Cynthia Rowley Nail Color Duo

Sometimes shopping at TJ Maxx can result in some awesome finds that I wouldn't otherwise get in my podunk town. I thought I struck gold when I spotted these Cynthia Rowley Nail Color Duos for around $5, so I grabbed the neon pink and purple pair (they don't have names) and went on my merry way.

Firstly, the colors in the duo are great. The pink is so neon that the picture above is completely inaccurate. The purple is straight-up purple, but it's on the summery side.

There are a few glaring problems with this polish duo. You know there's an issue when a polish that isn't advertised as a matte polish dries matte. This stuff dries quickly and doesn't even itself out. Even better, it chips badly in under 24 hours. Hello, poor quality!

This is really a shame because the colors are beautiful, but they're not even worth wasting top coat on.

Summer Heights High Mani

If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a big ol' television nerd (especially comedy). So, when anyone asks me about my favorite comedy shows, my #1 answer is always the Australian show Summer Heights High. If you haven't seen it, you need to Netflix or HBOgo that stuff, because it's hilarious (and has a great soundtrack).

Here, I present to you Jonah, Ja'mie, and Mr. G on a background made to mimic Ja'mie's school uniform:

All images used belong to Chris Lilley, ABC (Australia), and HBO.

Check out my other "floating head" manicures for tutorials and tips:

Doctor Who

Veep

Katy Perry's Yin-Yang Nails

Did anyone catch Katy Perry's yin-yang nails during her Graham Norton Show appearance (if you didn't, they're also on the cover of ELLE Magazine)?

I did these by hand. When attempting this, make sure you keep the lines fluid and curved. It's easy to fall into a geometric trap which will not give you the look you want. The dots were done using a bobby-pin end as a dotting tool.

Olympics (USA) Themed Manicure

The only thing more fun than seeing the U.S. dominate the Olympics was seeing all the ladies with their patriotic nail art! Some girls went full-on and had Olympic rings and mini-flags on their nails, but I loved the subtle approach of solid patriotic colors with accent nails. It's super simple and trendy without running the risk of being dated.

Zoya's America (how appropriate, right?) with Minx's Blue Lightning on the thumb.

E.L.F.'s Complexion Perfection & Golden Bronzer

I was surveying my makeup box/container/treasure chest thing and noticed that one brand is slowly becoming a favorite. E.L.F.'s (eyes lips face) line is cheap, cruelty-free (yay!), and good quality. When I say this stuff is cheap, I mean each product is usually under $3.

Pictured on the left is their Complexion Perfection powder and on the right is their Golden Bronzer. From the picture you can't see that each comes in a black compact with a mirror (a brush isn't included). When using these, you run your brush across all four quadrants which blends them together--Easy peasy. The Complexion Perfection mixes to be a flat, almost white powder and the Golden Bronzer mixes to be a shimmery bronze color.

I love both. Neither are overbearing and seem like they're meant for building color. I have a problem with redness in my cheeks so the Complexion Perfection makes me look like a normal human being, and not like an overheated weirdo. The Golden Bronzer is a pretty friendly bronzer in that it would compliment many skin tones. The shimmer also offers a little bit of coverage if you have any blemishes. I'll also add that when I say "shimmer", I don't mean glitter. Overall, these are both good buys especially for the price.

What's in My Bag?

I lovvvveeeee when magazines harass celebs and ask to see what's in their makeup bags. I still remember being fascinated by Molly Sims' bag in an issue of YM magazine from the early 2000s (remember that one?). She had a cute, black bag with a rhinestone cherry for a zipper... and I'm pretty sure she used Rosebud lip salve, so thanks, Molly, for getting me addicted to that at an early age. If you're willing to forget the fact that I'm not a supermodel, you can peek into my makeup bag! Here are my main staples of beauty:

Omorovicza Complexion Perfector BB SPF 20 - For those good skin days/gotta do my makeup quick days/beach days. This BB cream has everything you could need and it's easy to apply--great for those low-maintenance days. The downside to this product? It's pricey y'all.
Clinique Acne Solutions Liquid Makeup - For those bad skin days/I know I'm going to have my picture taken and I need to look good days... this is not oily at all and provides pretty heavy coverage. It's supposed to help prevent acne too, but I don't know how effective that is.
Nicola Roberts' Dainty Doll Shadow & Base Duo in Honey Bronze - This duo is great for any time and so easy to work with. It's color is buildable so you can go from understated to nighttime-glam-wow easily. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure you can only get this brand in the UK and also, I think they discontinued this particular product. Bummer.
Nars Eyeliner Pencil in Black Moon - I've been using this for years... like, since middle school and I'm a few years out of college now. It's super dark and long lasting.
Band Aid by Cynthia Rowley - Fans of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy know to always have a towel. Fans of Doctor Who know to always bring a banana to a party. I know to always have a band aid in your makeup bag. I find them useful for those times that your shoes turn evil and give you blisters or for random freak incidents that leave you in need of a small cover-up operation.
E.L.F. All Over Color Stick in Fair (names have changed since my purchase) - This is a quick, compact concealer that has a sugary/citrus-y scent. The best part? It cost $1! A buck! What!
Tweezerman Mini Slant Tweezers - I swear by these tweezers. They're super sharp so they grab those really fine hairs.
Last but not least, a hair clip - I have floppy hair and sometimes those situations where it's windy or super humid arise and you have to get that hair out of your face! This is a lifesaver.

Now, you may have noticed that I have nothing for the lips. That's because I'm usually a balm person. I have balms and some glosses stashed away in every purse... lipsticks stay with the rest of the makeup until they're needed.

So, that's it! That's what's in my bag! Do you swear by the same stuff? Do you swear by something similar? Comment and let me know!

Minx's Blue Lightning

This is one I've been sitting on for a while, but since we're in the heat of summer I thought this uber-vibrant color was perfect! Here's a set that was gifted to me by a very awesome person:

Blue Lightning is very... well, blue! It's basically a Tardis blue (in certain lighting) that gives off major superhero vibes. Going to a comic con? Wear this Minx! In real life, this design is much glossier than what the picture shows.

I've been learning how to stretch the Minx over the tips of the nails to avoid wrinkles, and I'm getting better!  It's easier on wider, flatter nails. The ones on my big toes are perfect and look flawless (not to toot my own horn there!).

Fun note on how "Wow!" these look: I was giving an order at a carry-out place and when I had my hands up to pull money out of my wallet these Minx literally wiped the girl behind the counter's mind. She said, "WHOA ARE THOSE METALLIC?" and we got to briefly talking about Minx... and then she had to take my order all over again because she was so psyched about my nails. I love reactions like that!

**Please note that this Minx design was applied by a non-professional (me) using non-professional tools (hairdryer)!

Zoya Free Shipping

Free Shipping at Zoya.com now through Friday. Use code FS99.

Remember to use my referral link by clicking the link previously mentioned in this post OR the heart in the right column of the page >>>>>
and
After clicking the link, in the same window create an account and place an order (I'm pretty sure you'll get an awesome coupon!) without closing the window first.

Zoya's Remove +

In order to qualify for a Zoya promo, I added this small bottle of Remove + to my cart on a whim. When you first encounter it you'll notice that it has a cute bottle that's not weirdly shaped like others which take up room in storage while not itself utilizing the space it takes up. My first impression upon opening is that Remove + smells so nice... almost like a high-end hair salon. You can still smell that underlying acetone smell, but it's not nearly as gross as other scented polish removers. For the size of the bottle I expected the quality of the remover to be extra strong... but it's not. It's self-described as "mild" and that's pretty much the best description of it. It took a while to remove the polish on my nails, but afterwards I could tell that my nails didn't seem so stripped of moisture.

I think Remove + is ideal for people who would really want to take care of and not damage their nails, so if flaking or brittleness is a problem for you, I would totally check it out. However, if that's not a priority for you and you just want to get the job done, I'd stick with a drugstore brand.

Ikat Print Nails

I am loving me some Ikat... and it doesn't hurt that when applying this pattern to the nails that messy = a-okay!

These are done on a red base, followed by big black spots done with a nail art skinny brush, small white spots on top of that done with a skinny brush, an even smaller blob of grey on top of the white, and then a few teeny black dots in the center of it all.

Keys for a Successful Pattern (of any kind) on Nails:

• Keep the pattern the same size on each nail regardless of the size of the nail. 
• You can see I fell victim to this on my left hand's pinky where the center spot is smaller than the neighboring nail's dots.
• Go off the edges. 
• A border of your base color around each nail is probably going to be a dead giveaway that something's off with your pattern.
• Avoid sticking to the center. 
• Ex. If your pattern is polka dots, avoid constantly putting a dot in the center of each nail and basing your pattern off of that placement. This rule harks back to the previous one--don't be afraid of your pattern falling off the edge of your nail.