Playing with Makeup and Wishing for Autumn Weather.

Hello Lovelies~

 Last night while playing with my make up, I found a color combination that's just ~perfect~ for fall!  (As always, please forgive the lighting in my room. I'm working on fixing it ^^; )

 This look is called 'Dreaming of Sunsets'

What I Used! : All Over - Light Gold
                       Eyelid - Light pink
                       Crease - Tangerine
                       Eyeliner - Gold
                       Second Liner - Red
                       Lips - Molten Honey / Light Bronze

Here is the look from a bit further away. I really light how this turned out. It makes me long for the trees to change colors and hot apple cider. I love sunsets in early October, thus the name ^_^            

The orange shirt wasn't planned when I did this look. It's actually may favorite shirt for doing most anything when I'm not in my frills. I've had it for just about ever and it's been though yard work, painting houses, painting scenery sets when I took drama classes, and now it goes through make up sessions with me when I decide to get chocolate brown eyeshadow all over my fingers and somehow run out of makeup remover.  ~"^o^"~

 Does anyone else have a favorite Non Lolita item in their wardrobe? One that is always there for you when you feel down and make you feel better when you put it on? For me it's a baggy plain orange t-shirt. What's yours?

 Kat

Buyer Beware! : A Small Guide to Navigating Second hand or Online buying

Hello Lovelies~

 A few weeks ago I bought a skirt from a lovely gal in Australia and it has a fully shirred waist. I thought, 'Perfect! A Brand skirt with a fully shirred waist should fit me.', so I asked the seller and she said it had a 42'' inch waist, which is great, because mine is 41'' inches  (( 12'' inches less than I was when I started loosing weight ^_^ Yay me! ))

I've waited for weeks and it arrived this morning and I rushed to put it on, but I ran into a small snag. You see....while my waist is 41'' inches, my chest hips are 49'' inches and my chest is 50'' inches. ^^;  It was rather comical honestly and I laughed about it before I went to work.

 I'm going to take it to a seamstress and have her put in a back bustle for the skirt, but this experience has taught me something I always knew, but rarely thought about, it's two words really and they are, 'Buyer Beware!'.

I thought today I would share with you the small check list I go through when buying online, be it from Etsy, E-bay, or the EGL Sales Comm. I call it the 3Ps.

PROOF

 When looking at photos, the less professional the the better. This doesn't mean blurry, grainy, or shot with no lighting, but I look for pictures that show true to life coloring and personal possessions, or pictures of the seller wearing or displaying the item being sold.

When buying from the EGL Sales Comm I like to see the original Stock photo of all sold items and proof photos.

PICTURES

 I consider Proof and Pictures to be different. When I want pictures I want want to see the clothing or accessories in different lighting, pictures of all imperfections from small snags to any discoloring of the fabric.

 The more pictures that are taken of the item being sold, the more I get to know it before I buy it.

See what your buying from all angles, not just one.

PRICE

 Look at the asking price in relation to the item and everything you know about it. If you are buying a pair of shoes that sold new for $200 and the seller is only asking $45 with shipping, ask yourself why. Yes, you've seen the pictures of a scuff or two and maybe the back heels have a few scratches, but that wouldn't lower the price that much.

Find out how old the item is, how many other owners it's had, how often it was worn, things like that.

 There are other things I look for, but these are the three major ones. Now there are times when an item will pass all check points and still turn out wrong, but it's rare and things happen.

So Be aware of what you're buying and go through a checklist of your own before pressing the 'Pay Now' button.

 Happy Shopping!

Product Review: Circus: by Andrea's Choice

Hello Lovelies~ 

 I recently signed up for a monthly mystery beauty bag and what I haven't been thrilled with the items this far, there was one that stood out this month. 

I receive a nail polish by Andera's Choice called 'Reverso', from the Circus collection. 

     I had to review this polish because it's hard to find a good white polish, but this particular polish is 100% vegan and cruelty free! It's really hard to find products like that that are comparable to commercial products we know to be tried and true.

And get a load of the packaging!!!

How cool is that? The colors are great and you just pop the top and inside is the polish. You could keep the polish in the tube, or you could find another use for it. I turned mine into a holder for my eyeshadow brushes.

  The color I received is 'Reverso'. 

 I was both pleased and disappointed in the color. It has its it's pros and cons. Do you remember when you were first starting to paint you nails when you were...say....5 or 6 and thought painting White Out on your nails made you all grown up?...>.>.....I can't have been the only one to do that.....o.o....Anyways. This reminds me of that. It smells like White Out and is just as thick, the first coat is a bit streaky and the polish gets tacky, but it dries VERY fast. By the time i was done with my second hand, my first hand was done and ready for a second coat.   

The second coat smoothed everything out, as second coats tend to do, and I was pleased with the final product.

Below is a picture of my nails after the first coat. 

  Now, I'm not one for pure white nails, it's just not my color, But! Another great point for this color is that it's a great base color for sheer colors!

Above is a picture of my nails with a light coat of O.P.I's 'Princesses Rule' painted on top of the 'Reverso'.

 I really liked how that turned out, but I didn't stop there.  I am working on a new nail technique that lightly outlines the nail in another color. I haven't got it down yet, but here is my second attempt.

Over all I think this manicure took....22 mins. I did my nails and only waited 5 mins for the extra polishes to dry, then went right to bed and nothing smudged or smeared at all.

 OK! So, Here is the break down.... Out of 5.

Shipping: ?-5 N/A I received this polish from a mystery bag, so I didn't actually have to pay shipping.

Price: ?-5 N/A. This collection won't be available until Fall 2012, but the moment i find out the price, I'll let you know.

Quality: 4-5 For a vegan product, I really liked it. It had a good consistency and dried fast. I was very impressed with this polish and will be getting the other colors when I can.

RESULTS: This is a yes and a must for girls who like sheer colors can can't find a good base color. 

 http://www.circusbyandrea.com/ <--- go check out the home page for this wonderful polish and stalk it until you can get a bottle for yourself ^_^

Violet LeBeaux's Etsy Shop Review!

 Hello Lovelies~

        Last week my good friend and well known Australian blogger, Violet LeBeaux, opened her first Etsy store and while I my budget glared at me, I still clicked the yellow 'pay now' button and bought a pretty bracelet in support!

 I bought the Pink Pearl bracelet with Acrylic Burgamot charm.

I don't know what I was expecting, but I should've known Violet wouldn't do anything by half measures! Not only did I get the bracelet, but I received one of her super cute business cards, a thank you note, a small flier that told about Violet's blog, and a hand written note which made it all the more special.

 So here is a picture of my purchase after a removed it from the shipping package.

Here is the personal note she included.

And finally the Bracelet!!!

I wish the bracelet was a few beads larger, but the quality is great. The charm is laser cut and feels scratch resistant which is good because I travel a lot and my jewelery goes were I go.

So, over all .... Out of 5

 Shipping: 5-5    It came really fast! I was so surprised. I ordered it one week and a week and a half later it arrived. I was really pleased.

Quality: 5-5  I really like the bracelet is just as advertised. There are no flaws and it's a absolutely beautiful.

 Price: 5-5 It was less than I expected! $14.75, from Australia to the US, shipping included. it was a good price.

This bracelet is a great addition to any jewelery box. It makes me feel like a princess when I wear it ^_^

Buy your own at http://www.etsy.com/shop/VioletLeBeaux?ref=af_you_favshop

Estee Lauder's Spring Trend Event!

Hello Lovelies~

 Today I attended the Trend event held by Estee Lauder at my local Younkers. here is what I wore today.

Today I wore my Pink and Blue plaid Baby, the Stars Shine Bright JSK, my Baby head round, and my new crochet wedges.

I took off my hair accessories and this is a picture of me after primer, concealer, foundation, and powder.

This the lovely makeup artist that did my foundation and lay the ground work for my eyes to be done by the amazing National Makeup Artist, Suzanne Carr.

This is my mom! Isn't her make up beautiful?

This is how my eyes turned out! I love this look and it is SO easy! I'll demonstrate it soon.

And this is the finished look!!! I am so pleased with how it turned out.

Here is the make up card she created for me of the make up so I can do it myself at home.

And this is Suzanne. Isn't she beautiful?! She is a wonderful lady and I was so pleased to get to meet her. Having her do my make up was an amazing honor.

This is my good friend Den. She is always beautiful, but her make up artist really enhanced her features.

And at the end of the day, this is the haul and just think....I only spent $30 ^_^  (please ignore the dishes ^^; My mum set it all out and I took the pictures before I realized.)

Make-up Shots 7-6-12 and 7-7-12

Hello Lovelies~

  Everyone has a favorite feature they like to play up when they do their make up. For some it's their lips, for others it's cheeks, for me, it's my eyes. I thought I'd show you a few of the looks I've been wearing the last few days.

7- 6- 12

Upper Eyeliner : Black Kohl
Lower Eyeliner : Turquoise
Eyeshadow : Bubble from Elizabeth Arden, which is a blue gold mix

7 - 7 -12

The shadows in my room did a strange play off of the violet eyeliner, but it is very amazing to see in person.

 Upper Eyeliner : Urban Decay's Woodstock and Estee Lauder's Violet blended at the inner and outer corners.
 Lower Eyeliners : Turquoise and Estee Lauder's Violet
 Eyeshadow : Light pink

So that's what I've been wearing lately ^_^ I'm really enjoying playing with my makeup.

 On a side note, if you notice the time stamp on all four pictures says 7-7-12, it's because I took one set before I went to bed this morning and the other after I got up.

Outfit post 7 - 3 - 2012

Hello Lovelies~

   Happy Fourth!!!!!! I have a busy day planned so today is just an outfit post. Sadly it's yesterday's outfit, but I hope to have pictures of todays up later.  Enjoy your holiday!!!

Look!!! New shoes!!!! ^_^ They are so comfy! I even caught them on 40% off of Clearence, it was a heck of a deal.

Product Reveiw: Living Proof: No Frizz Styling Cream

Hello Lovelies~

 I recently signed up for a monthly makeup bag and while the first bag I got in June was a bit of a let down and not worth showing off, but I did get one product I really liked!

                           Living Proof's Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream

I am not one to normally use styling products in my hair. but my hair is very dry and this summer is just making it worse!

 To use: Liberally coat your damp hair from root to tip. Then comb through and either allow to dry, or style as usual.

I let mine dry before styling, just for reference. Below is a picture of the product in my hair. As you can see my hair isn't weighed down or saturated, which was nice because it didn't take forever to dry after the cream was applied.

Once dry, my hair was soft and felt like velvet. I could actually run my fingers through my hair!!

   And this is the result after styling!!!  On a 98 degree day with a humidity of 67%, my hair stayed smooth and curly rather than a frizzy mess.

This is just one product in a whole line of hair care products which included Shampoo, Conditioner, a Leave in Conditioner, a Styling Spray, and the Styling Cream.

 As for the price, at . 2 oz. for $15, 4 oz. for $26, and 8 oz. for $36, it is more expensive than your average styling product. I used a little less than 2 oz. on my hair, but most people don't have hair that reaches their hips, so 2 oz. might got further for some than others.

RESULTS: I would recommend this for anyone that has difficult to style or dry hair. This product has no silicons or oils, it's sulfate free and leave the hair beautifully manageable, even the next day.