Manicure! Orly FX in Starburst

Its manicure time!

This is Orly FX in Starburst.  It took 3 coats to get it to this opacity as one or even two are pretty super sheer.  The drying time is quick, though, so there's that.  Like most glitter-heavy nail polishes, this will chip and crack faster than most others, but I think any of us who have owned a few (*cough* or 20 *cough*) heavy-glitter ones know to expect that.  :)

Also, it is worth noting that I adore the packaging on these.  The grippy on the lids makes them super comfortable to use.

While I'm not on board with the color, (which I actually bought for my best friend and she knows to expect all  non-holiday makeup and nail-related presents open and swatched), for a heavy-glitter nail polish, this stuff goes on pretty nicely and it *does* deposit the glitter well, which is a lot more than I can say for some I've tried, so I definitely recommend!

<3 WW

The Brown Liner Showdown!

I received a massive, amazing makeup care package from a friend fairly recently (though, as usual, I will still be 100% honest in my opinions) and, since then, have been feverishly trying out products to review.  In this particular package, there were A LOT of brown solid liners!  I figured that instead of reviewing them one-by-one, why not take some of them that had the most similar shades and pit them up against one another to see which one has the nicest quality and is the easiest to work with.  So cue up some old Western gunslinger soundtracks and let's get on with it!

I chose these four:
Estee Lauder Automatic Eye Pencil Duo in Walnut (which actually I found the title to be misleading as it has a sharpener and smudgey-thing on the other end instead of another color)
Maybelline Unstoppable in Espresso
Estee Lauder Eye Defining Pencil in Deep Brown
Ulta in Chocolate (nothing special on this packaging, really, so I assume it is sort of their standard, and this was a twist-up).

In order to easily tell them apart since the colors are so similar and also to test the control and consistency, I just used them to label themselves on my inner forearm.

This Estee Lauder Duo walnut one was the lightest of the bunch, but I threw it in there anyway.  As you can see in the photo, it straight-up flakes off and leaves glitter-sized chunks of itself all over.  The control wasn't too bad, but no one wants to have to go back over their liner with a brush or q-tip to get rid of the gobby and/or dark parts.  I'll give this one a pass on that, though, because since it comes with the smdugey thing, it is likely that it is SUPPOSED to be as soft and move-able as it is, so I don't think this one is actually designed for a clear, concise line.  Once you factor that in, it is quite nice (and it does smudge and blend well).

The Maybelline Unstoppable in Espresso was extremely similar in quality to the Estee Lauder.  Chunks aside, had it been a blind test, I'd have assumed it was same brand, different shades.  The color, however, I wasn't too stoked with, but that's just personal preference.

This Estee Lauder Eye Defining Pencil in Deep Brown was surprisingly great.  I just sort of scrawled the name, so that's my fault, not the liners, but even with my quick scrawling, the control and the color is quite nice and the color just glided right on.  The liner was soft and manageable, yet didn't leave weird clumps, I didn't have to go over anywhere twice, and I was pretty happy with this one!

This was my least favorite of the bunch.  I was pretty surprised with the shoddy quality of this one since other Ulta products I've tried are pretty rockin'.  This, however, was extremely hard to control and was so dry that the color just didn't transfer well.  You can see how it took me a few tries to actually press hard enough for it to really transfer clearly.  Definitely not the winner.

So what's my verdict?

Oddly enough, the Estee Lauder Eye Defining Pencil was, in my opinion, the best of the bunch.  I didn't expect this as, of the four, it was the most plain-jane and the only one that wasn't a twist-up.  History has proven that I will choose a twist-up 9 times out of 10.  I'd say that Estee Lauder has nailed the art of a standard, oldschool pencil liner.  Honestly, my money was on the Ulta for being the best of the bunch and we see how *that* worked out, so I guess that just goes to show that you shouldn't necessarily rely on the brand!

<3WW

Listening to:  "Monster Party" - Kasstrick Bacteria

Cover Girl Hunger Games Nail Set Review

I'll admit it.  I was pretty much a stupid amount of stoked when I found this on clearance.  I think I paid $2.50 for it.  I was so excited, in fact, that I forgot to take pics before I took it out of the packaging, but what was in there was the nail color and decals above!

I was pretty confused about their pairing choice of the gold decals with the gold color...Maybe it was a mistake and that's why they went to clearance?  Either way, I liked both, so I was still happy.

The color is "Seared Bronze".

The photos really don't do it justice.  This is in natural lighting and you can't see all the flecks of copper that are in there...it just looks gold.

The 'with flash' shots are a little closer to reality, but still not doing the color justice...However, I like it very much and will use it a ton in the fall.  It is 'neutral' enough to match pretty much anything, even a nice dress, yet the copper sheen it has makes it just really pop with flowy, boho fabrics and lots of natural jewelry.

Now...the decals...They're pretty terrible.  I put them over a plain red so that they'd actually show up.  I loved the design and they were easy to apply, but they stayed kind of...gooey.  Yes, the red had *completely* dried before I put the decals on.  Within 48 hours, they had gotten gooey-collecting-lint-and-stuff gross and most of them had sort of rolled off as if they were made of glue dots.

I recommend grabbing the set if you can find it on sale for the gorgeous nail color, but knowing what I know about the decals, I wouldn't pay full price for a set, even for the nice color.

<3WW

Benefit Babe Cake Review

Allow me to introduce you to my new favorite eyeliner.

This is the Benefit Babe Cake cake liner duo, and it is awesome.

You'll have to excuse the usage, I normally like to take photos before I delve into a product, but my camera randomly freaked out on me and decided to just lose about 200 photos I'd taken for the blog, so I had to go back and re-take them.

...Moving right along, here's a shot of the back...This stuff goes on crazy creamy and dark, though you DO have to take care to get it wet and mix it enough.  I use a small refillable perfume sprayer full of water.  I just spritz a spray on whatever side I feel like using that day, then mix it up with my brush and apply just like I would a gel liner.

You can get razor thin lines with the stuff, and the color comes out gorgeously matte and dark, but you can add a bit more water to the mix to get a more sheer, build-able effect.  While it does take a few times applying this to get used to it, I find that it is cleaner and easier to apply than gel liner and that it has a ton more staying power when dry.  Definitely recommend!

<3
WW

Makeup Breakup - Clean n Clear Morning Glow Moisturizer

Yep, its a new series!!  Hopefully this one won't end up getting too many things added to it, but I figured it was time for a catchy name for all these products I use that don't work for me.  Introducing...MAKEUP BREAKUP!

Now, keep in mind, anything under this label will just be products that *I* didn't care for.  If you don't have an issue with the things I list about them and the reasons I give for breaking up with them then, by all means, give them a shot!  Most won't be horrible products by any stretch of the imagination, but everyone's skin and preferences are different, so these posts will be to just help people who have similar preferences to mine when shopping for new products!

On with the song and dance, no?

The first breakup goes to Clean n Clear Morning Glow Moisturizer.

It LOOKS like a normal moisturizer...

However, it isn't.  Now, it is hard to tell in the photos, but I left this one huge (and you can click it to get it even bigger), but this stuff has a freakin' MICRO SHIMMER IN IT!  Yeah, my arm is NOT that glowy.  It looks 'glowy' in the photo, but IRL, it looks like I got attacked by a 90's teenybopper.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love glitter and I love shimmer...but like many things in life, I only like it when I expect it or put it on myself.  Nowhere on this bottle does it mention that it has a shimmer in it.  Nowhere.  If it had, I wouldn't have bought it.  I think somewhere on the bottle it said something about a 'healthy glow'...well, yeah, anyone can fake that with a dusting of shimmer powder.  That's totally cheating.

Other than the shimmer, it is a good product, so it made me very sad that they soiled a good, moisturizing, great-smelling product with that crap.  And, yes, the shimmer does show and mix in with your foundation if you try to put makeup on over it.

So, sorry, Clean n Clear, I still love you, but as for the Morning Glow Moisturizer?  We gotta break up.

<3 WW

Listening to: "The Riff" - Lordi

Venique Sea Diamonds Review (Mani)

This glitter top coat actually seriously impressed me.

This is Venique in 'Sea Diamonds'.  Now, I'm not usually a huge fan of glitter that is only silver, but this one has so much interest due to the different sized specks of glitter, not to mention that I need a top coat by this brand if their plain top coat is HALF as slick and shiny as this stuff.

Lookit how glossy it dries!  Most glitters I have dry kind of matte and dull and you have to pile about 3 top coats OVER them to achieve any kind of gloss at all which, of course, usually gets dinged well before the 12 freakin' hours it takes to dry.  Seriously, there have been times I have painted my toe nails, waited 2 or 3 hours, gone to bed, and wake up to smudged/smeared/smashed/imprinted digits.  Not cool.

This stuff, though dried super fast over one coat of Sephora Pantone in Anthracite (review coming soon), and I am very, very pleased with this particular product.  HIGHLY recommend if you're into epic glitter top coats that you don't have to pile even more crap over and...um...who isn't?

<3 WW

Listening to:  Nothing...Need moar coffee...

Josie Maran Bear Naked Nail Polish Remover Wipes Review

Good god, that's one helluva title, isn't it?  I've yet to try a Josie Maran product I *don't* like, but I have noticed that most of the titles for their products are crazy long!

First off...check out this packaging.  Isn't it adorable?  I mean, come on, only evil people hate polar bears.

Inside are the remover wipes.  They look pretty normal and unassuming.  They're amazing.  While I didn't notice too much of a grape-fruity smell, they didn't have a bad smell, either.  They do quickly and effectively remove nail polish, though, and even the heavily-glittered and confetti ones, so that was super impressive!  No soaking, no scrubbing, just a relatively quick and painless removal.

The cuticle oil in them is lovely.  I would remove my nail polish, then wipe my nails down with a paper towel to get the oil residue off of my nails, but still have it on my cuticles, then paint like normal.  Even though I'm sure there was still a bit of residue on my nails, my nail polish still lasted just as long as usual, but my cuticles were *much* more happy since cuticle oil is one of those things I almost never own or remember to buy!

The only thing I found to be a bit irritating about these is the lids can be quite hard to get back on without cross-threading them, so you have to be pay attention to how you put them back on so that they don't do that and end up drying out the wipes, but that's such a tiny, minor complaint in the big spectrum of awesome, here!

Overall?  HIGHLY recommend these!  They were tons better for my nails AND easier to work with than traditional nail polish remover.

Listening to:  "Celtic Frosted Flakes" - Stormtroopers of Death

Aww, HELL no!

I am sorry about the uber-long hiatus, guys.  Everything has just been...odd.  While the cooking blog will still be on hiatus for quite some time, I've been considering getting the other two back up and running, but just couldn't seem to make myself actually sit down and do it.  Today, I checked the mail, and I got *just* the kick in the ass I needed!  Time to kick off...*drum roll please*....MY FIRST FASHION RANT!

This is Alloy.  I've gotten their catalogs since I was a teenager.  That's right.  I've been shopping with them for about a decade and a half.  I love that they always have adorable clothes and that they actually have LONG inseams for those of us with ridiculously long legs.  They also have a very good size range for a 'straight' catalog.  Their 'straight' sizing goes up to, I think, 19, so I've never had any trouble fitting into their clothes.  They're pricey, but their clearances are INCREDIBLE.

The catalogs have always looked like this...as did this one.  All the way through the entire thing, same rail-thin models as usual.  I'm not knocking them, I think they're beautiful!  Only thing is, that for a catalog that carries sizes so large, I'd always wanted for them to get some curvier models so I could see what their clothes might look like on ME since, especially when you're not teeny, buying clothing online or via a catalog can be a MAJOR PITA.

O.O

Looks like I got my wish, right?

Well...Kind of.

Can you guess where this was?  It was tucked into the back.  

Mhmm.  Lemme just let that sink in for a second for you.  It was the last two pages, just plunked back there like a fucking afterthought.

Still don't get it?  They're introducing an entire new line.  This is something most companies would be STOKED about and would be shouting from the rooftops and pulling all kinds of advertisement on.  In fact, I've seen in the past, Alloy show said 'rooftop shouting' on their catalogs AND website for new lines, new brands, new color options, etc.

But since its plus sized girls, we have to get shoved to the back of the catalog like their dirty little fucking secret.

I figured "hey, I'm over-reacting".  I read this little snippet and went to their website expecting some big "grand opening"-type extravaganza.  What did I find?

One.  Little.  Link.

One little fucking link almost all the way to the end.

I love you, Alloy.  I love your extended inseams and your adorable clothes and the wicked clearances you have that make it to where I can actually afford your clothing.  I'm not going to boycott you over this because it seems you're trying.  It is like you *want* to stick up for us big girls, but, not having the balls to go big or go home, you shoved us in the back.  Great thing to do to women who already struggle with a healthy body image with all society throws at them.  I mean...did you think that through?  So 'E' for effort, but 'F' for complete failure to consider your placement and such.  We deserve to get just as big of a grand entrance with our new line as any other one has, not being shamed to the back of the catalog and a tiny link on the website.

Tsk, tsk.

<3
WW

Listening to: 'Kasumi' - Dir en Grey