Black Shatter!!

I absolutely LOVE nail polish! That’s where the “paint” in “Paint Me A Love Story” came from (the other half came from one of my favorite songs, “Love Story” by Taylor Swift). I paint my nails at least twice a week to keep them fresh and looking great. When I got my hands on OPI’s “Black Shatter,” I was sooo excited to try it out.

Black is one of my favorite colors and OPI is my favorite brand, so of course I knew I was going to fall in love with this polish. And I totally did, this nail polish is so badass. Crackle nail polish was big in the 80’s and is now making a comeback. To apply, first apply a coat of nail polish, whichever color you prefer (don’t forget to apply a basecoat), and let it dry completely. Once dry, apply “Black Shatter.” This can be a little tricky at first because it dries sooo fast, so try and brush the color on as quick as possible. If you want smaller cracks, I suggest applying a thin layer on top of the already dried color. If you want thick/bigger cracks, apply a thicker coat. Top it off with a good clear coat for a glossy finish. Although effects of this polish shows well with a lighter base color, I’ve tried “Black Shatter” with three different colors and they all turned out great (not all light shades), but my favorite is this combination:

"Dude Blue" (neon) by Milani underneath "Black Shatter"

Black Shatter is part of the Katy Perry collection by OPI. There are other colors in the collection: Teenage Dream (glittery pink), Not Like The Movies (metallic silver), Last Friday Night (glittery blue), & The One That Got Away (deep berry). I do not own any of these colors, but you can visit the OPI website to check them out for yourself: www.opi.com

I got my bottle of "Black Shatter" at Trade Secret for $8.50. 

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My new favorite makeup remover wipes! :)

Neutrogena makeup remover cleansing towelettes

I thought I would try out these makeup remover wipes by Neutrogena because I had run out of my Kirkland 

brand wipes. I really like Neutrogena, so here are my thoughts on the product…

“Gentle, ultra soft cloths offer you superior cleansing and makeup removal at your fingertip

• Gently and effectively dissolved all traces of dirt, oil and makeup in seconds
• Patented formula is so effective, it easily removes even waterproof mascara
•  Leaves skin thoroughly clean with no heavy residue, so there’s no need to rinse

Use daily for clean, fresh, makeup-free skin in one easy step”

I think these wipes are definitely excellent at removing any kind of makeup, even my waterproof mascara/eyeliner. They do not dry out your face and they’re gentle enough to use around sensitive eye areas. I have a friend that uses these and she wears contacts, so they’re safe for contact lens users too. I found that it left my face softer than the other brand I used, and my face felt a lot cleaner. They have a pleasant scent, so no worries there. I will definitely purchase these makeup remover wipes again in the future, they’re so nice and cleansing.

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e.l.f. custom compact w/mirror

Happy May! I’m finishing up my winter classes and I’ve been super busy with finals and finishing up projects. Sooooo, it’s going to be a while before I can start posting more entries. Until then, I want to give my thoughts on a product really quick. I recently purchased the e.l.f. Essentials Compact w/ Mirror.

I also bought 4 different custom eyeshadow shades for it: Ivory, Dusk, Golden Glow, and Moondust. Ivory is a pretty frosty white. Dusk is a shimmery gunmetal. Golden Glow is a gorgeous shimmery gold. Moondust is a frosty taupe. The compact was a dollar and each individual shadow pans were a dollar a piece. I’m impressed with the pigmentation in these shadows and how beautiful they turned out to be, especially Golden Glow. You don’t need much on your brush for application, and they’re easy to blend.

The compact itself can hold up to 4 eyeshadow/lip/face pans via magnets, and it has a huge mirror (which I love). It’s pearly white, and super cute with “e.l.f. elements” printed on the front and the website on the back.

Since these shadows are extremely smooth and can be easily picked up by a single swipe, there will be excess shadow that can build up and make the whole compact a little messy. I suggest being careful when handling these shadows. I haven’t had this product long enough to find out if the magnetism is strong enough to hold these pans in place well, but they’re holding up pretty good so far. 

I will definitely go out and purchase more colors since I like the colors I chose, and I enjoy the excellent quality that the shadows have. Unfortunately, there isn’t a wide selection of shadows to choose from. There are only 10 shades, so I hope elf decides to create more colors soon.

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Hello everyone! :)

Hello everyone! I don’t really know a whole lot about blogging, but I’ve always wanted one so here goes! Before I start introducing myself, what I’m into, and all that good stuff, I want to mention my beautiful and talented best friend Ashley Hodge. I've known her for almost 7 years now, and I seriously don't know what I would do without her. She's the most caring, funny, creative, stylish, beautiful person that I have ever met. She has given me advice when I needed it the most, and she's always there for me if I need her. She thought I would have a lot of fun starting my own blog since we share the same interests. So now let me introduce myself; The name is Ashley,and I have got to be one of the most random people you will ever meet. I love being different, and I'm definitely a child at heart at times. I'm shy, but once you get to know me, I'm pretty cool. I really care about the people I love, and I've been told I'm a "fun loving girl". I am easily amused and intrigued by the smallest things, like this necklace I got at Claire's :

I love the length of the string, and the big safety pin with all the little buttons attached. Unfortunately, it’s not available for sale because I bought it on the clearance rack. But! They have tons of other cute necklaces and earrings :) Also, check out this robot necklace I bought last month at Forever 21  (One of my most favorite clothing stores!):

Isn’t she cute? I named her Molly :] Check out all the different robot necklaces they have :)

I love makeup! I don’t have a favorite brand because it’s hard to choose from because I think every brand has a special product that beats out all the others. For example:

- E.l.f. sells brushes that are good quality and are very affordable. My favorite brush is their powder brush from their studio line. It’s so soft, and it works wonders. I even love the way it looks. It will be the best $3 dollars you will ever spend.  They also sell the best false lashes for only $1! 

- Urban Decay sells the best eyeshadow primer. Their primer potion is a definite must for me. Your eyeshadow will stay put all day, and it doesn’t crease at all.

- My favorite mascara is the “LashFusion XL Micro-Technology ™ Instant lash” by Fusion Beauty (Sephora). It gives your eyelashes serious volume and length. This mascara is special because it contains fatty acids, avocado oil, and wheat flower lipids that nourish your eyelashes, even after you take it off! I even noticed that my lashes grew a little longer after 2 months. 

I love to paint my nails during my free time. I really enjoy Sephora by OPI nail polishes. There are sooo many cute colors to choose from, and they all have cool names. With a good top coat, these polishes will stay for a good 4-6 days. My favorite is “Hell to the No.”. It’s a pretty light opaque purple with a faint, gold shimmer to it. Purple is my absolute favorite color.

Well, I think that’s all for now. There’s more to come though! Stayyyy tuned.

-Ashley

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