Bite Beauty MultiSticks Review!

I was SO excited to receive a beauty box from Influenster this time! I got to try out the Bite Beauty Multisticks in Cocoa (brown), Macaroon (dusty pink), and Blondie (a beige-y nude). 
These multisticks are super useful to have in your travel or daily makeup bag as the formula is cream to powder and can be used as eyeshadow, blush, or lip color. 

Shades (L to R): Cocoa, Macaroon, and Blondie.

Upon opening Cocoa, I was a little hesitant as it's SO brown and way darker than what I normally use for eyeshadow, but I took the plunge and rubbed a bit on my eyelids. It was pretty dark at first but have no fear, the brown blends very nicely and actually tones down once it's on, it doesn't stay so brown. I did use it over my Smashbox eyeshadow primer so that could have contributed to the tone down. That said, I would only use this one as eyeshadow as it wouldn't really work anywhere else on me due to my skin tone. 

Macaroon was probably my favorite shade, and the most versatile for me as it's a dusty pink color. I used it as blush and put a bit on my lips. It felt nice on my lips and wasn't drying. There's no flavor to note. I would suggest a little gloss over it though unless you like your color flat. I can also imagine using this one as a pretty pink eyeshadow. 

Lastly, I tried Blondie. It's a nude color, but is a little light for shadow for me. I tried a bit on my lips but it washed me out. I would suggest this one as a highlighter or for conturing. 

Cocoa, Macaroon, and Blondie in artificial lighting.

 

 

Cocoa, Macaroon, and Blondie in natural light.

  After using Cocoa as an eyeshadow and Macaroon as blush and lip color.

These are just three of the many shades of the Bite Beauty Multisticks that are available, you can find many more on the Sephora website or in store for around $24 US each. These are a must have in anyone's makeup bag! 


*I was provided the Bite Beauty Multisticks complimentary from Influenster in exchange for an honest review, and all opinions given are my own.*

CoverGirl Super Size Fibers Mascara!

Thanks once again to Influenster, I got to try to the new CoverGirl Super Sizer Fibers mascara! I also got a brown Perfect Point Plus eyeliner in my VoxBox but I already know I love the liner as I always buy the black version to do my upper lash line. I will likely use the brown one to line my lower waterline. The little eraser/smudger on the end is a lifesaver! Plus, no sharpening needed since it's retractable like a mechanical pencil. Couldn't be easier!

This was my box! I was especially excited by the mascara, as I'm always looking for cheaper alternatives to my beloved Diorshow. I've always really loved CoverGirl's mascaras and I admit, I do try each new one that comes out. I would have to say my favorite is the original LashBlash in the orange tube, or the purple Lashblast Fusion version. 

The results! Top photo shows bare lashes, middle shows one coat, bottom shows two coats.

 

After poking myself in the eye with the wand (OUCH!) I only used one coat on my bare lashes. It doesn't look like it in the photo but my lashes are actually pretty decently thick. I always love when a mascara can darken them enough AND lengthen them enough to make the tips of my lashes touch my eyebrow area, and this mascara did just that after a couple more coats. I would have to say, the only thing I'd prefer would be if it was waterproof. I really can't wear anything but waterproof now due to my constant computer work. When my eyes feel tired, they water, then there goes all my eye makeup, which turns me into a sad panda. And at that point, I really do look like a panda. Possibly a raccoon. Either way, it's not attractive!

I would highly recommend this mascara if your lashes are in need of a boost that doesn't look fake or spidery. It's the perfect mascara for that no-makeup makeup look!  

Buy yours at any drugstore, Target or Wal-Mart or even on the CoverGirl site. It's now available for a steal at less than $7!  (Please note, this is not an affiliate link, so I do not get any revenue if you follow through with a purchase.)
https://www.covergirl.com/beauty-products/eye-makeup/mascara/super-sizer-fiber-mascara 

Product Review- Cutex Advanced Nail Remover Pads!

Thanks to Influenster, I got to try these Cutex Advanced Nail Remover pads! I'm used to the normal cotton ball/bottle of nail polish remover/20 minutes because I needed to clean up spillage, etc. routine. These fun little packets solve all those issues!
One single pad in the packet removes all 10 nails worth of polish and honestly, I think it could have removed my color on my toes as well since the pad inside is thick and very saturated with polish remover (but no drips!)

These would be wonderful for travel purposes or any time you need to quickly remove chipped polish.

The photo below shows the before and after removing my yellow Illamasqua "Rare" polish. No stains and removed every little bit of polish!

I was provided these samples to try free from Influenster, but all opinions given are my own.

Influenster VoxBox Review: Dessange Paris Products

I recently received an email from Influenster saying I qualified for one of the new VoxBoxes! I was surprised to get another one so soon after my last one and was really excited when I learned I would be reviewing Dessange Paris hair products. Based on the results of the survey I took, I was qualified for the products for color treated hair and I received: 

 
-California Blonde Illuminating Shampoo
-California Blonde Illuminating Conditioner
-California Blonde CC Color Correcting Creme

I haven't colored my hair in a couple of months so my roots are a little more grown out than I'd like at the moment. I usually only color when I can't stand my roots anymore, so I probably do it once every 3 months or so. No matter how long it's been though since I've colored, I never feel like my hair is nourished enough, and I generally only wash my hair once a week because it's very thick and doesn't even start to replenish the natural oils until about 4 or 5 days after washing it. 

I decided to give the products a go last night and was very impressed! First impressions of the shampoo and conditioner were that they seemed very much like salon-quality products, had a more professional "salon" type smell rather than fruity like so many others available now.  The consistency of both was nice and the conditioner's consistency seemed a little thicker, almost like a lotion.

The CC Creme was quite interesting; you leave it in your hair for 5-10 minutes and it corrects the brassiness of your hair color. I went to open it and there were some dark streaks on my fingers. I thought I had missed taking off some of my eye makeup, but I was wrong; imagine my surprise when I squeezed some CC cream out in my hand and it was almost like BRIGHT purple paint! I didn't want to take my phone into the shower to take photos, obviously, but this was some of the purple remnant that was left on the shower door when I was finished. Just imagine you're finger painting with grape purple paint and you get the idea. 

I left it in for about 10 minutes and I did notice that it diminished the brassiness I had at my roots where my color is darker. Despite the intimidating coloring, the CC Creme is a win!


This is a final semi-photo of my hair (don't love showing off my face online!) with the products I used as in the first photo in this blog post. My hair is touchable and smooth and the scent of the shampoo and conditioner is still noticeable. I rarely am able to smell the scent of shampoos and conditioners so long after using them, but this one is really nice and almost 24 hours later, is still noticeable!

All in all, I am now a fan of Dessange and I think next time, I would try their Oleo Miracle range for damaged hair to see if I could add even more moisture and shine to my hair!

If you're interested in trying any Dessange products, they can be found now at Target stores. 

*Please note: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.*

Nutella Lovers...You MUST Try Reese's Spread!

So I realize I haven't blogged in forever but I've had lots of life changes happen since my last post, things I would not like to relive. 
However, all that aside, I was recently offered a complimentary Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate spread to try thanks to VoxBox and Influenster! I'm a huge fan of Nutella and really, it takes all my willpower not to grab a jar and eat at least half in a single sitting, same is the case with this yummy Reese's spread! It basically tasted like a liquified Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, which is heavenly, to me.

The card included in the box offered some suggestions on what to pair it with and while I used a couple of them, I wanted to branch out and try some of my own too. I'm nowhere near done trying pairings but I'm so happy with this spread already!

First I tried it on some honey wheat bread, which I loved, of course. Probably the simplest pairing and a good way to sneak in some chocolate at breakfast!

The next day I tried it on my Greek yogurt in the morning and it was also amazing. If you don't normally like the somewhat sour flavor Greek yogurt tends to have, mix in a little of this and voila! 

The picture on the jar of spread shows it paired with a green apple, but I only had red apples here, so I tried it with one of those. Of course, it tasted delicious, though I'm sure it would taste amazing against the tart taste of the green apples as well. That's definitely next on my radar. 

 Lastly (so far), I tried a spoonful in my mug of hot chocolate, which, when melted, gave it a smooth, creamy flavor with a hint of peanut butter flavor! I'm for sure trying this again soon!

Thank you again to Influenster for giving me the chance to try this yummy spread!

DIY Kitty Cat Flats from Kittenhood and Scathingly Brillant!

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted! A post was pointed out to me on the Kittenhood blog where Kate from Scathingly Brilliant guest blogged about some cute DIY cat toe shoes! Of course, being the crafty person that I am, had to give these a try myself! You can click the link to the Kittenhood blog above and it will take you to the original post. 

For the face and ears, I hand painted them on freehand and for the eyes, I used the other end of my paintbrush! Lastly, I also added on a coat of Modge Podge to the design to help seal it a bit. 


Here is my visual step by step:

                                     

These flats are so adorable, I can't wait to wear them! Thanks to Kittenhood and Scathingly Brilliant for giving me a cute new pair of shoes to add to my wardrobe!

Cadbury Screme Eggs, Spooky!

If you're like me, you love the delicious though ever-decreasing-in-size candies at Easter that are Cadbury Creme Eggs! Unfortunately, they don't store well throughout the summer and though I've tried freezing a couple for later, they just don't taste as good as they do when they're fresh. So imagine  my excitement when a friend posted about finding a new type about a month ago, the Screme Egg! Ever since I saw her post, I've been scouring the stores searching for them and I finally found them at CVS about a week ago.
I only bought one because I didn't know how it would taste and I can happily report that it tastes exactly the same. The only difference is that (to me) they seem a bit smaller than the Easter version and they've replaced the orange "yolk" with green.

These also tend to be a bit pricier than the Easter version too, those are usually 2 or 4 for a certain price, I've seen these Screme Eggs priced at CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid at .99 cents to $1.29 apiece.

P.S. My nail polish just happened to match...it's called Glowstick by Fergie for Wet n'Wild!

DIY Katy Perry Candy Buttons Costume!

As I've written in past posts, last year I went to a Katy Perry concert. So when it came time to find a costume for Halloween, I knew just what I should be, but picking just ONE outfit out of all the fun costumes she wears was pretty hard! All the packaged Katy costumes were pretty pricey and I wanted something I could get more than one use out of. I'll note where to get the same or similar items at the end of the post so you can put your costume together too!
I wanted this look:

So I ended up getting a petticoat tutu from the Leg Avenue brand, this is especially useful because you can decorate it up any way you want. I got some colored sheets of sticky glitter foam from Michael's, then cut them into circles and sewed them on with a couple of stitches since the sticky backs weren't enough to hold them on.

And voila, there's the main part of your costume! Now you just need to add a blue wig, sparkly shoes and fun candy accessories and you're done!

Here was the final product the way I wore it:

And here are the sources for my main items!

*White Petticoat tutu: Party City
*Colored glitter foam sheets: Michael's or most any craft store
*Headband: Katy Perry Web store (not necessary but held my wig on nicely!)
*Candy Buttons Jewelry: I made my own and wrote a post about it last year, seen HERE.
*Glitter Heels: I wore silver sequin ones from Rampage, style name: Greer
*Blue Wig: I got mine from a random store here quite cheap but Party City has them and I've also seen them on eBay.

A note about the tutu petticoat, the tank top part is rather thin so I added another white tank top under it. I also suggest a pair of white bike/running shorts under the tutu as it's quite short.

I hope this helps you come up with a totally Katy costume for Halloween or other fun events!

DIY Coming Up Roses Earrings from P.S. I Made This!

I was approached by a friend who saw the post for these earrings on the P.S. I Made This' blog to see if I could make these earrings since I'm craftier than she is.
I ended up making two versions and even a pair for myself!
Here is the original blog post with visual instructions:
http://psimadethis.com/post/19396064783/everythings-coming-up-roses-sweet-smelling?a0da1b90

I only changed a couple of things. First, I did not use fishing wire to attach the earring backs because it was too hard for me to tie and place properly, so I just used super glue and glued the earring posts/clips onto the back of the flower. I had to rough up the back of the flowers a bit to get the glue to adhere better. Secondly, one friend wanted them with pierced backs rather than clips and with smaller flowers and those are pictured as well.


And here are my final results!


These are the smaller flowers with pierced posts:

Turquoise and peach clip versions with larger flowers:

More Pinterest-Inspired Nails...Pink Splatters!

Wow, has it really been that long since my last post? Anyway, I've been really into doing different nail art and trying out different colors lately thanks to Pinterest! I saw this one and loved it so I've been doing it a lot lately:

(Picture from: http://lyndarthemerciless.blogspot.com/2011/03/talon-tastic-thursday-sophisticated.html)


Then when I was at Walgreens, I found these cute Sinful Colors nail art polishes in lots of colors so I picked up a pink along with the silver glitter to do the design above. I was getting tired of the glitter so I experimented with the pink and this is what I came up with, I'm so looking forward to trying tons of color combos with these Sinful Colors polishes!

Base coat: OPI "I Think in Pink"
Tips: Sinful Colors "A Slice to Go"
Topcoat:  Hello Kitty for Sephora "Frosted Cupcake"

My Own Take on the Galaxy Nails!

Since joining Pinterest, I've come across all kinds of fun things to try out, from recipes to nail art. One that particularly caught my eye was "galaxy" type nails, where you give your nails an ombre effect, going from light to dark. I wanted to try it out and obviously I knew I wouldn't get it to look this good (picture courtesy of spoki.lv via beautylish, click on the picture to go to the site):



Obviously I'm by no means a nail art expert, I just like trying different looks. So I have quite a few choices to use for this look, didn't realize I had so many shades of blue!



And I decided on using NYC's "Skintight Denim Creme" as a base, quick splotches of Sinful Color's "Gorgeous" over that, OPI's "Happy Anniversary" fine glitter and Sinful Color's silver glitter followed by a topcoat. And for the white dots for "stars", I used Nailene's tip pen but you can use any white. I think if I did it again, I wouldn't do the white dots.

Here's NYC's Skintight Denim Creme (one of my favorite shades!) with Sinful Color's "Gorgeous" splotched over it. Some sites say to use a makeup sponge but I just barely had any color on the brush and dotted around in random places.


Then the final look with the colors I used:


And a daylight shot since I took the other pictures last night and the light wasn't the greatest!




So for a first try, I'm actually pretty happy with how it turned out, though as I said, I probably wouldn't do the white bits next time.

Just a PSA regarding the "Baby Polar Bear"

I've seen this picture passed around the internet for quite some time now and it's quite popular on Pinterest at the moment:



People claim that it is a baby polar bear, however it isn't! It's actually a very detailed little handcrafted bear made by a seller on Etsy. Had I not been on Etsy, I probably wouldn't have known where the picture originated. But I think this seller needs more exposure, she's super talented and you can buy the pattern to make the bear from Tatiana's Etsy shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TSminibears

And the direct link to the bear's pattern to see the listing in case she doesn't currently have it listed (she often sells out):

http://www.etsy.com/listing/52683885/miniature-bear-pattern-flocke-by-tatiana



You're welcome. ;)

Candy Button Resin Necklace Project!

If you're a DIY-er like me, you're always seeing inspiration everywhere. I'm going as Katy Perry for Halloween this year, probably my most involved costume yet. I'm altering my costume (I got a white tutu and am putting sparkly dots on it) and making my jewelry. So if you want to make your own candy button jewelry too, here's how I did it!

Get your Candy Buttons (the kind on the white paper) and clean them up a bit, as they have a tendency to take some of the paper with them when you pop them off.
You'll want to seal the candies so they don't disintegrate in the resin and the color doesn't bleed. In an area with lots of ventilation, spray them with at least two coats of an acrylic spray, I used Krylon. Let dry between coats.



They'll move around a bit but make sure they're coated well!



Make sure they're completely dry, mix up your resin (I use Castin Craft's clear epoxy) and only fill your molds about 1/4 of the way full, just enough to cover the candies. Put your candies in the resin the way you want them. I wanted them to look just like the real thing so I went with the pink/yellow/blue situation. Let cure for as long as required, most require a day to cure.




Now for your final resin step, you can do this in many ways. You can use more clear resin in the last layer and put glitter in it, sprinkles, whatever you want! I used a resin type that cures white, just because I wanted it to look like the candies were on the white paper tape.
Additionally, I wanted some sparkle, so I used a glittery varnish over the piece.




And just because I wanted something fun on my own piece, I put little crystal hearts on the chain and made myself a ring too!




You can make these your own in so many ways, so as long as you have time (and the patience!), you can make tons of fun, unique pieces!

P.S., if you don't have the patience, I have one made up for you to buy in my Etsy shop!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/84580068/sweet-tooth-candi-button-resin-necklace

A DIY Vintage Inspired Necklace!

I recently came across my grandma's old vintage rhinestone and crystal jewelry from the late 50's and 60's not long ago. I've been wearing the various necklaces a LOT and am now hunting for different colored pieces to complete my color spectrum. But what I really wanted was a piece with stones in different shapes, sizes and colors, which has proved nearly impossible to find anywhere online despite my constant search.

I considered making one and thought it would be impossible until I got myself into Michael's the other day and searched for supplies. I somehow found myself down the sticker aisle and found these great, vintage style stones, even in settings, in different shapes and colors! I then hustled back to the jewelry area and found clear rhinestone chain just like so many vintage pieces have, my only dilemma was how to attach said stones to the necklace.

Lo and behold, I found flatback head pins and figured I could glue the head pins to the stones then attach the stones to the necklace! Granted, this necklace is very lightweight in comparison to real vintage pieces but it serves my purpose and has gotten many compliments so far!

Below is a picture of the supplies I used, obviously not shown but needed are small pliers (I had two pairs of needle nose pliers, round pliers and cutters to cut the wire) and some super glue (I used Gorilla brand super glue). Next to that is the final product!

New Molds Can Be Hard to Get Used To!

I've been taking LOTS of custom orders lately, hence my lack of blog post updates! I had quite a large order for 12 of my dress form necklaces, then another 12 after that. Normally that would have been no problem except BOTH of my lovely, high quality dental grade silicone dress form molds (made by my dad; thanks dad!) decided to basically crumble as I was pulling the pieces out of the molds. Any mold will break down after a certain amount of uses and unfortunately, these molds chose the middle of my large order to break.

Now as I mentioned, the dental-grade silicone my dad had made my molds with is VERY expensive and he ran out of it, so I decided to try out Castin Craft's Silicone Mold Putty. The directions seem simple but the working time is VERY short, about 5 minutes, if that, so if you don't get the putty mixed quickly and press your item in it, you end up with a dried up, rubbery ball. I managed to mess up the first two so again, my dad helped me with making the molds and I used up all the material but I got four molds out of it.

I have to say, I'm not TOO happy with this material, it may be okay for clay pieces but with my Castin Craft epoxy resin, it creates bubbles all over the piece even if you let the resin sit and de-gas itself for a few minutes before pouring it.

It looks like this, you mix the purple and white until the color is uniform.


I Googled for a good hour and didn't find a thing about how to get rid of the bubbles other than not using a wooden stir stick as it introduces moisture (didn't help) or to pop the bubbles with a pin (only helpful for a few bubbles, not hundreds as I had in every piece).
I finally found something somewhere that suggested using baby powder or talc and powder the mold to get rid of some of the moisture in the material. It helped to an extent but not a whole lot. I did have some bubbles but at least the pieces no longer looked like a freshly poured glass of Sprite.




Final piece:



If you have any ideas or know of anything that works for sure for keeping bubbles out of pieces made in the Castin Craft Silicone Putty molds, please feel free to comment!

Huge Supplies Contest at Julie's Bits Blog!

Julie's Bits Blog has a huge contest going on until the end of August! She's giving away lots of great supplies such as what's shown in the picture below. Can't you just imagine all the fun things you can make with your winnings?




Photo above from Julie's Bits Blog

Here's the link to the contest, there are tons of easy ways to enter, good luck!!

http://juliesbits.blogspot.com/p/august-2011-huge-supplies-giveaway-over.html

Semi-Wordless Wednesday for my Artsy Friends!

Sprinkles Galore

Because I love all things sprinkled and delicious, I was taken by the blog theBERRY's post which includes 34 (!!!) pictures of sprinkle-y confections today.
Here's one of my favorites but let's not kid ourselves, I love so many of them it's hard to choose.
Click the picture below to be taken to the colorful, delectable post. Be prepared to crave something sweet afterwards!

Dancing Gummi Bears!

Sometimes I find an adorable picture or something and want to post it somewhere. Way back when, I'd post it on Myspace (ah, memories) and my page was like a photo album of cute graphics. Nowadays, I don't have anywhere to post those things; facebook? No...especially since you can't see moving pictures and that's the whole point! I can't print them out...twitter? Nope.
Then I remember that I have a blog lol. So this is a really random post, but I wanted to share this adorable dancing gummi bear picture. I love all things candy and cute and this fits perfectly!



And the link for future reference:
http://picsauce.com/post/5946602506/gettin-jiggy-with-it

Loving Google's Logo Again. It's Murakami!

I was introduced to Takashi Murakami's art because of the first Louis Vuitton collaboration in 2003 (the candy colored Multicolore line.) From there, I immediately liked the adorable Cherry Blossom line, Cerises (cherries), Panda and the elusive LV Hand logo that appeared on pieces exclusive to the MOCA exhibit in Los Angeles. So of course, I am loving the Google logo today, which features KaiKai and Kiki as well as lots of the adorable smiling flowers! Murakami does do more...shall we say...risque work (Hiropon is quite odd and makes me uncomfortable) and they have their own dedicated fans, as expected. But I'm into the adorable big-eyed characters like the ones on the logo today!

Here's the logo:



And to find out more information on Murakami, click the link below (site is available in English)!
http://www.kaikaikiki.co.jp/c-murakami