summer nails

I did my nails yesterday and decided to use Zoya Lily, a pale metallic pink I picked up 2 years ago but have not touched since. Since the colour was quite sheer, after 2 coats of Zoya Lily I added 1 coat of Maybelline Colourama, a pink flakie polish suspended in sheer jelly red.

If you look closely you can still see the white tips of my nails. Am deliberating adding some glitter to the tips to disguise 'em.

Also, while digging through my iphone pictures I found one from July of Milani 3D Cyberspace that I had been meaning to post. The perfect blue for cooling down on those hot summer days! 

What have you been wearing on your nails lately?

Back to school!

I'm so sorry to have not posted for over 2 weeks! My program has been quite hectic since the start of September...I won't bore you with the details, but basically there have been events non stop that we are required to go to, and a massive amount of readings and assignments that started even before the first class. I shouldn't complain though, after all I better be getting my money's worth! :P

I also caught the flu/cold late last week though so it has limited whatever brain matter I have to use for school and little else :P Anyway I'm feeling better today, and its Friday, so I might as well catch up on the things I'd planned to post :)

First - some back to school basics. I planned this post about 2 weeks ago so it may be too late...but if you're looking to make a few new additions to your makeup collection these may be useful.

For a neutral day look:



L'oreal Extension Beauty Tubes
Recommended because this mascara is waterproof and smudgeproof, yet removes easily with water. Word of warning - it does weigh down lashes a bit. However it is still a decent dupe for Blinc with a cheaper price tag.

Maybelline Eye Studio Quad in Sunset Seduction
Great set of neutrals, especially if you just can't let go of summer colours yet :)

L'oreal HIP gel liner in Brown
Brown complements the neutrals, plus emphasizes eyes without the harshness of black. HIP liners are pretty comparable to MAC but more affordable.

Annabelle Zebra bronzer
The most natural bronzer you will find suited for even the palest skin tones. Does not look orange at all, rather it adds the sun-kissed glow you wished you could maintain from summer. Previously reviewed here.

Joe Fresh cream lipstick in Strawberry
Gorgeous colour with excellent pigmentation, and a temptingly low price tag of $6. Previously reviewed here.

Annabelle Volume Lip in Cherryoke
Fragrance-free, nonsticky semi-sheer gloss - perfect for non lipstick wearers. Previously reviewed here.

For a look focusing on the eyes:



Revlon Colorstay Felt Tip Liner
I would normally recommend Japanese pen style liners as they are the best, but for a student on a budget a local drugstore alternative is probably better. This liner stays all day without budging - good for taking a look from day to night.

Annabelle Grafix eyeshadow trio
Just the right colours for the classic smokey eye. You could also change it up by substituting another colour for the silver shade. Previously reviewed here.

Milani blush in Mai Tai
Okay this isn't really available in Canada, but in the US. The colour is just the right shade of rosey pink. Sorry Canadians but Joe Fresh does make pretty good blushes too for just $4 :)

Annabelle Volume Lip in Sweet Tweet
Fragrance-free, nonsticky sheer pale pink gloss. Previously reviewed here.


I also picked up a nude polish for school, since most of my polishes consisted of gaudy glitters and brightly coloured cremes.



I settled for L'oreal Sand Castle since it was the closest to my skin tone that I could find, that still looked opaque. What I really wanted was a mannequin hands look, but this still has a touch of pink in it that doesn't quite fit the bill.



With flash:



Its still a pretty colour nonetheless. I may have found a better colour in Zoya's Gretchen though - to be reviewed in the near future!


Finally, at least for now...I got a haircut. Now I know not everyone was a fan of this so yeah...even the bf's mom said bluntly to me that it was too short. But hair grows out anyway, and I do like how I don't have to bother with detangling hair after a shower or straightening it in the mornings.







For any interested, I went to Maya Salon again in Koreatown, but since my old stylist wasn't there I went with one of his friends, Masumi. I thought she did a great job - she listened to me and gave good feedback whenever I wasn't sure about something.

Anyway, I might colour my hair too once I get bored with it. I still have a box of Kao Prettia hair colour sitting on my dresser that I've been meaning to try since April :D

What I bought on my trip

Here's what I picked up on my recent stay in Chicago:



Ulta:
Mario Badescu Drying Cream
Mario Badescu Drying Lotion
Sample of Mario Badescu Aloe moisturizer

CVS:
Milani 3D Holographic polishes in Cyberspace, Hi-Tech, and Hi-Res

Sephora:
Kate Somerville sunscreen sample

I also picked up some M&Ms Pretzels which were surprisingly good! They're not yet available in Canada, and now I wish I had gotten more. I like the sweet + salty combination. Although I am slightly disappointed they are pretzel chunks in the chocolates, not actually a whole mini pretzel as the M&M x-ray suggested :P

The Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale was on that weekend, and while I checked it out I wasn't too excited about the offerings as most of the sets were quite expensive. Even though some of them are packaged in large sizes as value sets, since they weren't staples for me it didn't make sense to buy them.





Oh and remember how I did a post on the cosmetics I brought on my trip? It worked out quite well, since I was always too lazy to use eyeshadow and just stuck with blush & lipcolour. The only thing is I got SO BORED with alternating the same 2 colours over and over again! This is why I have such a large stash...I get bored easily :D


For the weekend, I tried the Milani 3D polish in Hi-Tech, which is a really awesome holo green!



It looks like a normal sparkly green in daylight:



But check out the holo effects at certain angles:






The above pictures are with 3 coats. The wear on the polish isn't the greatest unless you use a top coat, as I originally had 2 coats which was sufficient, but it started coming off in some areas so I added 1 more coat for these pictures.

Oh by the way have you ever wondered how holo polishes would look matte? I just tested it, since I'm removing the polish tonight anyway and the matte-ness just kills the holo effect. It turns into a flat mass of green specks. So yeah - there isn't really such a thing as a matte holographic effect since the 3D effect is removed.