Make up for older women

I found a new blog I like, so I thought I'd share it. :)
http://www.makeupforolderwomen.com/ 

What I like about it: She isn't about the "standard" make up beliefs about what colors older gals should/shouldn't wear. She's about teaching you how to use what you love in better ways.

Check out her Shiny or Matte Foundation video...what an eye opener!

So glad I found this blog...are there other's out there for us older gals that I can follow.. I got Evil Angel on my blog roll and I love her looks too. :)

Fashionista Nails Review

Recently, a dear friend I met a few years ago in another world (yes, another world) contacted me to let me know she was creating a product I just might be interested in.  Since we met in that other world, we've become friends in this one and she's seen the many photos of my fingernails I post up at Facebook, and she joined the "Nail Polish Collectors" group there. Fantastic group by the way, join us! Erin of the Tropical Mind Blog started the group and we share photos, lemmings, whatever. If you haven't joined that party, you are missing some fun (and maybe missing out on contributing some fun too!)

I digress.

My friend Esther and I chatted a bit and she offered to send me some rough samples.  I'm talking about something I've been tweeting and facebooking about for a few weeks now. Fashionista Nails!  

Ok, I know what you're thinking: "Everyone is doing nail covers. I've seen them, don't need to see anymore." Let me tell you and then show you what's different about these.

1. They are water decals, not stickers. Full nail coverage in a water decal. This means easy removal folks, this means you can move them around until you get them placed where you want them without messing them up.

2. They are precut so you just do a little snip snip and they're ready to play with.

3. They wear like regular nail polish, so if you keep the tips touched up, they'll last for a few weeks providing you stay out of water and all the regular things you want to avoid to keep your manicure looking nice.

4. And this is the best one: They are sheer...but not so sheer that you can't see the beautiful designs on your nails, but oh the fun I had with this part! You put them on over nail polish 

The first set I tried was named, "Seduce" and I wasn't crazy about it on the paper, but I put it on over Orly Glitz and Glamour to make the lines pop and it worked. I'm rogue like that...I read the instructions and then interpret them my own way.  Take a look: (and you can click pics to make them larger)

I will tell you now, that manicure is a week old there. :)  I got lots of compliments on this manicure.

So, I wore some other colors and took my time cutting out the next set...so that when I sat down, I could do them all and see how long application would take in the new format (precut!)  After laying down the polish bases, it took me about 20 mins to do the whole decal application/sealing thing. So it adds about the same amount of time as a basic Konad design, but you get a bit more...and you can konad over this stuff, add bling or what ever the creative muse tells you to do.

For the second set: "Fever" I decided to play around with the base color. On my pinkies I used a Pink Foil from Europe that has no name, ring fingers got Orly Glitz and Glamour again, Middle got Nfu Oh #61, forefingers got a coat of Sally Hansen Celeb City (or some similar silver foil) and the thumbs were a base of China Glaze Millenium.  So you can see how the different base colors can change the overall look. Check it out (and remember to click!)

These photos were also taken about a week into the manicure...so I remain impressed. I couldn't see the wrinkles that the macro setting sees.
I love how the ring finger looks more festive in a holiday kind of way...and the holo underneath the design is just amazing. My favorite one.

See?

Overall, I will probably get a few more to keep around for special occasions when I want to rock something completely different that allows for me to add my own twist. 

I think the price is right there with the "norm" for manicure items similar to this, but this is more versatile and honestly, it was fun to have a different base color under each one...kind of an artful skittle. 

I made a video and when I figure out how to post it to my Youtube from my phone, I'll post it up. You have to see the holo in action.

Fashionista Nails has a Facebook Page and a Twitter account in case you want to follow them. Last week they gave away a couple sets to followers. But you can see the designs here: http://www.fashionistanails.com/designs

What do you think of these?

Raging H&M - from the vault

From Last Summer when my nails were long, I give you H&M Fashionista with Orly Rage on the tippy tips:

Sorry for the sideways shots, I guess I uploaded without straightening them out. I really love the 2 H&M polishes that I own thanks to swaps with friends in other countries...Now I know I can send my son to the Seattle store and just pick them up when I go visit. :) 

Enjoy!

I've joined the Cult! (Warning Picture heavy!)

Cult Nails that is...I have to be brutally honest here, because we all know Maria, the lines creator/owner, is a fellow blogger and a friend to many of us.

I wasn't going to purchase this nail polish. Another purple gray I didn't need. Not even really a fan of gray polish, but it's starting to grow on me thanks to my son's color preferences and I have to say he's right...desaturated colors look best with skin. I digress.

I purchased this polish because I've been following Maria's blog almost from the beginning post and I didn't want to NOT have it. Like Landa over at Bright Lights Big Color, I too wanted an Autographed bottle to have in my collection to enjoy as Maria's star rose into the limelight.

I got my bottle last Monday and applied it Tuesday night. At first, I found the formula a bit thick, but as I learned to work with it, I really began to appreciate it! It stayed RIGHT where I put it and, as so many other reviews have pointed out, it just about applied itself. And I have to say, this polish wears like IRON. The pictures you are about to see are from Saturday afternoon (sun) and Sunday afternoon (shade).  I've worked them too, filing at work, pushing plenty of paper - and we all know what that can do to tipwear! I've torn boxes apart, plenty of typing and dishes too...without gloves...I had to know. :)

I wasn't a huge fan of the price, but it matches the quality so I'll not complain any more! I do believe she's created a formula to rival that of Rescue Beauty Lounge. Yes, I said it and I mean it.
Ok, enough gushing, here are pictures after 4 and 5 days of wear. This is three coats over base coats with top coat of Seche Vite. On my left forefinger I have added a coat of Lippmann's On a Clear Day and I think it's love. It's subtle in the photos, but it's noticeably shinier to my eye.

 These are all of my left hand.

 And here is the right hand

Chanel Black Pearl...Ho Hum

I swatched the mighty lemming last night at Nordstroms and left it there after comparing it to real black pearls in the jewelry department.  I love black pearls and so I was excited to see if it was worth the hype.

I have to say, for me, it isn't. But then I really wanted it to look like a black pearl on my nails. In my opinion, this color is too green. That would be ok, but there should be some brown duochrome in there to make it work like a real pearl.

I realize that the black pearl comes in many tones, from gray to brown to green and even almost silver, but they all have a duochrome that is, sadly lacking in this polish.

So today, while trying to cram all the new polish in with my existing stash, I rooted through the stash to find comparable shades that might make my fussy ass happy!  I found it in Misa's "It's You!"  It's got the right balance of green/brown duochrome with just a little too much sparkle to completely pull it off but, I can keep my 25 bucks and have the color I want don my nails anytime I want it to. :)

That makes me happy!

Here are a few comparison shots: Thumb is always Chanel Black Pearl. (I realize my cuticles look like hell, just look at the pretty colors!) But first, let's begin with a few pictures of some ACTUAL Black Pearls:

Source

With Gosh Purple Heart (too much like Nubar Peacock Feathers and Borghese Stellar Notte ie: too much purple)

With Nubar Moon Shadow (thought the brown might work, but nope, it shows up very purple too.)

Sally Hansen Prisms Emerald Amethyst is actually very close, just reversed, but I can live with that.

And with Misa "It's You!"  is an almost perfect dupe only better! It shows the duochrome better in the shade, the sunlight brings out the shimmer and it's a bit more sparkly than the Chanel and/or a real Black Pearl. This one actually has the green in the middle with the purple around the edges. It's gorgeous!

I also compared it to the new Estee Lauder Wild Storm, very similar, but WS is more silver...still, I think I see a trend here. :)

And since I swapped my untried Lippmann Hit Me With Your Best Shot, I had to swatch that (I'll replace it with my Apothica gift cert won from Evil Angel) Love this color so much!

This is what my hands looked like after all the swatching. :) And again, please ignore the horrible condition of my cuticles. I've been doing a bunch of house cleaning and it's time for a deep moisture treatment. That week in Las Vegas was hard on my skin!

Why yes, that IS Lippmann Marquee Moon...which shall be mine one day. I love it, it's so different! The sparkles is me comparing Lippmann Happy Birthday with Milani Gems. I know they're not exact, but they're similar enough I can live without HB.

All in All, this Lizard gives Chanel Black Pearl a rating of Chilly. I'd say Tepid, but for the price...it's definitely chilly!

Which color do you like best or do you have an even better "Black Pearl" color? Tell me about it please!

Champagne Toast Anyone?

I had to post this up because I haven't seen pictures that do this polish justice AT ALL. Even our Goddess of Nail Polish: Scrangie, didn't truly capture it's awesomesauceness.   I'm talking about Barielle's Jess's Champagne Toast.
This polish is simply tantalizing and I cannot stop looking at my nails. It's a lavender silver with tiny pink slivers of glitter. It's just amazing in it's simplicity and elegance. I love this polish...can you tell?

All the photos were taken under incandescent 12 volt light with the white balance on my camera set manually to capture true white. I have looked at these beside the color on my nails and this is true to form, though the second photo captures it best. I have to add, it looks textured in the photos, but it really isn't...this polish is smooth even before topcoat.

I think the polish looks a whole lot like the bottle color and I truly do love this one. Looks like my son will get one more ornament to add to his tree. :)

Remember to click so you can see all the detail (and my winter cuticles.)

On another note, I tried NailTek II and my nails are peeling more than ever before. Guess that is proof that everyone is different. Anyone want a couple of bottles of this stuff...one brand new and the other slightly used? I've honestly not had much luck with some of the stuff I've seen suggested on other blogs lately. Dermelect seems ok, but I don't get the stellar results that Scandalous or Bright Lights, Big Color have seen on their nails. I guess it's time for me to return to my old favorite...more on that soon.

Did you pick this one up? Did you like it or hate it?

My Sister Won't be Home for Christmas :( -EDIT

Hi Everyone, I hope you're all having a great time preparing for sharing the holidays with loved ones. I'm looking forward to the trip up to northern California to spend the time with my husband's family and my son who will be flying in from Seattle, WA.  So excited to see the young man, haven't seen him since April!!!

My sister, on the other hand, won't be home for Christmas this year. She was struck by a passenger truck while crossing the street on her way to the bus station to get to work last Tuesday morning. :(  She's so lucky to be alive and have no broken bones.  She's got some really bad torn muscles that are going to take a while to heal and there will be plenty of physical therapy in the meantime. She lives in Las Vegas so it's not an easy trek for me to get there to help out. I am however, helping to the best of my ability: making necessary phone calls, keeping her son on track (he's got what used to be called Asperger's Syndrome), and whatever I can do from a distance. She's got a few friends, but mostly just co-workers and her son. I figure I can do my best for her if I wait til they send her home. Then I'll get out there and help her out at home and get everyone into a routine.

Say some prayers, send happy thoughts, whatever you do to contact the higher power you believe in. I'm praying for an excellent recovery with no after issues. I'm praying that all her expenses will be covered by the auto insurance of the person who hit her. I'm hoping she'll be fine again soon.

I have one favor to ask of my readers and friends:
It would be awesome if she got a bunch of get well or better yet "Merry Christmas" cards from anyone who wants to send them: (edited because I had the wrong room number dammit!)
Constance Moore
Las Vegas Healthcare and Rehab Center
2832 S. Maryland Parkway Room 105
Las Vegas, NV  89109

If you have time and can spare a stamp and a card, I'd be forever grateful for any cheer you can add to her not so fabulous Christmas.