Just One TAG!

A few days ago the amazing Shelby from Beauty and a Blog and Maryam from Line Up The Makeup tagged me in the "

Just One" tag. Basically, you have to choose one product from each of the following categories. JUST ONE. At first I didn't think it would be too hard until I had to actually sit and think about my favorites for the categories. It was so hard! But luckily I was able to gather up my favorite products to share for you guys. so without further ado...

Facial Cleanser: After one of the new Glamglow cleaners ruined my face with extreme dryness and peeling, the only thing that helped restore my skin was the St.  Ives Blackhead Clearing Green Tea Scrub. Its a gentle exfoliant and the green tea is good for minimizing inflammation. It's gentle on my skin without too much irritation and it really leaves my face feeling soft and refreshed and not at all dry later on.

Lip Gloss: I love my matte lipsticks, so I'm not a huge gloss gal, but when I do want lip gloss on, I always have my Milani Brilliant Shine lipgloss in Pink Grapefruit in my bag. It's not sticky and doesn't feel thick on my lips and the subtle shimmer makes it perfect for when I need a little something on my lips.

Eyeshadow Single: This was a super easy one for me. Stila Kitten eyeshadow is hands down my favorite eyeshadow ever. It's a pretty champagne shimmer eyeshadow and I just love it. Stila includes it in quite a few of their eyeshadow palettes and I have a few singles just in case (heaven forbid) they ever discontinue it.

Nail Polish: This was hard since I have about 350 nail polishes, but lately I've been loving spring pastel shades. Currently I have the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polish in the shade "Rosey Riviter" on my nails. With the gel topcoat, these have lasted a good 9 days so far without chips, impressive since I constantly wash my hands at the hospital when I'm at work.

 

Lipstick: This was another hard one since I have a few favorites, but you guys know I love my lilac lipsticks and the Lorac Alter Ego Lipstick in the shade Goddess is always in my purse. These lipsticks have my favorite formula and I have two backups of this one too since I love it so much. (Want to see swatches of my favorites? Let me know!)

Blush: NARS Sin. No hesitation there haha. I have loved this blush for years now and that will probably never change. I am on my second one. It's literally perfect for any makeup look. You can build it up for a deeper berry toned blush, or lightly swept on for a subtle flush. Milani Luminoso is definitely a close second. 

Foundation: This one is a toss-up between NARS Sheer Glow and Este Lauder Double Wear. They are both my tried and true foundations that have never failed me in the years I've been wearing them.They  have different overages, EL is more full and NARS more sheer (duh ha) and I love how I don't have to worry about finding my shade since Bone (EL) and Monte Carlo (Nars) are perfect matches. 

Two Items I Would Buy Over and Over Again: Not including the products I mentioned above that I've re-bought, I would definitely re-buy (already have) the NYX HD Concealer. It's my everyday concealer and I love it. It doesn't crease, doesn't cake up and it lasts all day and covers any dark circles I may get. I would also re-buy the Melt Cosmetics Dark Matter Stack when/if I ever hit pan on my current one.The  shadows are such basic mattes but the formula is so amazing and buttery that they have been included in my everyday makeup routine and replaced my beloved Soft Brown and Cork from MAC.

 

Mascara: I don't really have a favorite mascara. I love both high end and low end and I've tried a million different kinds, but surprisingly, the Victorias Secret Runway Length mascara gives my lashes such amazing length and volume that I've really been loving it these last few months. It's the kind of formula that's almost like a mousse so it coats my lashes completely without getting clumpy or dried out. Plus it doesn't flake off throughout the day. 

Eyeshadow Palette: Another tough one, but honestly, my Stila Eyes Are the Window "Soul" palette has literally been my everyday palette for months now. It has every shade I need for a complete eye look and it's such a good staple neutral palette. And it's so pretty with the gold packaging!

Bronzer/Powder: This is another no brainer for me. NARS Laguna has been my favorite bronzer for about four or five years now and i buy a new one every year (sometimes twice) since i go through it so quickly. its the perfect color for warming up my pale face without being orange and the shimmer is subtle enough to give me a pretty glow without being to shiny.

This was so fun to do! I tag Makeup By Kaelin and Nichole over at Baking & Beauty Department to do this tag next! Have any of you done this tag or would like to? Comment the link so I can check it out and thanks for reading everyone!

St. Patrick's Day Nails | Water Marble How-To

Hello again everyone! I wanted to do another nail tutorial for you guys and what better excuse than St. Patricks Day coming up in a few days? I'm not usually a huge fan of green nails, but for holidays, it's a fun way to show some spirit. Plus, no one can pinch you for not wearing green ;)

This how-to is slightly more complex than my other manicures, as it is a water marble technique. Water marble manicures are kind of messy and time consuming, but the outcome is so pretty once you get the hang of it. 

In this tutorial, I'm going to show you the technique and you can either use it one all of your nails, or just for accent nails like I have done. And at the end, I'll show you how to water marble a cute shamrock for St. Patricks day! 

What you'll need:

3-4 polishes (I picked light green, dark green and a silver glitter)

A plastic container with cold water

School glue (optional)

Acetone polish remover

A small brush for clean up

Q tips

A safety pin or toothpick

Start out by applying the glue with a q tip around you cuticle and the skin of your fingertip. This will help prevent some of the messiness. 

Now grab your container with the cold water. I would use something that you don't mind ruining. I keep this little TupperWare container handy specifically for water marbleing. Take a polish and add a drop to the water. 

Working quickly, add a drop of the next color you want, right in the center of the first color. 

Do the same with the next color. It's important to work fast so the polish doesn't set. I keep all of my nail polishes completely unscrewed and ready for this. 

Continue adding drops until you get the color pattern that you desire. 

Now grab your safety pin or toothpick (I use the pin so the polish doesn't stick to the wooden toothpick) and gently drag it along the rings of polish to create the marble design. 

Once you have a design that you like, dip your finger as flat as you can into the design. Use a q tip to pull the extra polish on the water away from your finger. 

You should have something like this. 

It looks super messy but that's what the glue was for. Gently wipe away the excess polish and glue with a cotton pad with some acetone on it. The glue shields the skin so it should scrap away easily. Any excess polish around the cuticles can be removed with some acetone on a small brush. The e.l.f. concealer brush is great for this. Now with a qtip, drag it along water to pick the excess polish in the water to prepare for the next design. Seal your design with a top coat and that's it! It looks much more complex than it really is. 

A few tips:

*use nail polishes with a thinner consistency. I like Pure Ice, China Glaze and Essie for water marbles. Thicker polishes won't spread in the water as well and you design will come out chunky and it won't dry.

*once you draw your design with the pin, let it sit for a minute or two to allow the colors to set. This makes it easier to apply. 

*letting the design set for even longer will allow the polish to harden. You can then use a toothpick or qtip to gently pull it out of the water and use it as a decal. Just cut off the excess polish like you would a nail wrap. 

*the amount of drops of polish you add will determine the intensity of the marble design. Adding a lot will give you a more tye-dye effect. 

*allow the design to dry completely before adding a top coat. If you try to seal the design while the nail is still tacky and wet with water, it will smudge and NEVER dry!

To do a shamrock:

Do the same steps of adding polish to the water. Now with the pin, gently drag it from the outside of the polish to the center. 

Slowly drag it on the opposite side, going towards the middle. 

Now do the same thing between the first two spots. 

Finish it by doing the opposite side again and there you have it! A shamrock! Let it set and apply to your nail. 

Well thank you for reading and I hope you liked this post! Tag me in any of your water marble designs on Instagram using #livforlashes. I'd love to see them!

Follow me on Twitter! @LivforLashes

Find me on Instagram @livforlashes

Email: liv_2008@icloud.com

No-Tools Valentine's Day Mani | 3 Easy Manicures for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day guys! Have you ever had a big date and gotten every little detail planned for a perfect night, only to realize last minute you didn't get your nails done? Don't fret! I have three super easy manicures for V-Day, whether you had just forgotten about your nails for your big date, or you're just a last minute person like I am. Each one is super simple and literally takes just a few moments and the best part? No tools! No complex designs! Literally any one with any type of nail painting skill level (if that's such a thing) can do these. The only "tools" you need are your polishes (obviously), a bobby pin, and a cosmetic sponge. Keep reading to see how to create these cute nails!

 

 

1. Dot Manicure

For this first one you need several polishes. I used white, light pink, dark pink and red. You will need a bobby pin for this one. 

Start off with clean nails, painted with just a clear base coat. With your bobby pin, dip it in the white polish and start dotting the polish on to your nail. It doesn't have to be precise and there's no pattern here we're aiming for. 

 

Repeat this with the other three nail polish colors, filling in the blank areas with different colors as you go. 

 

Seal with a top coat and you're done! I concentrated my dots more towards the tip of the nail, but you can do the whole nail, or just an accent nail like this if you want. 

 

2. Ombré Accent Manicure

For this one you need the same polishes as the first manicure and a disposable cosmetic sponge. Start by painting a nail or two with the white polish. This is our base for the ombré. I painted the other nails the same colors I am using for my ombré. 

 

Now paint stripes of polish, going from dark to light on to the cosmetic sponge. 

 

Dab the sponge on to the white base, allowing a few seconds between coats for the polish to set some. If you do it while it's too wet, the colors get mixed and messy. 

 

Clean up the edges with a q-tip dipped in remover and add a top coat to finish off this mani. 

 

3. Gold and Red Heart Manicure

For the third manicure I wanted something a little more sultry and not so bright as pink, so I went for gold and red. Paint one or two nails gold and the rest red. 

 

For the gold nail(s), grab your trusty bobby pin and dip it into some red polish.

Dab two dots of polish on to the upper corner of the nail. This will be the top of our heart.

 

With a little more red polish, connect the dots to finish the heart. 

 

Add a couple of red dots by the point of the heart. 

 

On the red nails, I wanted something so they weren't so basic, so I pulled out some nail studs. You can get these anywhere for just a few bucks. I put a tiny dot of clear polish near the cuticle and then placed a gold circle stud right on the polish. 

 

Again, seal everything with a coat or two of clear polish and you're done!

See? Super simple and each one literally took me about five minutes (not counting drying time between coats). These are perfect for a last minute mani and so cute too!

I hope you guys liked this post! Which one was your favorite?

xoxo

LivforLashes

Polishes Used:

Nina Ultra Pro "French White"

Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro "Posh Pink"

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails "Heart of Stone"

Wet n Wild Megalast "I Red a Good Book"

Nicole by O.P.I "Carried Away" 

China Glaze Clear Base/Top Coat

Follow me on Twitter! @LivforLashes

Find me on Instagram @livforlashes

Email: liv_2008@icloud.com

 

 

 

Mani Monday | Easy Valentine's Day Mani

It's been a long time since I've done a nail tutorial, so I figured since Valentine's day is coming up, I'd do an easy V-Day manicure for you guys!

It was super simple and practically no tools are needed!

For polish you need:

White

Light pink

Dark pink 

Silver glitter 

Light pink glitter 

The first step is to paint a base color on your nails. For the thumb and pinky fingers, I used the dark pink. Light pink goes in the index finger. White will be on the ring finger and silver for the middle finger. Do two to three coats to make the polish opaque. Make sure your polish is completely dry before moving on to the next steps. I like to watch an episode of my favorite shows on Netflix to pass the time for this :)

Now the ring finger is super simple, just paint a layer of the light pink glitter polish over the light pink base. 

For this manicure, the middle and pinky fingers will stay as is, just the base color. 

For my ring finger, I added a lips design. To do this, find a thin brush (I used an old striping polish brush, but you can use art brushes or even a toothpick) and draw little lines and scratch marks to make the bottom lip, using the dark pink polish. 

For the top lip, it's easier to do it in two sections. Draw the little lines to make a triangle shape for half of the top lip. 

Do the same for the other half.  

For the thumb, I first cut out a heart shape on a piece of paper. 

Next I grabbed a triangle cosmetics sponge and painted on a few coats of the white, light pink and pink glitter polishes. 

Place the paper flat over the thumb nail and sponge the color on to the nail, creating and ombré tie dye effect. 

The next part is a little tedious and totally unnecessary, but I grabbed loose silver glitter and while the heart was still tacky, I used tweezers to place the glitter around the outside of the heart. 

Top it off with a clear top coat (don't forget to paint the edges of your nails with it to prevent chipping) and that's it! Simple and super cute and perfect for a fun manicure for Valentines day!

I hope you liked this post and I'd love to see some of your V-Day nails! Tag #livforlashes on Instagram so I can check them out :)

Have a good day guys!

xoxo

LivforLashes

Follow me on Twitter! @LivforLashes

Find me on Instagram @livforlashes

Email: liv_2008@icloud.com