OPI Mermaid's Tears + Silver Shatter

I love living close to lot of beauty supply stores because it means I get to buy the OPI Silver Shatter early :D I contemplated buying the rest of the OPI Pirates of the Caribbean collection but I managed some self control and bought only Mermaid's Tears. I paid $6 for the silver crackle and $4 for Mermaid's Tears.

These are really color accurate.

This is my first experience with shatter polishes but from my experience it doesn't seem as finicky as people made it seem. I experimented with applying the Silver Shatter over Seche Vite versus no Seche Vite and I didn't find a difference with the crackling effect. Just be sure that your nail polish is completely dry.

I apologize ahead of time for my cuticles!

I think silver crackle looks better when applied a little thicker. I found that it made the silver glitter a little more opaque and it makes for a nicer contrast against Mermaid's Tears. When I applied it a little lighter it looked too much like a glitter topcoat versus a shatter in my opinion.

Here's my left hand with the thinner crackle. I also experimented a little with application techniques. With the pointer finger I applied the crackle in dabs, the middle finger had it applied diagonally and the ring and pinky were applied like normal nail polish. Try to go as fast as you can.

Here's my seldom seen right hand with the thicker crackle.

Are you going to invest in the OPI Pirates of the Caribbean collection?

Raspberry Lips and Black Liner

*After much reconsideration, I have decided to no longer buy from Morgana Cryptoria. This is a personal decision and not a reflection of the products. Please read this to understand my decision*

I've been feeling a little rusty with posting and makeup in general because I've been busy doing schoolwork before the end of the semester. This week had a group project paper due, a phonetics test, an English draft due, and a math test.

On that note, I'm kind of sad that I'm done with my math classes because I only have to take Stats for my Comm Disorders major. Haha for me math classes are my fun classes but the only ones I can take after this are Calculus and up and they has a lab class and I ain't doing that.

TL;DR- I've been busy

Oh yeah, look at that wing

I creatively cropped out my forehead in the first picture. I was lazy about doing my night routine for my skin and woke up to a whole bunch of spots on half of my forehead. Acne sucks :(

Eyes:
Urban Decay Eden Primer
Wet n Wild Brulee eyeshadow on the lid
Josie Maran Cosmetics Maple eyeshadow in the crease
Wet n Wild Black creme eyeliner

Lips:
Morgana Cryptoria Gilded Cerise lipstick

Disclosure: I got the Josie Maran Cosmetics eyeshadow for free from a contest they did on thei facebook. Everything else I bought myself!

Rainbow Eyes with Morgana Cryptoria

It's been a long day of school and the results hour of Dancing with the Stars isn't on yet so I had some relaxing fun with some of the new Morgana Cryptoria eyeshadows.

*After much reconsideration, I have decided to no longer buy from Morgana Cryptoria. This is a personal decision and not a reflection of the products. Please read this to understand my decision.*

Rainbow eyes are so fun to do and excellent during Pride Week!

Eyes
Urban Decay Eden primer
Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Morgana Cryptoria Eye Shadows
from the Shifty Eyed collection:
-Changing Chartreuse in the outer corner
-Mystic Midnight on the middle of the lower lash line
-Mystic Lavender on the outer lower lash line
from the Murder Mystery collection:
-Sinister Scarlet in the inner corner
-Conspiring Copper on the middle of the lid
-Ubiquitous Suspicious on the inner lower lash line
Wet n Wild Arch Envy in Medium Ash

Bronze and Purple EOTD

Sorry about being inactive lately, school has been kicking my butt and I've got a paper to finish and phonetics quiz to study up on this weekend. I'm also going to try to squeeze in taking pictures of my new Morgana Cryptoria lipsticks.

*After much reconsideration, I have decided to no longer purchase from Morgana Cryptoria. This is a personal decision and not a reflection of the products. Please read this to understand my decision*

Also, this look is really similar to this one that I did ages ago but mehhhh I don't care

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Glam Brown Eyes liner (the middle bronze shade on the lid)

MAC Bronze

Wet n Wild Eggplant creme liner on the lower lashline

MAC Violet over the creme eyeliner

The Brush Guard vs The Comparable Dupes

Forgive me for the long post, but I thought that I should be as comprehensive as possible especially since there is a lot of interest in the Brush Guard. I first heard about The Brush Guard from Youtube gurus praising its merits and how much easier it made drying brushes.

After that, I got the inspiration to try an alternative after seeing a comment saying that it looked the same as braided sleeving for cable organizers. I did a post earlier about the braided sleeving but I didn't have the real Brush Guard to compare to. I received a couple of samples from the company and so I thought I'd to do a comparison post.

The company that makes the Brush Guard also sells them as Brush Defenders to cater to those who paint and do art work. There is no difference in the product. Brush Guard sells packs of each size or a variety pack but the Brush Defender site only sells a variety pack.

The sizing is the same but the naming is just different. The Brush Guard goes from Extra Small to Large and the Brush Defenders go from Small to Extra Large.

How To:

Before I compare them I thought I'd do a quick tutorial on how to make your own brush guards from braided sleeving. You can purchase the braided sleeving from Cable Organizer but the shipping increases per item you buy so keep that in mind. Another seller is CableTiesandMore but their shipping seems more expensive and I have not bought from them before!

The trick to the braided sleeving is making sure that you must cut them long enough to ensure that they do not fray as you're using them. I found a length of 4 inches to be good for all sizes of the braided sleeving.

See how similar these two look? The top black sleeving is my DIY version and the bottom one is the Brush Guard

After you cut them with scissors, you'll want to seal the ends of the sleeving to help prevent fraying. I use a lighter to slightly run over the edges of the braided sleeving (a trick I picked up from ballet that we used to prevent our toe shoe ribbons from fraying) to help bond the braids together.

I'll talk about the Pros and Cons of the Brush Guard vs my DIY Brush Guard and my prior Toilet Paper Wrap a la DustyoHunter. I do it slightly different in that I just roll the paper tightly around the brush head versus pushing it up from the handle. I find this method to work better for eyeshadow brushes.

The Brush Guard

NOTE: When you're drying your face brushes, make sure you thoroughly squeeze the water out of your brushes otherwise you will be waiting days (literally for me) before they dry

Pros:

• You can dry your brushes upside down in a cup if you use the brush guard (I normally leave my brushes laying sideways to dry.


• Compresses the brush head to create a really nice shape


• They're reusable and while it is normal to have fraying at the ends it did not disintegrate with repeated use

Cons:

• It can be costly to get enough for your collection, but you can easily just wash your brushes in batches


• Only comes in Clear (which some may not like)


• You need to make sure to thoroughly squeeze the water out of your brushes (in between a paper towel) before you dry them otherwise you'll be waiting ages.

Pricing: The Brush Guard sells various packs for $5.50. You can get sets of single sizes for the same price but the number of brush guards in the pack vary by the size that you're getting. This is a one-time investment. You can also purchase them on Coastal Scents for $4.95 + shipping but it's on sale for $3.71 (until 4/18)

DIY Brush Guard

In my experiments, I found the DIY version to work EXACTLY like The Brush Guard. To make it easier for you to find compariable sizes, the widths of the Brush Guard Small is 1/4 inch, for the Medium ~3/8s inch, the Large is 3/4s inch and the Extra Large is 1 inch.

Pros:

• You can customize colors for your brush sleeves depending on where you buy them


• Works exactly like the brush guard


• Allows you to dry your brushes upside down


• Compresses your brush head to the original or better shape


• They are reusable

Cons:

• Depending on which length you buy and where you buy it from, it can cost MORE than buying a pack of brush guards.


• You have to make them yourself and not everyone wants to deal with melting plastic


• Because of how you seal them it can fray more than the Brush Guard


• Same problem as above, you need to make sure to thoroughly squeeze the water out of your brushes (in between a paper towel) before you dry them otherwise you'll be waiting ages.

Pricing: Like I said above, it can be costlier than the original Brush Guard. For example, 4 feet of 1/4" sleeving from Cable Organizer which would make 12 of the comparable Small eyeshadow sleeve would cost $6.54 including shipping and handling whereas you can get 10 of the Small eyeshadow sleeves in a pack for $5.50 including shipping and handling. It would still be a one-time investment.

There are spools of braided sleeving

The Toilet Paper Wrap method

I do it slightly different than DustyOHunter's method in that I just roll the paper tightly around the brush head versus rolling it around the handle pushing it up to the brush head. It is an excellent way to dry your brushes. I usually use 1/2 square folded in half for eyeshadow brushes and usually 3-4 on face brushes.

Pros:

• You don't have to go out and buy it, it's already in your house (keep a separate roll for this purpose please)


• Works excellently for face brushes (because the paper will draw out the water much faster)


• If you roll it right you can have to standing up in a cup
• I didn't have to worry about thoroughly squeezing out all of the water before I wrap it up in the toilet paper. I do make a point to shape the brush head and let all of the water run out of it as much as it can

Cons:

• I like to reuse them but I imagine some people might throw it away


• Not the most fanciest method


• Sometimes it can be hard to wrap around small brush heads (like eyeshadow brushes)

Pricing: It is cheap and a roll will last you ages but it isn't really a one time investment

CONCLUSION

So after all this, which one would I invest in? I would actually buy the brush guards strictly for eyeshadow brushes (the pack of 10 Small brush guards is $5.50) and use the toilet paper roll method for my face brushes. If I find a cheaper source for the 1/4 inch braided sleeving I'll buy that.

Most of my collection is comprised of eye brushes so I'm glad that the Brush Guard sells each size individually. If you want a variety pack that contains Brush Guards for the same price, buy them from Brush Defender. Their variety pack contains 3 of the eyeshadow Brush Guards and 1 Medium, Large and Extra Large size.

Disclaimer: The Brush Guard sent me samples of the product for consideration. I'm not getting paid for writing the review/comparison and none of the links are affiliate links (just so you know I've never had affiliate links) My opinions have not been influenced by the fact that they sent me samples and my opinions are my own!

Sunset Eyes

I feel like I've been on a creative streak so here's a sunset-ish look that I did with all Sugarpill :D

I must stress the amazing glitteryness of Goldilux. If you have to pick just ONE eyeshadow from Sugarpill, it's Goldilux all the way.




Face:

Josie Maran Cream Blush in Sunrise

Fyrinnae Fluff powder all over the face

Eyes:

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream #12 all over the lid and lower lashline

Sugarpill Goldilux on the lid

Sugarpill Flamepoint in the crease

Sugarpill Love+ a little bit in the outer corner

Inglot Double Sparkle 493 as the highlight

Lips:

NYX Round Lipgloss in Apricot

Sugarpill Darling and Midori EOTD

I just switched over to a new commenting system so I'm glad that I can finally reply back in a consistent spot. There may still be a few glitches but here's hoping that sorts itself out soon enough!

Here's something I did while watching Dancing with the Stars. My family is absolutely hooked on it and I'm such a Hines Ward fan; who knew that he'd be an amazing graceful dancer?!

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

Sugarpill Midori in the inner and outer corners and on the lower lash lines

Sugarpill Darling in the middle of the lid

Fyrinnae Otherworldly as the highlight

Wet n Wild Creme Eyeliner

Wet n Wild Taupe Eyeliner for the brows

Ardell 109 false eyelashes

Peachy Pink Golden Eyes

I've been neglecting my Wet n Wild Comfort Zone palette because I've been favoring the awesome blue brown dupe so I thought I might try some of the other shades out. I used the two left eyelid and crease shades in that order for a really simple eye.

Also, Soft Nude, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.. I will say that it's a pain in the ass to wear unless your lips are perfectly exfoliated but man it's still a nice color.

I wish Spring Break wasn't over. I'm back in my phonetics class and Narrow Transcription is kicking my ass.

Face:

Origins Vitazing

Rock and Republic Blush in Bedroom

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion- Original

Wet n Wild Comfort Zone

-Left Eyelid shade on the lid

-Left Crease shade in the crease

-Left Browbone shade in the browbone

Wet n Wild Taupe eyeliner for the brows

Lips:

NYX Natural Lip Liner

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude

Aquaphor on top

Sephora Chic Week for Beauty Insiders

I just got this card today in the mail announcing 15% off purchases from April 15th-April 21st at Sephora in store/online for Beauty Insiders!

To redeem online, you enter the code BICHIC

Will you be getting anything?

Target Beauty Bag!

A little while ago Target had a promotion giving away these Sonia Kashuk bags with some makeup samples and coupons for $25 off. I honestly wasn't sure if I was going to receive my bag at all because many people posted about it ages ago and I thought they ran out of bags.

But nope I got mine a couple of days ago and so if you requested one and still haven't gotten it, it is probably making its way to you!

There's a sample of the new Neutrogena Naturals lip balm, Frederic Fekkai Shampoo and Conditioner, a Nivea Express Hydration lotion and a Revlon Colorburst lipgloss sample in Hot Pink.

The bag isn't that large but it's something I can use to keep in my purse for the necessities.

Did you get a Target Beauty Bag?

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude

I think everyone has been talking about this color lately and how it's an excellent drugstore nude so I had to get it. I wasn't sure of the color at first but as I kept wearing it I rather liked that it is understated and excellent to balance strong eye makeup. It is a color that I had to get used to.

Texture: My impression of it is that you can't apply too many layers, otherwise it'll get really streaky on you. It isn't a problem with my top lip but it can be with my bottom lip. A lipliner does wonders with evening it out.

For me I think it lasted around maybe 2 hours? I slept with it on and after my 3 hour nap there was a tiny bit left.

Packaging: I will give them kudos for the packaging because it does feel luxurious with a nice click when it closes. I also noticed that they did a really good job at matching up the lipstick cap with the actual lipstick color!

Here is the lipstick swatched by itself!

I also swatched it over NYX Natural Lipliner to make it a bit darker. I prefer it over lipliner but I think both are nice.

Have you gotten Soft Nude yet? Get it while you can while it's on sale this week at Rite Aid for 40% off :)

A Poor Man's Crackle polish

I remember this MAC Antiquitease nail polish look that Christine at Temptalia featured years ago. It very much reminded me of crackle polish and so I thought I would replicate the look with Revlon's Gold Coin.

It's very easy to achieve this look, just paint your nail the color that you want and let it dry(or use a quick dry top coat) then paint another polish over it and immediately use a piece of paper towel (preferably textured) to blot over the polish.

Christine recommended to do it one nail at a time and I definitely agree. Try to only go over a section of the nail once otherwise it just smushes the polish badly

I tried it with both Revlon Gold Coin and China Glaze For Audrey and I personally like the results. I haven't experimented much in terms of method but I imagine you could get much more uneven results if you did!

This isn't a new thing but in the midst of the hullabaloo with crackle polish I thought it'd be great to rediscover some alternative methods :)