Memorial Day Sale Roundup

Hi chickadees,

I've been digging through the online Memorial Day sale offers and I thought I'd quickly share what I've found.

http://dannijo.com/sale-115/marguerite.html
http://www.charmandchain.com/sale/vintage-brooch-13-7259
http://www.bcbg.com/Katrina-Jacquard-Cocktail-Dress/749100524398,default,pd.html
http://www.bcbg.com/Hazelle-Dress/749100537923,default,pd.html
http://www.bcbg.com/Tisa-Color-Blocked-Pleated-Skirt/749100793176,default,pd.html
http://www.clubmonaco.com/product/index.jsp?productId=13251309
http://www.clubmonaco.com/product/index.jsp?productId=19013006&cp=12243596.12280986.12280989.12883075
http://www.cwonder.com/monogram-bag-buckle.html

http://www.oscardelarenta.com/private-sale/ready-to-wear/9n403/floral-guipure-swing-skirt
http://www.jbrandjeans.com/Lena_Leather_Dress/pd/cl/6154/np/1275/p/2895.html
http://www.jbrandjeans.com/Marie_Quilted_Jacket/pd/cl/6184/np/1275/p/2891.html
http://www.rebeccaminkoff.com/shop/memorial-day-event/mini-mac-babyblue.html
http://www.rebeccaminkoff.com/shop/memorial-day-event/mini-mac-lavender.html
http://www.rebeccaminkoff.com/shop/memorial-day-event/mini-mac-canary.html
http://www.rebeccaminkoff.com/shop/memorial-day-event/mini-mac-turquoise.html

http://www.toryburch.com/797-Large-Top-Zip-Satchel/11139963,default,pd.html?dwvar_11139963_color=256&start=19&cgid=sale-handbagsaccessories-sale-handbags
http://www.toryburch.com/Printed-Robinson-Chain-Minibag/11139912,default,pd.html?dwvar_11139912_color=801&start=25&cgid=sale-handbagsaccessories-sale-handbags

NYU Graduation Nails

Hi chickadees,

I'm keeping this post short as there's not much to say. I can't really give you a tutorial on how to accomplish this look as you basically just have to paint it. There's no easy technique. My only tips are don't be afraid to mess up and try doing a test run. If you make a mistake you can always just clean up the design with whatever color you used for the background. This is the test run I did to make sure I could execute the design before trying it on my nails.

For my background purple color, I swatched all the purples in my collection and my closest match to NYU violet was Zoya Pinta. However, I don't recommend this polish as my bottle is full of bubbles and it's much darker than NYU violet.

For the letters, I used a striper I bought at my local beauty supply store. It's from Nicka K but the brand seems to be A! Absolute Nail Art Paint. There's no name but it's the white striper. You don't need to look for this specific striper. Anything at your local drugstore should work. Just unscrew the cap before you buy it to check that you're getting a good brush. If the bristles are not cut evenly, it will make nail art much harder.

For the torch, I actually used a brush I picked up at Pearl Paint. The lettering on the side of the brush reads "00 Rekab 314 Kolinsky Israel". I've been using this brush for a while and I like that it is very precise. I also appreciate the fact that I can take off the nail polish with nail polish remover without damaging the brush or the bristles. As long as you remove all the polish, the bristles shouldn't harden. I will keep you updated on whether this changes as I continue to use the brush.

For my pinky nails, I used 3 coats of Zoya Trixie for some sparkle.

For the violet (which may not look like a violet... Google Image Search was supremely unhelpful) I used Sally Hansen Good to Grape for the petals, Zoya Monica for the shading and Zoya Pippa for the center of the violet. I freehanded the petals and shading with the brushes that come with the nail polish bottles and used my own brush for the center of the flower.

For the sake of comparison here are the letters on my left hand (top) vs. my right hand (bottom). While the letters on my right hand (painted with my nondominant left hand) aren't as neat or thin and precise, it is possible to execute letter on your own. I have very little control with my left hand but using the striper, I found that painting the letters was actually pretty easy. 

REVIEW of OPI A Butterfly Moment With SWATCHES

Hello my little butterflies,

OK, it's official. OPI A Butterfly Moment is the most flattering pink polish I have tried so far. Like ever. Given Mariah Carey's well known love of butterflies (and Hello Kitty, but that's beside the point) if I had to guess which would be the best polish from her recent OPI collaboration, I would have picked OPI A Butterfly Moment. And from my experience, I would have been right. I had been hemming and hawing about whether or not to purchase this polish and finally I couldn't help myself any longer and ordered it off of amazon.com. I am so happy I did. I love this polish! I might be gushing but I feel like it's completely warranted. Let's get into it...

Color: Before I launch into this, I'm going to tell you to look at ALL the swatches. OPI A Butterfly moment is very difficult to describe as it can look very different depending on the lighting. It isn't a duochrome, but it can either look like a pink shimmer or a nude shimmer polish depending on the lighting conditions. And this can change if you're indoors and walking from one room to another. I can't definitively say that when you're outdoors the polish is pink and when you're indoors the polish is nude because this polish pretty much does what it wants. Personally, I love almost all of the color variations and find them extremely flattering for my skintone. Sometimes this polish is a subtle, girly lighter pink and the shimmer just provides shine and vibrancy. Sometimes it is a dusty rose pink and the shimmer seems more muted so the polish almost seems a little speckled. It reminds me of looking at a shimmer eyeshadow indoors when it's not really catching the light. There's a slight marbling effect if you look very, very closely. Sometimes the polish appears to be a golden tan/nude shimmer polish with a golden shimmer. Then it feels like a color Jennifer Lopez might wear with a lot of bronze and brown and gold makeup. The one time I don't like the way this polish looks is in dim indoor lighting when it can look like a dirty rose pink, like the dusty rose pink but darker. This just strikes me as a little too mature and old-lady-ish and it's not very flattering for my skintone. Thankfully, this is not how this polish usually appears.
Formula: The formula was one of those great OPI formulas. Very smooth and easy to work with.
Application: Application was very smooth. There was surprisingly good coverage in one coat and I thought the polish looked fine in two coats but it didn't pass the light test (where you hold you nails up to the light and see if light passes through) so I added a third coat. I do think the third coat is necessary.
Wear: After a week of wear I have some visible nail growth at the nail beds but otherwise I could continue wearing the polish on my left hand. On my right hand there is either tip wear or nail growth and a teensy chip on one nail. Given how well the polish has held up on my left hand, I don't think there's a major issue with wear but I just wanted to mention the chipping.

CONCLUSION: Heck, yes, I would recommend this polish. Great color, great application. I wore it all through my final exams and I have to restrain myself from buying a backup right now.

SWATCHES

REVIEW of Sinful Colors Polish in Sweet Dreams With SWATCHES

Hi sugarplums,

I did not like this polish. I did not like this polish at all. OK, to be fair that's a bit of an exaggeration. I didn't love the color of this polish but I was fine with it. But in every other respect, I did not like this polish at all. Sigh... Let's just break it down before I start to get irritated again.

Color: Sweet Dreams is a saturated aqua blue polish. I hesitate to call it a shimmer as it doesn't have the smooth, refined look of most shimmer polishes. This is the tacky, low-end version of shimmer which is just tiny flakes of glitter. It reminds me a lot of the sort of greasy look of Zoya Skylar. You'll see what I mean in the swatches. For whatever reason this polish makes me think of a bad under-the-sea themed prom or a ocean diorama project. There's just something about it that feels cheap and juvenile. The color is strong but it's not really vibrant and more intense on nails than it appears in the bottle. The polish leans pretty green so don't expect a basic blue. I have no idea what they were thinking when they named this polish. It doesn't feel like the nude or pastel polish you might associate with sweet dreams and I'm certain Annie Lennox wouldn't approve either.
Formula: The formula is thick.
Application: This is one of those odd polishes where application is smooth and the brush doesn't drag through the polish but it's very difficult to get thin, even coats. The easiest way to work with it is to paint on thicker coats. I needed 2 coats to get this polish to full opacity.
Wear: I wore this polish for less than 24 hours. I really didn't like it. But as I removed it, it stained by nails a little so that I had to keep going back with nail polish remover to full remove all the blue. And this was using Zoya Remove+ which is stronger than my regular nail polish remover. The polish didn't stain my skin.

CONCLUSION: I would not recommend this polish. The color isn't all that remarkable and the finish makes it unflattering and cheap-looking. The application isn't great either. It's a polish you can work with, but for me it's not one that I want to work with.

SWATCHES 

Mini Tarte Haul

Hi chickadees,

So... I made a very naughty purchase recently. No, nothing like that. Get your mind out of the gutter. I mean, I splurged on two gel eyeliners from Tarte with the excuse that they were 20% off and I could qualify for free shipping. Being a bargain hunter is a virtue and a vice. You shop for the best deals but you also get sucked into making purchases because there is some kind of sale or discount. I'm not sure if these will replace my Maybelline gel eyeliner but I'm willing to give them a shot. I also picked up a sharpener to qualify for free shipping as I didn't own one (not having many pencil eyeliners or lip liners that would require sharpening).

I like that they took the trouble to put a coral lid on Splash and a mint green lid on Black.

This isn't as color accurate as I would like but I didn't want to open the container until I started testing this so it won't dry out.

Drugstore Product Stalking: Duane Reade 4 W 4th St

Hi chickadees!

Quick Drugstore Product Stalking. There aren't a ton of new items but I did locate the new Essie Spring 2013 Madison Ave-Hue Collection and a great deal on the Sally Hansen Gem Crush polishes.

 $8

Let Me Be Your Star Marilyn Inspired Outfit Of the Day

Hello starlets,

I just wanted to quickly share the look I put together for my performance of "Let Me Be Your Star" from the NBC show Smash. I wanted to do something inspired by Marilyn Monroe without it looking like a costume, though I did go heavier on the makeup than I usually do, but I always do that for performances. I would have loved to have recorded the performance for you but it was a small venue and pretty informal. I might eventually put up a recording on my youtube page if you'd like. It's probably better that I didn't record it anyway as I'm not sure if it was any good. You practice and practice and when you get in front of an audience, most of what you've rehearsed goes winging out of your head and your fall back on instinct. I had a bit of choreography that I had to throw out when I realized I would be boxed in by the way the microphones and audio devices were positioned. And singing a cappella solo to a small room is very different from being on a stage. It was a little petrifying to be honest.

You can find my review of the polish I was wearing, Maybelline's Gold's Night Out here. http://smartandsarcasticwithdashesofinsanity.blogspot.com/2013/04/review-of-maybelline-color-show-sequins.html

As for my makeup, I kept things pretty simple. I did a basic cat eye (not Marilyn's and not my normal cat eye either). I usually try and do something thinner and a bit more subtle and stop at the center of the eye but I wanted something more theatrical that would pop in almost a cartoonish way so I traced along my entire eyelid and made the line a little thicker than I would for an ordinary day. I'm not really in love with the Dollywink eyeliner pen I used for this look. I like the precision I get on the flick but it's a bit like using a cheap felt tip pen. It's just not that pigmented, and I feel like I'm doing thin watercolor washes to build up the color I want. Also, the precise point makes a thick eyeliner look like this more time consuming.

I used Maybelline's Dream Lumi Concealer in Buff as my undereye concealer. I will be reviewing that concealer soon. Again, I wouldn't specifically recommend it for this look. Just use whatever concealer works for you.

And as an extra theatrical touch I filled in my brows a bit with MAC Carbon Black eyeshadow. You need to use a very light hand as it's easy to go overboard.

You can't really see my blush that well in this picture but I used Stila's cream blush in Lillium. I just used my fingers to apply it very lightly.

On my lips I used Clinique's Chubby Stick in Voluptuous Violet as a base (more for the moisture than the pigment) and put Maybelline Colorsensational Lipstick in Red Revival on top of that.

I bought my dress at a local boutique that is now closed.