Halloween Nail Art

Hey you guys!

Here is my second attempt at Halloween nail art. I'd say it is a bit of a step up from my Frankenstein nails, huh? It sure took longer!

Left Hand

Below is a list of all the polishes that I used for this manicure. 

Thumb and ring finger: OPI Y'all Come Back Ya Hear? as the base, Pure Ice Black Rage for the accents, and silver loose glitter from the Born Pretty Store. 

Index: Pure Ice Black Rage for the base & China Glaze Orange You Hot? for the pumpkin.

Middle finger: Zoya Charisma for the base and Pure Ice Black Rage for the bat. 

Pinky: Pure Ice Black Rage for the base and Finger Paints Paper Mache for the ghost. 

Right Hand

I freehanded the characters on my index, middle, and pinky fingers using a variety of nail art brushes and dotting tools. I used scotch tape for the designs on my thumb and ring finger, and then placed the loose glitter (dubbed "glequins" by Sam at The Nailasaurus) along the border with a toothpick. 

Left Hand

I'm really happy with how the nail art turned out. I wasn't sure I'd be able to accomplish such a large undertaking, but I keep surprising myself. 

If you read my blog, I'd love to have your feedback on what you think about this manicure.

Also, what types of posts keep you coming back? Is it the nails, the beauty box reviews, or other product reviews? Would you like to see me write about anything else? PLEASE LET ME KNOW! Thanks!

--Dixie

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August GlossyBox

Good evening, fellow Dixie's Cuppers!

Wednesday I got my flu shot. I'm very good at getting shots. I'M NOT SCARED OF NEEDLES! For real. But I was a big baby afterward because myyyy armmmm hurtttttt. :( Wahhhh. It's cool though. The flu sucks more than my sore arm.

Okay, lets get down to business here with my August GlossyBox. 

Biolage - Exquisite Oil Replenishing Treatment (Full size $22)

This treatment has a Moringa Oil Blend and claims to give instant shine and weightless replenishment to all hair types. Typically I love Biolage products, especially because of the lovely smell, but I'm not sold on this one. I feel like a broken record... I think I review at LEAST one hair moisturizer per beauty box. UGH! Anyway, the reason I wasn't a huge fan of this one was because it left my hair feeling quite greasy, and I didn't really use that much. I need to try it at least once more just to make sure, but I have a difficult time doing that because I hate when my hair is greasy!

Ellis Faas - Glazed Lips ( Full size $35)

Ellis Faas - Glazed Lips ( Full size $35)

Ellis Faas - Glazed Lips ( Full size $35)

The packaging on this lip gloss looks AMAZING. And expensive! I know GlossyBox sent out a number of different colors, but somehow I got clear. I'm not necessarily disappointed about that because it is the safest color (or lack of color), but I have clear already, and there's not much you can do with clear. This is just your typical clear lip gloss. Nothing fancy. I don't think it gives me a good representation of what this company can do with lip glosses, yet I won't be trying any other shades because they are $35 a tube. Ack!

Illamasqua - Purity (Full size $14)

You all know that the way to my heart is with nail polish. I'm NEVER upset with a beauty box when they send me a nail polish sample, or in this case a full size bottle! Especially when it is a higher-end nail polish brand like Illamasqua. I've never tried this brand before, and it didn't disappoint! The formula was just great. You can see the manicure I did with this polish HERE. 

Ole Henriksen - Truth Serum (Full size $48)

I've noticed this brand inside Sephora before, but never had a reason to try it. Even so, I was excited to try this product. The information on the card says: "This high powered vitamin C complex helps smooth out lines and wrinkles, fights environmental aggressors and keeps your skin moisturized, nourished and protected." Sounds lovely and all, but this serum is sticky and felt sort of like I was rubbing honey on my face. Once it dried, my skin felt tight yet lightly moisturized. I applied my usual sunscreen after this serum, but because of the weird consistency of the serum, my sunscreen was more difficult to spread evenly. I tried using it again once or twice more, but it is really just a pain to use if you need to apply anything on top of it. Maybe if I only used it at bedtime by itself I could handle it, but I've been using a retinoid gel nightly for my acne, so that's out. I probably won't get any use out of this. Bummer.

Touch In Sol - Feel Like Honey Moon Skin Base (Full size $20)

First of all, I find the name of this product to be strange. Like maybe someone who doesn't speak English very well picked the name? And I'm not particularly sure that I want my skin to "feel like honey moon"... whatever that is. :-/ But I tried it once anyway, and as expected, I didn't really care for it. It feels like honey, that is certain. Very similar to the product above this. And it has weird golden flecks in it that don't seem to go away when you rub them in... maybe that's the "moon" part?! I seriously don't know!

Anyway, this product claims to be an all in one moisturizer and makeup base. MAYBE it works well for others, but I just can't bring myself to use it again.

So, that's it for the August edition of GlossyBox. Thanks for reading. I hope you all learned something new today. ;)

--Dixie

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Frankenstein Nail Art

What's up, Buttercups?

Hooray for October and the excuse to do Halloween-themed manicures! ;)

I'm still pretty new at this. I don't think I have ever actually done Halloween nail art. So I started out slow and went with a Frankenstein fingernail.

To click or not to click...?

The nail polish I used for this Frankenstein manicure is Sally Hansen's Mint Sprint. This manicure was almost entirely my husband's idea. I think it is cute that he likes to help and I am grateful that he is supportive of my obsession. Maybe all those years of me supporting his obsession with his vehicles have paid off... :D

Anyway, we both felt that it was lacking something. We thought maybe I should add something to the other nails? Neither one of us could decide what I should do, so naturally I did nothing.

I used a Sally Hansen nail art pen to draw the black details. I'm not sure why I didn't think to take a photo of the pen. The pen is really easy to use, however, I don't typically get great results with it. You'll see what I mean on the close-up photo below. :-/

I really didn't want to post this close-up because it shows ALLLL the imperfections. The streaks and the bubbles! Not to mention the color in this photo is completely off. The other two photos are color accurate.

Although I let the nail art dry for a considerable amount of time, it still streaked when I went over it with top coat. Nevertheless, I got several compliments on my nails. The imperfections weren't very noticeable in real life, but of course you can see all the ugly details in the macro shot.

I have since stepped up my game in the Halloween nail art department and I'll work on getting those pictures up soon. Thanks for stopping by!

--Dixie

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Zoya - Envy

Hello!

Below are photos of another one of the Zoya polishes I purchased a little while ago. This one is called Envy. It makes sense... it's green. Unfortunately, it is SUCH a dark shade of green that it basically looks black once on the nails. I don't have a problem with black nail polish, not one bit, but I purchased this because it was green! Oh well, I'm sure I'll live. :)

Above is a photo of one coat of base coat and two coats of Zoya Envy. There is no top coat. Also, I tried out something new on my accent nail. Well... it's new to me. The first person I ever saw use this technique with loose glitter is Sam on The Nailasaurus. She is VERY good at nail art... you should absolutely check out her blog. 

The first time I saw her do a fingernail with glitter like this, my jaw dropped. Not only is it super gorgeous, but it looked like a tremendous undertaking. I mean... WHO actually takes the time to place loose glitter on a fingernail one-by-one until the whole nail is covered? Apparently Sam does, and once she did a tutorial on how she does it, I realized I could too. And it doesn't take that long! It took me a total of 2-3 minutes, which I think is quite fast.

Per my husband's suggestion, I added a coat or two of Hard Candy's Mattely In Love to the nails without the glitter. He is typically very helpful when I am trying to be creative, and this time was no different. It was a nice touch for sure. HOWEVER, I was reminded how much a matte topcoat can shorten the life of a manicure. :( The glitter nail could have lasted for quite a while, but the other nails started showing wear within a day. 

This is a photo of the pot of glitter I purchased recently. It is going to last me FOR-EV-ERRRR. Unless I spill it. Don't say that! You'll jinx me! :O

I purchased this glitter along with some other nail art supplies from The Born Pretty Store. This is where Sam from The Nailasaurus purchased her glitter, and I wanted to get the same stuff she used. PLUS... that pot of glitter only cost me $2.38. And although this store is located overseas, the shipping is free.

Although I was disappointed with the shade of the polish, I think this is one of my favorite manicures so far. I'm impressed with how the accent nails turned out and I will definitely be using this technique a lot more. I hope you enjoy!

--Dixie

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Nicole OPI - For Gold Times Sake & If The Blue Fits...

Hello Lovely Friends! It is almost Friday! :D

Today I have a manicure that is a couple weeks old, but I really really like the colors and I have to share! I saw these polishes from Nicole OPI's Target-exclusive collection on a couple other blogs and HAD to have them.

Clicky Make Biggy

The colors in this manicure are If The Blue Fits... and For Gold Times Sake. These polishes are very shimmery and have so many beautiful colors hidden in them. If The Blue Fits... has a mixture of a lot of deep indigo blue shimmers with a touch of fuschia/purple and cyan shimmers. Just GORGEOUS! For Gold Times Sake is such a unique shade of dark gold with a hint of bronze and some iridescent shimmers that shift from blue to pinkish purple. I loved these polishes so much that when I got them, I had to wear them both at the same time! ;)

I took lots of photos to show off these lovely colors as much as possible. The formula was great on both of these pretties. As usual: one coat of base coat, two coats of the colors, and one coat of top coat. I was impressed with how long these lasted. I believe I wore them for 5 days without chips and barely any tip wear at all. I think the only reason I took the polish off was because I wanted a change, not because I needed to. :)

I wonder if this is normal with Nicole OPI polishes? I honestly only own one other polish of this brand and I can't remember what its formula was like.

Last but not least, an awkward photo of my right hand to show you how creative and fun I am. That's right. I got a little crazy and painted my right hand in a different pattern of colors than my left. Watch out guys, you never know what I'll do next!

Thank you for stopping by! :)

--Dixie

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August Birchbox

DDF - Brightening Cleanser (Full size $38)

As you can see on the back of the card above, this cleanser claims to use a team of skin brighteners to fade discoloration and even out skin tone. I don't think I can vouch for whether or not this works well on the brightening part because I don't feel that I have used it long enough to determine that. However, it DOES seem to cleanse thoroughly and remove makeup effectively. I tend to lean more towards acne face washes though, and since I have acne-prone skin I will likely not purchase this product.

Juicy Couture - Viva la Juicy La Fleur (Full size $70)

If you have read previous reviews here, you know I'm a fan of Juicy Couture perfumes. I was quite pleased with getting this sample because it is right down my alley. The scent is not as pleasing as the previous samples I've received, but I still like it, and I might consider purchasing it. What I usually do in these cases is purchase one of those $20 perfume rollerballs. Since I use so many different scents I never go through a full size bottle, and those rollerballs are perfect!

Noir - Long Wear Eyeliner (Full size $15)

Noir - Long Wear Eyeliner (Full size $15)

While there is no doubt that this eyeliner stayed put the two times I wore it, I'm not sure if it is because of its formula or because of my eye primer... I use the Urban Decay eye primer and it keeps my other shadows and liners in place wonderfully. Nevertheless, the staying power is not really what I'm concerned about. The pigmentation is the real issue. This eyeliner just doesn't really impress me with its color and intensity. It's difficult to explain, but this eyeliner is lacking something for me. It seems like a clearish black? I don't know. But I like my L'Oreal black eyeliner MUCH better.

Oscar Blandi - Jasmine Conditioner (Full size $22)

Well, I hate it when I get a conditioner and it isn't accompanied by a shampoo. Am I the only one that really likes my shampoo and conditioners to match? Does anyone else hate it when they run out of one before the other? Shouldn't they balance out?! 

I digress. This conditioner is lovely. It smells really pretty and it moisturizes well. I don't need anymore conditioners though. Come on, Birchbox. 

Shick - Hydro Silk Razor

This razor was the bonus gift this time. I was quite excited to try a new razor because I have been using the same Gillette Venus razor for AGES (probably at least 10 years, no joke). I have wondered if I was missing out on anything special but haven't purchased anything because I really love my razor. Funny thing to love so much, huh?

I hate to disappoint, but I REALLY didn't like this one. I tried it twice, and both times my legs had horrible razor burn. Also, I thought it would be nice to have all the extra moisturizers that the razor claimed to produce once you got it wet... but YUCK. It is super slimy and thick and it actually gets in the way of shaving. I definitely recommend the Gillette Venus razor and the "Embrace" razor heads with 5 blades and extra moisturizers. :)

That is all for today! I received the September Birchbox in the mail this weekend... *sigh* My work is never finished! ;)

--Dixie

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Illamasqua - Purity

Hello everyone!

Although it is quite late in the evening, here is the post that I said I would make! 

Above is a photo of the final manicure. Keep reading to learn more about what I used!

I started with a full manicure of Forever 21's unnamed "Grey" polish. I used this color in an accent nail HERE. What you see above is a base coat, two coats of the grey, and a top coat. By the time I finished with all of that I was tired and decided to postpone the rest of what I had planned until the next day. It worked out well because it gave everything plenty of time to dry. 

I wasn't upset about wearing this color by itself for a day, it is really pretty. I really love grays. :)

Here is what I ended up doing the next day. I received this Illamasqua Purity in a GlossyBox that I have not yet reviewed. I really wanted to use it because I have heard a lot of good things about this polish, but I didn't feel that this color went well with my skin color. However, I think that breaking it up a little with a half-moon really helped make it look nice. 

I know this is a blurry photo, but I really liked the angle. The formula of Purity is good. It was a little thick, but nothing I couldn't work with. If it got too difficult to paint on without globbing, I just closed it back up and gave it a little shake and it became much more manageable. It lasted a good 4 days or so with a little bit of tip wear. These photos show 2 coats of Purity followed by a topcoat. The day before I took the polish off, I added a layer of matte topcoat and I really liked how it looked. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo. 

Overall I'm pleased with how my first half-moon manicure turned out. I think I still have a lot to learn, but I surprise myself with each new thing I try!

Hope you all enjoy!

--Dixie

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