silicone
AquaPrime Oil Free Makeup Primer----------------	Lorac-------------------------------------	Water
DRUGSTORE
L’oreal True Match Super-Blendable Makeup-------	Loreal------------------------------------	Silicone
Revlon Colorstay Normal/Dry Skin------------------	Revlon------------------------------------	Silicone
Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation-	Rimmel-----------------------------------	Silicone
Loreal True Match Lumi Foundation-----------------	Loreal------------------------------------	Silicone
Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation--------------	Revlon------------------------------------	Silicone
Loreal Magic Perfecting Base-----------------------	Loreal------------------------------------	Silicone
Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer----------------	Revlon------------------------------------	Silicone

I hope this chart helped! If you have any questions just ask away!!

Emily

How to find out if a product or foundation is silicone based!

How to find out if your foundation is silicone based or not?

Look on your ingredients list, if you didn’t know the ingredients are listed from most quantity to least quantity. So for example if you were to see ‘Water’ or ‘Aqua’ listed first that means that there is more water in it. But that doesn’t necessarily make it a water based foundation. Because if the 2^nd word is something like silica, dimethicone, cyclopentasiloxane, actually all you have to do is look at the end of the word, if it ends in –cone, -siloxane, -silicate or –silicone ß that is your silicone ingredient, it is most likely a silicone based product. Now if you get to the middle of the ingredient list or below the middle and you haven’t reached a silicone ingredient then it will most likely be a water based foundation.

Why is silicone used?

                Silicone – lets your skin breathe, it also fills in any pores or fine lines you have. It’s also a lot smoother and will most likely give you an “airbrushed” or “flawless” look.

Will I break out because of silicone?

                Well, that I am not sure of. Because everyone’s skin is different. Some are sensitive, some are oily and or combination, etc. But I do know since it does fill in your pores you could experience severe to minimal breakouts. For me I have been using a silicone primer and I have dry/combo skin and I haven’t had a break out. I think that you would be more likely to break out from a product you’re using because of the talc and possibly the fragrance in cosmetics.

What brands use silicone?

                Well as I have found the majority of foundations use silicone. From high end to drugstore there is some form of silicone in almost all of them. I do have a list made up and I will be posting that as well.

But I hope this helped you for the most part. If you want to know more about this just let me know in the comments on my blog or even on twitter, instagram or my channel.

As always thank you for reading!!

Emily xoxo

Most of my info came from this post: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100814223007AAXKnPi

List will be up shortly > LIST OF FOUNDATIONS & PRIMERS

LINKS:

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

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Nails in a Month April 2013 - Support Autism!!

Hey guys so this month, I made the decision to support Autism by wearing the color blue for most of the month!!! I think I did a pretty good job with sticking to my decision. The video will be uploaded within this week, and I'll do an update post saying that it is uploaded! A favorites video is coming as well, so would you like a post for that too!? Let me know in the comments! Alright now let's get started! (Oh and these won't be in order by any means lol, check out my instagram link at the bottom!)

So for everything I used for my typical manicure hasn't really changed since the previous month but I wasn't able to get a post up last month, but here are the items:

• Sally Hansen Maximum Growth - I've been painting this on my nails before my base coat and then over the top of my nails before my top coat! It seriously has worked and I LOVE it!
• OPI - Ridge Filler, which is my favorite product to use as a base coat, since I have peeling nails and on some of them there are mini ridges.
• Beauty Secrets Top Coat- and I use it for a top coat and that's it! lol
• Famous Names - Dadi Oil, which I love the scent to but it is just a cuticle oil and it is 95% organic which is one thing I like about it but, I'm not sure that I would repurchase it. But it is great.
• OPI Avojuice Lotion - Mango - Uh, YUMM! lol The smell of this is amazing and it isn't greasy!!
• Demert Nail Enamel Dryer Spray - to help dry my nails faster if I'm running out of time or just because I have little patience (mostly little patience, haha)
• Butter London Nail Polish Remover in Branwen's Berries - Love this to clean up around the cuticles because it is acetone free and it's not harsh and doesn't dry out my cuticles! (Unfortunately it's almost gone)
• Beauty Studio 35 Strengthening Nail Polish Remover - Just something from Walgreens nothing exciting, it gets the job done and inexpensive.

Alright so as far as colors go I do have pictures that I took off of my instagram:

 This fun little duo is Loreal Paris - Now you sea me and on the ring finger, OPI- Polka.com from the Euro Centrale Collection. (I absolutely adore it!)

 Second: Essence - you belong to me. Perfect mint color, that I freaking love!

 As far as these two pictures above go, I used essence - you belong to me and just added strawberry milkshake by ciate to add in some pink and used some caviar pearls for some fun!

 Headliner - Ciate and on the index China Glaze - optical illusion from the prismatic collection!

 Absolutely loved this look! China glaze - frostbite and on the ring finger Sinful Colors in hottie. On the index I just used some white pearls and made it into the shape of a heart!!

 I actually really enjoyed this and not something I normally do, Revlon - Colada Fizz and NYC - Starry Silver Glitter. Just nice and simple.

 Loreal Paris - Royalty Reinvented and on the ring finger OPI -polka.com again!

 Favorite color of all time!! Thank you Makaila :D Orly - Fancy Fuchsia!

Also a new favorite which took me by surprise is OPI - Pussy Galore from the 007 Bond Girls Collection! This is a liquid sand color and is what I am currently wearing and also listening to Summer of 69' by Bryan Adams!! (LOVE)

Alright as for my lil' toes I only wore two different colors, just because I hate changing them, pain in the butt!

• At the beginning of the month I wore Orange Blossom by Love My Nails a really pretty orange with a gold sheen to it.
• Second my favorite color of all time and what I am wearing and plan on rocking it for awhile is Orly - Fancy Fuchsia!

Well gals that is it for my nails in a month! I really hope you enjoyed and please please please, check out my channel. It would mean so much to me!! I work very hard to create videos. Click here to visit my youtube channel and hopefully SUBSCRIBE! 

Links To My Other Fun Stuff:

TWITTER<------Click there.

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be sure to follow me on all the links above^

Thanks so much and have an amazing week and an amazing MAY!! 

xoxoxo Emily ;D

Happy Saint Patricks Day! March 2013

Hey my lovelies! I am sitting here on this cold sunday afternoon, supporting green and watching Counting Cars. I thought I would show you guys what I am wearing for my makeup and nails and I might sneak in a pick of my shirt that you can get at Target! (and who doesn't love Target! lol) anyways.

I can't show you the picks because they are on my instagram. ( I might post them from my phone cause I was'nt thinking)

But here are the links:
Nails <CLICK- Revlon - Posh - cream finish kelly green! and on the tips Hello Kitty - Gold Star - fine gold glitter! Also I'm trying out my new base and top coat samples from Lumos! (Thanks Lumos!! Review coming soon)
Makeup - Eyes <CLICK - Took some colors from my Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette (Chessur, Muchness, Drink Me Eat Me, Midnight Tea Party, Wonderland, Absolem and Mad Hatter) I think you could achieve the look by using the NYX Eat, Love, B Fab Palette. I used my Original Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer, Milani True Black Eyeliner, Urban Decay Lush Lash mascara, Ulta Voluptuous Volume Mascara and NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk, NYX Crystal Liner in Champagne, MAC Glitter Liner in Lime Dandy and Bare Escentuals Glitter Mascara in Bronze.
Face - I used Revlon Colorstay Whipped foundation in Buff, NARS blush in Orgasm, Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 003 Natural, Victoria Secret Highlighter in All or nothing.
Lips- Maybelline Baby Lips in Yummy Plummy and Sephora Lip Gloss in Marquisette.

Outfit - Skinny Jeans and black tank top from forever 21 and cute saint patricks day shirt from Target click here for the link and a black sweater from kohls.

And that my friends concludes my Saint Patricks Day look. Please let me know if you would like me to do a tutorial on the makeup because I think this look is great for the spring time as well. Comment down below if you would like me to do so.

Here are my links:
TWITTER
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INSTAGRAM

Spa Dead Sea

Loving this facial cleansing set AMAZING! I love the scent, the packaging and literally everything for right now. Tryin it out for the rest of the week and then review coming up this weekend!!

Loving Gel II, it's great!

I love the Gel II polish it's amazing and such a great finish!!! :) I love it. Check out my review for it coming this weekend!!

Loreal Paris Color Vibrancy Journey is Over :(

That's right I used up all of the sample that I recieved. Overall I really liked it and I might repurchase it after all of my paul mitchell is gone but im not sure. If you liked me doing these types of videos and reviews please let me know.! Thanks guys :)

Loreal Paris color vibrancy day 4 & 5

So overall, they didn't give me enough product to even test out for a week. I honestly didn't notice anything different. I don't really care for the feeling that the shampoo gives me I'd much rather prefer to use my Paul Mitchell product. But I think it does the job but that's it nothing special.

MAC Dupes - Lips

MAC Dupes:

Lips

I'm going to be showing you guys some of my dupes that I have found in my collection. Hope this is very helpful and please comment on my videos and also SUBSCRIBE, I work extremley hard. Thanks

First:

MAC's Dazzleglass in Sugarrimmed. - 20.00

Victoria's Secret Lipgloss in Alessandra - 12.00

 Swatches on the top is Sugarrimed and below that is Alessandra.

Sugarrimmed is a light pink base with pink and blue glitters throughout it. This is very thick but I don't mind that feeling. This is part of their permanent collection and you can buy the product here.

Alessandra is a white based lip gloss with golds and reds through out it. Again very thick but I don't mind. I love putting this on the center of my lips! You can get it here.

Second:

MAC Lipstick in Marquise D' - 15.00

Maybelline Baby Lips in Peach Kiss - 3.99

 

Peach Kiss is on the top and Marquise D' is on the bottom.

Marquise D' - is a pink, nude and very creamy. Perfect everyday color. Unfortunately this was a part of the Wonder Woman Collection and is no longer available. :(

Peach Kiss - is a little more sheer but a great alternative in my opinion. You can buy it here or literally anywhere! :)  

Third:

MAC Lipstick in Viva Glam Gaga - 15.00

Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch - 3.99

Lorac Couture Shine in Haute - 16.00

Haute is swatched on top in the middle is MAC and baby lips is on the bottom. 

Viva Glam Gaga - is a very light baby pink. (Unfortunately apart of the viva glam gaga collection, not available any longer.)

Pink Punch - exact match and also moisturizing! But it here.

Haute - again another perfect match and its perfect to top off pink punch as well. Not really saving you money but it is an exact match. Get it here.

(Sorry about the picture, the best I could do)

Fourth:

MAC Lipstick in Candy Yum Yum - 15.00

Victoria's Secret Lipstick in Muse (Matte Finish) - 14.00

Covergirl Lipstick in Siren - 5.99

Flirt! Lipgloss in Mighty Aphrodite - 9.50

 Left to Right: Mighty Aphrodite, Candy Yum Yum, Muse & Siren.

Candy Yum Yum - YAY apart of the permanent collection now thank goodness! This is a bright neon pink with a matte finish. LOVE IT! Get yours right here. 

Muse - This really isn't going to save you money but if your wanting to try out a different brand or something this is a pretty close match its just more of a deeper hot pink. Get yours here.

Siren - If you don't think you can pull off the matte finish of either of these than this satin finish in a hot pink color is a great alternative for you! Buy it here.

Mighty Aphrodite - This is an amazing dupe, almost an exact match but its a gloss! So its perfect to top off candy yum yum. :)  Get it here.

Fifth:

MAC Lipstick in Viva Glam Nicki - 15.00

Flirt! Lipstick in Enchant - 13.50

Enchant is swatched on top and Viva Glam Nicki is on the bottom. 

Viva Glam Nicki - is a bright pink yellow or as I like to call it a bright pink coral color and great for spring time! Now this is considered limited edition but it will be going away soon so grab yours here.

Enchant - is a little more sheer but it is a coral pink color and is very buildable. :) If you don't think you can pull off the viva glam nicki give this a try instead. Buy it here.

Sixth:

MAC Lipglass in Emancipation - 15.00

Barry M Lip Paint in #132 - BP 4.49; USD 6.99

Unfortuantely the picture of my swatches got deleted. But I promise they are very similar. :) Heck they are identical except for the fact one is a lipstick and the other is a gloss.

Emancipation - is a peachy, pink nude and was apart of the wonder woman collection, therefore it is no longer available for purchase. :( bummer.

#132 - this is a pinky, peach golden shimmer nude. Very creamy and hydrating for the lips too! Its a beautiful everyday color and you can get yours here.

Seventh:

MAC Lipstick in Viva Glam Nicki 2 - 15.00

Barry M Lip Paint in #129 - BP 4.49; USD 6.99

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Darling - 8.99

 Left to Right: Barry M and Revlon.

Viva Glam Nicki 2 - described as a vivid pastel lavender pink. Now the Barry M is an exact match and I didn't purchase this one. But you can get yours here for a limited time. This color is great for spring and very pretty and maybe a little hard to pull off for some.

#129 - is the exact match and even just as creamy and more affordable! Get it here.

Darling - is just more of a deeper purple, and has more of a plum shade to it but I love it too. Much easier to pull off as well. :) Buy it here.

Hope you guys enjoyed this blog post, please comment down below and tell me what you think of my MAC Dupes, am I close? I think I am but please tell me what you think. Thanks guys :) and while I wrote this awesome blog for you I was listening to harlem shake and texting my man. :) Have a great night everyone and sweet dreams. Off to a nice hot shower I go. 

Be sure to check out my video RIGHT HERE and please comment on that video and subscribe to my channel it would mean a lot to me! Thanks again Emily. :)

Twitter: @Overthesummers

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