Friday, July 13, 2012

GHD Gold Professional 1" Styler Review!

GHD Gold Flat Iron Review

GHD Gold Professional 1" Styler

The GHD Gold Professional 1" Styler ($225) is GHD's sleekest styler ever, with a cooler, lighter body, smoother plates, and an bonus protective plate guard for storage and travel. Rounded barrel and contoured plates means you can not only straighten hair with this professional styler, but create curls, waves, and flips. Sleep mode provides added safety and universal voltage means no converter while traveling, makes the GHD your go-to styling iron.

Throughout the years, I've owned countless flat irons and have never really been 100% satisfied with any of them. For reference, this flat iron is my first GHD flat iron - I've never owned any comparable brands (Chi, T3, Solano, etc).

I've been using this flat iron for the past month now, so if you'd like to know what I think of this iron, please keep reading!

GHD Gold Flat Iron Review

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup Review!

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation Review

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup ($13.99) is Revlon's newest addition to their foundation family. This mousse-like texture feels silky against the skin, with a "time release" formula that balances skin for a flawless long-lasting look. Provides medium to full coverage and withstands heat and humidity.

Available in sixteen (16) shades: Ivory, Buff, Sand Beige, Nude, Natural Beige, Medium Beige, Warm Golden, True Beige, Natural Tan, Early Tan, Rich Ginger and Caramel.

Being a big fan of Revlon, I was really excited when they launched a new foundation - especially since it's a part of the Colorstay line. After reading several very positive reviews, I didn't hesitate to purchase it! I've been wearing it now for a little under two weeks. (I was wearing it in every post for the month of July)

My color match is Warm Golden, which is a warm medium shade equivalent to the MAC NC30 coloring. In comparison to the Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation, it's almost exactly the same, but it's a touch less yellow toned. (Comparison swatches later in this post)

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation Warm Golden


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

How to Create Ombre Nails!

ombre nails tutorial

In the fashion and beauty world, we've become obsessed with gradients. From dip-dying our shirts, to our hair to our finger tips, we can't seem to get enough of the trend. The ombre manicure is something incredibly simple and easy to do, and the results are very cool!

There are many different ways you can create ombre/gradient nails, but today I'll be showing you one method, using a craft sponge.

Tools needed:

* You can use any three (more or less) shades you'd like! You can use different colors, or different variants shades of the same color.
* Make sure to allow your nails to properly dry before moving on to the following step.
* If the polish on your nails appear bumpy after using the sponge, don't worry, it will all even out by the time a top coat is applied.

How to Create Ombre Nails in 5 Steps

Step 1: Paint your nails with your chosen base color. Depending on the opacity of the polish, paint 1-2 coats.

Step 2: Pour a little nail polish on the piece of wax paper that will follow. Dip the tip of the brush in the polish. Now, lightly lay the brush on your nail, lining the brush up with the side of your nail, and rotate, or roll your finger against the sponge to coat the bottom half of the nail. Or, you can simply tap the brush across the bottom half of your nail.

Step 3: With the tip of the sponge, lightly tap where the second color began to create more of a gradient effect. Also add to any areas that needs additional polish.

Step 4: Repeat Step 2 with your final shade, but this time only covering 1/2 of the previous color. White would have looked cool for my nails, but I wanted a little more flare, so I chose a holographic glitter.

Step 5: Finish off your nails with your favorite top coat. I like using a fast-dry top coat to reduce the chance of nicks and smudging.

ombre nail polish tutorial

Monday, July 9, 2012

MAC Star Wonder Mineralize Skin Finish Review!

MAC Star Wonder Mineralize Skin Finish

MAC Star Wonder Mineralize Skinfinish

MAC Star Wonder Mineralize Skinfinish ($29) is a new limited edition baked highlighter, released in the Heavenly Creatures Collection that launched in-stores July 5th.

If you typically aren't favorable of shimmery face products, you might want to steer clear of MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes, as they are frosty and sometimes shimmery. The amount of shimmer differs with each shade. I can't help but drool over Mineralize Skinfinishes each time MAC launches new shades.. they're just so pretty to look at! And although I'm not too crazy about too much shimmer, I love highlighter, and I always use a bit in my daily routine!


Star Wonder is described as a plummy pink with multi-dimensional pearl. It's made up of a few different shades - there's a warm pink, plum and pale gold. When combined, a shimmery plummy pink with a golden shimmer is created. 

Mineralize Skinfinishes have the typical smooth and soft texture of baked powders, and blend really well with minimal effort. Some shades are dark enough to be used as a blush, while some are light and frosty, and work best solely as a highlighter. Star Wonder could be used for either purpose, but is dark enough to use as a blush. Because it's shimmery, only a touch is needed for a natural glow. When buffed out, the shimmer isn't as noticeable, but it's still there, providing a glowing sheen to the cheeks. While it looks nice applied either way, I like wearing it across the top of my cheekbones as a highlight, paired with a pink blush.

I usually use a duo-fiber fan brush, but any duo-fiber brush would work well at laying down minimal product at once.

MAC Star Wonder Mineralize Skin Finish