Tips and toes: Recent nail polish designs I've worn

Hi beauties,

Hope your week's going well.
What's on your tips and toes?
Here are several looks that I've recently worn on my nails:

Pixie's "Turquoise The Noise" layered with random topcoats:


Ten Second's "Roll Back Prices," a polish I got from an airport on my way to Cleveland:


Revlon's "Wind Fall" and Sally Hansen's "Commander in Chic" half moon mani:


Revlon's "Lava," such a pretty hot pink:


Revlon's "Lava" and "Silver Dollar" half moon:


Hope you have a great week!

FTC Disclosure: I paid for the products with my own funds.

Song of the Week: "Higher Ground"

"Lord plant our feet on higher ground."

That's all I need to hear right now and that's why Doug Carn's jazz beauty is really resonating with me.

Hope you have a positive, productive and prosperous week!

Laura Mercier lipstick review

Plum. Raisin. Violet. Lilac.
However you say it, I've always been a member of the purple fan club. Always loved purple-hued lipsticks too.
That's why I was excited to discover Laura Mercier's "Violet," a plum lipstick that is perfect for fall!
At the time, I was in Sephora looking for a darker lipstick and swatched many lippies. This one warmed my heart.
And it's funny because I always walked past the Laura Mercier display.
Not this time though. Something told me to swatch her lippies and I'm glad I did.
"Violet" goes on very creamy and lasted for several hours.
The formula is lightweight.
The lipstick made me feel sexy but not in a vampy kind of way, like other purple lipsticks can come across as.

Here's a swatch:


"Violet" on my kisser:


What a beautiful color!
I've been wearing this baby to work and elsewhere.
My only caveats are the ingredients and pricetag.
The lipstick is not made with natural ingredients, but is made with anti-oxidant and anti-aging ingredients. That'll work for me.
And "Violet" set me back $22, which is really, really high for my pocketbook.
It was worth the splurge though!

Are you into purple lipsticks too? If so, what's your favorite?

FTC Disclosure: I paid for the product with my own funds.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Another random question but what inspires you?

For me,it's:

-Blogs

-Magazines

-Neighborhood walks

-Mannequins

-Strong people

What does it for you? What inspires you?

Image Source: gd-wholesale.com

My DIY lip gloss palette

I've never been a huge fan of lip palettes but had to make my own version since I had all the supplies!

I used an old Sephora eye shadow palette and a tiny spoon. (Um, yeah...I keep random things like old eyeshadow palettes. Don't judge.) When I get to the bottom of my lip stick and glosses, I scoop the extra product out into sample jars so I can use all of the product:



I've seen where some people actually melt their leftover lipstick and pour it into the pots, a process called depotting/decantering, but I didn't do that. All I did was scoop the lippies into each palette pot and voila:



Now I have a new lip palette and I'm not wasting product! Who'd want to waste CoverGirl's NatureLuxe balms anyways??

Have you ever done this before? Would you?

FTC Disclosure: I previously paid for the products with my own funds.

Maybelline COLORsensational lipstick review

I was browsing Target's clearance bin and came across Maybelline's "Mauve Me" lipstick from their COLORsensational line of lippies.
This sure is a pretty color.
I'd describe it as a pink/purple hue, that's perfect for wear at work or a low-key event.

Here's a swatch:



And here it is on my kisser:



"Mauve Me" applied like a dream, very creamy and matte.
I found it to be very moisturizing, even without applying balm to my lips.
It lasted too. I got a good four hours of wear out of this baby.
And I was out in the rain interviewing people for work and the lipstick still lasted.
The lipstick normally retails for about $9 or $10 but I paid a little under a dollar for it after coupons. I'd buy another lippie from this line at full price though.
Overall, I like this lipstick. It was a good hit with my pocketbook and lips!

FTC Disclosure: I paid for the product using my own funds.

Song of the day: "The Thrill is Gone" by B.B. King

This is doing it for me right now!!

Things I love…in no particular order

This is so random but here's a list of things that I love:

-cupcakes

-children

-Brussels sprouts

-oxfords

-vintage clothing

-reality tv

-arts n crafts

-Girl Scout cookies

-garlic toast

-open minds

What about you? What do you love?

Image Source: www.marthastewart.com

NOTD: Revlon's "Fire Fox"

"I'm not usually a red person but..."
I feel like I say that every time I wear red nail polish and said it when I applied Revlon's "Fire Fox."
It's a pretty red with gold shimmers in the formula, and I'm so in lurve with it.
The matte gives it an edge but the polish is just as nice with a topcoat over it.
It reminds me of L'Oreal's "Queen of Hearts."
I bought the polish on clearance for 87 cents from Target.
Definitely a super buy!

What's on your tips and toes?

FTC Disclosure: I was not paid by Revlon for this post. I paid for the products with my own funds.

Time for Five: Random things I'm feeling

This is so random but here are five things I'm liking, doing or into now:

1. NYC's "Fashion Avenue Fuchsia":


Fall is right around the corner and lacquer-wise, I'm ready for autumn. This polish is so pretty; the perfect jewel-toned color for fall!!

2. My new record holder:


I bought this baby from my fave local boutique, B. Original. It holds my most beloved records so I don't have to go searching through my stack anymore. Perfect!!

3. Sephora Nail Art goodies:


I love Sephora's new line of stickers, glitter, dotting tools and other goodies. The dotting tool has a special place in my heart. It's made my manicures so much more fun!!

4. Me:


Yeah, I do silly things like this because I'm worth it. And I'm so thankful that I have all this time to self-assess and figure out what I want and need. My next relationship is going to be so good because of it:)


5. Using every last drop of my products:


As The Wu-Tang Clan would say, "Times is rough and tough like leather!" Don't judge.
Plus, this is a Lancome Juicy Tube. It's against the beauty law to waste any of this gloss!! Lol.

NOTD: Pink nails and black dots

I've been having so much fun with my nails lately!
Sephora recently launched a new line of nail art and I recently picked up some goodies from there.
I'd been in the market for a nail dotting tool and the one I bought from Sephora cost me only $7.
I wanted to create a nail look using dotting tools and here are the supplies I used:



To create the look, I painted my nails with Maybelline's "Mod Mauve" and poured Wet n wild's "Black Creme" in a bottle cap. Then I dipped the dotting tool into the black polish and dropped black dots over my nail. This was the final look:



It's so cute. I'm definitely going to do it again with different colors.

What's on your tips and toes?

FTC Disclosure: I was not paid by any beauty or cosmetic company for this post. I paid for the products with my own funds.

A beauty haul and Helter Skelter

Hi there!

I had a super busy week at work so I treated myself by going to...Sephora!! And Target.

In addition to the many samples I always get, I bought some Laura Mercier lipstick, Carol's Daughter hair oil, Sephora nail art stickers, CoverGirl lipstick, Rimmel London lip gloss, and polish remover.

Expect reviews soon.

In the meantime, here's what's currently on my nails:



I barely wear red but this one, "Cherry Pop," was a buck from Sephora. The blue is Hello Kitty's "Blueberry."

And for some reason, I can't get this song, "Helter Skelter," out my head:



I recently saw "Across the Universe" and it was awesome!! This song stuck out.

Hope your week is productive and positive!

My Fave Amy Winehouse songs

"Tears Dry on Their Own"


"Back to Black"


"You Know I'm No Good"


What a voice, what a talent. Sorry to see her go. RIP Amy.

Neutrogena face wash review

I decided to change up my facial cleansing routine for summer and Neutrogena's new line of natural cleansers is part of that process.
The line is formulated without parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, dyes and phthalates.
The line features a lip balm, soap, and two facial cleansers.
I recently bought the fresh cleansing/makeup remover cleanser.
I liked the smell and the drug store-friendly price but sadly, the product didn't live up to its hype.
My skin didn't feel as clean as I thought it should've felt after using the cleanser.
Maybe that's because I've been so used to hot water steaming my pores with the Oil Cleansing Method.
And Neutrogena's cleanser bills itself as a make-up remover. Lies!!!
The cleanser did not get off all my make-up. Hints of eye liner and shadow were still visible on my lids after I washed my face with the cleanser.
Overall, this product is just mediocre but I wish I would've saved my money.

FTC Disclosure: I was not paid by any beauty or cosmetic company for this post. I paid for the products with my own funds.

One hairdo, three looks

I recently got my hair done for my birthday and originally asked for crinkles.
Then I wanted a bun.
I couldn’t make up my mind, but I knew I wanted something different.
So after washing, coloring and twisting my locs, my loctician Michelle styled my hair in a cute bun!!

Here are pics of what my bun looked like:







I got lots of compliments on the bun and never felt so regal!
The bun lasted for about two weeks so I took out half of the braids and left part of my hair cornrowed:

Here's what that style looked like:







After about a week or so, I took the pony tail down and finally got my crinkles!

Here's a pic:



I love my locs and how versatile they are!!!