Autumn's Allure And A High School Boyfriend

It is still wickedly hot here in Central Florida.  Not one iota of a glimpse that Fall is on its way.  This used to be the time of year when we would head back to school.  Even though I wasn't happy about going back, I did love getting finished in May.

Fall is full of wistful memories of going to high school football games.  My boyfriend played on the team our senior year.  I still remember seeing him on the field.  And even though we were not dating anymore, I felt a sense of pride and delight seeing my sweet boyfriend suited up.

Even back then I was drawn to autumn and fall colors.  This polish would definitely have won me over...

 This is Finger Paints "Autumn Allure", from their 2010 fall collection.

When I saw "Autumn Allure" from this collection at Sally's, I wasn't as smitten with it as I thought I would be.  In fact, I almost bought all of them but this one.  Then the OCD in me felt I had to have the complete selection.  I gave Autumn Allure a chance, unlike I did for my high school sweetie.

The sunny window sheds some light on the subject but, it sort of washes it out.  This is quite dark in the bottle and that didn't seem to translate onto the nail.  In the bottle it's a dusty, way dark mauve that has a silver shimmer to it.  On nails, it's just a medium tone mauve.  Maybe like a light raisin color.

That poor damaged ring finger.  It is, though, coming around now.  This photo taken outdoors, is quite true to how it presented in real life.  It has a bit of spice to it, so it has some personality.

And besides having some rough cuticles, I ended up liking Autumn Allure quite a bit.  It did need two coats and I have Seche on top.  If you have ever tried Finger Paints, this one applies well and is the standard quality of Finger Paints.

And with that, I am happy I got this color.  It ended up being one I liked quite well.  I'm glad I gave it a chance.  And, that's quite unlike what I did for my high school boyfriend.  He was a sweet boyfriend, I just didn't know how to be a sweet girlfriend.  Hmmmm...wistful memories from Autumn's past.

Have you seen these new fall Finger Paints?  Would you give a polish a second chance?  Ever find a polish, hesitate to get it, got it and glad you did?  Do you miss the days of high school football and sweet boyfriends?

Swept Away By Brushes

For kicks and to earn a few bucks, I take online surveys.  Sometimes I can get a pretty nice award.  There's one in particular that likes my reviews and comments.  Probably because I give more than a 'It's nice.'  So, I got a couple of Amazon gift certificates and found what I wanted in a heartbeat....

It's a bundle of joy!  It's a toy for playing makeup!

It's so nice and tidy in this leather bag.  Yet it's weighty.

Ta da!!!  Tons of makeup brushes!!  Yippeee!  I can toss out those stupid, cheapy brushes that come with shadows and as that something 'extra' the companies throw in to make it look like a better 'value.'

There is quite an education to be had here in nail/makeup blog land.  I'm happy to say that I'm glad to be learning more about it.  There are quite a few blogs I fancy and they are leading me to temptation a better understanding of the beauty industry.  One of the things I learned is that Konad isn't the only game in town.  When I read about Monster Bundles, I didn't even think twice before pressing the confirm button on Paypal.



However, what I discovered on my own was that this same company sells a sweet package of makeup brushes.

Look here.  The same folks that brought you more stamping plates than you know what to do with, brings you, now, more brushes than you know what to do with!  34 different brushes!  REAL BRUSHES!!  I wish I had a friend who wastes spends her money on MAC brushes so we could compare.  I'd like to know which of my brushes match MAC numbers. Alas, I'll just have to wait on that.  However, I did NOT wait, too long, before snatching some of these out and putting them to use.

But first, I had to take a photo of the lovely set all tucked away in their pockets.  Nestled in line...with...cat slobbers??!!!!!!!!!

OK, looks like Sebastian wants to play with MY new toy.  But wait, there's more....

Libby stepped away from her vanity to come see what her brother was fawning over.  Are they gaga for the smell of leather?!!

Sebastian actually pawed one out and they both were checking it out.  Probably to see if it was still alive.  Shortly after this photo, I picked up the brushes.  MINE!!!

After a couple of days laying the pouch out across my vanity, my husband finally asked if I planned on hogging up the vanity with this 'thing.'  Hmmm...I thought I already was hogging the vanity.  Never mind.  I did explain that as I used each one I was transferring it into my own brush holder...on the vanity.

To wrap this up, I love, love these brushes.  They are made well, the handles are long, the bristles are firmly tuffed into the barrel.  And the kicker...It was $32; two $15 gift coupons and the whole thing cost me $7 including postage.  Sweet!

Am I the only one that drools over new brushes?  I'm thinking not if you are reading this blog. ;)

I Know All The Words Giveaway

Here's a cutie that is having a cool giveaway: I Know All The Words.  This is Bailey's blog and I just discovered her.  So what's the first thing I see?  She's having a giveaway and she's got LOTS of stuff in it.  Nice to meet you, Bailey!

A Very Merry Unbirthday to You! - Giveaway

He's a Real Wild One

One of my favorite makeup companies is Wet 'N Wild.  There is also a theme park here in Orlando by that name.  I need a friend to go there with me.  My husband claims ear problems to keep him off any rides that include water.  *ok, then*

Wet 'N Wild..yes!  A makeup company that does get into the wild side.  Here's a 'new' polish color I found...

This is 'Night Prowl' from their Wild Shine collection. Dark purple and glitter? I'm in nail goth heaven!!

Dark and vampy, this polish was beautiful after 2 coats.  As with my regular regimen, the finishing touch with Seche Vite solidifies this look.  It is a bit weak if I go too thin but with a thicker coat, it will cover nicely.  The square bottle makes it easy to hold.  But the long, thin brush takes some skill. 

I've waited a very long time for very dark polishes to be mainstream.  Even before I knew it was called 'franken,' I was taking black polish and mixing drops into blood red polish making my own favorite color.  No need to make my own!

The outdoors photos showcase that magenta microglitter quite well.  The glitter is in a very deep purple base color.  It reminds me of dark purple crushed velvet.

Oooh!  A pretty photo of 'Night Prowl.'

This guy showed up on the patio step.  I could barely hear him.  He was squeaking about insurance or something.  I couldn't get the accent.

(yes, I know it's a chameleon and not a gecko.)

Have you always like dark, vampy colors or is it a new color for you?  Do you like the bold colors that Wet 'N Wild has?  Would you buy insurance from a....lizard?

Revlon Runway Collection Starlet Artifical Nails

When I want that perfect manicure look, false nails do not fail.  As I'm perfecting my manicure skills, false nails give me the look like I spent a lot of money at the salon.

These are Revlon's Runway Collection.  This style is 'Starlet' and they are medium length.
 

 It might be a bit hard to see, but this is a 'special' french manicure.  While the nail is light pink, the tip is white with silver and opaque white designs.  Even in person, there's just a hint that there is something different about this French.

Do excuse the thumb.  It seemed to be having a bad nail day.

The set comes with 28 nail tips in 12 different sizes.  I have the tiniest pinky nail so I was very happy to find that there was a size for me.  There was a bottle of pink gel glue, a tiny emery board and small, plastic manicure stick. (Tip: Hang on to that little stick; you can use it as a cuticle pusher too.)

I did file down my own nails so this length would fit.  However, I failed to file the shape of the false nail so that it would fit better against my cuticle.  It actually is only obvious upon close inspection, as in these photos.  I will file the false nail at the cuticle edge, next time, for a more real look.  And still, you can tell that the width and length of the false nails are perfect.

French manicures always make me feel ritzy.  But when it's a fancy French, I want to break out the 'real' diamond rings.  It's that la-te-da!

Do keep in mind that false nails should only be worn for the recommended 7 to 10 days and then replaced.  Definitely something I would need to be mindful of as my thumbnail is more bowed inward than my other nails.  Thus, the false nail didn't set on it quite as flush.  I do want to say that the pink gel glue is mighty powerful.  I didn't pop a single one of these.  And I did all my normal, daily stuff. 

Regardless about my funky thumbnails, I'm giving Revlon Runway Collection two thumbs up.  Princess Libby approves of being prissy with these nails. :)

Do you like fancy French manicures?  How about the subtlety of this style?

This product was provided to me from Revlon for review and to give my honest opinion.