25 Questions Tag

I found this tag on Reviews, Hauls and More, and it looked like fun, so I decided to do it!

These are fun to read because you get to know more about someone, and I find that I'm not so different from others as I think.

1.What do you apply your foundation with...Brush, sponge or fingers?
I use a large, fluffy brush or a kabuki brush because I wear mineral foundation.

2. Do you apply your eyeshadow from light to dark, or dark to light?
Light to dark most of the time.  However, I have played around with the order just for fun.

3.Do you prime your eyes?
I do. I was using Urban Decay Primer Potion but I'm really over their packaging.  Almost everyone agrees it SUCKS!  I have been using Too Faced Shadow Insurance and I'm delightfully impressed.

4. Conceal first, or after foundation?
I have done it both ways.  I rarely need concealer so I don't have any particular order for using it.

5.Go for manicures, or do then yourself.
I do most of them myself.  When my cuticles get so whacked, I'll get them professionally cleaned up.

6. Exfolicate lips, face or both?
Both.

7. On avarage, how long does it take to do your makeup?
This is a hard question.  For the full monty, it's about 50 minutes.

8.Do you wear makeup everyday and everywhere?
I wear it about 80% of the time I leave the house.  When I was in my 20's and early 30's, you would never catch me out in public without makeup.  Hey, in the 80's we put on makeup BEFORE we worked out!  lol

9.What release are you most excited about?(Makeup)
I'm not too much into makeup releases.  However, since nail blogging and following lots of great bloggers, I now know what's coming up and start looking for new releases.  Right now I'm excited about the Halloween nail sets that will be coming out.

10.What are your weaknesses? Shoes, purses, clothes, eyeshadow or lipstick?
I definitely go through phases with all those.  I'm going to say right now it's eyeshadows and nail polish, neck and neck.

11.Do you whiten your teeth?

I wish that I could.  I knocked out a lot of my upper teeth in a car accident when I was 20, so they are 'fake.'  And you really can't whiten them up. :(  I would if I could.

12.Wax eyebrows or pluck?
I've been plucking.  But when I get them done professionally, I prefer threading.

13.What do you use to contour?
I will use whatever blush I'm using for the day.  Or, just whatever darker blush I fine.

14.False eyelashes or natural.
I have been natural for a long time.  However, I got some falsies in a giveaway and then some from Revlon to try out.  I'm falling in love with them again.

15.Favorite makeup brand?
NYX, Aromaleigh (a bit too late, though), snowmancde (mineral makeup from ebay), Milani

16. Liquid eyeliner, pencil or gel.
I have them all.  Not really any preference other than what I feel like for the day.

17. Lipstick, Lipgloss or chapstick?
Lipstick.

18. Pressed, pigments or cream?

I use loose minerals 90% of the time.

19. Favorite colour?
Uhhmmmmm....Pink???

20. If you had to wear one thing excluding foundation, what would it be?

I would have picked mascara up until about 3 months ago.  Now I find that if I put on a noticeable lipstick, I can get away with that.

21. Favorite colour combo.
Purple and black.

22. Natural or dramatic? (eyewear)
My favorite is dramatic.

23. Do you care more for the quality or the brand?
Quality.  But I'm not a stranger for a cheap thrill.

24.Do you enjoy using face masks? If so which ones?
I do like them.  Just never give them the time.  And I should.  I have some Serious Skin Care's C-Mask and it is awesome.  I also have just plain bentonite clay I mix with apple cider and that's very good too.

25.What's your current addiction?(lipstick, eyeshadow, earrings)
Eyeshadows.

I had so much fun doing this tag, so I tag everyone!

I don't know anyone well enough to call them out.  So, I'll leave it open to anyone who wants to join in.

It Isn't Easy Being Green (and Cheap)

You truly do, at times, get what you pay for.  Not always, but sometimes.  This is the case here...

A green called 'Lost Paradise' by Jade.  Looks pretty in the bottle. (OK, I'm not great about using self-tanner on my feet.  Thus, they look 'sick'.)  The color is a yellowish-green and you can tell, right away, that it's going to be watery.

And I have 4 coats on here!  Still the polish wouldn't become opaque.  Not really a hard worker.  Sort of like someone who tries to be your friend but just can't come through.  I'm trying to figure out what to do with a polish that just plain sucks.

See?  Wouldn't this have been a pretty color if it would have been more friendly?  But I got it at the nail supply store and this was on the cheap wall.  This was a $1 or 2.  Yep, you get what you pay for, in this case. 

What's your advise on this loser?

It's Purple; It's Glitter; It's Mine

There are two collections of nail polishes in my home office.  I have a large (and growing) stash of new polishes to review.  The other stash is a large (and growing) group of polishes that I have tried on and now need to post.  Both stashes are trying to outdo the other. 

My love for Milani polishes goes back several years.  And when they came out with these glittery ones, I was more than excited.  I don't remember what the collection was called but, in my mind I call it 'The Computer Collection.'

Here's why; I present 'Dot.com'...

Purply with some copper and silver-flashing micro-glitter. 

As you may notice, this polish has two different personalities between outside light and inside.  The photo of the bottle gives the best representation of the true color.  And that one was taken outdoors.

This is with 2 coats.  Before finished off with Seche Vite, it had a bit of a gritty feel.  Plus, it wasn't really as shiny.  It did take 2 coats of color because that first one can always be streaky for me.

Even though it wasn't perfect, it was a great color for me.  I think it gave me flashbacks of the early '80's. 

How's your 'glitter appeal?'  If you have Dot.com, do you find that it is sort of like a duochrome? 

At Home Microdermabrasion

I would like to win the Personal Microderm because this will help me win the war against fine lines and wrinkles.


Here's the very cool and useful giveaway happening at the jump on the title.

Or, check it out here.

Falling for Fall's Gold

To me, it seems way too early to start wearing fall fashions.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE fall!  But when it's 109 degrees here in Orlando, FL, I'm having difficulty conjuring up thoughts of pumpkins and light sweaters.

However, this still did NOT stop me from buying a fall collection(s) of nail polish.

I picked this up about 2 weeks ago at Icing...

 (Gushing!) I snapped this one up in a hurry.  Since nail blogging, I've learned to 'strike while the iron is hot!'  And that's what this collection is: HOT!  A 5 mini bottle fall collection that is as sweet as a caramelized pear!

From left to right; a shimmery gold, a creamy apple green, creamy burnt orangy-red, a smoky plum cream, and finally creamy sienna polish.

Libby said she'd model the gold polish for me.  But she tired pretty quick.  I did get a really cool photo from her.  Yes, her coat is really that soft!

This collection didn't name their beauties.  So, it's a good thing I like to make up names for them.

This is Fall's Gold...

This last photo is a very true to life show of the color.  I'm more of a shimmery, glimmery, shiny girl.  That's why I picked this one first.  It's a gold that shimmers gold.

 It was fun wearing this one for a few days.  I did get a chunk off one nail after 3 days.  Other than that, the wear was decent.  I did a BC, 1 Seche Clear, 2 colors, 1 Seche Clear and Seche Vite to finish.

Does this Fall's Gold look like fall?  And, what do you think of this special edition from Icing?  I like the gold best, without trying the others yet, but which one do you like?
And, are you ready for fall?  Man, I am...but then only a few of you may be at my age where cooler weather is a godsend!!! ;p

Anniversary Giveaway At Painted Ladyfingers

Diana, at Painted Ladyfingers blog, is having another coolest ever giveaway.  Click here to go to her site, check out the giveaway and become a follower.  She's one of the cleverest creators of nail art.  I'm secretly jealous...no longer so secret!

I'm Lashing Out

You know what a good friend is?  It's someone who will see you struggling and lend you a hand.  That's what Blix did for me.  She read my post about fussing with false eyelashes.  She said she puts the adhesive on her eyelid, THEN puts the lashes on.  Ta ha!!!  I did it!  It worked like a charm. :)  Thanks, Blix.  Click on her name and you can jump over to her blog.  She makes makeup look easy and beautiful.

I tried this tip with these super sexy Revlon lashes...

See that Precision Lash Adhesive?  I love it even more using Blix's tip.  This adhesive is like an eyeliner so, it was easy to just swipe some of it along as I would with eyeliner.

The lashes are Revlon's Beyond Natural, Natural Defining lashes in black.  Can you see that the lashes are shorter on the inside and then get longer towards the outside?

Warning: here's my eye, I have on shadow, liner but no mascara, the before the lashes...

And now with the Revlon lashes...

Whoa!  These lashes are an eye-opener in more ways than one.  I love it!!

I used my tweezers and an orangewood stick to help put them in place.  But it was so much easier this time. 

Do you think I did not feel saucy the rest of the day!

I had lots of fun wearing these.  And, since using the Precision Lash Adhesive (which is made by Revlon too), it was easy to look saucy.  :)  OK, the sunlight was bright, I couldn't help to squint even with my eyes closed!  But I was batting them lashes for the rest of the day.

Does wearing false eyelashes make you feel sexy, saucy, flirty?

Revlon Beyond Natural False Eyelashes and Precision Lash Adhesive was provided by Revlon for my review and honest opinion.

What Color Would You Wear On Vacation to the Overlook Hotel?

Lloyd: How are things going, Mr. Torrance?
Jack Torrance: Things could be better, Lloyd. Things could be a whole lot better.


CVS is probably going to have some of those beauty clearance items until they are all gone.  But when it started, I nabbed me some of the Sally Hansen's Lacquer Shine in those dark, gothy colors.  In fact, I visited a CVS last week and they still had several of all the colors.
Today I present to you, as a pedi, 'Shining'....

Toes don't usually bother me, but these toes, eeeeekkkk!
Nevertheless, Shining is a dark, vampy burgundy.  This is my favorite of all type of burgundy.  Yet there is a flash of purple going on amongst the burgundy.  I tried to capture it here...

I'm going to say this was standard issue Sally Hansen.  The brush was thin and long.  The polish dried quickly and got glumpy when I didn't polish fast enough.  It stayed on my toes until the next pedi, about 4 days.  I would like this better on my finger nails, and would love to wear this for the fall/winter season.

Did you get in on these for 75% off?  I had a $1 off coupon so I was snagging these for $.75!!
And, do you love to wear vampy polish?

Fantasy False Eyelashes

With this posting, I really hope you all will be nice to me; I am out of practice with putting on false eyelashes.  OK?

Yikes!!! Naked eyes!!!  If you notice the liner, it's permanent liner, that wasn't too permanent.  That's a whole 'nother subject for another day.   So, naked lids...oh, wait...there is some shadow primer going on here.

Now I'm pinked and purpled out.   I felt inspired by Phyrra who does some of the best eye looks.  So, this is my look without mascara or the falsies.

And here are the falsies.  These are from Revlon and they are the Fantasy Lengths. This set is called 'Lush.'  These are black and there are four sets of these baby-width lashes.  There is a little tube of lash glue with it, as well.

I was 'wild' and did two on each eye. (chuckling at that!)   I used Revlon's Precision Lash Adhesive as the glue instead of the little tube.  The Precision Lash Adhesive is like an eyeliner and you dab it onto the falsies.  It has an iridescent color but dries clear.  And it was easy as pie to use.

I used my tweezers and an orange stick to wrangle the lashes in place.  I fully admit I am not at all an expert with putting on false eyelashes.  I used to wear them in my 20's (just a couple of years ago! cough...cough) and got pretty good at it.  For whatever reason, I got away from it.  Yet, I have always felt that false eyelashes were gorgeous and makes the eye look 'Lush' and more open.  You can see that part on me.

After putting on the lashes, I put on some mascara and then combed the falsies into my own lashes.  And there they stayed.

The lashes are beautiful to look at, all lined up in their package.  I love the 'vampy' look of these.  I think it is more noticeable that they are fake because the photo is up so close.  But when I looked from a regular distance, I loved them a LOT!  And the Precision Lash Adhesive...pure genius!!

I realize I didn't take pictures of the products.  I have a couple more pairs of lashes to play with and I'll take pictures of them all then.  That and this cool adhesive tube.  I know I'm better with long strips of false lashes, but I just had to dig in and try these fantasy lengths.  First you play, then you get better! 

If you photo your eye/look of the day, how in the hell do you do it???  I snap the camera, quickly turn it around to see the image before it goes back to the live view.  That's hard!  I'll put it on the list of other things that I need to practice. :)  How'd you like this post?  Shall I photo more, talk less?  How do you do with applying false lashes...any tips?


The false lashes and the adhesive were supplied to me by Revlon for my review and honest opinion.

Painted Lady Fingers Diamond Polish Giveaway

Diana, owner of Painted Lady Fingers, is having another GREAT giveaway!  Painted Lady Fingers soooo knows how to rock giveaways!
Look here.

Here are the 12 fall colors and one nail treatment as a prize.  But wait!  There's more!! You are also going to pick another 7 colors too.  Run over and sign up.

Comparison with Mega's '10' and 'Confetti' brands

Back in early June, I found a couple of new nail polish brands.  Check it out here.  And though it's been thought that there isn't anything new with these two brands and they are all cremes, I'm OK with that.  The prices, at $1.99 and $3.99, were right.

I haven't taken the time, and, have the depth of polishes to do dupe postings.  But I saw an opportunity with '10' and 'Confetti.'  It seemed there were some dupes within the display, so I made a purchase.  Not only did I want to compare the colors but also the formulas as well.

Here we have 10 with #449 label on top and 'From Paris With Love' (listed on back) and Confetti's Crimson Cutie.  This photo, taken outside, makes them look pretty damn close in color.  Maybe the Crimson Cutie is a bit more shimmery???

Now in this photo, they really do look similar.

Here they are on my nails.  I won't make you guess which one is which.  That gives my brain a cramp!!  The #449 is on the thumb, middle and pinky.  Crimson Cutie is on my index and ring finger.  The ring and pinky look identical, to me.

#449 could be a bit deeper.  As far as the formulas, Confetti is just a little bit thinner.  However, it wasn't HUGELY noticeable.   As a note, I have on BC, Seche Clear, 2 coats of color, 2 coats of Clear and 1 of Seche Vite.

Here's my 'duh' move; I was going to alternate the colors opposite on my right hand.  However, I watch TV when I polish, obviously entrenched in watching 'Operation Repo!'  I polished only the middle finger with #449.

Trying to have an objective opinion, comparing them visually, was hard.  I asked Mr. Kimberly if he could tell which nails were painted differently.  Another 'duh' moment; Mr. Kimberly is blue/green color blind!!

Quite honestly, the photos show more of a color difference than they do in real life.  The lasting power of both was the same despite the thicker and more pliable formula of '10.' 

My recommendation would be to get the cheaper, Confetti.  The look and wearability are the same for both.  I'd only recommend the '10' over Confetti if you are particular about the smoothness of the polish going on.

 I know that I'll pick the Confetti brand, if there are dupes, between the two.  Not that big of a difference to make a difference.  Just the prices.  Give me your thoughts.

Dollar Tree Haul

Ever since Susie of Susie's Home and Hobbies reviewed some sweet looking LA Colors nail polishes she got at the Dollar Tree, I've been on a hunt. 

I really like my job(s) as a freelance merchandiser.  I get to visit lots of malls and while driving around, if I go by a Dollar Tree, CVS, Wallgreens, Sally's, Bed, Bath & Beyond, etc. I can just swing on in and have a look.

Yesterday, I stopped in at a large Dollar Tree store.  No luck in finding the LA Colors Color Craze polishes though.  But I did find these by LA Colors...

Here are six different LA Colors Mineral eye shadows.  I found a couple packs of false nails by Nailene and a replacement pair of my darling, cute, pink readers.  Whoot!  Last pair broke unexpectedly.  I was very sad too.

Here is a close up of the beige and the gold shadows.  They are a good size larger than normal.  They are very shimmery too.  Here are the colors I found:  purple, teal, white, beige, gold and black.  I tried out the white right off.  It has great coverage, not terribly crumbly, and applied smoothly.  A very good investment for just $1 each.  I got all the different colors they had available.

The lighting doesn't do anything for the fake nails.  The one on the left is red and has these tiny flowers with leaves on it.  The one on the right is a bit more pink than it shows here.
I'm looking forward to getting a light box VERY soon.  Sigh.

And finally, my readers....

This are so damn, stinkin' cute!  There are tiny rhinestones in the upper corners.  And, again, the color is a fuchsia pink.  Very retro.

Yep, that's me hamming it up.  Boy, I've come a long way to feel confident enough to post this goofy picture.  No makeup and my hair just back in a pony.  Well, I did it for laughs anyway.

What do you think of the LA Colors single shadows?  Will you look for them?  When I showed my picture to some good friends, only one of them had the balls to tell me I looked silly.  I really WAS trying to look silly.  What do you think, corny as hell?  Crazy cat lady? LOL!

Totally Rockin' Nailene Nail Designs

Fake nails, press on nails, or glue on nails; I haven't worn them in over 28 years!!!  Last time I wore them was for a wedding.  I wanted a nice, perfect French manicure.  But I had to 'babysit' those damn nails for the entire 2 days I had them on.  Even at the wedding I popped two off.  Ugh!

Fast forward to almost 3 decades later (gulp!).  Nailene sent me a couple sets of beautiful false nails to try out.

You can see the ones I chose here, in the middle.  They are Nailene's 'Starry Sky' from their Runway Designs.

These nails are of medium length, a square shape and a French with a glittery dark blue tip and a white line at the smile line.  The nail body is a soft, nail bed pink.  There are 24 nails in the packet along with a small tube of nail glue.

Let's go ahead and get a photo up so you can see them on my hands.

I put these beauts on Thursday night.  Here they are the next morning in the sunlight.  I was so impressed with the 'realness' of the look I couldn't stop looking at them.  Here's my index finger...

And my thumb...

There's just the slightest bit of an edge in the lower left corner but that's totally on me.  Between my index finger and this thumb, I couldn't believe how awesome and real these looked.  I felt I ROCKED!!

The view from the sunny window.  High shine, great fit and cute as can be.  But would they last?

Here they are the next Tuesday before I removed them.  I had worn them for 5 days!

Not much of a change.  They look almost as good at they did when I first put them on.  You can see my thumb and my own nail underneath.  This was the only nail that the false nail did not lay flush with.  That's what can happen if you chronically bite your nails for years; the nails will grow odd.  Well, mine do/did.

There's that index finger again, close up.  But you can still see the others in the background.  They still look real and nice.

I have read bloggers say that their polish looked so good that they couldn't stop looking at their own nails all day.  Finally, I can say that myself.  I loved the look of these so much that I just didn't want to take them off!  And the more compliments I got, all from strangers, the more I wanted to continue wearing them.

The night I put them on, they did feel awkward.  I just wasn't used to wearing anything but polish on my nails.  The next day, I got into it and after 1-1/2 days I OWNED them.  The 'hold up' ability of these cuties is unbelievable.  In the five day span of wearing these, I lifted weights at least twice (not little girly weights but like the 60# barbell today!), cleaned house, did laundry (you know how heavy wet towels can be), did two days of work out in the field, showered and washed my hair least 5 times,  colored my hair (did I just admit to that!) and just went about a normal life.  There was NO baby-sitting these nails.  I'm telling you, they &%$* rocked!!!  Never once popping off or even lifting.

Love 'em?  You bet.  Only one small caveat, it was difficult to get them off.  I had to soak and peel, soak and peel.  I'm not very patient, yet that was the only downside.  If I was not a nail blogger, I would have kept these on longer than the recommended 5 days just because it was true love. (I'm not advocating anyone to wear fake nails past the recommended length of time noted on the product...I just was reallllly tempted to not.)

Oh, and I found out something I had missed for years.  While wearing these Nailene false, fabulous nails...I didn't pick, chew or even give any negative regard to my cuticles.  Had I known this before, I would have tried fake nails much sooner as they might have been just the thing that could have helped me with that nasty habit before now. 

However, since I find that the Nailene brand has taken false nails to a better wear, I will not wait twenty...cough, cough...eight...cough, years to try fake nails again.

How about you, do you wear nake nails?  Do you find that they suit you?

Nailene Runway Design nails were provided by the company for a review and honest opinion.