Favorite Nail Polish Looks

I made a board on Pinterest called "My Nails"a while back (lane_wilson1 is my username.) This is a file full of some of my favorite ways that I have painted my own nails, and I will show a few of those below...

Base color: Color Club Status Update. Sparkles: Color Club Disco Nap

You will notice a pattern in that I love the ring finger to have an accent nail, and I love how subtle this one is. All I did was stripe down the gold on the ring finger. On the other nails, I used a foam makeup wedge to stipple the color down my nails concentrating it on the tips to create a nice ombre effect.
 

Main Color: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pacific Blue. Accent Nail: Essie Turquoise and Caicos

 I think the above look is gorgeous during the summer time. The colors are super pigmented and bold. Yet, it is a really simple clean look.

Main Color: OPI Rumple's Wiggin'. Accent Nail: Color Club Sugarplum Fairy

This is definitely my favorite purple nail color and sparkly nail color. The purple is super bright and eye catching and really brings out the purple in the sparkly polish. I feel like this is a look that is easy to rock nearly anytime of the year.

Sephora by OPI S-age is Just a Number

This is my go-to fall color. It has so many fall colors in it and has a gorgeous holographic effect. A very unique color. Also, it dries super fast :-)


I hope I inspired you to play around with your polish, maybe try something new :-)

Week of Reviews: Wet 'n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick

Today's lip product, Wet 'n Wild's Silk Finish Lipstick in Cherry Frost 514A was just as much a hit as yesterday's lip product review. The color is a true red with a slightly blue-ish undertone.

Top to bottom: NYX lip liner in 817 Hot Red, Wet 'n Wild Lipstick, Model Co. lip gloss in Berry Pink

Top to bottom: gloss, liner, lip stick

Today I decided to show the lipstick actually on my lips so that you could get a better idea of what it looks like. A liner is a must with red lipstick, so I just picked up a cheap basic red liner in Hot Red by NYX for about $3. I applied the liner all over my lips before applying lip stick. Below, I show the look with and without a gloss. Since the lip stick is a silk finish, you don't need a gloss over top, but it does just finish off the look. The gloss I used is ModelCo's SHINE Ultra Lip Gloss in Berry Pink. I got it in my Birchbox this month, but it normally retails for $16.

without gloss

with gloss

The lip stick formulation is super creamy-not super long lasting-but the lip liner will help with that. I think it makes for the perfect holiday look and is a very easy-to-wear red color. For only a dollar at the drugstore, who could pass it up?!

Week of Reviews: Wet 'n Wild Mega Last® Matte Lipstick

Today's review is on Wet 'n Wild's Mega Last^® Matte Lipstick in 901B Think Pink. I was looking for a neutral pink lipstick color and just stumbled upon this one. Funnily enough, right after I purchased it, I saw it posted on Pinterest as someone else's favorite lip color. So, it's not just me that loves it :-)

I've actually taken a snapshot of both the lipstick that I'm reviewing here, and a NYX lip gloss in Sweet Heart. They are both super affordable at $2 for the lipstick and $5.50 for the gloss. Now, because the lipstick is matte, I'm not a big fan of it on its own. However, I love it with this gloss over top.

In this photo, I have the lipstick swatched on its own above the lipgloss/lipstick combination. As you can see, the lipstick is a pretty neutral pink shade. Paired with the gloss however, it makes it into more of a coral peachy shade. I would recommend putting a balm on before this lipstick to avoid it settling into your lip's fine lines as matte lipsticks tend to do. I don't find it to be super long wearing, but it will easily stay on for a couple hours with minimal transfer.

Week of Reviews: Wet 'n Wild Magnetic Nail Color

I'd never tried a magnetic polish before, but the color of this Wet 'n Wild one really grabbed my eye... perfect for the holiday season! It's a really pretty dark shimmery red. To get the magnetic effect, you do one coat of nail polish and let it dry. Then apply another coat and hold the magnetic cap over your finger for about ten seconds before the polish dries. I found it to be a little tricky because I was trying to hold the cap really close to my nail, but I didn't want it to bump the fresh polish. I don't think the magnet is as strong as it could be. As you can tell, the pattern barely even translated on some of my nails.

However, the formula is awesome; very opaque, easy-to-use brush, and I've been wearing it for longer than 24 hours and no sign of chipping. The magnetic pattern adds some nice dimension, but to be honest, next time I may skip that step. I will definitely use this color again, though, because it is such a pretty color and a really nice polish. $5 at the drugstore :-)

Week of Reviews: Wet 'n Wild Blush

Today's Wet 'n Wild product is their Color Icon™ Blusher in Pearlescent Pink. It's a peachy pink shade with a little shimmer. ( I almost wrote shimmy haha!) 

The pigmentation is awesome, but it is very powdery and soft, much like the eye shadows I reviewed yesterday. In the picture above, on the right side, the blush is blended out. On the left side is a concentrated swatch that I did with my finger. You can see that there is some shimmer, but I don't think it's overwhelming at all. It think it would be a very wearable shade for lots of skin colors. It adds a nice flush and would look awesome with a tan. Only $3! Yay!

credit: 1st picture- www.wnwbeauty.com

Week of Reviews: Wet 'n Wild Eyeshadow

I decided to try out a new idea for this blog. I bought five Wet 'n Wild beauty products, and I will be doing a review on each product throughout the next five days. If this is a success, I may start doing these more regularly with other brands!

Today's product is Wet 'n Wild's Color Icon™ Eyeshadow Collection. It is a palette with ten eye shadows in the pink/purple family. I love wearing purples because I feel like they are almost a neutral color, and they aren't too crazy. Also, I gravitated towards this particular palette because I don't have too many pink or blue eye shadows. It also comes with a double sided sponge/blending brush, but to be honest, I haven't touched it.

First things first, these eye shadows are super soft. As soon as I got them home, I looked at the palette and one eye shadow had a chunk broken off. So maybe it's not the best for traveling... The second I touched the brush in, I could tell that you may have an issue with fall-out if you didn't tap the brush off. However, most of the colors are very pigmented, so you don't need much on your brush anyways.

Here are the swatches going down the left side of the palette and then down the right. As you can see, pigmentation is nice. The only two colors that I was not impressed with were the white which came out chalky and the bottom left blue which really could have been a gorgeous color. Another questionable shade was the matte light purple, but it was decent enough. Also, if you can't tell, the bottom right color is actually a dark green with some sparkles... odd because it didn't really go with the rest of the color theme.

With this being my first time working with Wet 'n Wild eye shadows, I must say, I was quite impressed. I'm excited to try out some tutorials with this palette. (check out youtube.com/lanielew25 for more about that) I will definitely be incorporating them into my daily look, and at only $5 for the whole palette, you can't beat that!

credit: top pic is from wnwbeauty.com

Cold Weather Casual

I've noticed myself wearing basically the same outfit to class every day this winter. Obviously it has worked without fail for me for several weeks, so I thought it might inspire you if you're in a bind for a quick go-to cold weather outfit. Only the jean link takes you to the exact item that I am wearing in the picture; everything else is what I would consider a perfect substitute. The skinny jeans are super skinny but also super stretchy, and I think flat boots are a must for walking long distances. I love that this look is fitted and put together, but still casual and comfortable. The layers up top keep you comfortable when going from frigid temperatures outside to much warmer temperatures indoors. 

Let me know how you like these types of posts  :-)

1. scarf (similar) - $14
2. thermal - $20
3. hoodie - $30
4. jeans - $35
5. boots - $70
6. jacket - $80

Favorites: Shower Must-Haves

Here's a run-down of my favorite shower products...

Starting with Shampoo and Conditioner, I have been loving the Clear Total Care products. Their goal is to work at the scalp to make sure that as your hair is growing in, it is as healthy as possible. Since I'm trying to grow my hair out, I have been mainly using products that really target the root of the hair. You can find great deals on these products at the drugstore for a super affordable price.

My sort of "treatment" conditioner that I use is the Nioxin Scalp Therapy in #2 for noticeably thinning hair. Now, I don't have thinning hair; my hair is fairly normal thickness, but I would love to add some more texture and thickness to my hair. This is the conditioner that I always use at my roots, and even though you don't usually use conditioner on the roots, I don't find that it makes my hair any oilier. It has a minty smell, and after a few minutes of being on your scalp, it begins to tingle.  This is a pricier conditioner, but I found it at T.J. Maxx for about half-off.

My all-time favorite body wash is Ivory. It is super cheap, fresh smelling, and it lathers up SO much. What's not to love?

My last two favorites are kind of boring, but every one needs them... I like to have Cetaphil face wash in my shower because it's super cheap and gentle. It also works great on your body. And my razor-of-choice is Venus Gillette. When I first started shaving, all my mom had was the Bic disposable razors, and wanting to be like my friends, I begged to get the Venus one. After I got it, I realized how wonderfully it worked in comparison, and I have converted my mother in the process :-)  I've never had a problem with them, and they have lots of different head options for your needs. Venus is not super cheap, but it isn't too outrageously priced, and I think it's worth it.

Favorites: 3 Perfumes

My most-loved "night out" perfume is BCBGMAXAZRIA. This has a subtle berry fruity scent that keeps the floral notes from being overpowering. It has a touch of musk and sandalwood also. I think this is the perfect scent for someone in their early 20's (like me!) because it is sweet but not overly so due to the musk. The boyfriend loves this too :-)

Clean's Warm Cotton is more of a lazy Saturday scent. It is my favorite scent from the Clean line, and it really smells like a warm cotton shirt fresh from the laundry. If you want to smell good without smelling like you're wearing perfume, this is a great, clean scent (pun intended.)

My final favorite perfume is Lavanila Laboratory's Vanilla Grapefruit Fragrance. I don't feel like it's a super complex scent. It is exactly what it sounds like... vanilla and grapefruit... my two favorite things to smell like :-)    It's a great everyday scent that is sweet but not overly so like cotton candy scents, and it smells so yummy!

Tested: NYX glitter cream eyeshadow

At Ulta, I was browsing the sales for some Christmas gifts and happened upon a cream glitter eyeshadow palette by NYX in Bronze Goddess. It was only about $6. The colors really caught my eye, and I figured, with all of the holiday parties and get-togethers coming up, it would be fun to play around with some sparkly makeup that I wouldn't normally reach for.

You can see the colors from left to right are a yellow gold, bronze glitter, silver glitter, gold glitter, and a finer copper glitter. I found that if you want a chunky glitter that is very opaque, this may not be for you. You would have to reapply the glitter over many layers to get an opaque look. You also have to be careful with application or you may end up with glitter down your face, but since it is a cream rather than powder, you don't need to be concerned about fall out (just transfer.)

Here you can see swatches and notice that they do deliver a decent amount of product. I think the reddish copper on the far right would be the best for an every-day sparkle because it is really sheer, but it does have that fine glitter for a really fun look. I didn't love the yellow glitter on the left just because I would choose a gold over that, but maybe you would like it. 

If you didn't want glitter all over, I think this would be a really fun way to wear it. This is my sister on Thanksgiving. Just in the outer corner, it really brightens-up and draws attention to the eye giving a gorgeous effect.

P.S. Check out your local Ulta or NYX's website for the other glitter cream shadow palettes!