Jelly Sandwich Manicure

Have you guys heard of this? When I was over at Miranda's blog, I seen her do one and I immediately needed to know what a jelly sandwich was!

It is a manicure that is layered like so: sheer polish/glitter/sheer polish.

 

Not knowing what a jelly mani was a couple weeks ago, I was visiting all of my NOTW only blogs & seen a manicure that was in jelly sammi formation but with a matte polish on top of that. I never even knew I liked matte polishes until I seen this manicure. I wish I could link it but I can't remember where I seen it ): Anyway, it looked incredible!

I used Sally Hansen Hard Core Party & China Glaze Prism

ok quick question? why is that milky light bridal pink called "Hard Core Party"? yah no? Thats a really misplaced name if you ask me. Moving on.



When I first tried it I almost felt like I was breaking a covenant (dramatic) putting a cream finish polish over my glitter. Once I did so, I was pleasantly surprised! As you can tell, the sheer cream finish makes the glitter muted down in a really flattering way! The colors of the glitters in China Glaze's Prism are colors of the rainbow however, because of the purple base you could barely tell when worn by itself.  Here's a really good picture of the glitters up close:

 If there ever was a pastel glitter nail polish, I could fit this manicure into that category


I reminds me of Revlon's Whimsical or Deborah Lippmann's Glitter in the Air. If you follow these links you can see the polishes in action and you will see that they have a different finish.
 


here's some swatches from another blog of those 2 for comparison



or Deborah Lippmann Candy Shop. Pastel Glitter at its best if you ask me. Yum. I want that.

swatch of candy shop from another blog

Yay for Beauty Blog Link Love!

Ok guys, I am clearly getting way of topic (no surprise there!) so just let me know if you guys have tried the jelly mani or if you want to and what glitters/polishes you would use!

 Sending you Glitter's & Kisses!

Love You All!
Erica

What's in my Birchbox + Review

I really loved this months box. The trend seems to be every other month you get a great box & the other months they are crap. So I received my box around 2 weeks ago & I would say that is enough time to try some of the stuff out to give my full opinion on it.

Melvita Rose Floral Water: I am not a fan of the smell of roses & no that is not a metaphor! (yep, really stupid joke!) But this smells like roses & vanilla. That is it. It is a really light, nice, sweet scent. I was surprised to find myself spraying it on my face all day because it smells so good! It says you can use it as both a mild toner & a skin refresher. I have been doing both & while I do not see a huge difference in my skin, it is always nice to use.

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner: This stuff is great. The applicator is actually a marker & it makes for a really precise line. Anyone who is just starting out with liquid liner, I recommend Eyeko's or any type of marker. I glides on really smooth as well. When I realized it was green I really disappointed. I only wear black liquid liner!! I am going to experiement out of my comfort zone because it is such a good product but when it starts to fade, it turns from a deep green (which is doable) into a true medium toned green. Dammit.

The Balm Stainiac: The best thing in this box! Can you believe I have never used a stain? Now that I have tried it, I don't wanna go back to powder or cream! On the cheeks, it looks so very natural, like the color is coming from the skin as opposed to on top of it. It reminds me of the part on Meet Me in St. Louis where Judy Garland pinched her cheeks before going down to join the party. If anyone knows that movie, holla! It's my favorite throwback (: Anyway, the consistency is jelly like as you can see & it outlasts any powder on the cheeky's. <3

swatches:

 Stainiac blended out....

Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream: I initially thought this was for the face. When I opened the package I was pleased to find a flier congratulating me. Very thoughtful! This has the consistency of Vaseline. it is for very dry skin, cracked heels, whatever. I dont really have much of an opinion about it, honestly. I say go buy some Vaseline. Sorry there's no picture, but I bet you can guess what it looks like from above! Nothing special to me!

Cynthia Rowley Designer Band Aids: Did I say Stainiac was my favorite thing? Maybe its these! The best "extra" I have ever gotten! These band aids are freaking cute! I can't wait to get a cut! The price is a little outragous, 20 for $15, so I am really happy to have them as a freebie because I dont think I could ever justify spending that much on band aids.

I love the sequins one! I put it on my finger for no other reason then to show it off! OMG I am a freak (:

So theres my Birchbox for June! I liked it this month. 

What did you guys get in yours? 

Anything different?

xoxo

Erica 

 

(Long Time Coming) Pittsburgh Trip!

Hey! So me & my bf went to Pittsburgh months ago & I was meaning to post something about it but never got around to it. However, I really wanna put these pictures up just so I can have a little section for memories + I think you guys might like this because I took a lot of pictures! It's funny because when ever I go somewhere or do something, I take more pictures of things rather than us people, lol.

Our trip in a nut shell was settling in to our hotel which was nothing special. We did get 2 free drinks upon arrival so that was awesome! I got to drink Philly's second drink because he had to drive & they didn't water anything down, let's put it that way! Then, we went downtown to shop. Unbennounced to us all of the shops close at 6pm on friday! wtf?! 

Then we had tickets to go to the Improv: something we each have never done before. It was a blast! I would compare it to a concert as the music is always better at concerts, the jokes are always funnier at the comedy club. I cant wait to go back. We seen Jon Heffron along with a couple locals btw. I have never heard of Jon but he was really funny! Phil even bought his DVD. We haven't watched it yet but, yah no.

 

 

After that we were pretty drunk & thats why I didn't take any pictures but we went to a bunch of different clubs & bars which are back to back in like a 6 mile span. Pretty awesome

Next day, we went shopping I went shopping while Phil followed. (lol!) Went to eat & that was that! fun little 1 night trip!

That night we went out, the taxi was going like 90 mph & I was drunk! My point being that I was trying to take a picture of city! It was so pretty! I am not used to a city w/ sky scrappers. I live in Youngstown Ohio which has a few smaller high rises. I've lived in Las Vegas which has no high rises (still a gorgeous scene for anyone that been away from the strip, you know how gorgeous the whole city is) I have been to both LA & NYC once. If you want a true city experience, NYC is the place to be but my point is I am just not around a bigger city every day & it was a nice escape for the couple days.

as good as its going to get:

 

 

on our way home we seen the most peculiar thing....so we snapped some scary pictures! I guess I am glad it was such a dreary day. There's a scary crow. This was so bizarre.

That was our trip! Hope you guys liked it!

 

side note: I think I am going to take a quick break from the challenge because I have been wanting to put a couple different non related challenge post's up. 

Till Next Time,

xoxo

Erica

18: Neon Pink!

ok so I am not going in order for the challenge! I will finish the rest in a different order. Day 20 is Pink but I am calling it Day 18.

This nail polish is the most neon polish I have ever seen. I am not joking. Every time I looked down it looked like I had installed pink light bulbs on my nails. Esp. outside. If you do not like really bright colors, this is not for you. I really love it because it is so different & it is unlike any other neon I own. Why, you ask?

Color Club Jackie Oh!

-Dries to a glossy finish

-Only needed 2 coats at most.

-Does not apply streaky at all

-The brightest neon I have ever seen

-Dries rather quickly

other points:

-This chips, just like any other nail polish within 2 days for me. I guess it really depends what top coat you put on it. I guess I need to find a new one!

-It is "see through". Not in a "my mani looks unfinished" way but in a gel manicure way. You can barely tell by the picture because it is the slightest detail. It's not sheer, it's just see through. I thought that was actually pretty cool because it reminds me of a gel manicure.

I think because it dries to a glossy finish it really amplifies the color making it as bright as the sun. I am comparing this neon with Nina's Ultra Pro Nail Polishes that are all mostly neons. You can find those at Sally's if your wanting something not as bright but I honestly think it is wasted money now that I have tried Color Club's Jackie Oh! With Nina's Ultra Pro Nail Polishe in Punki Pink (neon pink), I applied (no freaking joke) 10-12 coats on my piggy's & it was still extremely sheer. Not the good kind, the bad kind! (see above!). That also dried to a matte finish which is fine: I could work with it. It was just way too sheer.

I got this nail polish in my Birchbox actually! I have been loving Birchbox lately, esp. this month! I think that means another installment of "Best of Birchbox" is coming up soon!

Thank you for reading,

xoxo

Erica

17: Trendy Tangerine Lips!

Today was "a style/item that screams you" for the challenge & what I am really all about is trends. A lot of people I know don't like trends & others don't think it is something you should even be proud of! What?! I love them! I love following them, I love making them my own, I love being the first one to know about them & apply them! I know all of you girls can agree with me. That's why I love you all :) My favorite trend has been nothing more than the color of the year, Tangerine Tango, on my lips!

this is the true color! yum!

I have 2 orange lip colors. Avon's Tangerine (fitting) & Revlon's Siren.

You can see Avon's Tangerine in action when I channeled Kourtney Kardashian a while back. Lately I have been really loving Avon's lipsticks. They have really nice packaging & their lipsticks are both pigmented & moisturizing. I will speak on Avon's lipsticks as a whole later, but for know, let's bask in all of the tangerine glory. Dorky, I know. Anyway, this line is called "Color Rich Moisture Seduction". Sooo much better than Revlon Lip Butters!

Revlon's Siren is even better, being a true orange. This is what I have been wearing on a daily basis. Like every day. It surprisingly reminds me of a matte lipstick. It is not marketed as a matte lipstick, however. When you apply it, it doesn't feel like it is drying or moisturizing. Somewhere in the middle. As the day goes on, I notice that my lips get slightly dry. A chap-stick will fix this problem really easy. It's truly not a problem as long as my lips stay orange all day. & they always do! I have put it to the test a number of times & it lasts for anywhere up to 3-4 hours I would say. This has been my current obsession. God, I love this lipstick. I wanna bathe in it. I dunno how that would be possible but yah no.

(left) is Revlon's Siren. You can see that is truly a bright orange! (right) is Avon's Tangerine. If you play it safe more often than not, this one is more wearable as it is a true tangerine, but with a pink undertone. Which ever one you go for this season, you can't lose! They are both amazing!

I esp. love this color because 1. It is summer. Bright colors are a requirement. 2. If I am wearing these I do not feel apt to wear much makeup. Concealer, Blush/Bronzer hybrid, eye liner, mascara, & maybe a matte crease color but other than that it is an easy way to make yourself look done up with out putting in the time. & honestly in the summer, who has the time to do anything but hang out outside? & blog of course. :)

Are you rocking the orange lips these days?

whats is your current obsession?

xoxo

Erica

 

15: Breezy Bronzey Face & Makeup

So Day 15 (or in my case post 15) is a FOTD. I have had this idea in my back pocket for a while now & it came together really nicely! I hope you guys like it!

Looking at this picture, I think if I was going to dinner I would probably line my lash line. It looks too casual for me for me to wear out to eat or to a club or something. But for every day, it is perfect.

But I have been wearing this look everyday as you see in the picture! (minus the heavy, Revlon Colorstay foundation! too hot!) I usually go for some sort of base color (usually it's Nyx's Jumbo Pencil in Milk) but I just have been lazy! plus, I do not feel like layering things in this hot weather & I must say this is a really awesome subtle look! Go me!

I swear sometimes pictures just don't do it justice!

Face

Revlon Color Stay Foundation

Revlon Photo Ready Concealer

mark. blush in Urban Glow a peachy coral

Laura Gellar Baked Blush N Brighten in Honey Dipped contour

Nyx Tango with Bronze Powder in Confessions of a Tanaholic all over face

Nuxe Dry Oil in Golden Shimmer highlights of face

Eyes

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Wet N Wild In Getting Sunburned (Shocker!)

-Pink on lid

-Gold balls of eyes & in tear duct

-Stila Coco in crease (matte brown)

-Stila Smudge Stick Liner in Moray (a deep olive green) in water line

-Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips liner in Brown in water line too

-Revlon Color Stay Liner in Black (tight line)

Lips

Avon Ultra Color Rich Lipstick in Twinkle Pink

Smashbox Lip Gloss in Illume

I am in love with this lip combo! A blog to come on it soon enough (:

& BTW, I am doing another challenge on my personal blog! I dont know what is with me & these challenges but if you wanna join in or check it out, it is Meet Miss Jackson!

If you wanna join this challenge, Day 1 has all of the info for each day! If you decide to do it let me know please! thank you guys!

xoxo

Erica

14: Something Glamorous: Turning Eye Dust into a Mani

 This hit me like a ton of bricks today. Why have a I never thought of it before? I have a couple of Jesse's Girl Eye Dust's & only break them out on special occasions. I have been eying that caviar manicure for weeks now & while looking through blogs online, I seen a post about Jesse's Girl Eye Dust's & then it hit me! I could put that on my freaking nails!

It's quite simple really. Paint your nails whatever color you desire. In this case I used L'Oreal's Club Prive. I I am also using Jesse's Girl Eye Dust in Pixie Dust

• This polish color is pretty sheer and while I painted around 5 coats on every nail, I only did 2 coats on the nail I was going to put the eye dust on, aka my bling finger. 
• Once that dries, paint your top coat on. Your only going to want to wait around 15 seconds for the top coat to dry because you don't want it to dry fully. Just enough so it is slightly dry but also tacky enough to hold the eye dust in place. 
• Then, grab a brush you never use & dip it in your eye dust (or any loose pigment) 
• Now, carefully put it in your nail(s) in a dabbing motion. Don't use a painting motion. It will mess up your nails!
• Add another top coat once that dries fully. 
• Show off your nails! Tell everyone you thought of it all by yourself! I wont tell : )

The Paint job you see is one that was done a day before. The Pixie Dust I done an hour before the pictures. As you can see L'Oreal's polish as already chipped. Not too bad but I mean c'mon!

It's Alex's birthday tonight so we are having a bon fire here. Alex's birthday always marks to the start of summer to us. Mine always marks the end, Oct. 8th. I guess it works out perfectly! What are you guys doing tonight? Anything fun? As always, thank you so much for stopping by!

Have you ever thought of anything wildly creative such as this?!

What's on your Nails?

sending lots of creative Pixie Dust your way,

xoxo

Erica