AAAHHHHHH! K-friends!! I'm so sorry I've been gone!! I feel like I've neglected you all and my inbox is overflowing with awesome styleboards and blogs! I'm getting through them, I promise!

Any who, I just wanted to post a quick product review....

This eyeshadow primer is A-MAZ-ING!!!! I've been searching for a primer that actually keeps my shadow on my lids and doesn't crease by 2pm, and this does it!!! I was really skeptical at first, because I've tried several different name brands and none of them have really held up. But I'm completely in love with this!! I can apply my makeup at 6am (yes... I'm up that early) and it still looks fresh by the time I wash it off at night! I'm truly impressed and have finally found a wonderful primer that is true to it's word!

Jessie

On Saturday morning, I was feeling a bit adventurous and decided to try out Water Marbling on my nails. Check out this YouTube video to see how this is done :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGu4CqtIYmQ  

What I used:

• Orly Nail Lacquer in It's Up To Blue
• OPI Nail Lacquer in William Tell Me About OPI
• China Glaze in Platinum Silver

Other tools:

• Orange stick
• Scotch tape
• Dixie cup
• Paper towel

You'll want to make sure you have everything set up before you start the water marbling. I laid out some paper towel where I would be working, then put the cup of water on top of that. I made sure I had all my polishes right there, with the tops already unscrewed. Then I taped off the fingers that I wanted to put the design on. The tape just makes it easier for clean up. Then I started dropping a drop of each color to make a bulls-eye. This part actually took me a few tries to get it to work, but once I had the hang of it, it was really easy!  Next with the Orange stick, I drew out my design until I had something that I liked, and dunked my finger. Super easy!! Really make sure that you pull out your finger really slow. I got a little excited on a couple of mine and they had a couple water droplets left, which made a smudge in my polish. But overall, I think it turned out pretty cool!!

Hope you all get a chance to try this out!!

xoxo Jessie

I just learned this A-MAZING DIY nail art trick!! Learn to make your own nail stickers with stuff you already have!! Check it out!!

http://www.alllacqueredup.com/2011/09/nail-art-tutorial-cnds-diy-river-rock-nail-decal-technique.html

xoxo Jessie

For the first official Beauty Buster challenge, I asked all of you to vote on a mascara that promised to do it all: lengthen, thicken, curl and define. Well, the Dior mascara and the L'Oreal mascara were pretty much tied for the duration of the poll, so I decided to try them both out...

First, let me mention the importance of using a lash primer. I know that this is a relatively new concept for a lot of people, but it really does help your mascara adhere to your lashes, as well as help keep the mascara from flaking.

L'Oreal Paris Voluminous False Lashes (1st photo)

This mascara is actually pretty decent for what you pay. I got it for about $8 at Wal-Mart. It comes in a few different colors, as well as waterproof. I chose to get the non-waterproof kind in Blackest Black. The bristles on the wand twist around in a spiral, which definitely helps to coat and separate all your lashes. I'm a two-coat girl, so I brushed my lashes out after they fully dried and applied a second coat. I've worn this mascara for a few days now and it's held up pretty well. I haven't seen too many flakes on my cheeks, which is always important. The only thing that I wasn't that impressed about was the "magical fibers" that are supposedly in the mascara that attach to the lashes to help lengthen them... yeah, not really buying that part, as I didn't really see much of a length difference. But for the money, it does really coat and separate the lashes, giving a great appearance of fullness.

My sad, naked lashes (2nd photo)

Dior Diorshow Mascara (3rd photo)

I was actually kind of disappointed with the Dior mascara, especially after hearing such great things... I ordered it online from Sephora, since my local store doesn't have the brand and I paid $24 + shipping. I just felt like the mascara itself didn't really live up to it's name. The brush itself is huge and fluffy with nylon fibers, which I found kind of hard to use and to even do my bottom lashes with was kind of difficult. I felt like it didn't really coat as well as the L'Oreal mascara did. Also, the mascara is perfumed, which I found to be different. I've never had a perfumed mascara before. LOL!

I hope that you all find this kind of helpful when picking out a new mascara... just goes to show you that a fancy name and a bigger price tag don't always mean a better product.

Looking forward to hearing what you've got to say!!

xoxo Jessie

After six glorious years, I finally said good-bye to my acrylic nails *sniff*  I knew that my nails would be pretty beat up and very weak, so I asked my nail tech what she would suggest and... we decided on a Shellac manicure (in Rock Royalty - a dark purple).

This is my first time with Shellac, and I have to say the process is a bit tedious. You first get buffed and filed, then a UV base coat to help the polish stick. 1 minute under the UV lamp, then your color is applied, and another minute under the lamp. Another coat of color and lamp, then finally the Top coat, and you guessed it, another minute under the lamp.

It's been 9 days and I'm still kind of impressed with the Shellac. I've noticed where it's starting to lift up and a couple chips here and there, but I'm usually pretty hard on my nails (hence the acrylics to keep them from breaking), so I still think that they look pretty decent. Much better than they would if I were just wearing normal polish.

However, I do think that 2 weeks is a long time to go before a color change. My nails grow pretty quickly, so I'm already starting to get new growth at the bottom and it's making me want to take the color off and get something different so they look fresh.

Anyone else ever tried Shellac? Thoughts??

xoxo Jessie

When I first got word that these were coming out back in November (thanks Kaboodle!), I was kind of excited!!! I'm completely addicted to Thin Mints and Trefoils, so I was geeked that they came out with lip balm flavored like the cookies.

After the holidays (and sadly, no lip smackers in my stocking) I was on a quest to find these suckers. I looked all over... Meijer, Target, Wal-Mart... nothing. Then I remembered something about Claire's boutique, and decided to check it out. They had them!! I ended up getting the party pack of 8 (because that's all that they carried) and paid a whopping $14 for it. I'm sure I could have found them cheaper online, but I had to have them NOW.  I've tried out every "flavor" and here's the run down:

Trefoil - my favorite so far; smells like a shortbread cookie

Coconut Caramel Stripe - this one is almost sickeningly sweet; A LOT of coconut, but then you get the hit of chocolate after you apply

Thin Mint - very minty, with a hint of chocolate

Peanut Butter - like a warm peanut butter cookie, but tastes anything but...

Chocolate Peanut Butter - almost all chocolate, and no PB; kinda smells like a tootsie roll

And I'm sad to report that these balms do not actually have a "flavor" besides wax... :( But they smell awesome and do a great job of moisturizing the lips.

I'm still excited that I have them, but I also have my select favorites that I'm probably going to stick to. Anyone else find these and try them??

Jessie