Finger Paints Nail Polish and Two-braided Hairstyle

It's been almost a year since I've posted anything!  Been really busy finishing up my bachelor's degree, i took 12 classes in total this year and worked long weeks so it's been exhausting yet rewarding at the same time.  So just to ease back into things, I want to display a new nail polish and cute hairstyle.

This is Finger Paints Figure of Art and you can get it at Sally Beauty.  I bought two hair products and the deal was that I got two free Finger Paints nail polishes and I chose this one as one of them:

It's a really pretty bronze shade that goes on smoothly.  It such an interesting and almost refreshing color to see.  I love it.

So here's a french braid beginning near my forehead that turns into a regular braid that I incorporated into a fishtail braid.  So I guess you could call it a triple-braided hairstyle.  I did need a bobby pin to keep the top braid in place with the long one because my hair was a bit short after being braided to be completely woven into the fishtail braid.

NOTD: Essie We're In It Together

Takes a few coats to get it to turn out opaque but the result is super cute.

*Thanks Patty*

Braids! Braids! Braids!

I know I'm a little late with actually following the trend, but now my layers have grown long enough for me to braid away. I'm having a lot of fun trying new styles. The cool thing about braids is that they can hide bad hair days or allow you to go a day or two without shampooing and still look clean. Here are just a few pictures:

Standard braid to the side

Fishtail braid. So easy to do, but time consuming if you want a lot of loops I guess you'd say.

EOTD with ELF and L'Oreal HIP

Eyeshadow: elf Mineral Eyeshadow in Bronzed and Celebrity, L'Oreal HiP Metallic Duo in Platinum

Liner: Too Faced Lava Gloss (waterline)

Mascara: Prestige Blackest Lashes

I just had fun with this look by being a little messy.  The key to making it pop is person was the silver shadow from the Platinum Duo (applied last to inner corners and swiped/blended onto the lid.  I also applied a heavy amount of Lava Gloss to my upper waterline as well.  This look can appear metallic taupe or brown depending on the angle.  I wish had better closeups but I hope you get the gist!

EOTD with Coastal Scents Hot Pots

On Cyber Monday this year, Coastal Scents offered 50% off of everything so I bought the items that I had stored in my shopping cart.  I was so excited!  They are already fairly inexpensive and with half off, I couldn't pass it up.  I bought a bunch of eyeshadows, brushes, and a few other miscellanious items.

Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden

Eye shadow: Dark Goldenrod (lid), Kodiak (crease), Burnished Brunette (outer crease), Caramel Ice (highlight)

*Messed up eyebrow alert, it goes through phases of full and sparce*

Mascara: Prestige Blackest Lashes

UPDATE: Better quality photos of a former FOTD post:

Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Singles in Kitten, Envy, Lagoon, Penny (Review)

Firstly, I'll say that most of these have great pigmentation with or without primer and not just for the price.  I have some high end shadows that don't deliver as well as them.  I also have Nutty, Brulee, Unplugged, and Panther.  Nutty is simply the best and is beautiful, no one should be without it. I hate to say Unplugged was disappointing and I just threw it away, I can't imagine anyone using it for anything (it's white, glittery, and not that pigmented). 

In all of the following pictures, only the specifically mentioned eyeshadow is on my lids with Too Faced Shadow Insurance underneath.

Kitten

It's a very pretty bright purple with golden flecks, but it does take some layering to get the full effect.  This is not one of my favorites.

Envy

 After Nutty, I think this is one of the nicer ones comparable to my Urban Decay or Too Faced eyeshadows.  It's smooth and highly pigmented and I love that it's really similar to my eye color so it makes it pop!

Lagoon

 Lagoon, is similar to Envy in shimmer and pigmentation, I look so ugly in blue eyeshadow.  I can only wear navy shades.  You can't wear too many funky eyeshadow colors with green eyes without dressing it up with black eyeliner or another eyeshadow.  Those of you with brown eyes are lucky because you can wear anything and look amazing.

 Penny

Looks nothing like an actual penny, but I understand what they were going for.  It looks like a shiny new penny in the pan, but on the lid, it's very orangey/pink with gold shimmer.  It may just look that way on my skin tone.  Richly pigmented and smooth as well.  It is nearly a complete dupe for Smashbox Flamingo.



EOTD w/ MAC and Wet n Wild, NOTD Sally Hansen

Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden

Eyeshadow: MAC Moleskin (lid), Wet n Wild I Heart Matte Palette (bone shade as highlight and brown shade in outer corner)

Eyeliner: Essence Gel Eyeliner London Baby (top), Sephora Flashy Liner Waterproof Eye Pencil Flashy Taupe (waterline)

Mascara: Prestige Blackest Lashes

Eyebrow: MAC Dirty Blonde

Lip: Essence Stay With Me Lipgloss in 04 Trendsetter

So I LOVE these peel-and-stick nail polish strips.  I've tried the Kiss and Sally Hansen brands and I love them both.  However, I HATE the price!  They've gone up to about $10 and you're supposed to only get one wear out of a box.  That being said, I only buy these when they are dirt cheap.  I got these today at Five Below for $3 and they're not gross or beaten up like you see at some other super saver stores.  I bought the design Wishnets.  It's a pinky-red color with the obvious look of black fishnetting.

TIP: If you sport short nails like myself, you can get double or triple the usage out of one box by cutting the strips in half.  From there you can cut the cut the tab with which you are supposed to apply the strip.  Then carefully peel the front and back coatings (don't worry though about not having the tab, the strips don't stick to the fingers) and apply.  It may take a little extra time and your being crafty, but it's totally worth it.  I only ended up using 5 strips! There are 16 in a package. 

Victoria's Secret Metallized Eye Shadow in Buzz (Review)

I've noticed these in store for a couple weeks and I found them to be very pretty, but fairly expensive for me right now at $12 a piece.  I had a Secret Rewards card from a month back so I used that to justify yet another "eyeshadow I don't need" purchase.  I do have to say after wearing this that I do not have a color like it.  At first glance it appears to be a light shade of plum, but it can also look taupe as well as gray.  It's pretty cool how versatile it is. 

Characteristics: Shimmery (no glitter fall out like some of their other shadows), pigmented (can be sheered out or layered), large in size (likely to last a very long time), plus cute packaging.  Even at $12, I think this shadow is worth it.  I haven't tried the others yet, but they seem just as quality. 

Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Black on top

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Zero on waterline

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara Blackest Black