Monday, August 22, 2011

Hiatus - Taking a Break.

Hey Everyone!

You may of noticed that this month I've been posting much less often in comparison to the previous months. Also, if you follow me on Twitter, I have mentioned that there will be a hiatus on my blog soon.

There's a lot going on right now in my life (no worries, nothing tragic) that I won't have as much time as I did prior to post daily, but I will try to post when I can. I'm hoping to at least post a couple times a week.

During this time, I hope you will bear with me as I may not be able to get to questions/requests as quickly. 

Thank you so much everyone for understanding, and I'll talk to you all soon!

-Natalie

A few new rings from F21!

It's really no secret by now that I love stalking the Forever 21 website for the new arrivals. Forever 21 is probably my favorite place for inexpensive accessories. I've been recently wanting to expand my ring collection, so I've been really keeping my eyes out for cute rings. 

Here are the few I ordered..

Stretchy Knuckle Ring $3.80 (no longer available on website)

It's not always the easiest thing to place an order online if you haven't seen the item in person. If I was shopping in-store, I probably wouldn't have purchased the "Sparkling Love Ring" or "Stretchy Knuckle Ring". The "Love" ring has already tarnished (haven't even worn it yet) and has a greenish tinge to it. I'm 100% sure my finger will turn green if I wear it once. It also looks a little cheap. The reason I purchased the knuckle ring was because I don't own a gold one, and it was a good price. Although I do like it, it looks extremely cheap and is on the road of tarnishing.

The two rings I'm the happiest with are the "Skeleton Key Ring" and the "Pyramid Stud Ring". I think the pyramid ring is so cute and so simple and great for every day.

READ MORE FOR A FEW ADDITIONAL PHOTOS!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

NOTD: MAC Earthly Harmony Nail Lacquer - Love this Taupe!

mac earthly harmony
Two (2) Coats of MAC Earthly Harmony and One (1) Coat of Seche Vite Top Coat

MAC Earthly Harmony Nail Lacquer

MAC Earthly Harmony was launched with MAC's 2010 Fall "Nail Trend Collection". I just got this awesome polish earlier this week through a swap, and I think it's probably going to become one of my favorite nail polishes that I'll wear frequently. Too bad it's a LE shade that I doubt will be re-promoted. But, who knows.

Earthly Harmony is a neutral taupe-gray with incredibly subtle copper shimmer. I read through a bunch of reviews before I picked up this shade, and many of the reviewers were a little disappointed that the shade in the bottle differs from when it's actually on your nails. As you can see in the above photo, in the bottle the color appears lighter, with an almost greenish/yellow tone and a pretty copper shimmer. Very unique. But, once applied to the nails, the color is a little deeper with no shimmer. Even in bright sunlight, the shimmer is barely noticeable. Bummer.

I love the formula of this shade. I'm not too familiar with MAC polishes, as this is only my second one (my first being "Hangin' Loose") so I'm not sure if the creme finish polishes really differ from shade to shade, but I think the consistency is very ideal. It's not too thick or thin, spreads evenly and is opaque with two coats. I really don't mind having to paint three coats, but it's always a huge plus when a polish only needs two. 

The price is way expensive ($15 for 10ml/0.34 oz) so it's always nice to get the chance to try a MAC nail polish through swaps, blog sales or your local Cosmetic Company Outlet (CCO).

What's your favorite taupe polish? I love OPI Over the Taupe as well.

Friday, August 19, 2011

JewelMint: A Run-down, First Impressions & My First Jewel Mint Piece - The Here to Eternity Set!



 There are several companies and products that have flourished because of the chatter on beauty blogs all over the world. For one, Sigma Brushes. If I didn't have a beauty blog, I'd most likely have no idea what Sigma was. Look how popular it is now. When you're a blogger, you get introduced into so many brands and products that you may not have heard of, been interested prior, or even need. But with the endless blog entries and YouTube videos with crisp images of visually pleasing products and trends - you'll get sucked in sooner or later.

Personally, a guilty pleasure of mine is reading or watching hauls. I'm not sure why, but it's exciting to see photos of products I don't have or products that are pretty. It's fun to see what people buy and it gives me ideas (as well as a never ending wish list) of things to purchase one day. It's all up to you whether to restrain yourself from buying things on impulse. Could this possibly be the beauty blogging era of makeup hoarders? I think it would make a nice TV series. Shoot, I'd tune in to see someones ridiculous collection of eyeshadow and blush. :) I'm getting a little off topic now, but It's like going in Mrs. Field's just to browse. Who does that!? (Okay, I'm guilty of doing it when I'm on a diet to somehow to visually "feed" my mind without actually eating it, but that's besides the point) Anyways. I'm sure most of you by now have heard of Jewel Mint.

I don't really remember how long ago it was when I first heard of Jewel Mint, but I know I first heard of it through a YouTube video of someone showing the pieces they purchased from that particular month. I wasn't really interested at the time, but since then, Jewel Mint has become so much more popular. One of my absolute favorite Youtuber's hollyannaeree has done several videos regarding Jewel Mint, and I have to admit, seeing the awesome things she got, made me want to subscribe.

READ MORE FOR ADDITIONAL INFO + MY REVIEW!