I went to the Franklin Institute's Science After Hours Speakeasy event and wanted to do my nails in a fancy and classy way, so naturally I reached for my Lace Noir wraps! These have a gorgeous black lace pattern that is clear so you can put it over top of any nail polish color that you wish! I chose Zoya's Odetta because its a really nice mauvey purple shade.
I really liked how my nails looked over this color, however I think the next time I use this wrap I will put an even lighter color underneath to bring out the lace pattern even more. The nails looks really cool up close however from farther away they just looked dark.
Regardless I definitely enjoyed this manicure and am already trying to decide which color to put under this wrap next!
While out shopping with my friend we took a necessary stop at Sephora. It wasn't quite December yet but I was really hoping they would give me my birthday gift and luckily they did! While checking out I spotted these super cute Kat Von D Vs Formula X packs of a matching lipstick and nail polish duo. I looove Kat Vond D so naturally I made an impulse buy and picked one up. Naturally I snatched the purple one.
On the front the lipstick looks like a gorgeous deep purple.
And this assumption is confirmed on the back of the packaging. this looks purple right? Right!?
Well I got this box home and opened it up only to find it contained Poe, a shimmery navy shade. I wanted a deep blue lipstick anyway....but seriously? At least advertise with the correct colors. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed as I was definitely expecting a purple lipstick as shown. But live and let die, right?
Here is what you get for the $15 price tag. the lipstick is decently sized but I was definitely expecting a larger nail polish considering last year I got two full sized Formula X polishes for $10.
In the bottle the nail polish looks very purple and shimmery and beautiful but as we will see it doesn't apply as such. I have no idea what color this is as it doesn't specify anywhere.
Even just looking inside you can see how blue it appears, not at all like the outside.
And yep its pretty darn navy. Sometimes in the right light you can see purple shimmer but overall its a very dark blue. In a lack of light it almost looks black. Excuse the little slivers of felt...they got stuck to my nails and I didn't notice...
I won't lie, I like this nail polish I just can't believe Kat Von D would advertise this as purple.....
Its lasted a full 24 hours so far without chipping and that is pretty long for me, as I'm really hard on nail polish.
And here's Poe! It is definitely not purple. Not even close. Its a gorgeous blue but...Why Kat Von D....Why put a picture of purple lips on the box....why....
In this picture sample size Poe is next to full sized Wolfsmouth. You get a pretty decent amount of product and the tiny size makes it much easier to apply. I wouldn't want to spend the full price on this as its a color I wouldn't wear often so I am happy I now own it in a mini size.
On the lips it is a very stunning deep blue. Not too deep that it looks black but deep enough that it is wearable. It has tiny specks of gold shimmer that honestly isn't too terribly noticeable. My friend did a guest post on my blog reviewing this lipstick and she said it was very patchy and dry. I haven't experienced this at all with Poe. It is very possible that they have revamped their formula to be better, as she bought this lipstick a year ago. This goes on creamy, even, and opaque. I feel its much more moisturizing than Wolfsmouth which actively cracks my lips after wearing it all day.
Overall I'm very happy with the products but a bit confused why it was decided to put blue products into a purple box.
Today I will be reviewing a subscription box much different than any I have reviewed before. Introducing....Black Box Subscriptions! This is a gothic themed box that is shipped once a month for $20, or $40 for the deluxe coffin shaped box. I'm poor so I am receiving the standard. This subscription service is owned by Vixx Secundus who not only owns and operates this service but is also in a band called Axis! I first found out about this subscription service from randomly browsing Youtube unboxing videos. I watched a few and instantly fell in love and subscribed the very next day. The current months box ships out late in the month usually between the 20th and the 30th so you generally only get it during the month after being billed. I think this is a bit strange but as long as I get a box every time I pay $20, I can't really complain!
According to the website this is what every standard box contains
Black Nail Polish
1 piece of makeup
1-2 accessories
2 pieces of jewelry
Goodies-pencils, stickers, candy
Mystery gift
And here is my box! As you can see you get a wide variety of goodies including jewelry, makeup, candy (which I accidentally ate before taking these pictures), bath and body products, and random goodies. The variety this box offered is a major reason as to why I subscribed. I'm kind of tired of getting only makeup so I think this box is a great way for me to get more than makeup in style that I love! Before receiving your box Vixx will send you a survey that you fill out explaining what you like so she can make the box match your personal tastes a much as possible. As a result these boxes are often vastly different for every person, which was another selling point for me.
Let's take a closer look at what I received!!
Wet n Wild Nail Polish in Black Creme
A black nail polish is included in every single box as a kind of staple. I was happy to get this as my only other black nail polish is pretty crappy. I know Wet n Wild is just a drug store brand but in my experience they have some amazing products despite the low price tag. However because I use Jamberry more than nail polish now I can see these accumulating very quickly.
Obviously the first thing I did was paint my nails with it. Then I stupidly realized I hadn't put my rats away so I had to do that with semi wet nails, so that's why they seem a bit scratched up. Oops!
Where to buy: drugstores, Amazon, Walmart
Price: $1
Color Mates Lipstick in Black Orchid with Clear Lip Liner
I also received a lipstick and lipliner combo in a really pretty deep red shade. I have never heard of Color Mates before but judging by the packaging quality and overall feel of the lipstick this is more than likely a drugstore brand. Even if it is cheap I can't deny getting a lip liner and lipstick in one go is a pretty awesome deal! Additionally I didn't sign up for this subscription box for the makeup, as I already have a ton, I signed up for the accessories, so getting cheap makeup products doesn't bother me if the rest of the value is going towards the other items.
As you can see it really is a lovely deep red. This is a very nice color for fall and I'll definitely be wearing it. As far as the wear goes, it is very creamy and seems as though it would be moisturizing however from my experience the creamier the lipstick the lower the wear time. I haven't had a chance to wear this out yet but hopefully it performs well.
Where to buy: Amazon, Dollartree
Price: $1
Gold Moon Hair Accessory
I received one accessory this month and it was a gold moon hair clip. This thing is seriously so freaking adorable but unfortunately I'm not sure if I'll be keeping it. First of all its gold and I really don't like gold jewelry in any form because it clashes with my skin tone. Also the clip is just a metal snap in kind of thing which means it slides right out of my short hair.
Here it is in my hair but I definitely will not be able to wear it as such. I'm either thinking of turning it into a necklace and giving it as a gift to someone who can wear gold jewelry or trying to find a way to fasten it to my bookbag because I do think it would look really nice contrasting with my dark purple bag.
However I decide to use it I'm glad I got this because it will either become a decoration or a Christmas gift!
Where to buy: Aliexpress.com
Price: $1
Bronze Cameo Black Velvet Choker
My first piece of jewelry is this elegant black velvet choker featuring a bronze framed cameo. I asked for a black velvet choker in my survey but once again this is unfortunately not silver. however I feel like I could pull this off a bit better than the bright gold hair clip as it is an antiqued bronze kind of metal and is a bit more muted.
Here is a close up of the cameo. The design and detail is so spot on and I love literally everything about it except the bronze.
Here it is on. Maybe its because I'm not used to chokers but I was unable to get this clipped tight enough on my first try. Maybe with some practice I'll get better. I can't wait to wear this out!
Where to buy: Aliexpress.com
Price: $2.50
Silver Moon Necklace
My second piece of jewelry is this amazingly perfect silver rhinestone moon necklace. This is without a doubt my favorite thing from the box this month. It is dainty and cute and sparkly...and just everything I love. I put on my survey that I love anything to do with nature, especially the moon so she definitely fulfilled my moon request! It is a bummer I can't wear the hair clip because these two pieces would work really well together.
Here is the necklace on. I will probably have to adjust the length as it is a bit too long for me. I tend to prefer my necklaces to sit just below my collar bone as I made it do here. I honestly don't mind having to make small alterations to jewelry as I already do it to most of the things I buy. I'm fairly picky about length and clasps so I can't expect everything to be perfectly tailored for me.
Where to buy: Aliexpress.com
Price: $1.50
Orange Halloween Fortune Cookie
Oops....so I accidentally devoured the fortune cookie before taking pictures for this review. If you want to see it, it is in the unboxing video I'll post below. I love fortune cookies so for me this was a really awesome treat! Pictured here is the fortune that was inside!
Where to buy: ?
Price: I'd guess about $1
Random Halloween Goodies
The random goodies I received included 4 Halloween stickers, a cute ghosty notepad, and a spooky skull pencil. I will probably be giving the notepad and stickers to my boyfriends sister as a Halloween present but the pencil is definitely mine. I love pencils.
Where to buy: ?
Price: Maybe $1.50 for all three?
Rose and Lavender Bath Salt
My mystery item this month is a bath salt! This item was actually made by Vixx herself. I had to ask on Facebook to actually obtain this information however, I definitely wish she had a little sticker or card with some info so I could have known without asking what this was. Anyway I asked on Facebook about this item and her reply was as follows: "They are Rose & Lavender scented bath salts made with Epsom and Sea Salts with rose petals."
Awesome! I happen to love the rose and lavender combo so I can't wait to use these next time I take a relaxing bath! :)
Where to buy: ?
Price: $2-3 perhaps?
While I was a bit bummed by the bronze and gold pieces I really liked everything else that I received, especially the silver moon necklace. By doing some quick Google searching it seems she gets a lot of her inventory from Aliexpress. I personally don't have a problem with this as I have made purchases from Wish.com, a similar kind of store. Also all my jewelry items feel sturdy and of high quality, so even if the price is low as long as the items seem like they will last I am happy. Because I always do a box total tally with all my subscription boxes, this one comes out to an estimated $10-13 not including the cost to ship the items or the final box. Generally the value of each individual item totals up to more than thesubscription box price, but the more mainstream boxes are getting the items at a very cheap price, while I doubt Vixx, running the small business that she is, has that same luxury. I really don't mind paying a little more for these items as they are being hand selected for me, and the element of surprise is also really fun.
Therefore I will probably keep subscribing to this box for a few more months to see what else I may receive.
I wish that there was a way to change my survey because I definitely want to emphasize that I do not want any gold jewelry at all. Also I wish it came with a card like most subscription boxes that described each item that was being received, especially for the handmade items. Then I wouldn't have to guess whether this is bath powder or some other product, and if I love it I'd know where to get more.
This weeks manicure is a mix of polish and Jamberry! I think Jams are going to become a staple in my polish looks. My experience with them has been great and I can see using them all the time. For this nail look I will be reviewing a Jam sample, a nail polish I got in an Ipsy bag, and a nail polish I got for free.
My Jams from last week could have lasted a few more days but I was really itching to change things up so I took them off. I had a watercolor flower patterned Jam I really wanted to try out so I paired it with a hot pink and mint colored polish.
The Jam is Faded Bouquet and while I think its a cool design I'm not sure I'd buy it. I was a bit sad that with the sample I got the pink flower was in the middle of the strip, meaning it didn't make it onto my nail. that was supposed to help tie in the hot pink a bit. The nail on my other hand doesn't have any pink showing at all. Oh well. At least I don't have to worry about it chipping for the next week or so.
The pink polish I got in my April Ipsy glam bag and it was my absolute favorite product that month! I really like this nail polish. I almost didn't even need two coats it goes on so opaque. The formula is also not too thick and not too thin. Its a really nice polish overall. Its by Julie G, a branch of Jesse's Girl cosmetics, and the color is Damsel.
The mint color is by Wet n Wild from their Spoiled collection. The color is Mar-zi-panna. My opinion of this one is the opposite, I really don't like it. The formula is thick and more gel like which I hate in a nail polish. It was difficult to apply neatly as the brush is huge. It also took forever to dry....the pink was good so I started doing things and ended up botching up my pinky because even though the pink was dry...the mint wasn't :/
They definitely make a statement but in a cute and spring themed way!
Overall, I think this mani is adorable and perfect for spring!
This is another manicure that started out simple but the longer I spent studying the more I kept randomly adding to it. It's just a coincidence that I used all Zoya polishes for this look, haha.
The gradient blue into the purple with the light sparkle at the base kind of makes me think of fairy wings :D
For the base I used Hudson which is an incredibly pretty metallic lilac. I love this color so so so so very much for spring. I then gentle used Mosheen to create a blue sparkle gradient from the tip of my nails. Finally I took Lux and created a light half circle at the base of my nails. Now my nails are sparkly fairy wings.
I actually sketched out this fairy two days ago, perhaps when I color her in photoshop I'll base her wings off of this manicure!
So a few days ago my mom hosted an online Jamberry party and the hostess sent out free samples to anyone who asked. Smitten was the sample I received so I used it to create this black and white mixed mani! I ended up buying four wraps during the online party so prepare for me to be reviewing and posting those! I'm all about this new nail wrap trend.
The sample of Smitten I got was actually the smallest size meant for the pinky but because I have very thin nails I was able to wear it on my pointer finger. Luckily the jams are easy to cut so its no problem trimming them down a bit to get the perfect fit on my nail. For this look I first painted all my nails with Flormar's matte nail enamel in M02 Satin Black which I picked up in Turkey. Obviously I put top coat over it so the matte effect is lost but its my only black nail polish at the moment....I then stuck on my nail wrap. Application went much better this time since I used the baggie method and an eraser to help apply pressure. Finally I took my white nail art pen from Sephora's nail kit and drew on the designs.
I'm all about this manicure and I would definitely do this again. I can see myself using Jamberry as accents and doing my own nail art to create a mixed mani fairly often.
My mom has been using these Jamberry nail wraps for a few months now. She does all her fingers in about 10 minutes and they look perfect. I've watched her do it a few times and it didn't look so hard. I knew my first attempt would be less than wonderful so I thought I'd document it for you all to see. Be warned this is my no means an indicator of how Jamberry will work for you. Like I said my mom is a master, I believe it probably just takes some practice to get right.
I'll be using the clear nail wraps in Silver Floral. My mom gave me the 4 biggest sizes which you can cut down to fit any of your nails.
I took the biggest one, cut it in half, and then cut it in half again to get two small bits. Make sure you line it up with your nails first to make sure it will still be big enough after cutting. I then trimmed the bottoms to round them off so they would sit on my nail bed correctly.
So first you peel off the wraps and hold them in front of a heat source for a few seconds until they become pliable. I used a mini hair dryer that I sat on the floor.
After getting it soft I stuck it on my nail and flatted it out as best as I could. Obviously I had a heck of a lot of bubbles and bumps since there's no way to get a feel for how to apply these best on your first attempt. After flattening it down you are supposed to hold it in heat for another few seconds so the wrap binds to your nail.
This next part is where I ran into my first real issue. You are supposed to file away the excess, which has worked fine for me with other stick on nail wraps but for whatever reason I could not break through these no matter how much I filed. I'm not sure why because I've watched my mom file them off in seconds...maybe my file is just that crappy. I had to instead take some nail clipper and clip my nails every so slightly to get it even with my nail.
Overall this looks pretty neat and even though mine are filled with air bubbles I'm hoping I can get better at it with some practice. The nail polish is Zoya's Belinda.
This is an example from the Jamberry website of what you get for $15. f you are smart about how you use these one $15 pack can produce a lot of uses. If your nails are not long you can cut all of these in half and instantly double the amount like I did.
They are supposed to last 2 weeks on your finger nails and 3 weeks on your toenails. That's pretty good considering my nail polish starts to chip after only 2 days.
Also I wanted to note that this specific type of nail wrap is metallic and the metallics are the hardest to use. Of course I would start with the most difficult.....so if you want to purchase from Jamberry consider starting with a non metallic until you get the hang of application.
My mom is having an online Facebook party so I may be getting more of these to show you! In the meantime I'm going to keep practicing.
So I hadn't even really expected to do this. I had painted my nails with the Lancome polish my boyfriends mom gave me and then a day later got really bored and randomly started outlining my nails in black. I then realized that I was only a few dots of white away from making them look straight from a comic book.
I began by painting my nails with Lancome's 147M Rouge Valentine. I then outlined them with a black Sephora nail art pen. Finally I added the white highlights with the white version of said pen. They are both from Sephora's nail art kit which I really like so far.
I think these have the neatest effect from farther away. This is a cute idea but I fear the concept is lost on and not noticed by a lot of people. Not sure if I'd bother doing this again.
Every time I go home I like to sneak over to my mom's room and pick out one of her nail polishes to use. She has a ton so its always fun to try something new! This time a certain color really caught my eye because of its intense shimmer and awesome color shifts.
That nail polish is Off The Grid by Sparitual. I had never heard of this brand but I'm pleased with it so far. The polish went on opaque and easily. It also lasted a few days before chipping badly. My favorite thing about it is the really neat color shift from blue to green to yellow. It was hard to capture via camera but believe me when I say this color is breathtaking in person!
I received a Sephora nail art kit for Christmas and have been trying to experiment with all the different tools. Today I decided to use the white polish that comes with a pen fixture, perfect for drawing or dotting!
To get this look I applied Zoya's Noot (I use this so much I might actually run out!) and then put a matte top coat over it. I use Sally Hansen's Big Matte top coat. I then took the little Sephora dotting pen and dotted away! It was so easy and the result is so cute! I love the minimalism.
I can't believe those weird bulgy dot things on my nails! Even when I examine my nails close up I can barely make out the raised bumps....my camera plus the lighting must have seriously brought them out. So sorry for their unsightliness. My nails look flawless in real life I promsie! Haha.
Ok yeah I know Valentine's Day was a while ago but with my camera dying I kind of have a backlog of posts. Oops! So even though its past here are my nails that I did for Valentine's Day!
For the base I used Formula X in Voodoo which is a absolutely gorgeous light metallic pink. Then I took Demi by Zoya which is a dark berry shade and tipped each of my nails except for my ring finger where I instead drew a cute little heart. I couldn't take this picture until a few days after Valentine's Day so I had to do a bit of touching up, that's why they look a little less than perfect. Regardless I love my nails and I love these two polishes. Combined they make the perfect cute girly nail design.
So you may or may not have noticed that I did not do an Ipsy glam bag review for January. Well the reason for that is that I was severely disappointed in everything I got except for this little blue nail polish. I about flipped when they sent me yet another bronze eyeshadow. I didn't even open it. I looked at it in disgust and gave it to my mother. I really really really hope I get off the wish list for Notoriously Morbid's monthly Vanishing Cabinet subscription. As soon as I do I might cancel Ipsy. the products are too neutral and boring to suit my tastes.
(I will not get my February bag until March because it always comes so late. I'm hoping I'll like enough products from that bag to write a full review so look forward to that in March!)
Anyway I did like the nail polish that came in last month's bag so I will share it with you!
This nail polish is a brand I had never heard of before, Probelle. I actually went to Ulta shortly after receiving this and saw it on the shelves so either I've been previously blind or this is a new product (however it does not seem that Ulta sells this online so now I'm questioning what I saw). In my bag I got the shade Into The Blue. Let me tell you, this blue is freaking gorgeous! It is the perfect bright sky blue and I can see myself wearing this a lot in spring. It is so fun and flashy!
The quality of this picture isn't the greatest as I took it with my phone while my camera was still dead but I think they came out fairly true to color. The longevity of this polish isn't wonderful but it is still fairly decent. I needed 3 light coats to get a fully opaque color. One will definitely not be enough.
Would I buy anymore polishes by this brand? Probably not unless they had something super unique. I still prefer Zoya.
Speaking of Zoya the little bit of nail art was done using Zoya's Belinda.
My current nail adventure came about by chance. I had a vision and it just kind of took a completely different turn. Initially I was just going to do the pink nails with the silver glitter but because My Voice is a Little Norse does not cover opaquely it looked a bit strange. In order to save my manicure I took Noot, a dark grey, and turned the statement sparkle into an accent stripe. Overall I think they looked pretty cute.
However because I put the grey over the sparkle it acquired a bumpy texture upon drying. I think this would have looked much better if I had done the sparkle strip over top of the pink and grey. Live and learn!
Also Miami Beet looked much redder on my nails than it does in the bottle, which I was a little bummed about because it was supposed to match my dress.
These nails were done to match my dress for a New Years Eve dance. Here is my boyfriend and I looking fancy :)
On my lips I'm wearing OCC Lip Tar in Black Dahlia.
